While shipping that expensive Mobile Phone, Camera & MP3 player, do you wonder... • The best way to package it so that it does not get damaged or scratched • The best means to courier it so that it reaches the buyer on time? • The best way to keep track of all your shipments?
Here are some answers for you from seller brand.deal. Seller brand.deal is a PowerSeller and has sold hundreds of products in the Camera & Electronics category. He will be sharing with you his best practices for good packaging and shipping.
Date: 24th May, Thursday Time: 5 – 6 PM
Please feel free to discuss your own tips and best practices in the workshop. If you wish to conduct your own workshop, please write to sapana@ebay.com.
See you on the workshop!
Regards, Sapana
P.S: A note from our Legal Department:
The statements and opinions made in this workshop are those of the workshop host only and do not reflect eBay policy or eBay's opinion with respect to such statements.
I hope the tips I shared today will be useful for you. In case you have further questions, feel free to post on the Selling on eBay India board. I will try to asnwer them as soon as possible.
Now a slightly off the topic tip - When ever i ship a product, I put some mark on the product to ensure that i can recognise the product in case it comes back. For example, i mentioned earlier, I copy all the unique serial numbers of electronics and their components. For example, in case of a laptop, there will be separate numbers assigned to the laptop, the battery, the adaptor etc. I maintian a record of all of these numbers and use it whenever a customer returns a product to see if the product was actually sold by me. This ensures that I do not get outsmarted by a customer.
In some states the buyer might need to pay octroi if the item is of high value. You need to speak to your buyer and explain the situation to him. Most of the times they do pay up. At times there are some buyers who will not agree to pay octroi. In those cases I pay for them. I normally budget for such expenses.
It is not at all safe! never underinvoice your parcel. you will get only the declard value in case of any loss in transit.
Always declare the right value. I guess you need to build some relationship with them. As I mentioned earlier, try and show them the business potential that you have for them. There are some states where they do not take high value electronics like UP, J&K. Also, they do not take to Kolkata and Ahmedabad (and some other places). Apart from these, you should not have any issue in sending high value electronics.
If you are shipping high value products, make sure you insure it with the courier comapny itself. Insurance with the courier comapny is easier than doing it with an insurance firm.
You can add the insurance price to the shipping charge or in the item price itself. Mention in your listing that the product is insured, so that the customer can understand the rason for slightly higher charge.
I insure each and every parcel of mine, for i never know which one can possibly get lost, even if buyer does not want an insurance. Insurnace normally costs 0.5% to 2.5% depending on the courier company and your negotiating power.
The process of claiming insurance is not very good. it takes almost 3-4 months and a lot of persistent follow ups. If you have more than 2 claims with an courier company, change the couerier itself!
They actually come to my place, pick up the packed parcel and deliver it but my concern is that shipping yhe open box with Mention value Below Rs.5000 is safe? Is that any other courier service i can use?
One of the most important thing is to ensure that while opening an account with a courier comapny, you have contact numbers of all the importnat people whom you cna reach out to in case of any issue. For example, your account manager, his boss, his boss and his boss also. Preferably, get the number of the head of the region.
In case you have a problem, you can reach out to them to get it resolved.
If there is a delay in delivery, the only way to get it resolved it is to follow up with them on an hourly basis and get updates from them until the product is delivered to the customer or is returned to you.
Even I used to face the same problem, when I had started this business. They used to do the same thing to me and I had to take all the parcels to their office and declare all the accessories and other contents of the box. In fact I had built a good relation with the security and the reception person also
The solution I figured out was to open an account with them. They asked me to deposit 15000 for an account, but I negotiated it to 5000. Now they come to my place, pick up the packed parcel and deliver it. (at times they deliver it even before i wake up the next morning!)
first of all make sure that you send the product in the original company packing and it will be in an added advantage to send it in original sealed box pack. Nokia Phones for example come with good packaging and you can directly ship it to your buyer.
However, there are some phones and electronic equipments where you need to add the extra security layer of a thermacol to ensure that the product reaches the buyer safely. For example, the Motorola F3 packing does not contain thermocol or foam for protection. In such a case I ensure that the phone is sandwiched between two sheets of thermocol and tightly taped.
Another example is a blue tooth headset. the packing is normally transparent on the top and the device is exposed with a thin plastic cover. I normally put a thermocol sheet above the exposed part to ensure that it does not get scrathed. Often if a buyer receives a scrathed piece, he feels that he has received a used piece.
Another way of ensuring safety of your product is using thick plastic coated brown paper as the top most cover of the parcel (see image in post number 2). The benefit of using the paper is 1. Does not tear easily 2. Protects from water, especailly in rainy season 3. Looks Professional
Packaging tape: in case you are a Powerseller, you get powerseller packing tape. Try to use the tape on your packages, for it ensures that it is not tampered or opened by anyone (becasue the tapes are irreplaceable).
Im a seller in Delhi. I use to ship mobile phones through Bluedart only, they take the mobile box in open condition with the declaration of all the accessories and also charge a high amount.One more thing they mention its costs below Rs.5000. Can you please tell me that is there any other Courier Service in Delhi who'll ship the mobile phones. I've already tried Aramex, DTDC, AFL,Blazeflash but none of them accepts mobile phones.
