| Discussion Forum: Thread 328826 |
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| | | Author: | SDF_Bricks  | | Posted: | Oct 22, 2022 10:01 | | Subject: | Minimizing Extra/Overhead charges | | Viewed: | 106 times | | Topic: | Shipping | |
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| I'm mostly a buyer on here, but lately started selling some of my sets.
I'd like to keep the extra charges to a minimum, and these includ:
1. Packing Supplies
2. Now BL charges Sales Taxes
3. Shipping
4. PayPal charges
What is reasonable to charge the buyer and what is not? Example:
1. For a typical sealed box, I buy a box from Staples and add bubble wrap and
tape, the cost is easily $6-7.
2. Paypal fees have gone higher lately.
3. Shipping, I often get 2 quotes (USPS/UPS), but that takes time to go to the
post office, get the item weighed ... etc.
4. Any way around sales taxes? (This is a hobby, not a business)
Any input is appreciated
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| | | | | Author: | starbeanie | | Posted: | Oct 22, 2022 10:09 | | Subject: | Re: Minimizing Extra/Overhead charges | | Viewed: | 29 times | | Topic: | Shipping | |
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| In Shipping, SDF_Bricks writes:
| | I'm mostly a buyer on here, but lately started selling some of my sets.
I'd like to keep the extra charges to a minimum, and these includ:
1. Packing Supplies
2. Now BL charges Sales Taxes
3. Shipping
4. PayPal charges
What is reasonable to charge the buyer and what is not? Example:
1. For a typical sealed box, I buy a box from Staples and add bubble wrap and
tape, the cost is easily $6-7.
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reuse boxes, get free Priority boxes from the post office. They will also give
you Priority Tape.
| | 2. Paypal fees have gone higher lately.
|
Stripe, but it's not much cheaper.
| | 3. Shipping, I often get 2 quotes (USPS/UPS), but that takes time to go to the
post office, get the item weighed ... etc.
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buy a postal scale. A good one is about $30
| | 4. Any way around sales taxes? (This is a hobby, not a business)
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no, hobby or not, it is required to be collected.
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| | | | | Author: | jennnifer | | Posted: | Oct 22, 2022 10:23 | | Subject: | Re: Minimizing Extra/Overhead charges | | Viewed: | 34 times | | Topic: | Shipping | |
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| In Shipping, SDF_Bricks writes:
| | I'm mostly a buyer on here, but lately started selling some of my sets.
I'd like to keep the extra charges to a minimum, and these includ:
1. Packing Supplies
2. Now BL charges Sales Taxes
|
No, the government charges these. You are selling stuff online. Tax is appropriate.
You are selling stuff online. Your payment processor gets their share.
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What is reasonable to charge the buyer and what is not? Example:
1. For a typical sealed box, I buy a box from Staples and add bubble wrap and
tape, the cost is easily $6-7.
|
Ouch! Buying one box retail is crazy! Tape, wrap, and boxes should always be
bought in bulk. Reusing clean materials is also a viable option. Many businesses
just throw this stuff out. You might be able to find a source if you ask around.
| | 2. Paypal fees have gone higher lately.
3. Shipping, I often get 2 quotes (USPS/UPS), but that takes time to go to the
post office, get the item weighed ... etc.
|
A scale and a printer will preclude the need for going to the post office. You
get the quotes yourself from shipping websites. Commercial rates for shipping
are less then retail rates. Your mail carrier will likely even take your outgoing
package if its USPS.
| | 4. Any way around sales taxes? (This is a hobby, not a business)
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You are not paying the taxes. It's the buyer paying taxes on what they buy.
It doesn't matter who sells it to them.
Ideally, all this should be built into the cost of your set. Charge for exact
postage (and maybe a small handling fee) but nothing else.
Good luck!
Jen
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| | | | | | | Author: | Leftoverbricks | | Posted: | Oct 22, 2022 10:34 | | Subject: | Re: Minimizing Extra/Overhead charges | | Viewed: | 33 times | | Topic: | Shipping | |
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| In Shipping, jennnifer writes:
| | In Shipping, SDF_Bricks writes:
| | I'm mostly a buyer on here, but lately started selling some of my sets.
I'd like to keep the extra charges to a minimum, and these includ:
1. Packing Supplies
2. Now BL charges Sales Taxes
|
No, the government charges these. You are selling stuff online. Tax is appropriate.
You are selling stuff online. Your payment processor gets their share.
| |
What is reasonable to charge the buyer and what is not? Example:
1. For a typical sealed box, I buy a box from Staples and add bubble wrap and
tape, the cost is easily $6-7.
|
Ouch! Buying one box retail is crazy! Tape, wrap, and boxes should always be
bought in bulk. Reusing clean materials is also a viable option. Many businesses
just throw this stuff out. You might be able to find a source if you ask around.
| | 2. Paypal fees have gone higher lately.
3. Shipping, I often get 2 quotes (USPS/UPS), but that takes time to go to the
post office, get the item weighed ... etc.
|
A scale and a printer will preclude the need for going to the post office. You
get the quotes yourself from shipping websites. Commercial rates for shipping
are less then retail rates. Your mail carrier will likely even take your outgoing
package if its USPS.
| | 4. Any way around sales taxes? (This is a hobby, not a business)
|
You are not paying the taxes. It's the buyer paying taxes on what they buy.
It doesn't matter who sells it to them.
Ideally, all this should be built into the cost of your set. Charge for exact
postage (and maybe a small handling fee) but nothing else.
Good luck!
Jen
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Answers like this one should be added to a FAQ. The forum is some sort of recycle
bin for questions & answers.
Instead I propose to have a user driven FAQ for that 
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| | | | | Author: | Brettj666 | | Posted: | Oct 22, 2022 10:25 | | Subject: | Re: Minimizing Extra/Overhead charges | | Viewed: | 26 times | | Topic: | Shipping | |
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| In your experience as a “mostly former buyer”, how fast would you leave a store
that was going to charge you $6-7 for a box, packing supplies, PayPal charges
(which you can’t charge in North America) and time to go to the post office ?
Probably pretty fast
Factor in your costs to the cost of the set, as most people do.
In Shipping, SDF_Bricks writes:
| | I'm mostly a buyer on here, but lately started selling some of my sets.
I'd like to keep the extra charges to a minimum, and these includ:
1. Packing Supplies
2. Now BL charges Sales Taxes
3. Shipping
4. PayPal charges
What is reasonable to charge the buyer and what is not? Example:
1. For a typical sealed box, I buy a box from Staples and add bubble wrap and
tape, the cost is easily $6-7.
2. Paypal fees have gone higher lately.
3. Shipping, I often get 2 quotes (USPS/UPS), but that takes time to go to the
post office, get the item weighed ... etc.
4. Any way around sales taxes? (This is a hobby, not a business)
Any input is appreciated
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