katied772

For those that have sold fabric, etc on this forum:
Can you offer any tips?
How is the best way to ship for ease and cost? I'd like to avoid running to the post office for weights and packaging every time I sell something. I used to sell a lot on ebay but it was mostly chenille bedspreads or pieces of chenilles that I knew beforehand which box or envelope they fit in and could usually quote shipping before the sale. With fabric, the buyer may get one piece or multiples. What about shipping containers (envelopes, boxes, etc)?

Do you prefer to see fabrics listed in groups according to color, theme or some other way?

Payment by paypal and money order? And if by money order, how long do you wait for it to arrive?

Any other thoughts, tips or ideas?

Thanks, Kate

sueisallaboutquilts

Hi Kate, First of all you need to have a certain number of posts before you can sell anything. Not sure how many though. Admin can help you with that. Look at the instructions on the home page
I sell on ebay and may have a few tips.
People love free shipping! But of course that's your call. I'm just telling you what attracts some people.
A lot of people here on the board show fabrics with little cards on top of each piece with the price and yardage or size. I've bought from the board and I like to know the maker if possible. As long as they are neatly folded and photographed clearly I don't care how they are shown. But theme may be a good idea.
Unless you sell a ton of fabric to someone you can ship in those flat-rate Priority envelopes pretty cheap.
First Class goes by weight and I don't have experience selling fabric first class, sorry.
Money orders are easy to buy but you may wait. Ebay now only allows Paypal but that's a whole different story :D
Hope this helps a little!
OH- I do all my shipping online- so convenient! I have a scale that weighs up to 50 pounds. Saves me a lot of time and money!! And they are inexpensive to buy.
I don't sell fabric on ebay (in fact I buy it haha) but if I did I would sell it here instead. No listing fees, final value fees, etc.No fees here!

bearisgray

A fairly accurate scale would probably be a good investment -

The seller has to have an idea of how much something is going to cost to ship - at least have the weight of an individual item.

The shipping costs - and time - add up quickly.

For example - one can get 6 to 7 yards of quilting type cotton in a flat rate envelope - but it takes a fair amount of time to get it folded up small enough to "make it fit" - so there is a trade off in saving $ and spending time.

Nothing like doing a bit of "packing and shipping" to view that whole topic differently!

lazyquilter

I swear by the new "Flat Rate" boxxs from the post office. you can leave the postal guy a note to bring you some various sizes. And it doesn't matter how much you can manage to squeeze into the bax it's a flat weight. I have figured out to send fabrics and even roll them in a tight ball to fit them into every nook and grannie I can find. Actually I have the rates, which are in the other room right now for box postal costs. The postage gives uyou the boxes for free, As long as you don't use the paper bag version of priority male, you can save a fortune. Then it's up to if you choose to seel to include the postage. Go to www.usps.com and play around in there. Saves a bunch of money if you ship a lot of stuff.

sharon b

Here is a link to the rules for selling on the board :

http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-651-1.htm

Be sure and price fairly, give a good description, manufacture of the fabric is always a plus :thumbup:

I have seen some that say price includes shipping, but then I wonder what happens if you buy more then one, obviously it will fit in the same box and be cheaper for you , but the buyer deserves a break also . It is a tough call .

Payment depends on you , if you are willing to accept the risk of checks accept them , otherwise stick with paypal .
Good Luck :thumbup:

knlsmith

Yes, you need to have a certain number of posts first. Posting for sale does not count as posts. We a must be contributing in other ways than just trying to sell. Once you get that under your belt, people will know you better and you shouldn't have any trouble even with just pictures.

Just remember, the classifieds is to help, not run a business. I just looked thru your posts, and your very first post was asking how to sell fabric.

Good luck! And welcome to the quiltingboard, glad to have you! :)

katied772

You are absolutely right and I never pretended otherwise. I found this board because I was looking for an old Ohio Quilt Forum I used to be on when I was quilting seriously. Now, when going through my huge stash that I need to clear out I remembered that board was one that people also sold their things on. However, once on this board I have found a renewed interest in fabric art (not particularly quilting, more in the area of art pieces and purses, so I still need to sell a lot of my stuff in order to have room to even work.) I see it as a win-win situation, I really need to clear it out and it gives others an opportunity to shop for some quality fabric at a reduced price. I reached the board requirements to sell as of three days ago but am not rushing to do so since I am not a seller of fabric but a fabric lover that wants to do it right for everyone (wanting to charge right and find the best way of shipping to keep the price in line for the buyer.) Actually, I wish I didn't have to do this whole thing; I think selling is a pain and each piece of fabric is still special to me (I think only quilters understand this.) But, it is what it is. I look into my 20x20 sewing room and it looks like one of those hoarder's television shows. Unfortunately, neither of my daughters can even thread a needle and don't want to. Anyway, just wanted to assure you that my intentions are not dishonorable. Everyone arrives here for some reason and mine just happened to be that I am buried in fabric. As everyone here has told me though, this is a great place. It feels like home.

knlsmith

Well you definitely found the right place to get started again! And boy do we all have thoughts and all kinds of help. As before, glad to have you and can't wait to see some of your fabric and works!

:)

Sewze

Welcome to the board and good luck with your stash cleaning. I can sympathize.

jacksonbrown220

Hi for selling Fabrics its very important that your blog should not have incomplete information i.e if you are talking about the products than it must be that you should give information regarding each and every product .Suppose i was posted my products than i should give whole information regarding my each and every product and if it is not possible than i have to give my site [HR][/HR]Kochar Woolen Mills</href="http:>