Shipping > All about shipping

1. Before you start
2. Choose package
3. Wrap and pack
4. Determine shipping costs
5. Label your packages
6. Get tracking number from carrier and email it to the buyer
7. Ship your items quickly
8. Pay shipping costs
9. Get rated

This section describes and explains shipping and delivery options. It will guide you through the shipping process and help you get started. Go through these steps before you publish your deal, since you will have to add your shipping costs to the final price while listing your items.

 

Before you start

1. Before you start preparing your items to be shipped, carefully measure and weight your items to determine the right package and costs.
2. Print out or export buyer’s delivery information using our “Report and ship” form in your profile.
3. Prepare invoices for each individual buyer.
4. Prepare and print shipping labels.
5. Understand that buyers want their items to be shipped immediately after payment has been made.

Choose package

Here are some guidelines to help you choose the right package for your items. Make sure, your items arrive in a good condition. Please note, that different carriers may have different requirements and classifications. Below, we state the Royalmail classifications.

 

• Measure and weight your item.
• Count in enough extra room for packing materials, like bubble wraps or packing peanuts to pad the item.
• Apply enough packing material to fixate the item in to the box to prevent any kind of damage which might occur during delivery.
• Choose the package format:

 

Letter format

Usually doesn’t exceed 240 mm x 165 mm in size, 5 mm in thickness and 100g in weight. It Is used to ship light flat items like:

 

• concert tickets,
• brochures, catalogues and booklets,
• cards,
• CDs and DVDs without cases…

 

Large letter format

Usually doesn’t exceed 353 mm x 250 mm in size, 25 mm in thickness and 750g in weight. It Is used to ship light flat items like:

 

• A4 unfolded sized paper,
• Most brochures, catalogues and books,
• CDs and DVDs with cases,
• Magazines…

 

Packet format

Everything that is larger than 353 mm x 250 mm in size, 25 mm in thickness and weights more than 750g and is up to 610 mm x 460 mm x 46 mm is classified as a package. It Is used to ship light flat items like:

 

• Clothes,
• Gifts,
• Shoes,
• Books,
• Video tapes,
• Parts and samples…

 

• Weight your package with your item and packing material again to determine the weight of the whole package.
• Choose you carrier.

 

Wrap and pack

Packing tips

1. Use padded envelopes for sharp edges or odd shapes.
2. Make sure any outer containers are strong enough for their contents.
3. Fragile items shouldn't touch either each other, or the side of the container.
4. Fill out containers with cushioning material like bubble-wrap or polystyrene chips (available from most Post Office® branches).
5. Write a return address on the item.
6. Put a contact name, address and telephone number inside.
7. Seal securely with nylon or vinyl tape along all edges and openings.
8. Flatten any sharp edge from staples or metal fastenings, and cover with tape.
9. Use a ‘FRAGILE’ sticker, if necessary.

 

Wrapping examples

Books:

 

• Small books: padded envelope.
• Larger books: corrugated fibreboard book pack. Ensure there is a 2.5cm clearance at each end.

 

Cameras:

Detach any lens or additional pieces and if possible use original retailers packaging. Surround the items in a minimum of 5cm of cushion material and place in a rigid outer container.

 

Computer disks: audio and video cassettes, CDs and DVDs:

Wrap cushioning material at least 2cm think around each item. Use a rigid, purpose made container. We recommend you use screened envelopes for computer disks.

 

Magazines and newspapers:

For quantities up to 1cm thick,: place in: a padded bag, heavy-duty cardboard envelope or polythene shrink-wrap. For quantities up to 5cm thick: wrap in: corrugated paper, thick paper or polythene shrink-wrap.

 

Maps, plans and drawings:

Pace in rigid cardboard sandwich or inside a plastic tube. Maximum length 90cm.)

 

Perfume (non-flammable or alcohol content less than 70%):

Wrap in polythene and seal with tape. Surround with an absorbent material like sawdust or newspaper. Place in a fibreboard or polystyrene leak proof container.

 

Prints, frames and mounted canvas:

Wrap cushioning material at least 5cm think around each item. Place between thick board or polystyrene giving 2.5cm clearance at each end. If glass is in the frame there needs to be a surround of a minimum of 10cm of cushion material and placed in a rigid container.

 

Records (vinyl discs):

Place between thick card and surround with cushioning material at least 2.5cm longer than the item. Wrap in strong paper, seal with tape and clearly mark package RECORDS - DO NOT BEND.

 

Small electronic items eg mobile phones, iPods, MP3, ebooks, sat nav etc:

Surround with a minimum of 1cm of cushioning e.g. bubble wrap. Ensure plugs pins are covered in 1 cm of cushioning to prevent damage to contents and outer packaging. Wrap each item individually. Electronic items may be sent in their original packaging providing the battery is sent with, or installed in, the device but not charged. Items should also be placed in a rigid container or secure outer packaging and cushioned to avoid movement.

 

Medium – Large electronic items, eg iPads, portable DVD players, laptops, flatscreen tv’s, printers, blue ray players etc:

Surround with a minimum of 5cm of cushioning e.g. bubble wrap, polystyrene chips or polyblocks to protect from knocks and vibration. Remove all additional or loose parts and wrap each item individually, including plugs. Electronic items may be sent in their original packaging providing the battery is sent with, or installed in, the device but not charged. Items should also be placed in a rigid container or secure outer packaging and cushioned to avoid movement.

