Shipping for eBay resellers: services, size rules, and packaging.

USPS Ground Advantage is USPS's domestic package service. USPS says items up to 15.999 ounces are priced in tiers, heavier packages are priced by the pound with a 70 pound maximum, expected delivery is 2 to 5 days, USPS Tracking is included, and $100 of insurance is included.¹ The Domestic Mail Manual says any mailable item is eligible except restricted material.²

Media Mail is a lower-priced service for a short list of contents such as books and sound recordings, and USPS can inspect the contents. The Media Mail guide covers what qualifies.

eBay Standard Envelope is an eBay service for low-priced items in specific categories, mainly trading cards. The trading card guide covers its limits.

Delivery estimates and prices differ by destination, so use the USPS price calculator³ or the label price eBay shows you rather than a number from a guide.

For Ground Advantage, the Domestic Mail Manual describes four things that move a price:²

• Weight. Pricing is per pound from 1 through 70 pounds, and any fraction of a pound counts as a whole pound.
• Cubic pricing. A piece that is 1 cubic foot or less, 20 pounds or less, with a longest dimension of 22 inches or less (and not a roll or tube) can be priced by volume in tiers from 0.10 to 1.00 cubic foot instead.
• Dimensional weight. A parcel over 1 cubic foot is priced at the greater of its actual weight or its dimensional weight. The heavy and oversized guide shows the arithmetic.
• Nonstandard fees. Extra fees apply to pieces more than 22 inches long, more than 30 inches long, or more than 2 cubic feet, and a Dimension Noncompliance fee applies when the dimensions given to USPS are omitted or inaccurate.

The manual points to USPS Notice 123 for the dollar amounts. This guide does not list prices, because they change.

The Domestic Mail Manual says mailers must package pieces to withstand normal transit and handling, fragile items need cushioning, contents must not shift, and heavy items must be braced and cushioned so they do not damage other mail. A parcel needs a box or container sized to the contents that keeps its shape and does not bend, fold, or collapse. Tape and banding must be suitable for closing the package, and twine or cord is not allowed because it can interfere with processing equipment.⁴

The same section says handling markings such as "Fragile" belong only on packages containing delicate items, so marking every box does not follow the rule. For materials, see the shipping supplies guide. For breakables, see the fragile items guide.

eBay defines handling time as beginning when you receive payment and ending when your package is scanned by your carrier, measured in business days. For tracked shipping, eBay says to upload the item's tracking details.⁵ eBay also says to ship only to the address the buyer gave at checkout, because otherwise a seller may lose eBay Money Back Guarantee protection if the buyer opens a claim.⁶

• Books, records, and media: Media Mail rules
• Trading cards and the eBay Standard Envelope
• Fragile items and glassware
• Shoes, heavy items, and dimensional weight

A sale that looks good before shipping can look different after it. Strooply shows profit after fees and shipping, and can estimate shipping cost before you have the item in hand. The estimate is not a carrier quote, so compare it with the label price. To see how fees and shipping change an item's profit, try the eBay fee calculator.