The Ready to Ship status is hidden by default. To show it, you must right-click the Sales by Status area in the Views sidebar and select Hide/Show Filters. Check the Ready to Ship filter and click OK.
Perhaps the most labor intensive task of selling on eBay is packaging and shipping the items once they have sold.
After receiving payments, you need to ship your items. Whether you store your inventory in a warehouse, or on a shelf in your family room, you will need to print a packing list to help you retrieve all the items and organize them by buyer. All items to the same buyer can then be packaged in the same box (or multiple boxes if necessary). Depending upon your business, you may have to wait for delivery or for an item to be completed before you are ready to pack it. After packing the boxes you need to put the shipping address and return address on the package. You can do this by hand or you can print shipping labels and apply them to the packages. The last thing to do before shipping the items is to place postage on the package. You can take the packages to the Post Office, FedEx, UPS or any other shipper an they will put the proper postage on it for you, or you can print the postage yourself using a 3rd party program. Finally, you will ship the items and then return to eBay Blackthorne to update the sales records to reflect they have been shipped either manually or by sending an Item Shipped email.
Some sellers obtain their inventory from a readily available supply. They often wait until an auction is over before ordering the item. Other sellers take custom orders in their auctions. They may need monograms for a shirt, or a choice of ring size before they can build or make the item. Usually an item that has been paid for is ready to ship, but in these cases the item must wait for something else to be done before it can be shipped. A status called Ready to Ship in the Paid status family can help keep track of these types of items.
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The Ready to Ship status is hidden by default. To show it, you must right-click the Sales by Status area in the Views sidebar and select Hide/Show Filters. Check the Ready to Ship filter and click OK. |
When using the Ready to Ship status, you do not ship sales until they are placed in the Ready to Ship status.
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Dennis and Clare sell custom made jewelry. Dennis handles the listing and sales end of the business, and Clare makes the jewelry. Clare doesn't start making the jewelry until payment has arrived. Clare created a custom filter called Ready for Production to show her all the sales with a status of Payment Received or Payment Cleared. Each day, Clare checks the Ready for Production filter to see what items she has to make. As she completes an item, she places it in the Out box on her desk and changes the status of the sale to Ready to Ship. At the end of every day, Dennis gathers all the jewelry from the Out box, and looks in the Ready to Ship filter to find all the sales that he needs to ship items for. He can easily print his packing lists and labels from this filter also. |
To help you retrieve items from your inventory, you can print a packing list. A packing list contains a list of all items that a buyer has recently purchased. The list can be carried to your inventory to collect all of the items that are to be shipped together to a buyer. You can then include the packing list with your shipment so your buyer can clearly see what has been shipped. The upper left corner of the packing list contains the shipping and return address. It can be folded and placed into a clear plastic shipping label to act as your shipping label, or you can print separate shipping and return address labels if desired.
Select all the sales records you would like to print packing lists for. They will be automatically grouped by buyer and printed with one page for each different shipping address.
From the Print dropdown button on the Actions toolbar, choose Packing List. The Print Packing List window will appear.
Select the type of packing list you would like to print. There are 3 different types of packing lists you can print.
The Friendly method is the most trusting method. When printing Friendly packing lists, all items for a buyer that have been paid for, and all items that have been sold and not paid for yet will be included in the packing list. Use this when you trust the buyer and are willing to ship items before they have paid for all of them or when you want to package all items before they have been paid for.
The Safe method is the most common method. The packing list will only include items that have already been paid for. Use this when you want to make sure you don't ship anything before you have received payment.
The Conservative method can save you extra work. When printing conservative packing lists, if a buyer has an item that hasn't been paid for yet, then no packing list will be printed. This helps prevent you from sending a shipment today and finding out that the same buyer just paid for another item and you have to ship another package.
The Order Based method can be used if you process your shipments by order. When printing order based packing lists a separate packing list will be printed for each unique order. PayPal users who must ship all items in the same order together should use this option.
Check the "Include payments received but not yet cleared" box if you want your packing list to include items that you have received checks for, but they have not yet cleared. If you want to wait until payment has cleared on these items before printing the packing list, leave this unchecked.
If you don't need to see the packing list before you print it, then uncheck the Preview before printing box
If you would like to see a preview, then check the Preview before printing box.
If you always print the same type of packing list, with the same preview options, you may want to save some time by skipping this screen in the future. By clicking the "Don't ask again" box, eB will save all your settings on this screen and use them when printing future packing lists. To You can reset this option from Tools|Options|Interface|Print Dialogs.
Click OK. If you did not shoose to preview the packing list, the print dialog will appear. Select the printer and click OK. If you did request a preview, the Print Studio will open with the Packing List loaded.
Use the arrow keys on the toolbar to scroll up and down through a preview of all available packing lists.
Click Print to print the packing lists, or Cancel to exit without printing. The print dialog will appear. Select a printer and click OK.
After printing packing lists, you will be asked whether or not the packing lists printed correctly. If you select Yes, then the Packing List Printed value on the selected sales record will be set to True. This will prevent them from appearing in future packing lists. If you select No, then the Packing List Printed flag on the sales will remain False.
If you would like the status of your sale to automatically be set to "Ready to Ship" after printing the packing list, then click the "Change status of sales to "Ready to Ship"" box.
Printing shipping address labels can save a lot of time over manually writing addresses on your packages. You can print shipping address labels to any printer using one of several different label types. If you use some of the larger labels, the return address can also be included on the label.
