Beware of the hidden costs.  These words are always passed down through the ages by the wise.  In my family it came from my grandfather.  He would always give phrases about grass being greener on the other side.  Always, the ever known, “If it's too good to be true it probably is” quote.  My favorite saying is that there is no such thing as a free lunch.  The same applies to most things in life, but especially if your going to sell on ebay.

The hidden costs of selling on ebay can stack up especially in the area of Packaging Supplies.  I am not a big seller on the internet, but one thing to never forget is, what and how you are going to ship your products in.  The cost can really get out of hand.  You have to ask yourself what type of box you are going to ship in, or are you going to use a bag.  Will your customers be offended if you ship in a bag or a box?  Or does it even matter how the package arrives.  Does there need to be padding or wrapping to go along with your item.  If there is anyway that even an item that seems sturdy could be damaged?  I shipped a high end knife that was made out of the hardest materials on earth and it still chipped the tip due to the way it was shipped.

So when it comes to packaging supplies make sure you are not spending too much but not getting the wrong wrappings so as to cost you a sale. My main product is high end knives. I have found that bags are not accepted well by buyers who receive them.  I have had to use boxes and the cost of boxes is rather high.  You can purchase a box from your local post office for up to 5 dollars.  Now subtract five dollars off of every sale you make.  Then you have to think about what you are going to stuff the boxes with.  I have to add extensive amounts of padding and paper and bubble wrap to each box I ship. The cost for this equals about 3 dollars a box.  That is three dollars I have to minus off of each box and then there is tape and sharpies.  The cost from tape and markers is about a dollar a box.

What I have found most effective is to multipurpose my own boxes I receive.  I order from amazon frequently and I keep every single amount of wrapping, paper and box I get.  This significantly cuts down on the cost of my own shipping.