Actually, when you go to any courier company they wont accept any electronic from you, specially mobiles as there are lots of chances of it getting lost or stolen in transit.
you will have to make a good relation with them and open an account with them.
Try to convience them that you can give them good business and your bill will in three digits atleast. then you can say them at a latter stage that the business was down or you were not well and did not concentrate .
Hello Everybody, I am a top seller of eBay.in I always use BLUEDART india's largest courier company in some cities the service is lighting fast.In some places where BLUEDART service is not available then I use DTDC it is also very nice courier.
HI, THIS IS KUMAR.M POWERSELLER EBAY.IN I WANNA TELL U THAT U ALL CAN ALSO USE XPS COURIER ,ITS VERY FAST, RELIABLE ,THEY CHARGE REASONABLE SHIPPING CHARGES, DO THE RIGHT PACKAGING COZ NONE OF THE COURIER CO.S TAKE CARE OF IT, I ALSO SELL DVDS , ITS A VERY FRAGLE AND DELICATE ITEM BUT I NEVER HEARD ANY DAMAGE COMPLAIN YET, I PACKED IT WITH THE THERMACOL BOX.
I just checked your listings, the items you deal in can be sent by professional couriers. Normally professional courier is good for low value items and is cheaper as well. But if ever you start selling high value items then please be careful. Everything will work smoothly, but if any parcel is lost in transit or is stolen then they wont be able to track it out and may not even answer your phone calls.
I am currently using DTDC bcause I have trying Bluedart, First Flight earlier and found their destination is limited and also their charges are high.
Try DTDC as their charges are moderate and they have good delivery time along with online Tracking facility. I have using them for around a year without any problem (sometimes delayed due to weather, political, etc).
This is a very genuine problem mentioned by you. Even i face this type of problems many times.
But we don't need to leave any orders or refund the buyer. You can have account in multiple courier companies and use the, as per your choice.
For eg.
You use BlueDart, if they don't have service then you can keep the parcel on hold at the nearest BlueDart Office. It is called HAL (hold at location). Before doing that contact the buyer if he is ready to pick it up from the nearest BlueDart Office.
If the first option does not work out then try with other courier companies like Aramex, First Flight, etc
Other wise the last option is EMS speed post or Registered Parcel, it goes to many locations in India.
Let me tell you something about me. My name is Shuaib and I deal in categories like mobile phones, digital camera, PDAs and other high end product.
Frankly speaking, shipping and packing is one of the most important things that should be taken care of extensively. Delivering the product to the customer is not a big deal, anyone can do that. We should always try to deliver the product to the customer as fast as we can and in the best condition.
Imagine that we ourselves order something and get the item after 10 days and that too in not a good condition. How would we feel in such a situation?
Courier companies never care for any parcels that we send, no matter how expensive it is. So it is our responsibility to see that the packing is good and has some extra thermocol or bubbles inside as well as outside if required.
Some tips that we all should take care of:
1. Try to ship the product as fast as you can. Try to dispatch it the same day or the very next day once your get the payment.
2. Take care of the packing so that the item does not get damaged in transit.
3. Do some extra thermcol packing so that the outer box does not get damaged when it reaches the customer.
4. Use the best and fastest courier that you can, and ensure that the item is delivered the next day. Courier companies like Bluedart, FirstFlight, Aramex etc are good and reliable.
5. Always insure the parcel using some good insurance company or directly by the courier company. The easiest way is to insure it with the courier company itself.
6. Keep tracking the parcel until it is delivered to the customer. Do keep a record for later reference and procure the POD and store it.
7. Keep the buyer updated so that he knows what's happening, like mail the tracking number to each and every buyer or just SMS him. If the tracking shows that the product has not reached the buyer, call the courier company to know the status and mail / call the buyer.
Do's
1. Always send the best product available.
2. Ensure that all the accessories are included that comes with the product.
3. Keep a record of all the items and accessories that you send to the buyer.
4. Always write down the serial no or IMEI no before you dispatch the product. If a buyer returns a product we should come to know that it is the same one that we have sent it. Other wise how will we come to know that it is the same one or not as all of them look the same.
5. Use Insurance for high value shipment. (for all shipments if you can)
6. Always declare the actual cost and all accessories to the courier company. There are chances that the courier company delivery boy might flick the product or its accessories.
7. Be in touch with the buyer if there is any delay in shipping the product. Send an email to the buyer explaining the problem or requesting him to have some patience, or just give him a call if he does not respond to mail.
8. Try to deliver a company sealed pack product.
Don'ts
1. Never trust small courier companies if the product is of a high value
2. Never try to hide something from the courier company.
3. Never ignore any mails or phone calls from the buyer if you are unable to ship or if there is any delay, this might result to a negative feedback or a dispute.
Thank you very much eBay for such a good & valuable workshop Reg. shipment of valuable products like cameras & ipods.
Currently we are using TNT and Blue dart for camera , but the service locations are limited in their list , we have to leave many orders due to it , we do not trust any other couriers for camera .
We request u brand.deal , Please give us some idea about good couriers & services. ( specially for remote areas)
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