Packaging and shipping is one of the most time and expense oriented parts of the eBay seller experience. Finding the right deals on packaging materials and making sure the goods an eBay seller ships to a buyer, survivesduring its journey, across town or across continents in one piece, is becoming more and more important with each new emphasis on the shipping aspect of the eBay buyer experience.

When a recent press release came to my office from Mini PAK'R , I started to think about the changes which have come to all of us at eBay in the last several years. In 2006 I went to eBay live in Las Vegas and one of the items I was looking for was a way to use Air Speed bags in my shipping department. Just two short years ago there was only one vendor on the solutions floor offering Air Speed bag equipment.

The sole vendor of Air Packaging equipment at eBay Live would not even speak with me about the equipment because it seemed he did not think his company should have sent him to an eBay convention, eBay people had no real money to buy his nifty equipment... Bad attitudes get you nowhere, especially when offering merchandise for sale.

It is certainly good to see now in 2008 a vendor will be coming to eBay live with a Air Bag packaging machine which is affordable and compact in size. I know I will be checking out the Mini PAK'R at eBay Live 2008 next week in Chicago...

WITH NEW MINI PAK’R™ AIR CUSHION MACHINE eBAY SELLERS AND OTHER ONLINE RETAILERS CAN MAKE THEIR OWN PACKAGING MATERIALS

The new desktop-sized MINI PAK’R™ air cushion machine from packaging industry leader FP International is revolutionizing the packaging preferences of eBAY sellers and other online retailers. With the versatile MINI PAK”R, users can make six different air cushions on-demand for superior protection of almost any product during shipping. The smart, versatile machine is being demonstrated at eBay Live! at Booth # 1123.
eBay seller Anita Leather says the MINI PAK’R helped to eliminate clutter in her packing room. “I bought the MINI PAK’R because the rolls of bubble wrap and bins of peanuts were taking up too much room. The MINI PAK’R saves space and is very convenient.”
The MINI PAK’R is a must-have office product for those who ship packages on a regular basis and have limited storage space. Its small size and easy operation make it ideal for a wide range of packaging scenarios. The size of a desktop printer or fax machine, the MINI PAK’R can easily sit on a tabletop or be mounted on a wall. Plus, the air cushions it makes are environmentally friendly, and can be reused or recycled.
According to FP International's MINI PAK'R product manager Stephen Mohr, the MINI PAK'R air cushion machine, with its superior bubble and multiple cushion options, is the only one of its type on the market. "The MINI PAK'R provides the Internet retailer the ability to make superior-strength packaging as needed. Until now, only large retail and industrial shippers with access to industrial air cushion machines had these capabilities."
The MINI PAK'R, which sells for $1,799 plus S&H, can be purchased online at http://www.minipakr.com or by calling 1-888-MINIPKR (1-888-646-4757).

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TUMI 2279 22 Expandable Packing Case Great Carry-On NR    US $132.50

New FoodSaver V2240 Vacuum Packing Food Saver Sealer    US $72.99

PACKING PEANUTS 240 GALLONS FREE SHIPPING AAA 32CF    US $73.00

Rolex Submariner Two Tone Blue Face w- Original Packing    US $3,251.99

Wii Fit - Used Twice - Original Packing    US $75.00

TUMI VOYAGEUR SAN REMO LG PACKING CASE 48726 NWT 495    US $69.00

Leather Canvas Panniers - Horse Packing Camping    US $175.95

TUMI NIB NWT 24 PACKING CASE SUITER Wheel-A-Way Black    US $152.50

NOS 64 65 66 Mustang Front Bumper in Orig Packing nos    US $150.00

ATLAS KOHRS PACKING COMPANY 36 REEFER 3 RAIL    US $47.00

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PUMA Future Cat Low P US Blue Lace-Ups Shoes Mens 95    US $59.99

