Postage Question

[dancingingrace]

I'm trying to figure out shipping prices for my first time for things that I'd like to sell. I have a scale at home, and I went on usps to get a price, but I have a few questions.

1) People say to ship through paypal instead of usps, but what is the difference, and how do you ship through paypal?

2) On usps, it asks for the date that you're mailing...what if you don't know? Does that actually make a difference in anything?

3) I entered all the info, and when it got to the pricing table, for first class mail (this is what I want, right??), it lists the post office price, but not the online price? Does this mean that I have to take it to the post office, and what makes the post office price different from the online price?

4) If I have a 6x9 bubble mailer with something light in it, like a shirt (in this case, it weighs 2.3 oz), is that considered a large envelope or a package? The prices are the same either way, but I don't know if the bubbles and the item inside make it too thick for it to be a large envelope, and if it matters.

5) If you want to ship something from your house instead of going to the post office, do you just put the postage on and stick it in the mailbox, or do you have to schedule a pickup, or can you just hand it to your mailman (if you know you can catch him when he delivers your mail)? Also, as far as putting postage on, (I know this sounds really dumb, sorry), do you just put as many stamps as it takes, or do you print something offline, and if you print, do you need special sticker paper?

Okay, sorry for so many questions, I know they are dumb and probably very obvious! TIA, mamas!!!

[Rdesonia]

If you print with paypal, you get free Delivery Confirmation. You print the label on regular paper and then just tape it on. You can schedule a pick up if the package is large but if it is small... I just put it in the mailbox with the flag up.

(Normally I drop it off at the PO because I live in a small town and it will not make it out of town that day if my carrier (rural carrier)picks it up. The PO is only 2 miles from my house. )

[dancingingrace]

Anyone else?

[keegen456]

When someone buys something from you and pays with paypal, an option to print postage will pop up under the transaction.

[B's Mommy]

I'm trying to figure out shipping prices for my first time for things that I'd like to sell. I have a scale at home, and I went on usps to get a price, but I have a few questions.

1) People say to ship through paypal instead of usps, but what is the difference, and how do you ship through paypal?

I've never shipped through usps because I found it a hassel. I use pp because that's how people send me money, and you would just click on the "create label" (or whatever they call it) button next to their transaction. It'll autofill their address and everything. They HAVE to send it as goods for this. Also, you can't pay for first class or parcel post on USPS, but you CAN through Paypal. If you are sending something and they didn't pay through pp, you can go to "multiship" and enter their information in manually. I think it's under merchant tools, but they recently changed things around, so I'm not 100% sure anymore.

2) On usps, it asks for the date that you're mailing...what if you don't know? Does that actually make a difference in anything?

Makes no difference.

3) I entered all the info, and when it got to the pricing table, for first class mail (this is what I want, right??), it lists the post office price, but not the online price? Does this mean that I have to take it to the post office, and what makes the post office price different from the online price?

Ship from pp and you'll be able to ship it as anything (first class, parcel, express, priority, etc.) The price is discounted for shipping online with priority, but it's not discounted for first class or parcel post, but it's more convenient because you don't have to go to the post office. The delivery confirmation is also discounted when you pay online - it's somewhere around $.17 instead of somewhere around $.80. It's free with priority mail, no matter where you ship from.

4) If I have a 6x9 bubble mailer with something light in it, like a shirt (in this case, it weighs 2.3 oz), is that considered a large envelope or a package? The prices are the same either way, but I don't know if the bubbles and the item inside make it too thick for it to be a large envelope, and if it matters.

On paypal, Package/thick envelope is the same option. So I just pick package when I'm calculating shipping.

5) If you want to ship something from your house instead of going to the post office, do you just put the postage on and stick it in the mailbox, or do you have to schedule a pickup, or can you just hand it to your mailman (if you know you can catch him when he delivers your mail)? Also, as far as putting postage on, (I know this sounds really dumb, sorry), do you just put as many stamps as it takes, or do you print something offline, and if you print, do you need special sticker paper?

You can put it in your mailbox, hand it to the mailman, schedule a pickup, or bring it to the post office/a drop off box. Makes no difference. For the postage, you'll print a label and stick (if you buy sticky labels) or tape it onto the box. I bought sticky labels a while back in a co-op, but just taped one on the other day because my DH the label in backwards and it printed on the wrong side - there's a setting in paypal you'll wanna change though to make it print only the label and not waste the other half of the label printing DC information - I don't remember the setting, but I had googled it.

Okay, sorry for so many questions, I know they are dumb and probably very obvious! TIA, mamas!!!