Youre right and its part of closing the sale, the customer is supposed to be happy after the purchase and not have buyers remorse. The packaging and how its recieved/presented is a part of that surely. 🙂
I only ship in boxes. As a buyer and seller, have had wayyyy too many damaged books/goods due to poor packaging. The bar is SO LOW, it is extremely easy to stand out in how you ship and the care you put into it.
I box everything, but maybe that's because I followed Shane to learn how to sell books! I also put every book in a plastic sleeve for water protection, then a few layers of bubble wrap, then in the box. I like the multi-depth boxes because I don't need to fill in empty volume around the book. I also add $1 to the actual shipping cost to cover all that stuff.
I with you on the multi-depth boxes! It is so nice to not deal with empty volume filler material. I think adding the extra $1 cost to cover good shipping materials is very reasonable. When buyers get that nicely packaged item I think they appreciate it! See Cool, Buy Cool!
We only ship in boxes. And we use a large enough box so that we can put packing material around the book(s) being shipped. As far as losing profit doing this: 1) this is our business and we're in it for the long haul. 2) we don't expect to be millionaires overnight 3) although we do buy boxes and packing materials, we get a lot of our shipping boxes from behind the local Dollar General before the recycling truck comes for them. Also, we have contacts that do house clean-outs and estate sales, hence, sometimes we get shipping supplies! We love books and ship our books out in the same way we would like books that we order to come to us.
Great take on boxes! I am doing polybags at the moment but think I will definitely will consider going over to boxes as the sales getting better. As you mention in the video, you need to buy stacks, or as you say William, find them elsewhere. I also would like to add two things. One aspect is environmental, and the other one is about the "unboxing" experience for the customer. Plastic is fantastic in many ways, but let's face it, it's not good for the environment. The cheap one, especially black plastic, is made of oil and is hard to recycle, even if you put it in the right bing. In Sweden, the regulation is starting to take further steps against this kind of material, especially when it comes to 'one-use-plastic' because it's only made for being used one time and then thrown away. The carton boxes, on the other hand, are harder to reuse or recycle. And here in Sweden, the customers also start to demand less plastic when they buy things. About the unboxing experience, it's just much smoother to open a box or carton, instead of have to tear the plastic apart. That's just my take on it. So, even if I use polybags at the moment, I aim for carton boxes. But when I started out, it was the easiest and cheapest alternative on the market. The shipping cost just raised here in Sweden lately, so the last thing I wanted to do when I started out, was raising prices against the customer. But now I think the arguments starting to be more clear and understandable, at least from my perspective.
I have never used poly bags. I have received books, unwrapped, loose, in poly bags and they arrived in good shape. Generally, I don't box unless the book hits $50.00. I box all that are over the $50.00 mark. Below that pricing point I will box a large, unwieldy book (such as the one you showed), or any that are in delicate condition. Lower priced books get the cardboard sandwich. I cut the cardboard around an inch oversize of the book, plastic wrap the book to the bottom piece of cardboard to keep it from moving around, and top with another piece of cardboard. I then lay the packing slip on the top and the whole thing is wrapped again with the plastic wrap. Put in an appropriate size kraft paper envelope and ship. I'm lucky to have a source for free 4' X 8' sheets of new cardboard. The plastic I buy on rolls at Lowes. Has worked well for me, so far. Had a package wrapped that way go through what a customer in Australia called a "typhoon" ,while laying on his front steps, and come out unharmed. ... envelope was ruined. To each their own.
Yep. Boxes aren't necessary. The key is cardboard to provide rigidity, cushioning by whatever material, and a plastic enclosure to prevent moisture damage. There are several ways to achieve that. Wrapping a book in cardboard, sometimes with a layer of small bubbles first,, then inserting into a bubble mailer is more than sufficient for most book orders.
Shane, I haven't sold books yet, but you've definitely made valid points about shipping in boxes. I also agree with those who suggest wrapping in plastic, inside the box, in case of moisture.
