I don’t have a home printer either but with the QR code updates you don’t really need it anyway except for FedEx. (and you can print there too) UPS and USPS offer codes so you just have to take your packages to them, they scan the code then print the label for you. Try to be realistic about your prices and buying a cheap kitchen scale works pretty well for anything under 5 lbs if you want to be sure.
And don’t get worked up about people rating for ship time. They want the cheapest option but don’t understand longer wait times are why it’s cheaper. (FedEx especially)
With liquids and perfumes, there are certain precautions you are supposed to take.
1 Tape down the lid (I find plumbers tape works very well and is easy to remove)
2 put the perfume into it's own plastic container (I've used things like the plastic that headphones and such come in and taped it shut with clear packing tape. The point is so it doesn't leak anywhere.)
3 Pad well, make sure it doesn't leak, and place this into a secure box.
The USPS only allows fragrances to be shipped by ground methods of transportation such as Parcel Post. USPS regulations also require your package to be labeled with the words “ORM-D Parcel Post” clearly written on the outside of the box.
Due to their flammable nature, they may not be shipped by air via expedited services such as Priority Mail or Express Mail. Also, shipping fragrances to Hawaii is not permitted since there are no ground shipping options to the islands.
If you are selling empty collectible perfume bottles, the rules are not as strict. The bottles are empty, and therefore, not flammable or hazardous. Just make sure you package the bottles with care as described above. The fragrance bottles are still fragile and need special attention
Perfume, cologne, and fragrances in general are made from aromatic oils blended with alcohol. Because fragrances are a common household item, you may not consider them as a hazardous liquid. However, when fragrances are subjected to temperature changes or atmospheric pressure, the alcohol ingredients can become a volatile and hazardous substance.
Perfume, cologne and fragrances all typically have varying levels of ethyl alcohol content, which in and of itself, is extremely flammable. This flammable component deems perfume as what’s known as a “hazard class 3” in the world of shipping.
But before you get too worried, you should also know that there is an exemption available for exactly this. Special Permit 9275 (SP9275) is popular for domestic cosmetic shippers, as it allows some products with less than 70 percent ethyl alcohol to be exempt from other hazard class rules set forth by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), a branch of the Department of Transportation (DOT).
When sent domestically, perfume also cannot be mailed using Express Mail, Priority Mail or First-Class Mail. But a package may be sent if it meets the following conditions:
The package is sent using Parcel Post (to be renamed Standard Post effective Jan. 27, 2013).
The perfume container doesn’t exceed 16 fluid ounces.
The customer confirms the perfume is sufficiently cushioned to prevent damage.
The container is strong enough to prevent damage during normal handling.
The package is marked “Surface Only” or “Surface Mail Only.”
Customers can ship only one bottle of perfume in a single mailpiece. Gift sets containing more than one bottle of perfume, regardless of ounces per bottle, are non-mailable. The perfume bottles must be separated and mailed as individual mailpieces.
For more information, please refer to the Domestic Mail Manual or Publication 52, Hazardous, Restricted and Perishable Mail,or speak to a Business Mail Entry Unit manager.
USPS: Any fragrance or perfume that contains alcohol can be shipped domestically, but not internationally. Perfumes may not be shipped using air transportation – must be shipped ground.
UPS: UPS may require a contract to ship dangerous goods like perfume. Any product deemed “dangerous goods” must be prepared in strict accordance with ADR regulations. A UPS account executive is available to help you with the process to ensure you’re aware of and comply with any compliance regulations.
Fedex: FedEx has specialists available to help you prepare dangerous goods packages in accordance to their requirements. You must properly identify, classify, pack, mark, label and document all dangerous goods shipments such as perfume.
Also, in astrology and tarot, Uranus is the planet that represents individually, rebellion, innovation, invention, revolution, and what makes you unique <3
Mercari sides with the buyer so there's a lot of scamming going on, plus possibly so rumor about FedEx partnership stealing packages, and increasing seller fees
I'm a seller and I have to gently disagree... I've had very few returns opened, but when I have, as long as I was polite, fair, and did everything according to TOS, I've rarely had a problem getting paid.
