Is there a thread here detailing the process of selling flashlights to other blf members through the mail?
Im not finding anything with the search bar.
I have a handful of flashlights id like to sell, but have never sold anything online to anyone through the mail before. Not at all sure how that is done.
Ive only ever sold items with my local want-ads type website, where people come pick to my house and pick the item up in person.
Not sure if theres a thread here all about this, or maybe its a simple enough process, someone interested enough can just walk me through selling them a light?
Wanna sell something?
Open a thread in the WTS section.
Describe what you are offering (pictures) and what you want for it.
Be specific about (small) imperfections like scratches, etc.
Is your price inclusive shipping (how far?) and T&T?
If buyer agrees, wait for money and put the items in box and ………
It helps if you and the buyer both have Paypal (PP)…
And you definitely must agree on who pays the PP fees.
As people in NL say: a three year old can do the laundry.
Make a BLF thread with a pic of each light and the price you want to sell it for.
Have many small boxes on hand for shipping, from amazon packages you have received, and other small packages you get in the mail.
If made with thick cardboard you can also use boxes from boxes food comes in.
Ship lights via your local post office and give tracking numbers to customers.
Bump your thread occasionally.
Spend your income (revenue minus shipping costs) on new flashlights. This step is optional.
Here is my thread selling many lights.
I constantly lowered prices since i wanted them gone quickly, you may prefer to choose good prices and wait for sales if they take a while to materialize.
> I have a handful of flashlights id like to sell, but have never sold anything online to anyone through the mail before. Not at all sure how that is done.
I use Paypal to receive payments under the G&S category (Goods and Services). The buyer uses the Goods and Services category when they pay. Paypal charges the seller 4% of the sale price as a Goods and Services fee.
the benefit of Goods and Services, is that Paypal will produce a shipping label (not free), with the Verified address of the Buyer. It also provides the buyer a refund from paypal, if the item is lost or damaged during shipping.
some people do not like to use Goods and Services, because they dont want to pay the fee, and or, they dont want Paypal to report the sales (if over $600 per year) to the IRS, and instead they request payment as Friends and Family. There is no paypal fee for this. There is also no buyer protection, no refund, and no buyer address is provided, and the shipping label is not automatic.
I use Log in to your PayPal account to access the label printing option, when I need to fill in the address by hand, for a F&F sale. I print the label at home, and tape it to the package, which I then drop in the mailbox outside the Post Office. I do not go inside a post office to do any of this.
The shipping label includes Tracking, which I provide to the buyer by PM, or if they provided their email, I list it when I create the label, and they receive tracking info from Paypal automatically.
When I sell, I build the paypal fees and the postage, into the cost of the light. The buyer just pays the asking price I sold the light for, no extra fees, no extra postage fee. IF the buyer trusts me, and wants to pay by Friends and Family, I offer a price discount (of 4% or more).
look at this ad to see how I set up the payment options, I offered a $5 discount if the buyer paid by F&F (Friends and Family):
When shipping the light I use USPS First Class Mail, using a padded envelope, which is listed under the Custom Package option, where I enter the Length width and thickness of the package… also the weight… then I print the label. I do not use Small Flat Rate Box, because it costs twice as much…
good luck with your sales… it all relies on Paypal… you have to have that set up with your bank account info. Paypal then receives payment, and you have to go into paypal and request the money to be transferred to your account, minus the G&S fee, and the postage fee. (there is no fee to transfer the money to your bank, unless you ask for same day transfer).
Since you are in Canada, you need to take into account that shipping to USA will cost over $10… so you need to specify if you offer Free Shipping to USA or not. In some cases, you might prefer to offer the light price, Plus Shipping… this gets a bit tricky, since you have to first get the buyers address and then quote him the shipping cost, before they know how much to Paypal you…
Thanks everyone.
Doesn’t look like I’ll be able to sell these through the mail.
Does anyone in the GTA want to pick up a bunch of lights/cells really cheap?
Buyer pays shipping, i used that Canada Post link i posted above on every order and gave exact quotes and charged the exact shipping rate.
Maybe half the people decided not to go ahead but another buyer came along.
Shipping through the mail is just way too complicated for someone like me.
I’m gonna need someone to pick these up in person like every other item I’ve ever sold online. But flashlights aren’t gonna sell that way. So I’m kinda just stuck with them.
-Convoy C8+ CSLNM1 Green Body. Tailcap filed down to make “proud button”.
-Convoy/C8+ Purple Head/Bezel Green osram. Battery Tube is pink from baking it. Tailcap is pink from baking it, and has also been filed down to be a proud button.
-Convoy M21B with GTFC40. Brand new, but Ive filed the tailcap down to have a proud button, and added glow resin to the filed area. (pics below)
Not sure if this light is defective or not though. Doesnt seem to work properly.
