You've sold your item, the buyer has paid, the money has cleared, and now it's time to ship your item! It's your job as a seller to get the item to the buyer safely and intact. Most shipping breakages are caused by improperly packaged items. Do it the right way from the start and avoid headaches from buyer disputes and returns! This can cost you money and time. When a buyer opens the package, your making a first impression. Make it great and make them want to come back to your store!

Before you even list your Ebay item, you'll need a scale to find out the weight of the item when it's packaged. Purchase a scale from USPS, or use your own mail scale to give an accurate weight. Ebay has a shipping calculator, which does not take into account extra charges like delivery confirmation, so keep that in mind. Build in enough of a cushion to cover your items, while still being competitvely priced in shipping. Also, keep in mind your cost of shipping -- gas to deliver the items, bubble wrap, tape and peanuts all add up. You may want to add insurance as optional or required for your item, depending on the worth.

After your item has sold, it's time to ship it out! Take your items and place them inside a box that's big enough for the items, but not so big that the items are floating around during shipping. USPS has a full range of free boxes for Priority shipping, a reliable service that usually only takes 3 days at the most anywhere in the United States. While you're at it, you can ask the USPS to save good condition previously used boxes for you. They'll gladly do so. Dumpster space costs money, and so does disposal, so you'd be saving them money.

Bubble wrap is the preferred way to ship most items. Tear off a piece of bubble wrap that covers more than the surface of the item, and wrap the item as tight as possible around the item(s). Next, tape the bubble wrap to itself so it's tightly wrapped around. Fold in the sides, and tape the sides closed. Use extra tape if necessary to protect any loose areas of bubble wrap.

Next, you'll want to place your items in the box in a way that makes sense. Keep your items away from the sides of the box if possible to minimize damage. Place flat edges of items against each other during shipping. Fill the box with peanuts to the rim, and tape the top of the box securely (and the bottom! Use more than one piece of tape if the box is heavy!).

Also save your bubble wrap that you get from purchases that you make online. There are many places that throw away bubble wrap and packing peanuts, from post offices to grocery stores and malls. Check with them and they might have it for free!

Next, attach the label to the top of the box. You can alternatively print your own label from USPS and get free delivery confirmation. Bring it into your USPS office and ship it out! Consider purchasing delivery confirmation, it's worth every penny.