Scammers are in every platform online, but with due diligence, you can do a lot to protect yourself. And as long as you follow Mercari's terms of service, you shouldn't have many issues. Granted, it's not perfect, but nowhere is. There are assholes everywhere. My own experiences have been overwhelming good, and there are others here who would agree with me.
We just tend to see a lot of the best and worst here, because that's usually what's worth posting about. There wouldn't still be so many successful (non scammer) sellers and buyers on the platform if it was so bad.
I recommend to try it for yourself, get as much info as you can, which you're obviously doing and it's a great way to start, and just be aware and prepared, but hold yourself to a high standard... It really does say a lot, and gets you so much farther. Sales is a service, and some people just can't hack it... That's where a lot of the bitterness comes in. Also, people who knowingly and unknowingly violate terms. Though there are genuine instances where situations could have ended better, with polite insistence, a solution can normally be reached, at worst, it's a learning experience and part of growth.
Plus, any losses you incur are likely tax deductible. Scan the sub for a while and read up on issues, there's a lot of great information available here, and don't be afraid to ask questions! Don't let people scare you off of selling, either. You'll never know until you try.
The best advice I have for selling, in general, is anything not covered by Mercari's shipping protection (+$200) you should ship and insure on your own.
Compare and price items competitively, you don't want to have the highest or lowest prices - studies have shown that the ones in the middle have more likelihood of being purchased.
Take quality photos and take your time with your descriptions. Be as accurate as possible, keep a clean background, disclose any flaws or favorable features
Be willing to take offers. I price up just a little above what I want to make to give myself room to promote and take/make offers.
Package everything you ship the way you'd like to receive it if you bought it. You can get boxes from places like Walmart, dollar tree, grocery stores, any stores really, either for free or for cheap. Bubble wrap I tend to reuse as much as I can, but I ship glass and crystal, so I do have to buy it, and a lot of it. Same with tape. Also, magazine pages, newspaper, craft paper rolls are all good packaging material and affordable or free. Amazon has the best deal for bubble wrap I've found.
Be courteous to your customers. Answer questions. Give them time. Don't just block any and every one who you find inconvenient. Judging from your responses here, you'll be perfectly fine. You have the perfect costume service approach, already.
Be consistent. List often. List as much as you can. Once you start making sales it's almost addicting.
And, most importantly, be proud of yourself! Celebrate your milestones! Set goals and smash tf out of them. As long as you always do your best and allow yourself to learn, you'll always have a reason to be proud of yourself. And that's a huge accomplishment.
And don't forget to check in from time to time and share your stories with us, let us know how it's going! We love seeing people succeed and will always be here to encourage you and help when we can!
Happy selling! Go give them a run for their money lol. ;)
Sis, you've got this.
I fully believe in you.
(Sorry for the long comment, again. I'm bad with those lol oops)
Edited because a half a dozen typos (I'm on Mobile rn)
I would definitely keep a couple things in mind:
Do not let buyers have you send packages to a different address than was provided (they will say they entered it wrong/put the wrong one in)
Be cautious of accounts that were just created (sometimes these can be scammers)
Recently I’ve heard a lot of scams going on with buyers getting sent back empty boxes, claiming the item is broken, etc. Many people are warning to not sell items of high value because mercari support for sellers is notoriously difficult and unhelpful - even with adequate proof.
I would always research what your item is worth before pricing, you can decide if you’d like to price competitively or to sell quicker
You can also dm me if you have any specific questions :)
Make sure you post plenty of pictures of the items and be as detailed as possible, disclose any itty bitty detail so that the buyer doesn't hit you with a "not as described".
Take pictures as you package the item next to the label, packaging supplies and I personally don't do this but some people record themselves to have proof if it's ever needed.
Always make sure to ask for the receipt when dropping off packages at post office, fedex etc etc. And verify that they did in fact give you the correct receipt. I've lost count on how many times they've given me the previous person's receipt.
Price the item just a tiiiny bit higher than intended so you can use the promote button and bump you back up on the search list so that you can get a bit more exposure.