I both buy and sell books, and I completely agree. Yes, statistically *most* books in poly bags manage to arrive with little or no damage. That's not good enough for me; I want 100% to arrive safely! I wrap books in bubble wrap, surround with packing paper, and ship in a box, or possibly a cardboard folder as you showed, or a Gemini comic mailer. If it's not valuable I can see using cardboard and a bubble mailer which is much less likely to be damaged in transit; almost all poly mailers have some degree of damage to the mailer. You are *not* dumb! You are a bookseller who loves books. I try my very best never to buy from book flippers who only see books as a cheap and easy way to throw something in the mail and make a buck. (I bought some vintage books from a seller who stuck them in a flimsy box with no protection...sure enough they arrived damaged. His response was, literally: "What does it matter? They're just old books.")
I use boxes or wrap corners in cardboard because I fear spine and corner damage; I have received a few FBA returns because that retailer damages the books; I have started taking extra pictures so when request reimbursement, it’s no problem…I just always want it to be received as I describe it because that’s what I expect when I order something🤷🏾love your channel and thanks for sharing 🩷💙💜🧡♥️much continued success 🫶🏽
Those high volume/low cost booksellers are notorious for using as-cheap-as-possible shipping methods. Some people don't care about possible damage and will buy from them, especially if the books arrive without damage like in your example. Some people do care and don't buy from them again after their first order comes in a poly, and then they'll hopefully understand why low volume sellers are worthy of higher prices.
There's a postal sorting machine somewhere near Cumberland, Maryland known as "Jaws." Lots of books that go through it arrive in what are known as "body bags." The funniest (?) part is that the body bags read "We care." Somehow, I doubt that.
A big hardback like that should at the very least be in a bubble mailer with protective cardboard. Or yes, just use a box. It’s not that much more- it’s all media mail! Get real. Treat your items like you’d want yours treated 😉👍🏻
Wow! I guess I shouldn't be shocked but I cannot believe someone would ship a heavy book like that in poly mailer? And no clear plastic bag to protect against moisture?!? You are so lucky that book did not arrive damaged. That could have been a real disaster, huh?
Millions of $10-20 paperbacks out there that do not require a box. A padded poly is fine for $10 items. Then again, I've been selling media for over 20 years.
@@derekelliott6098 its very tacky to use a poly or bubble for any media related item. I wouldn’t be a repeat customer if you sent an item in a bubble mailer. It’s cheap. And you always have these long comments on everyone’s posts about your sales and finds. I found your eBay store. A lot of negative feedback btw. 👍
I’ve seen your eBay store and all your neutral feedback is about your poor packaging skills. Shipping items in a food box? Get out of here. And shipping an expensive book with no box. 👍
@@JB-gt5no I dont advertise my store on youtube. So IF you found my store by nefarious means, that's very creepy. Granted ALL 2 of my neutral feedback is about shipping 2 ounce items in food boxes - a box is a box - otherwise better than rawdog. And every media order over ~$50 gets a box. Never not been that way in over 20 years of selling.
Not hard to find your store when you advertise a said book. Your feedback and items tell a different story. You and your items are cheap. You have 5 neutral feedback. One about an expensive book not being in a box. The other 2 about it being sent in a cereal box. 5 negative feedback.
As others have commented, there's criterion for me as well. ~$15 and less and weighs under a pound get a large poly (enough to not put in the bag, but has enough to fold over.) $15 - ~$25ish get a stiff poly padded. 1 pound+ gets a bubble that I tape around the package. Hardcovers go bubble regardless the price. I have very few low priced hardcovers anyhow. End of the year I buy 2000 6x9 padded. I use the ebay coupon for their 8x11 (after coupon that's ~.15c each). $50+ gets 2 padded. ~$100+ get 2 padded and in a box. I live in a small apartment complex and I always find boxes.
I'm Team Box!
Youre right and its part of closing the sale, the customer is supposed to be happy after the purchase and not have buyers remorse. The packaging and how its recieved/presented is a part of that surely. 🙂
I only ship in boxes. As a buyer and seller, have had wayyyy too many damaged books/goods due to poor packaging. The bar is SO LOW, it is extremely easy to stand out in how you ship and the care you put into it.
