How to ship large and heavy items sold on eBay
Posting items on eBay is a very straightforward process for most items. It’s just a case of a few clicks, printing out a label and then taking the item off to the post office. You can set the price based on your postage fees or via eBay’s algorithm for similar listings and it’s all smooth sailing – until you realise the item is too big for shipping.
That’s where we come in! In this guide, we’re sharing the most hassle-free and cost-effective ways how to ship heavy items on eBay, so you can get hefty appliances and tall furniture to your chosen destination without breaking the item, or breaking the bank.
Shipping options on eBay
When you list a product on the website, you’ll notice that there are several options for how to ship heavy items on eBay. After your listing details are inputted, you will see that there are several shipping options with three distribution companies. Here, eBay is in charge of the transaction with your chosen carrier, dealing with both your return address and delivery tracking. So far, so useful. But there are a few disadvantages to this…Drawbacks of private shipping couriers
When you’re considering how to ship large items sold on eBay, you may look to private couriers such as Evri or DHL. However, these companies have limitations on what you can post with them in regard to sizing and parcel weight. This can be a stumbling block if you’re searching for ways how to ship large items sold on eBay like bikes or sofas. Below are the limitations of these companies:
Evri
Evri are a reliable courier service, but they can only deliver items up to 15kg and parcels over 120cm long or with a volume greater than 245cm.
DHL
Unfortunately, you run into similar problems with DHL. You can only deliver items up to 70kg and parcels no bigger than 120cm x 80cm x 80cm.
Yodel
The third shipping option listed automatically with eBay is Yodel. Sadly, this last option is also unsuitable for heavier items. The weight limit is 10kg and the maximum parcel size is listed as 60x50x50cm.
Exceeding weight limitations
Obviously, most furniture and appliances will exceed these limits in both size and weight, meaning that you will need to find an alternative to a standard courier. At 15kg or over, these deliveries might be time-sensitive or urgent on top of being difficult to handle, so you’ll want to get this right and avoid dealing with it yourself.
Collect in person
Another alternative is selecting the “collect in person” option – but, of course, that will limit your buyer pool significantly. It’ll be a lot more difficult to find a local buyer with the right vehicle for transporting bulky items such as furniture and home appliances, so if you’re looking to get rid of an item quickly or to make some much-needed cash, this probably isn’t for you.
Solutions for shipping large and heavy items sold on eBay
A great way to deliver furniture and appliances is by using a man and van delivery service. This way you can dodge the hassle of delivering it yourself and ensure that your items reach their destination promptly, and above all, safely.
Benefits of using a man and van delivery service
If you opt for a man and a van service you can save on time, money and headaches by leaving it to the professionals. This is much more cost-effective than using a removal company as they will often charge higher prices because they typically carry out full house moves. You can also avoid injury or strain by letting the experts do what they’ve been trained to do.
2-man services
You’ll easily be able to find a couple of van men who can collect your item. They’ll do all the work and collect it from inside your house, take it down or upstairs if needed and load it into the van without any help required from you. This is wonderfully beneficial as it’s all too easy to damage your item and property when removing things from your house yourself. A 2-man service is an easy fix in this regard. The van men will be experienced specialists with the flexibility to adapt to any job, any item and any home, taking your items out and loading them into the van without causing any damage.
1-man services
If you want to save some money, however, then you can always give them a hand. This will make it cheaper as they will only charge for 1 man. Just make sure you check with the buyer that they will be able to help the van man too, because they may not be able to unload the item if they have no help at the other end. Van men also do same-day delivery, unless the item is being delivered a very far distance, so this is another selling point when auctioning off your item.
Finding van men
Finding van men can sometimes be the challenging part. You are best off using a company such as VanaMango which has van men nationwide and offer a high-quality eBay collection and delivery service or by finding a local van man. Good places to look for van men are online or in local newspapers.
Buying items to flip
When you buy items to flip, make sure to keep shipping in mind. Shipping large items is definitely possible and can also be profitable too. However, you need to account for the extra time you’ll spend on packaging the items and arranging shipping. This should be key to your decision on how to ship large items on eBay as failing to account for shipping costs or getting them wrong can eat into your profits.
Final considerations
Make sure that you check that the van men have good reviews so that you don’t get let down – no one wants their items to get lost in transport! It’s recommended to take photos of the condition of your items prior to them being collected to make sure that if they are damaged in transport you have evidence of that. Lastly, always ask for proof of insurance as if your items are damaged then you won’t be able to make a claim if the van men are not insured. VanaMango ensures all van men hired by them are fully insured so you don’t have to worry about dealing with insurance when using them.
If you are delivering an item far away then here’s a top tip for saving money: find a van which is already going in your intended shipping direction or near the area. This will give you a great cost saving as you will get a cheaper price because the van is completing a similar route. Companies such as VanaMango are great for saving money like this as they optimise routes and use vans which are completing similar routes.
Get experts to do the job for you
By taking our advice on how to ship heavy items on eBay, you can make sure the job is done properly. You’ll be able to put up your feet at the end of the day knowing that your items are safely on their way to their new owner.