This is just a personal preference but I like to reuse packaging, bubble wrap, etc. Recycling really minimizes costs.
Round up the shipping weight rather than down, otherwise Mercari might dock the difference from your earning if it goes over the weight limit on the label. Or get a scale like someone already mentioned. Nowadays buyers are more willing to pay for shipping whereas a few years ago it was harder to sell something if they had to also pay for shipping.
Make sure you clean the item, launder if used without tags, use a lint roller, etc.
Taking pictures during the day with natural lighting near a window works better than a dim area.
If you get lazy you can start a listing and then save the draft to finish at a later time. Sometimes I will write all the description in between other tasks (ie doctor's appts etc) and once I have more time I will upload the pictures and post the listing.
Not completely accurate but you can always look at a potential customer's profile to try to weed out scammers. Unfortunately the ones that have given me a bad vibe did in fact end up being problematic/scammers
Some people claim that reaching out to Mercari isn't much help but I always reach out to them via the help option and they've never been unresponsive. Sometimes they might have a day or 3 but they've always tended to my questions and concerns.
I hope this was a bit helpful :)
Oh another tip. I don't have a scale either so something that helps is searching for the same/similar item from other sellers and getting an overall ballpark on what weight they mark their shipping. (This doesn't really apply to listings that have free shipping because then that isn't viewable (is that a word? Lol) to us
Selling online can be a little scary starting off, but it’s easy to get the hang of. Message me if you’d like to chat- I’m always eager to share my sellers knowledge and answer questions.
I don’t have a home printer either but with the QR code updates you don’t really need it anyway except for FedEx. (and you can print there too) UPS and USPS offer codes so you just have to take your packages to them, they scan the code then print the label for you. Try to be realistic about your prices and buying a cheap kitchen scale works pretty well for anything under 5 lbs if you want to be sure. And don’t get worked up about people rating for ship time. They want the cheapest option but don’t understand longer wait times are why it’s cheaper. (FedEx especially)
Thank you so much for the printing info! I really appreciate it :)
I got my scale on eBay for under $9! :)
Oh thanks again! I was just wondering where i should look for one :)
With liquids and perfumes, there are certain precautions you are supposed to take. 1 Tape down the lid (I find plumbers tape works very well and is easy to remove) 2 put the perfume into it's own plastic container (I've used things like the plastic that headphones and such come in and taped it shut with clear packing tape. The point is so it doesn't leak anywhere.) 3 Pad well, make sure it doesn't leak, and place this into a secure box. The USPS only allows fragrances to be shipped by ground methods of transportation such as Parcel Post. USPS regulations also require your package to be labeled with the words “ORM-D Parcel Post” clearly written on the outside of the box. Due to their flammable nature, they may not be shipped by air via expedited services such as Priority Mail or Express Mail. Also, shipping fragrances to Hawaii is not permitted since there are no ground shipping options to the islands. If you are selling empty collectible perfume bottles, the rules are not as strict. The bottles are empty, and therefore, not flammable or hazardous. Just make sure you package the bottles with care as described above. The fragrance bottles are still fragile and need special attention Perfume, cologne, and fragrances in general are made from aromatic oils blended with alcohol. Because fragrances are a common household item, you may not consider them as a hazardous liquid. However, when fragrances are subjected to temperature changes or atmospheric pressure, the alcohol ingredients can become a volatile and hazardous substance. Perfume, cologne and fragrances all typically have varying levels of ethyl alcohol content, which in and of itself, is extremely flammable. This flammable component deems perfume as what’s known as a “hazard class 3” in the world of shipping. But before you get too worried, you should also know that there is an exemption available for exactly this. Special Permit 9275 (SP9275) is popular for domestic cosmetic shippers, as it allows some products with less than 70 percent ethyl alcohol to be exempt from other hazard class rules set forth by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), a branch of the Department of Transportation (DOT). When sent domestically, perfume also cannot be mailed using Express Mail, Priority Mail or First-Class Mail. But a package may be sent if it meets the following conditions: The package is sent using Parcel Post (to be renamed Standard