and that would be very messy.
I do a very light business on Etsy. That is mostly because I don't try very hard. I still have boxes and bags and all manner of items of the crafting variety to sell as destash in my OmaLinda's Boondoggle Emporium. But after the frustrating day I have spent......maybe I'll just chuck it and say whatever.
In order to complete the sale of an item, I must use The US Postal service or UPS. Duh, no really Linda. Yeah Joe's kinda opposed to me hand delivering things around the country while flying my broom. I wish. And I have nothing against either entity except.....I don't like liars, be they corporate or corporal.
It's really my fault. I should know better than to list anything that is bigger than a prairie dog. Not because of the weight of the item but because it is going to take a bigger box. Sometimes it takes more time to find a box than to ..... well just about anything. I have interested people who would like to know what postage will be. Sometimes on larger items, I indicate that I will charge exact postage if they will let me do the figuring before we conduct our transaction. I know I have Patsy written on my forehead but I don't like to overcharge folks.
Today I was preparing an item, in a box I searched for. I went online and got a price. I put in the measurements of the item, the weight and of course the address of the buyer. The site gave me a price of $9.57. I thought that's great because I had indicated an $11.50 cost on the shipping. Then I went onto Paypal to print out the label and the cost was $20.52. I only sold the item for $6.00.
This is not the first time I have had this happened. And there have been some really upset customers when I have to cancel the transactions. There is no way I could complete the transaction. I can't afford to lose more than I ask for an item.
So the moral of the story is....don't believe the online cost indicators of the shipping folks or don't sell anything over 7 oz.
I feel so bad for my customer. I feel so bad for me. I spent an inordinate amount of time finding the "for crying out loud" box. Oh and if I had gone with Priority mail.....the cost would have been $29 something. Honestly, I give up. The silly thing didn't weigh but 3 pounds, it's not like I'm selling bowling balls. But they would be in smaller boxes and probably be able to ship them.......oh well.
I know that the folks who make their living by working for the Postal Service, hi Gail and for UPS, hi Tina aren't to blame for this problem. If the online calculator was correct, then I wouldn't have had to disappoint a very nice lady in Alabama.
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I haven't experienced this problem but I can really understand the problem of maintaining a bottom line if your shipping costs are so out of whack.
ReplyDeleteI can imagine you're upset. Those are big prizes just for shipping.
ReplyDeleteImagine what you would have to pay for a shipment to The Netherlands ; )
Have a great day.
That is why i only sell jewelery on etsy. The packages are small and light and easier to calculate...I have been hit too though. When i was doing a refit for somebody they sent it back to me by UPS...and i had to pay $30 in brokerage fees.....and drive 30 miles to the depot to pick it up. Live and learn!
ReplyDeleteTalk about time wasted! All that work and nothing to show for it but two disappointed people. For shame USPS!!!
ReplyDeleteI don't sell anything on Etsy but I always admire those sellers who really try and cut costs when they can because of shipping fees, etc...You have every right to feel cranky and may karma come back to UPS (not in a harmful way, but maybe in a way that'll wake them up!)
ReplyDeleteUgh, I'm so glad that above a certain point, our post is worked out by weight alone (there's a rather complex way of working out small envelopes that involve plastic templates with slots o.O)
ReplyDeleteIt is a difficult bit. It is not like everyone can afford a storage room full of boxes so one can know at the time of listing. Please don't explode, I want you whole and pretty.
ReplyDeleteAnd don't get me started about the post office. My local mailing gods had some water issue and some of the things I sent got damaged. You would think they would call costumers to say what happened, oh no, that would make sense. I only found out that anything was wrong because Penny (Texan Zombie Goddess) emailed me to say she had not received something I mailed. This last two weeks, I've spent fixing and remaking stuff.
Dang! What a pain... grrrr... Here's to better days.
ReplyDeleteAlways, Queenie
This is too bad Linda! I know for myself, I do undercharge for my mailing. If I charged exactly, I probably wouldn't sell much. It's so hard! I feel for you!
ReplyDeleteThis is too bad Linda! I know for myself, I do undercharge for my mailing. If I charged exactly, I probably wouldn't sell much. It's so hard! I feel for you!
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