I box everything, but maybe that's because I followed Shane to learn how to sell books! I also put every book in a plastic sleeve for water protection, then a few layers of bubble wrap, then in the box. I like the multi-depth boxes because I don't need to fill in empty volume around the book. I also add $1 to the actual shipping cost to cover all that stuff.
I with you on the multi-depth boxes! It is so nice to not deal with empty volume filler material. I think adding the extra $1 cost to cover good shipping materials is very reasonable. When buyers get that nicely packaged item I think they appreciate it! See Cool, Buy Cool!
We use bubble mailers which provide very good protection!!
We only ship in boxes. And we use a large enough box so that we can put packing material around the book(s) being shipped. As far as losing profit doing this: 1) this is our business and we're in it for the long haul. 2) we don't expect to be millionaires overnight 3) although we do buy boxes and packing materials, we get a lot of our shipping boxes from behind the local Dollar General before the recycling truck comes for them. Also, we have contacts that do house clean-outs and estate sales, hence, sometimes we get shipping supplies! We love books and ship our books out in the same way we would like books that we order to come to us.
Thank you!!! This is exactly how I operate, and exactly what I'm looking for when I buy books!
Great take on boxes! I am doing polybags at the moment but think I will definitely will consider going over to boxes as the sales getting better. As you mention in the video, you need to buy stacks, or as you say William, find them elsewhere.
I also would like to add two things. One aspect is environmental, and the other one is about the "unboxing" experience for the customer. Plastic is fantastic in many ways, but let's face it, it's not good for the environment. The cheap one, especially black plastic, is made of oil and is hard to recycle, even if you put it in the right bing. In Sweden, the regulation is starting to take further steps against this kind of material, especially when it comes to 'one-use-plastic' because it's only made for being used one time and then thrown away. The carton boxes, on the other hand, are harder to reuse or recycle. And here in Sweden, the customers also start to demand less plastic when they buy things. About the unboxing experience, it's just much smoother to open a box or carton, instead of have to tear the plastic apart.
That's just my take on it. So, even if I use polybags at the moment, I aim for carton boxes. But when I started out, it was the easiest and cheapest alternative on the market. The shipping cost just raised here in Sweden lately, so the last thing I wanted to do when I started out, was raising prices against the customer. But now I think the arguments starting to be more clear and understandable, at least from my perspective.
I have never used poly bags. I have received books, unwrapped, loose, in poly bags and they arrived in good shape. Generally, I don't box unless the book hits $50.00. I box all that are over the $50.00 mark. Below that pricing point I will box a large, unwieldy book (such as the one you showed), or any that are in delicate condition. Lower priced books get the cardboard sandwich. I cut the cardboard around an inch oversize of the book, plastic wrap the book to the bottom piece of cardboard to keep it from moving around, and top with another piece of cardboard. I then lay the packing slip on the top and the whole thing is wrapped again with the plastic wrap. Put in an appropriate size kraft paper envelope and ship. I'm lucky to have a source for free 4' X 8' sheets of new cardboard. The plastic I buy on rolls at Lowes.
Has worked well for me, so far. Had a package wrapped that way go through what a customer in Australia called a "typhoon" ,while laying on his front steps, and come out unharmed. ... envelope was ruined. To each their own.
Yep. Boxes aren't necessary. The key is cardboard to provide rigidity, cushioning by whatever material, and a plastic enclosure to prevent moisture damage. There are several ways to achieve that. Wrapping a book in cardboard, sometimes with a layer of small bubbles first,, then inserting into a bubble mailer is more than sufficient for most book orders.
Shane, I haven't sold books yet, but you've definitely made valid points about shipping in boxes. I also agree with those who suggest wrapping in plastic, inside the box, in case of moisture.
I both buy and sell books, and I completely agree. Yes, statistically *most* books in poly bags manage to arrive with little or no damage. That's not good enough for me; I want 100% to arrive safely! I wrap books in bubble wrap, surround with packing paper, and ship in a box, or possibly a cardboard folder as you showed, or a Gemini comic mailer. If it's not valuable I can see using cardboard and a bubble mailer which is much less likely to be damaged in transit; almost all poly mailers have some degree of damage to the mailer. You are *not* dumb! You are a bookseller who loves books. I try my very best never to buy from book flippers who only see books as a cheap and easy way to throw something in the mail and make a buck. (I bought some vintage books from a seller who stuck them in a flimsy box with no protection...sure enough they arrived damaged. His response was, literally: "What does it matter? They're just old books.")
