Now, this is not all you will need to know about shipping - this is just a few ideas I've come across in my experiences. How profitable you are from the sale of an item will be determined by many factors, one of them will be how well you figured in the cost of shipping the item. I have learned the hard way, believe me! First, eBay has some calculators available to help you decide how much to charge for shipping, but you are responsible to include the right weight, type of package, and the size of the box. The latter is very important, since the cost of the packages will change as the package gets larger. Remember, when you send the buyer the final price they have to pay for their item, it is the FINAL price - you can't  add to it when you find out that it costs more to ship it than you first realized. Too many times, I've had to subtract from the final auction price to absorb the shipping, and I didn't earn much for the item. I bought a postal scale - from eBay - to help me get an accurate weight. Folks, a bathroom scale doesn't work for this type of weighing! Before I sell an item, I will take a bunch of photos of it, find a box to fit it, put all the packing material in, tape it lightly (you need too add the packing slip later), weigh it, then measure the OUTSIDE of the box. I add all these measurements to the auction, and eBay calculates for each person, how much it will cost them for the added shipping charges. Buyers seem to be the most negative when it comes to shipping, so try to be as accurate as possible. All shipping concerns have oversize dimensions, so know what they are, write them down on a worksheet to keep by your computer, and figure them in. Know what size box won't make it for each shipping concern. Then, you might have to move to a trucking concern, and that gets expensive. Here's one example - I have a bumper from a 1951 Buick that I want to put on auction on eBay. To ship the entire bumper will have to go by truck. By taking it apart, I am able to get the weight and size down, and ship it by UPS. I auction it in pieces, make more money, ship it for less. One more note - you can use pre - shipped boxes, but USPS will not allow you to ship in boxes that have alcoholic beverages printed on the outside. Cover the box with wrapping paper, try to black out all printing (this works only sometimes) or use another box. Being knowledgeable about your shipping will help you get the most profit for your auction, so go out there and get - r done! Bill