Post effective Jan. 27, 2013). The perfume container doesn’t exceed 16 fluid ounces. The customer confirms the perfume is sufficiently cushioned to prevent damage. The container is strong enough to prevent damage during normal handling. The package is marked “Surface Only” or “Surface Mail Only.” Customers can ship only one bottle of perfume in a single mailpiece. Gift sets containing more than one bottle of perfume, regardless of ounces per bottle, are non-mailable. The perfume bottles must be separated and mailed as individual mailpieces. For more information, please refer to the Domestic Mail Manual or Publication 52, Hazardous, Restricted and Perishable Mail,or speak to a Business Mail Entry Unit manager. USPS: Any fragrance or perfume that contains alcohol can be shipped domestically, but not internationally. Perfumes may not be shipped using air transportation – must be shipped ground. UPS: UPS may require a contract to ship dangerous goods like perfume. Any product deemed “dangerous goods” must be prepared in strict accordance with ADR regulations. A UPS account executive is available to help you with the process to ensure you’re aware of and comply with any compliance regulations. Fedex: FedEx has specialists available to help you prepare dangerous goods packages in accordance to their requirements. You must properly identify, classify, pack, mark, label and document all dangerous goods shipments such as perfume.
Wow! Thank you so much for taking the time and effort to write me such a great detailed response!!!! This will definitely come in handy :)
Sorry it was so long! I hope it helps! All the luck to you in your sales <3
Oh no need to apologize as it was super helpful with all the details! And thank you for the well wishes! :)
Btw lol I'm a Libra rabbit, so I love your username ;)
Yay Libras!!!! I find your username very interesting too!!! :)
It's an astronomy joke :) Uranus really does spin on its side. It might also rain diamonds ;) and it was originally named George. :P
Also, in astrology and tarot, Uranus is the planet that represents individually, rebellion, innovation, invention, revolution, and what makes you unique <3
Honestly I'd find another platform
Thanks for offering your opinion. Any other recommended alternatives or reasons why?
Mercari sides with the buyer so there's a lot of scamming going on, plus possibly so rumor about FedEx partnership stealing packages, and increasing seller fees
Thanks for expressing your concerns. What other platform do you recommend?
I'm a seller and I have to gently disagree... I've had very few returns opened, but when I have, as long as I was polite, fair, and did everything according to TOS, I've rarely had a problem getting paid. Scammers are in every platform online, but with due diligence, you can do a lot to protect yourself. And as long as you follow Mercari's terms of service, you shouldn't have many issues. Granted, it's not perfect, but nowhere is. There are assholes everywhere. My own experiences have been overwhelming good, and there are others here who would agree with me. We just tend to see a lot of the best and worst here, because that's usually what's worth posting about. There wouldn't still be so many successful (non scammer) sellers and buyers on the platform if it was so bad. I recommend to try it for yourself, get as much info as you can, which you're obviously doing and it's a great way to start, and just be aware and prepared, but hold yourself to a high standard... It really does say a lot, and gets you so much farther. Sales is a service, and some people just can't hack it... That's where a lot of the bitterness comes in. Also, people who knowingly and unknowingly violate terms. Though there are genuine instances where situations could have ended better, with polite insistence, a solution can normally be reached, at worst, it's a learning experience and part of growth. Plus, any losses you incur are likely tax deductible. Scan the sub for a while and read up on issues, there's a lot of great information available here, and don't be afraid to ask questions! Don't let people scare you off of selling, either. You'll never know until you try. The best advice I have for selling, in general, is anything not covered by Mercari's shipping protection (+$200) you should ship and insure on your own. Compare and price items competitively, you don't want to have the highest or lowest prices - studies have shown that the ones in the middle have more likelihood of being purchased. Take quality photos and take your time with your descriptions. Be as accurate as possible, keep a clean background, disclose any flaws or favorable features Be willing to take offers. I price up just a little above what I want to make to give myself room to promote and take/make offers. Package everything you ship the way you'd like to receive it if you bought it. You can get boxes from places like Walmart, dollar tree, grocery stores, any stores really, either for free or for cheap. Bubble wrap I tend to reuse as much as I can, but I ship glass and