Reducing You Ebay Shipping Costs: Labels

First of all when you first start selling on ebay, you may be just writing the information on the shipping envelope or box. This method is  FREE-- congratulations! You are saving money on labels already!

Okay-- but eventually- you're going to want to move to labels for the convenience of printing the postage out of Paypal. (This can save you a trip to the post office!)  You can still pirnt on paper tape the postage to your box, if you like.

If you'd like to move to labels-- here's some suggestions on how to keep your costs down.

There are several methods for doing this but they all involve one of the following-

• paper and tape    or
• printer labels and ink
• thermal printer and labels

For bulk shipping, you need to consider the cost of your tape, labels/paper, and printer ink (inkjet or laser). Now, you may not be ready to buy a new printer-- that's fine!  I'll have more suggestions for using the printer you have later in this guide.

In general:

The least expensive way to ship is using a thermal printer with adhesive labels. 

This also looks very professional! UPS and FedEx will ship these labels to your for free if you use their service, and there are a number of reputable printer salespeople on ebay.  The beauty of a thermal printer is that you don't need any inks! (check with Paypal for compatible printers.)

If cost is an issue, consider buying a used thermal printer here on eBay. Here's a review of the one I currently use.   Zebra LP 2443 Review  - purchased used here on ebay for about $45. By the way, I don't sell these-- I'm just a user.

The second cheapest way to print labels (for most) would be on a laser printer.

Again, don't worry if you're using an inkjet-- but consider checking out some deals on used printers if you are ready to make the jump. Since most laser printers come with a "toner saving mode" be sure to use it! The print out is usually plenty dark enough for mailing.  UPS and FEDEX also offer free 2 to a page labels if you are using a laser or inkjet printer. If you are buying labels on eBay, BE WARY OF SELLERS SELLING FREE UPS labels! The disclaimer is usually in the fine print... and will say something like "these labels have a small ups symbol on them". Don't buy something that UPS will give you for free!

Saving Money if you use an Inkjet Printer

While an inkjet printer is by far the most expensive way to print, there are still ways to save.

• Refill your inkjet cartridges, instead of buying new each time There are sellers who will even sell you a chip resetter for cartridges that come with chips built in.
• Set your printer mode to "draft" which uses less ink, but is still plenty dark enough for mailing labels.
• In Paypal, there is an option to turn off receipt printing.  If you are using labels that are 2 per page, this will save you considerably on label cost.
• Use free labels provided by FedEx or UPS for account holders.
• Here's something that will sometimes buy you a little more use out of each cartridge...holding your finger over the inkjet "hole" on the cartridge-- give it a good shake then reinsert.  Although this won't work on newer models -- it always extends the number of pages on older models. (Cover that hole VERY carefully!)

By far the most expensive way to print labels is on an inkjet printer. 

If you are using an inkjet with newer cartridges ($30 and up) it would definitely be to your benefit to look into a thermal printer. (Used runs about $40 on ebay.)
Although printing labels with inkjet is the most expensive, it can still be cheaper than using tape to tape the information onto  the package.

No Printer?

If you are not using a printer to make labels for your package-- consider writing the address on the package itself.  As mentioned in the beginning of this guide-- this is FREE!

Other guides to help you save on shipping:

Reducing Your eBay Shipping costs: Boxes.