I think it is a benefit of living in a smaller town.  Here in KC the postal carriers are not as generous. I think they would pick up a package on occasion from a house but as a rule you would have to take it yourself or if you are a businesses you can arrange for special pickup of packages.

I think it is a benefit of living in a smaller town.  Here in KC the postal carriers are not as generous. I think they would pick up a package on occasion from a house but as a rule you would have to take it yourself or if you are a businesses you can arrange for special pickup of packages.

That is true.I'm lucky I guess.

Billy D.

I think you can schedule pickup for free from any Postal Carrier in the US as long as it's a Priority Mail package. 

https://carrierpickup.usps.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/CarrierPickup.woa

Ah, I see. Maybe it is because of small towns: I live in a capital city, so the postal service would not be so understanding; but they might be in rural areas.

Man, oddly enough my auction that is better quality with embedded video and a nice layout isn't getting nearly as many views as my first auction.

Now I'm wondering if I priced it too high...

Man, this pricing thing is gonna kill me!!  I guess if it doesn't sell (it's got one day left) I'll relist it with the starting bid a little bit lower, and maybe lower the Buy it Now by about $5 or so.

Sorry if I'm late to this discussion....as far as the postal service is concerned, you are right Gimpdiggity that most of the time I have found that it is much cheaper to send the package in my own box instead of the flat rate boxes.  If you are shipping in the same size boxes all the time I have found it cheaper and more convenient to order the boxes from a supply company.  I use www.uline.com.  You can purchase 10-25 of each size, depending on the measurements of the boxes.  Keep in mind thought the shipping from that company is high because of they send the boxes in a flat and boxes are heavy.  Just add a small amount 1.50 - 2.00 to your shipment to cover the box price.  A good size for your average sock puppet or two is 13 x 7 x7 or 14 x 8 x 8.  Buy the boxes a little bigger than you need that way if you need to ship more that one puppet you can fit them into the same box.  Most of my packages even up to 30 x 14 x 7, which holds 3-4 large puppets only weight about 4-7 lbs at the most.  You will probably pay double for a box if you purchase them retail instead of purchasing them in bulk at wholesale.

Also.....go to www.usps.com and sign up for an account.  It doesn't cost anything.  Each time you ship you can sign in, print click n ship labels, pay online and request a carrier pick up.  You will need to weight you package on a scale that measures ounces because every 2 oz. can effect the price.  I always add 2 oz. to my package just to make sure there isn't insufficient postage.  Never had a problem. I ship priority because it allows tracking and if you pay online there is no charge.  Carrier Pick up are free.

I have found if I am shipping over about 2.5 lbs it's much cheaper and more reliable to ship UPS.  USPS has lost a few packages for me even with the tracking.  If you know you are shipping consistently....1-3 times a week, every week, then sign up for an account with ups.  It's called a smart pickup account.  They charge you a flat $10 a week fee whether you ship 1day or 5days a week, no matter how many packages. You get an 11-14% discount on shipping cost on each package.  You set up your shipments online and they charge your UPS account linked to a CC and you receive a copy of the bill once week.  Once you set up the shipment it notifies the driver to pick up your packages.  NO EXTRA CHARGE!!!!  Great for those who live far away from a UPS shipping site.

Things I have learned about USPS is cheaper to ship under 2lbs....cheaper to ship overseas.....you can fill out customs documents online, cheaper to pay online....priority tracking free online......sometimes the loose packages and it's really hard to impossible to get them to respond to lost packages.  Insurance only covers damage to the package if they crush it, not if you just didn't pack it well....also if they loose it, not covered.

Things I have learned about UPS....cheaper over 2.5lbs...if you ship to Canada they will pay a higher import fee than if you ship with USPS.  UPS has their own clearing agents so it moves through customs faster but the customer on the other end pays a higher fee.  Canada seems to be about a 23% fee based on the customs value of the package while USPS is about 11%.  Each country is different, but I don't ship UPS to any other country but Canada because it's way to expensive.  Smart pick up is the way to go if you ship frequently, but don't need an everyday pickup. Shipping labels are free if you have a UPS account.  Customer service has been great.

I have not used FedX because the rate quotes are always higher that UPS.

If there's a low cost way to do something....I'm always looking for it.  It helps the customers and keeps business cost down!  Don't be afraid to ask other business how they do things.  Many times people are more that willing to help.

Hope this doesn't get lost in the shipping discussion.......Gimpdiggity have you thought about selling on www.etsy.com.  The fees are low .20 cents per listing....keep listing for four months or until it sells....they small fee from etsy when item sells....use paypal to receive payments.  Just a thought.  That's how I started before I got a website.  It's a good place to send people to look at your puppets.....then you can take custom orders from there.


Julie

Hope this doesn't get lost in the shipping discussion.......Gimpdiggity have you thought about selling on www.etsy.com.  The fees are low .20 cents per listing....keep listing for four months or until it sells....they small fee from etsy when item sells....use paypal to receive payments.  Just a thought.  That's how I started before I got a website.  It's a good place to send people to look at your puppets.....then you can take custom orders from there.


Julie

Hi Julie.

I have just started browsing around Etsy the last couple of days. 

I am going to really evaluate them and see if they are a viable option to selling on Ebay. 

So far, I'm liking what I see. 

