How to Package and Ship Your Online Auction Sales

Part of the thrill of online auctions is waiting for the item you’ve just bought to arrive. You get excited as the “estimated delivery date” draws ever closer, and when the day comes you’re sat waiting for the postman to arrive with your new top, DVD, cricket bat, whatever you’ve just bought. However, you’re always a little bit disappointed when you see it fall on your doormat or handed over to you by the postman or delivery driver in a really half-hearted attempt of packaging.

Okay, we don’t want things to be excessively packaged – that’s no good for the environment and often adds weight and, therefore, cost to the postage – but you want to know that your item hasn’t been damaged in transit, and that it’s come from a previous owner who values the item as highly as you do. You’ve paid for it after all, you should get the same sort of treatment you would from a store – proper packaging and shipping, not being wrapped up in newspaper with a sticky label slapped on the top.

When it’s your turn to sell an item online, no matter what it is or what price it’s gone for, you should bare this feeling in mind. After all, you can hardly complain or give negative feedback to someone who sends you an item in “below par” packaging if you go and do the same yourself. Make an effort to not only protect the item, but almost “dress it up” and you’ll put an even bigger smile on the face of the recipient than they already would have had, and, you’ll get plenty of positive feedback which will help you when it comes to selling further items online. To help you to get it right, you need to do more than just cover the aesthetics of the packaging, you need to consider what you’re selling, and the nature of the wrapping. This guide should help:

Clothing

Clothes don’t need a lot of packaging, they’re hardly going to break in transit, but they should still be well wrapped. If you’ve ever ordered something from the online store of a retailer, it’s probably come in a thick, grey material that takes real effort to open and this is ideal for sending clothing. The item isn’t going to be pushed through the wrapping by other items on the delivery van, and it will be protected from the damp too.

Fragile Items

If you’re selling something that is at risk of breaking, your best option is to wrap it up in newspaper or bubble wrap, maybe even both, and then putting the item inside a strong box. A lot of items come with extra protective packaging inside, such as air-filled plastic padding and polystyrene chips to give extra protection and this can be particularly effective. As can using a company like uShipfollow to deliver the goods – they’re far better at taking into account the nature of the item and can help you to deliver your items to the recipient in a far more efficient way than the postal service, and you don’t risk having the item broken while being transported from post office through the warehouse and onto the van.

Whether you’re using auction sites like eBay or any of the others, you’re often given feedback by the people you buy from or sell to. This can make the difference between people buying your items and opting against it. The better your reputation, the more likely you are to make a sale and end up in the bidding wars where you get the right amount of money for your item. If a customer thinks you can’t be trusted to sell the item you’re advertising in adequate packaging and in the condition you described, you’re not going to make a sale. Using good quality packaging and sending it on or ahead of schedule will definitely work in your favour.