Poly bags protect from water damage better than cardboard. Perhaps especially on expensive books using both would be better.
I use boxes or wrap corners in cardboard because I fear spine and corner damage; I have received a few FBA returns because that retailer damages the books; I have started taking extra pictures so when request reimbursement, it’s no problem…I just always want it to be received as I describe it because that’s what I expect when I order something🤷🏾love your channel and thanks for sharing 🩷💙💜🧡♥️much continued success 🫶🏽
Those high volume/low cost booksellers are notorious for using as-cheap-as-possible shipping methods. Some people don't care about possible damage and will buy from them, especially if the books arrive without damage like in your example. Some people do care and don't buy from them again after their first order comes in a poly, and then they'll hopefully understand why low volume sellers are worthy of higher prices.
I hope so too- the concept of ship things like you would like to receive them is lost on a lot of sellers.
Yeah, $4.50 shipped…. That’s about what I’d expect.
I can’t imagine shipping a huge hardcover in only a poly bag with no corner protection
There's a postal sorting machine somewhere near Cumberland, Maryland known as "Jaws." Lots of books that go through it arrive in what are known as "body bags." The funniest (?) part is that the body bags read "We care." Somehow, I doubt that.
Now that is funny;) I think Jaws II may be in Birmingham AL.
If I spend more than $20, I make the seller promise to ship it in a box before I purchase
Good idea!
A big hardback like that should at the very least be in a bubble mailer with protective cardboard. Or yes, just use a box. It’s not that much more- it’s all media mail! Get real. Treat your items like you’d want yours treated 😉👍🏻
I feel my heart sink just a bit when my book order arrives in a poly mailer.
I lose money on shipping/supplies 99% of the time never go cheap in packaging
❤
Wow! I guess I shouldn't be shocked but I cannot believe someone would ship a heavy book like that in poly mailer? And no clear plastic bag to protect against moisture?!? You are so lucky that book did not arrive damaged. That could have been a real disaster, huh?
At least this was not a high dollar book- imagine if it was a collectible edition? I still think they would ship the same.
I only use boxes but my cheapest book is $50
Anyone who doesn’t use a box is cheap.
Millions of $10-20 paperbacks out there that do not require a box. A padded poly is fine for $10 items.
Then again, I've been selling media for over 20 years.
@@derekelliott6098 its very tacky to use a poly or bubble for any media related item. I wouldn’t be a repeat customer if you sent an item in a bubble mailer. It’s cheap. And you always have these long comments on everyone’s posts about your sales and finds. I found your eBay store. A lot of negative feedback btw. 👍
I’ve seen your eBay store and all your neutral feedback is about your poor packaging skills. Shipping items in a food box? Get out of here. And shipping an expensive book with no box. 👍
@@JB-gt5no I dont advertise my store on youtube. So IF you found my store by nefarious means, that's very creepy.
Granted ALL 2 of my neutral feedback is about shipping 2 ounce items in food boxes - a box is a box - otherwise better than rawdog.
And every media order over ~$50 gets a box. Never not been that way in over 20 years of selling.
Not hard to find your store when you advertise a said book. Your feedback and items tell a different story. You and your items are cheap. You have 5 neutral feedback. One about an expensive book not being in a box. The other 2 about it being sent in a cereal box. 5 negative feedback.
As others have commented, there's criterion for me as well.
~$15 and less and weighs under a pound get a large poly (enough to not put in the bag, but has enough to fold over.) $15 - ~$25ish get a stiff poly padded.
1 pound+ gets a bubble that I tape around the package. Hardcovers go bubble regardless the price. I have very few low priced hardcovers anyhow.
End of the year I buy 2000 6x9 padded. I use the ebay coupon for their 8x11 (after coupon that's ~.15c each). $50+ gets 2 padded. ~$100+ get 2 padded and in a box.
I live in a small apartment complex and I always find boxes.