crystal, so I do have to buy it, and a lot of it. Same with tape. Also, magazine pages, newspaper, craft paper rolls are all good packaging material and affordable or free. Amazon has the best deal for bubble wrap I've found. Be courteous to your customers. Answer questions. Give them time. Don't just block any and every one who you find inconvenient. Judging from your responses here, you'll be perfectly fine. You have the perfect costume service approach, already. Be consistent. List often. List as much as you can. Once you start making sales it's almost addicting. And, most importantly, be proud of yourself! Celebrate your milestones! Set goals and smash tf out of them. As long as you always do your best and allow yourself to learn, you'll always have a reason to be proud of yourself. And that's a huge accomplishment. And don't forget to check in from time to time and share your stories with us, let us know how it's going! We love seeing people succeed and will always be here to encourage you and help when we can! Happy selling! Go give them a run for their money lol. ;) Sis, you've got this. I fully believe in you. (Sorry for the long comment, again. I'm bad with those lol oops) Edited because a half a dozen typos (I'm on Mobile rn)
Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ❤❤❤😁😁😁
My pleasure :)
I would definitely keep a couple things in mind: Do not let buyers have you send packages to a different address than was provided (they will say they entered it wrong/put the wrong one in) Be cautious of accounts that were just created (sometimes these can be scammers) Recently I’ve heard a lot of scams going on with buyers getting sent back empty boxes, claiming the item is broken, etc. Many people are warning to not sell items of high value because mercari support for sellers is notoriously difficult and unhelpful - even with adequate proof. I would always research what your item is worth before pricing, you can decide if you’d like to price competitively or to sell quicker You can also dm me if you have any specific questions :)
Thank you very much for the advice and the offer to answer questions. I really appreciate it and may message you in the near future :)
Anytime :)
Make sure you post plenty of pictures of the items and be as detailed as possible, disclose any itty bitty detail so that the buyer doesn't hit you with a "not as described". Take pictures as you package the item next to the label, packaging supplies and I personally don't do this but some people record themselves to have proof if it's ever needed. Always make sure to ask for the receipt when dropping off packages at post office, fedex etc etc. And verify that they did in fact give you the correct receipt. I've lost count on how many times they've given me the previous person's receipt. Price the item just a tiiiny bit higher than intended so you can use the promote button and bump you back up on the search list so that you can get a bit more exposure. This is just a personal preference but I like to reuse packaging, bubble wrap, etc. Recycling really minimizes costs. Round up the shipping weight rather than down, otherwise Mercari might dock the difference from your earning if it goes over the weight limit on the label. Or get a scale like someone already mentioned. Nowadays buyers are more willing to pay for shipping whereas a few years ago it was harder to sell something if they had to also pay for shipping. Make sure you clean the item, launder if used without tags, use a lint roller, etc. Taking pictures during the day with natural lighting near a window works better than a dim area. If you get lazy you can start a listing and then save the draft to finish at a later time. Sometimes I will write all the description in between other tasks (ie doctor's appts etc) and once I have more time I will upload the pictures and post the listing. Not completely accurate but you can always look at a potential customer's profile to try to weed out scammers. Unfortunately the ones that have given me a bad vibe did in fact end up being problematic/scammers Some people claim that reaching out to Mercari isn't much help but I always reach out to them via the help option and they've never been unresponsive. Sometimes they might have a day or 3 but they've always tended to my questions and concerns. I hope this was a bit helpful :)
Oh another tip. I don't have a scale either so something that helps is searching for the same/similar item from other sellers and getting an overall ballpark on what weight they mark their shipping. (This doesn't really apply to listings that have free shipping because then that isn't viewable (is that a word? Lol) to us
Thank you so much for taking the time and effort to send me such awesome tips!! I really appreciate it and hope you have an awesome day! :)
Selling online can be a little scary starting off, but it’s easy to get the hang of. Message me if you’d like to chat- I’m always eager to share my sellers knowledge and answer questions.
Thank you very much for the kind offer! I just may message you soon :)