New UK Store, Shipping Questions

SamsCollectibles

Morning,
I am in the process of creating a store just selling used bricks, and I am struggling with the Delivery options.
What do most of you suggest using, or what have you done...how do you work out the prices?

Also I was just planning on selling in the UK, but how easy to ship worldwide etc and is it worth shipping worldwide, I understand you are increasing your market.

I think thats everything for now

Jay37

There are a number of things to consider. If you want to mirror what other stores charge for shipping, there is a Shared Shipping Methods option (a button at the top of your shipping settings) where you can search for stores who have made this info freely available. I for one have never used it so hopefully others can vouch for its ease of use.

Secondly you can do what I did and get a current postal rates leaflet from your local post office and set aside some time going through the different weight bands/prices, before working out how much you'd charge (stick the kettle on, make a cuppa, and don't rush it! Trust me when I say that a few hours now will save potential issues later on).

Bear in mind that you should take into account packaging size and weight, so for example I have my first weight band up to 80gm as this allows for 20gm worth of grip seal bags and padded envelope (taking me to the 100gm limit for the cheapest Large Letter).

Also you cannot charge separate additional fees, so any costs you think you may incur, such as fees, packaging costs, sorting and handling time, must be built into either the cost of the parts you sell or your shipping costs. So, you can charge 'parts' + 'shipping', but not 'parts' + 'shipping' + 'handling fee'.

You could start with domestic shipping to begin with before dipping your toes into international rates, but thanks to a couple of things (!) in recent years, I have seen a drop off in overseas orders as it simply costs too much to post.

Hope all this helps and makes some kind of sense, and I'm sure others will chime in with advice!

Jay37

Also, as your store is not currently open, you have an opportunity to build up your stock levels before going live. There have been numerous forum posts where stores have said they are not getting orders, but having a small inventory means you won't get much traction on someone's wishlist.

Like you I deal mainly in used parts, and cover a fairly wide range of LEGO themes, but equally there are some stores which specialist in, say, Technic LEGO. Either way, the more you have, the more visible you'll become.

Mrs Swoop

I think @Jay37 has it bang on. It's a bit of a nightmare to start with but take your time.

You can also download Royal Mail postage rates here https://www.royalmail.com/current-postage-prices. I only use Royal Mail, most of my orders go 2nd Class Large Letter although more buyers have been using 1st Class recently.

I did sell globally before Covid and Brexit but I don't now, too much hassle, too many delays, that's just my choice. I didn't get many international orders before anyway, I'm only a small store, but I did get a few.

I am going to weigh in on the 'opening up with not much stock' thing. IMO as long as you've got your shipping set up you don't need to wait until you have a lot of stock. It's certainly true that the less stock you have the fewer buyers you're likely to match with and it might take longer to get your first order(s) but does that really matter? It might actually be a good thing to start off slowly so you can get used to the process and iron out any kinks, especially if you're starting like I did and don't already have stores on other platforms.

Jay37

@Mrs Swoop Yes, I hadn't really considered the gentle easing into the game and I guess it gives you chance to iron things out.

@SamsCollectibles Also, you have the ability to place an order in your own store and this will give you an idea of any potential issues and gives you a customer's eye view of how your store works.