 

Fragile items, i.e. Glass, China, Resin, etc.:

Wrap extremities separately, e.g. limbs of figurines, ears, etc. Surround in a minimum of 50mm of cushion material. Package in strong rigid container.

 

Determine shipping costs

Shipping costs are usually determined by the location, package weight, size and selected delivery time.

1. Ready your package

See the Choose package section above to select the right packaging format for your items.

 

2. Choose your carrier wisely.

It takes time and effort to find and negotiate the best deal with potential carriers. Keep in mind, that different carriers have different business strategies and business models. Some charge less for quick delivery, while other charge less for bigger parcel deliveries, so it is very important that you find the balance between what service you really require and the price. At the end it all comes down to patience and your negotiation skills. Remember however, that the better you negotiate with your carrier, the less money you will lose on the sale, and the better your deals can be. This will also attract new buyers. Read more about this in our Selling tips and tricks section.

 

Here are some carriers you might consider:

 

Royal mail (www.royalmail.com)

My Hermes (www.myhermes.co.uk)

Collect+ (www.collectplus.co.uk)

Interparcel (www.interparcel.com)

Parcel2go (www.parcel2go.com)

ParcelForce (www.parcelforce.com)

 

3. Add your shipping costs to the final price

According to our “What you see is what you get policy”, you must add your shipping costs to the final price of the deal. This is due to the fact, that buyers love to know how much they will pay for an item right away and not at the end of the deal, which makes them easier to calculate actual costs. Read more about pricing in the “Set the price” section.

 

4. Choose where to ship

Because of our “What you see is what you get policy“ you will have to choose the countries to which you would like to ship your items. Keep in mind that (because of our policies), Dealstocker is designed to operate nationally, regionally and locally, within the geographic regions where same tax rates, VATs and other laws apply. For example, European Union has standardized, harmonized and unified a set of regulations and rules that apply in every country that is a member of EU.  If you choose to ship outside of your country please make sure, to act in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. Read more about where to ship in “Delivery and shipping” section. Also read our Delivery policy.

 

5. Determine the delivery time

Determine how long it will take you to deliver the goods to your buyers. You can choose between several options from the pull down menu. Learn more about delivery in the Delivery and shipping section. Delivery time countdown starts when you accept payment from your buyer. You are then legally obliged to deliver your items according to terms and conditions under which you published the deal.

 

Be careful when setting the delivery time. Shipping costs will depend on this greatly. The longer the delivery time, the cheaper the shipping costs. And via versa. The shorter the delivery time, the greater the costs. For example. Next day delivery is usually much more expensive then 7 days delivery. You can use this simple fact to lower your price even more and attract new buyers. Read more about this in “Selling tips and tricks”.

 

Label your packages

Use our “Report and ship” form in your profile to print or export contact and delivery information of all joined buyers. You will use this information to get the buyers shipping address.

Note: You can only access “Report and ship” form for successfully closed deals. Failed deals will not display this option.

 

1. To prepare shipping labels:

 

1. Go to recently closed deals in your profile.
2. Click “Report and ship” button next to the deal.
3. “Export” or “Print” the information.
4. Copy/paste information of individual buyer in to label editing tool (i.e. MS Word label tool).
5. Print out labels.
6. Equip all packages with printed labels accordingly.

 

 

 

2. Shipping label must include:

Recipient (buyer) delivery information in the center:

 

• First name, last name
• Street, city, state, province
• Country, ZIP code

 

 Sender (seller) company information in the left upper corner:

 

• Company name
• Representative (your)name (first name, last name)
• Company address (Street, city, state, province)
• Country, ZIP code

 

Add invoices and thank you note

Every shipped item must include an official and valid invoice. Use our “Report and ship” form in your profile to get the information about all joined buyers. Learn more about how to prepare invoices in “Issue and invoice” section.

 

Seal down the package

Once you enclosed an invoice and equipped your package with shipping address, you can seal down your package with a strong tape. You are ready to go!

Get tracking number from carrier and email it to the buyer

Tracking numbers are numbers given to packages when they are shipped. Tracking numbers are useful for knowing the location of time sensitive deliveries.

 

• Get the tracking number for each package from your carrier. Note, that the tracking number for each package and each buyer is unique.
• Always store all tracking numbers.
• Send an email to each buyer with his/hers unique tracking number.

 

Ship your items quickly

• To finish the shipping process, go to your profile and press “SHIP NOW” button. Now go to your profile and view “Report and ship” form of the deal, you are about to ship out.
• When you are certain, that you got all the payments, click the “SHIP NOW” button at the top of the page. This will change the status of all joined users to SHIPPED. Delivery time countdown starts now!
• Ship your items within the delivery time you specified in your listing. Actual delivery time can differ from buyer to buyer and depends on the time, you received your payment. For example. 7 buyers joined the deal. 5 of them paid immediately after deal closed. Their delivery time countdown starts immediately after you received their payment. You however, still have to wait for the other two to pay. Their delivery time countdown will start, when you accept their payments.
• Dispatch your items quickly. The faster buyers get your items, the happier they will be.

 

Pay shipping costs

Always pay your shipping costs to the carrier to maintain good business relationship. If you choose to work with one particular carrier, you can agree to pay monthly or negotiate other terms. You can also reduce shipping costs, if you are good payer. Read more about this in our Selling tips and tricks section.

 

Get rated

Well, you have no power to rate yourself. You can however, have a great influence on your ratings by shipping out and delivering items in perfect condition at the right time. Buyers love and appreciate that! It is how you build trust and grow!