I used to go to the post office with a huge black bag full of boxes, wait to see a teller and then have to start unloading on them! A couple of times of this is O.K. however everyday or every other day gets tiresome and takes time away from listing new items.

So my research began. Where can I get a good source of boxes and supplies and how can I avoid the lines at the post office?

The answers were actually a nice surprise. Not only did I find out that you can get free boxes, tape and shipping supplies delivered right to your door, but I also found out where you can get a free digital scale, free postage, free shipping labels, free delivery confirmation, and cheaper insurance then you can get from USPS as well as the ability to eliminate all trips to the post office.

Nice.

• How to get free shipping supplies

  • Surprisingly, the United States Post Office will supply shippers with all the boxes, tape, shipping labels and more that he/she needs when you ship priority.

  • As if this wasn't good enough, you can order them online from the USPS website. You do need to register with them but it's free.

    • Click here to go to USPS

• Shipping from home (no more post office)

  • Originally we were looking for a program that would allow us to print shipping labels at home in order to avoid going to the post office every day or every other day. What we found was much, much better.

  • There is a company called Stamps.com that is a complete postal service program that you install on your computer. This will allow you to print all of your own shipping labels from the comfort of your own home. Very convenient.

  • Not only does Stamps.com let you have this luxury at home, they also give you a bunch of extras such as:

    • A free digital scale

    • Free $25.00 in postage

    • Free shipping supplies

    • Free delivery confirmation

    • Greatly discounted insurance rates

    • The ability to hide the postage amount (love this one!)

    • Print postage 24/7 no need to wait for the post office to open

    • Print postage on envelopes

    • Ability to print all classes of mail. This is the only shipping program that has this.

      • Priority

      • First Class

      • Parcel Post

      • Media Mail

      • Express

      • International

      • No additional hardware required, just your PC and printer.

  • All of these features are yours for a very low monthly fee. They will even give you a free four week trial so you can try it out for a full month and not pay a penny.

  • We have been using Stamps.com for six years and LOVE IT.

    • You can find Stamps.com by clicking here.

• The best way to ship those BIG items - uShip.com

  • The uShip marketplace (much like the eBay auction site) allows sellers or buyers to list for auction anything that needs to be shipped or moved and receive bids from thousands of feedback-rated drivers including moving companies, freight carriers, vehicle and pet transporters, van lines and independent drivers - many of whom are traveling along the route of the shipment with extra cargo space. The best part is that it's free!

   

  With uShip you can ship or move anything. Their shipment categories include:

  	General Goods		Household & Office Moves
  	Vehicles & Boats		Special Care Items
  	Commercial Freight		Pets & Livestock
  	Plants & Agriculture		Junk

   

  • Benefits:
     

    • Cheaper Shipping
      When you offer uShip's Freight Auction services to your buyers, they will save up to 80% compared to freightquote.com AND be willing to pay higher prices for your items.

    • By offering uShip, you can now sell larger items like furniture, equipment and vehicles to buyers outside of your local area.

    • List your eBay purchase and get competitive bids from thousands of carriers, movers and transporters - many are filling empty cargo space. List your purchase after you've won the eBay auction, or list an item you are watching to get shipping quotes before you bid. It's FREE to list and there is NO OBLIGATION to accept a bid.

    • Much like eBay sellers, uShip carriers are rated by their past customers so you know what kind of service you will get. Hold drivers accountable for their service - they perform better when they know you will leave feedback!

  Right now, registering with uShip is free, but rumors have it that they may start charging a hefty one time registration fee. It's a good idea to register with them now while it's free whether or not you think you may need them.

  You can find them here.

Congratulations on your successful completion of the E-bay Step-by-Step section, you have taken a huge step towards financial freedom and independence.

Now that we have our eBay store set up and running, it's time to challenge the Internet! While vast, only 2% of all online sales take place at eBay; that leaves a whole lot of money floating around that needs a home. What better home than ours?