As an eBay seller there are numerous shipping services you can utilize, but the three most widely offered are the United States Postal Service (USPS), United Parcel Service (UPS), and Federal Express (FedEx). There are pluses and minuses to using each. Today we’ll look at each of these three options and I’ll relate my experiences with each.

United States Postal Service

The majority of people selling on eBay use the USPS and for good reason - in most cases, it’s the easiest and most convenient to use. Some of the advantages to using the USPS are:

• For packages weighing 2 pounds or less they are the cheapest option
• Their Media Mail option for shipping books, records, tapes, CDs, DVDs, software, etc. provides a large savings over other options
• Most packages that qualify for Media Mail can be shipped overseas via M-Bag at huge savings
• Their Priority Mail option provides reasonable shipping costs anywhere in the US
• Flat rate shipping envelopes and boxes offer huge savings in many instances
• They offer free shipping boxes and other supplies for Priority and Express mail
• They provide an easy means to ship to International buyers
• For most people, no matter where you live you can find a US Post Office within a few miles of your residence
• They offer a free pick-up option
• Insurance, delivery confirmation, and other additional services are available at reasonable rates
• They offer several methods of printing and paying for postage right from your home or office

The USPS isn’t without it’s disadvantages though. Some of these are:

• It can take a long time for Media Mail to reach it’s destination, often taking two to three weeks to travel half way across the country
• There is no way to track a package unless you pay for additional services
• Some additional services are not available with certain methods of mailing
• International shipments can only be insured if shipped via Parcel Post which is pretty expensive when compared to other options

For me, the advantages the USPS has far outweigh their disadvantages and I use them for shipping 95% or more of everything I sell on ebay. Unless there’s a specific reason to use one of the other carriers, the USPS is normally the only option I offer in my listings.

United Parcel Service

UPS provides an excellent delivery service and in some cases may be cheaper than the USPS. Some advantages they offer are:

• In many cities of 40,000 to 50,000 people or more they have USP Shipping stores that offer professional packing services (at an additional charge)
• You can sign up for an account with them and receive shipping discounts
• They offer pick-up services
• They provide free shipping insurance
• They provide options that allow you to easily print labels and track packages

Like the USPS, UPS had it’s disadvantages also:

• Their rates are nearly always higher than the USPS
• They will not deliver to a post office box
• They charge a premium for delivery to a residence
• They may charge a premium for delivery to very rural areas
• In some areas of the country their offices are only open 2-3 hours a day which can be inconvenient and mean waiting in long lines

I use UPS for two types of auctions. It’s the only shipping option I offer for good sized items such as large advertising signs or larger toys such as pedal cars. I do this because I don’t want the hassle of packing large items. I take larger items to the local UPS Store and get a price quote to have it professionally packed. I then state right in the auction description that the item will be professionally packed and the shipping charge will include $xx.xx for professional packing.

I offer UPS shipping along with professional packing as an option to USPS shipping for fragile (glass or pottery items) that I expect to bring $1000 or more. Experience over the years has shown that some buyers are more comfortable with professional packing and UPS shipping when they purchase more expensive pottery and glass items, so I make it available when I think the final price (profit) will make it worth while to spend the extra time getting a packing quote.

Federal Express

Overall, FedEx can be called the little sister of the three because it’s not even offered by most sellers. At times though, it does offer some advantage over USPS and UPS.

• In some cases, particularly for heavier or larger items, FedEx can be the cheapest option of the three
• If a buyer requires very fast delivery FedEx is often the best option for getting it there quickly
• They offer pick-up services
• You can sign up for an account with them and receive shipping discounts

As a general rule, FedEx suffers from many of the same disadvantages as UPS does:

• They do not deliver to post office boxes
• They charge a premium for delivery to residential addresses
• They may charge a premium for delivery to very rural areas
• In some areas of the country their offices are only open 2-3 hours a day which can be inconvenient and mean waiting in long lines

I never offer FedEx as a shipping option. My reason isn’t based on poor service or previous experience, but rather because most items that would benefit from using FedEx are large enough that, in my area, they must be taken to the local FedEx shipping center which is only open two hours a day and is located at the local airport which is several miles out of town. However, whenever possible, I do accommodate the occasional buyer who requests that their purchase be shipped FedEx.

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