And, thanks for all the info about the shipping.  I never really realized that UPS was cheaper for things over 2.5 pounds, but after you mentioned it I realize that it is 100% correct.  The only problem with UPS for me is that there isn't a very convenient place for me to drop packages off...I'll have to see if there's something close to work.

Jeff

Hi, all.  A few years ago, I posted something on Muppet Central, which shared my philosophy on building and selling puppets on eBay.  I posted it in 2004. 
Maybe I'm a bit off topic right now, but I have skimmed through his thread and think it might be helpful to any of you who build and sell puppets this way.  It worked for me.  I have been able to feed my family, and am now semi-retired.   Perhaps you will find this info helpful.... Here goes ....

I started building and selling puppets on eBay about 3, maybe 4 years ago and it's primarily how I feed my family. When I first started building and selling on eBay, sales were not good. The main reason is that folks who buy on eBay simply want to save bucks, and that's fine. EBAY is a great place for that. But at the time, I was building puppets with plastic eyes, high cost antron fleece covering the ENTIRE body, expensive lining in the puppets' entry, wires in the fingers, basically all the things that usually go into a professional "Muppet" type of puppet. But these materials are very costly as most of you other puppet builders know. No one on eBay seemed to have the funds for the prices that I had to start these puppets off at. Most of my clients are ministries without much to spend to begin with. So I had to come up with a way to save some material costs, yet still deliver a "Pro TV Looking" type puppet to my customers. In order to do that, I started using the styro foam ball eyes, and I kept the clothes attached to the characters, so I didn't have to cover the ENTIRE body with fleece. I found "Alpine" fleece (which I've written about on an earlier post) as a great substitute (and better, in my opinion) for the expensive, and hard to find antron fleece. Basically, what I offer is the chance for the average person who can't afford a $3,500 puppet (I swear, that's actually what we spent for each puppet from my old TV show "Jelly Bean Jungle") to own one almost as nice, but for less than $60-$70. It's worked out great so far, as my eBay feedback will show. Are there better made puppets out there? Absolutely! But they're usually quite costly. Although there ARE folks who also do nice work, who seem to be affordable as well. But how they profit this way is still a mystery to me.  So I personally feel I'm doing a pretty nice service for some good people. Also, after each sale, I Email every single customer, educating them on the proper ways to preserve puppets built like this. Bottom line is, if you treat the puppets well, they'll last as long as you want them to.
Ok, nuff said. Thanks for listening.

If you need more info, check out my book below

Hi, all.  A few years ago, I posted something on Muppet Central, which shared my philosophy on building and selling puppets on eBay.  I posted it in 2004. 
Maybe I'm a bit off topic right now, but I have skimmed through his thread and think it might be helpful to any of you who build and sell puppets this way.  It worked for me.  I have been able to feed my family, and am now semi-retired.   Perhaps you will find this info helpful.... Here goes ....

I started building and selling puppets on eBay about 3, maybe 4 years ago and it's primarily how I feed my family. When I first started building and selling on eBay, sales were not good. The main reason is that folks who buy on eBay simply want to save bucks, and that's fine. EBAY is a great place for that. But at the time, I was building puppets with plastic eyes, high cost antron fleece covering the ENTIRE body, expensive lining in the puppets' entry, wires in the fingers, basically all the things that usually go into a professional "Muppet" type of puppet. But these materials are very costly as most of you other puppet builders know. No one on eBay seemed to have the funds for the prices that I had to start these puppets off at. Most of my clients are ministries without much to spend to begin with. So I had to come up with a way to save some material costs, yet still deliver a "Pro TV Looking" type puppet to my customers. In order to do that, I started using the styro foam ball eyes, and I kept the clothes attached to the characters, so I didn't have to cover the ENTIRE body with fleece. I found "Alpine" fleece (which I've written about on an earlier post) as a great substitute (and better, in my opinion) for the expensive, and hard to find antron fleece. Basically, what I offer is the chance for the average person who can't afford a $3,500 puppet (I swear, that's actually what we spent for each puppet from my old TV show "Jelly Bean Jungle") to own one almost as nice, but for less than $60-$70. It's worked out great so far, as my eBay feedback will show. Are there better made puppets out there? Absolutely! But they're usually quite costly. Although there ARE folks who also do nice work, who seem to be affordable as well. But how they profit this way is still a mystery to me.  So I personally feel I'm doing a pretty nice service for some good people. Also, after each sale, I Email every single customer, educating them on the proper ways to preserve puppets built like this. Bottom line is, if you treat the puppets well, they'll last as long as you want them to.
Ok, nuff said. Thanks for listening.

If you need more info, check out my book below

Awesome!!

Thank you Paul.  I've been planning on getting the E-Book when my funds allow it, which should be soon.

I think that what I'm trying to do is basically what you ended up doing...provide good looking quality puppets at prices that everyday people can afford.  The first three puppets I sold all will be used in a Children's Ministry, and the gentleman that bought them from me is recommending me to the rest of his puppeteers. 

The one I have on Ebay right now is being watched (and I've communicated with today) a person that is looking for a quality puppet to give to her grandchildren. 

I know that my puppets aren't worth hundreds of dollars...maybe one day I'll be able to make something like that...but I do feel that they are good quality puppets that fit into that $50-70 range. 

Awesome, GimpD!  That's the idea.  For eBay, it really DOES work .