NIKE Court Force Low Brown New Lace-Ups Shoes Mens 7    US $49.99

4 Trippe Lite INTERNET550U Battery Backups UPS NEW    US $53.87

7 OLD HORN DRIVERS AND SEVERAL PHONO PICK UPS    US $76.00

Xbox 360 system hook ups gamescontroldvd remote    US $55.00

NWT MENS XS OR BOYS XL BLACK KAPPA SOCCER WARM UPS    US $46.87

MILLTONE Steel Tongue Hand Drum away hang ups Hank    US $324.20

HUGO BOSS Spencer Black New Lace-Ups Shoes Mens 9    US $71.00

PUMA Roma UL Brown Lace-Ups Shoes Mens 105 95 UK    US $49.99

A-380 UPS Freight Airbus A380 Airplane Wood Model    US $49.95

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I must admit that this past holiday season was a true milestone for me personally. I never once set foot within a major shopping mall or even a Walmart this past Holiday season. The fact is that I purchased every single holiday gift either online through Amazon.com, Buy.com or eBay.

While that may not be a surprise for those of you tech and Internet savvy readers... but I would wager that the major retailers in America are cringing at the reality of those words. America is now shopping On-Line more extensively and if you are paying millions of dollars per month for retail space in crowded malls, you're probably not liking this new version of retail reality.

As eBay sellers we are strongly positioned to take advantage of this new and exciting (for us) online retail acceptance. eBay itself is trying earnestly to morph into a destination which makes the traditional American mall type of shopper comfortable enough to forgo the entire crowded holiday mall shopping experience.... Amazon.com has already seemingly made that transition.

eBay is strongly looking at what Amazon.com does to provide buyers with an online purchasing experience that makes them comfortable and brings them back time after time. If eBay is at least somewhat successful in modifying the eBay shopping experience - in a good way - to compete with Amazon.com, we all will be more successful eBay sellers.

eBay cannot compete with Amazon.com or many other eCommerce retailers because of higher than average shipping costs for sellers resulting in higher than average shipping charges to consumers. This has been a thorn in the side of eBay for many years.

eBay has attempted to address this problem through enforcement of rules for sellers concerning shipping along with making the shipping charges on each item for sale on eBay more visible to consumers. This second innovation has greatly reduced sales in our opinion. Sellers can not survive if they charge less than costs for shipping and eBay seems to be encouraging sellers to do just that. There has to be a better solution...

We suggest looking at a new shipping model which could compete with Amazons shipping calculator and even with Amazon Prime (a yearly subscription based model which provides Amazon Prime members with free 2 day shipping) to provide a more stable and satisfactory experience for buyers on eBay.

Proposal - The eBay Powersellers Shipping Alliance

This is just a proposal you understand, but we think if a program were to be developed where sellers could join a shipping co-op through eBay and promise to ship within a specified amount of time in exchange for a reduction in shipping charges as arranged and negotiated by a large association of successful eBay sellers (Powersellers).

With a little work and negotiation, along with enforcement of strict guidelines concerning shipping on-time, eBay could compete favorably with Amazon.com and Amazon Prime on many levels.

This program is not currently available to eBay sellers, but I dare say that if it were made available this program would be valuable to sellers, buyers and eBay alike. It's amazing how much negotiation power is available when you combine all of the Powersellers on eBay - Just look at what Amazon has done and know that with their volume that they pay significantly less to ship each package than any individual eBay seller does, no matter the volume of that seller.

Shipping costs are a major concern for eBay and all eBay sellers. We must find ways to lower our cost to the consumer for shipping if we are to compete in 2008. This is just one idea which could solve part of the buyers perceived shipping friction found on eBay.

Proposed shipping discounts aside...

If you’re not already selling product on Amazon.com, we strongly encourage you to look into this second channel for your eBay business.

Amazon’s North American third quarter sales in 2007 grew 42% compared to the third quarter of 2006 (and you can expect similar growth for this past holiday season). Amazon has over 78 million active customers that you could reach at no cost (there are no listing fees). As we have said before, it is imperative for the stability of any business to have more than one income stream. Relying completely upon eBay to bring in customers is less than wise.

Check out the minutes from Amazon's quarterly report included below to make your own judgments about selling your products through the Amazon Marketplace.

Scott Pooler - http://www.AllBusinessAuctions.com/blog & http://www.iBusinessLogic.com

Read the Amazon Quarterly Report Here: Continue Reading