Select all the sales records you would like to print address labels for.
From the Print dropdown button on the Actions toolbar, choose Shipping Address Labels.... The Print Shipping Label window will appear.
Select the shipping label format that you would like to print from Print the following Shipping Label. Each format has been designed to fit on the specified label.
Select the printer to print to from Select the printer for this label. If you chose a Dymo label style, then you should choose the Dymo printer.
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Owning a label printer like the Dymo Label printer can be an incredible timesaver. With a label printer, you are always ready to quickly print any label without having to swap out paper for label sheets. If you send a lot of packages, a label printer could quickly pay for its modest cost. |
If you have already used some of the labels on your current label sheet and would like to skip over the used labels, then provide the Number of labels to skip.
If you would like multiple copies of the label printed, then select the number of Copies.
If you don't need to see the shipping labels before you print them, then uncheck the Preview before printing box.
If you would like to see a preview, then check the Preview before printing box.
If you always print the same type of shipping label, with the same preview options, you may want to save some time by skipping this screen in the future. By clicking the "Don't ask again" box, eB will save all your settings on this screen and use them when printing future shipping labels. To You can reset this option from Tools|Options|Interface|Print Dialogs.
Click OK. If you chose not to see the preview, the labels will then print to your printer. If you chose to see the preview, the Print Studio will open with the Shipping Label loaded. It will be contain one label for each unique buyer of the selected sales records.
Use the arrow keys on the toolbar to scroll up and down through a preview of all available labels. Usually, any changes to a printing template are performed by editing the Printing Template from the Options window, but if you want to make a quick change, you can click the Design tab and make the modifications. Any changes you make will be saved with the template when you click the Print button.
Click Print to print the labels, or Cancel to exit without printing. The print dialog will appear. Select a printer and click OK.
There are many different services available to ship your items. Some of those services like the US Postal Service require you to print postage that you pay for immediately and place on your package. Others like FedEx, UPS and DHL require you to have an account and let you print carrier labels to place on your packages. When they pick up your items, they scan them and then apply any charges to your account.
eBay Blackthorne has integrated with all of the major shipping companies to help you print your postage or carrier labels more easily. To print USPS postage, we have integrated with Endicia's Dazzle product. For shipping with FedEx or DHL, we have integrated with a tool called ShipRush, and for shipping with UPS, we have integrated with UPS's WorldShip product.
By integrating with a postage printing solution or carrier, the process of preparing your packages for shipment becomes much faster. eBay Blackthorne can send all the information necessary for printing postage and labels (like shipping method, weight, package size, etc.) directly to the third party program to be printed. Once printed, the final cost and tracking numbers can be retrieved back into Blackthorne to keep the sales records accurate.
Printing postage and carrier labels can both be accomplished with the same step. In fact, even if you ship with multiple carriers, you can print all your postage and carrier labels together.
Before Blackthorne can integrate with the shippers to print labels and postage, you must first install the required programs that Blackthorne will integrate with.
To print USPS postage, you must subscribe to and install a program called Dazzle. Dazzle is a PC based software program from a company called Endicia. For a fee, it allows users to print USPS postage from their desktop. eBay Blackthorne's sales records already contain all the information necessary to print postage. Blackthorne can send this information to Dazzle, and then load Dazzle with it ready to print the postage. After reviewing the postage and printing it in Dazzle, information about the postage including the cost and tracking information will be imported back into eB.
To find out more about Endicia, please visit their web site at www.endicia.com.
To print carrier labels for UPS, you must have a shipper account with UPS and must install UPS's WorldShip tool (Version 10 or later). This requires you have an account with UPS. For more information on opening a shipping account with UPS and getting WorldShip, please visit their web site at www.ups.com. Look for "Opening a Shipping Account" on the home page.
Once Worldship is installed, it must be running and in XML Import/Export mode whenever you want to print postage from Blackthorne. You can put Worldship into XML Import/Export mode from the main menu in Worldship under Import/Export Data|XML Auto Import... and then clicking the Start button.
FedEx and DHL integration both require you to have a shipper account with the carrier (FedEx and/or DHL) and to install tools from a 3rd party company called ShipRush. ShipRush for FedEx and DHL is free for eBay sellers. You must download and install a version for each of the carriers that you ship with (FedEx and DHL). You can get the download from http://www.shiprush.com/download. In addition to downloading and installing the products, you will need to enter a license code when installing and on the Services tab of the Print Carrier Label window. The license code/key for Blackthorne users is:
!7wYMF8tHfEAHiJFnAYVz8W871WL4nadK46P3DVRD9V+GJoH8mPKBuU
This key will need to be reset/re-entered every year. Please visit their website at www.shiprush.com for more information.
When printing postage with Dazzle or carrier labels for UPS, FedEx and DHL, eBay Blackthorne will first collect all the information needed for printing and display it in a preview window. You will then have the option of modifying any of the values before sending them to be printed.
Select all the sales records you would like to print postage and carrier labels for.
From the Print dropdown button on the Actions toolbar, choose Print Postage and Carrier Labels.... The Print Postage and Carrier Lables window will open.
Each sale that you want to print postage or carrier labels for will be loaded into the grid. You can view the details for each item by selecting it in the grid.
You will notice that each carrier you use will be selectable under the grid. Depending upon the carrier selected for each sales record, the information collected in the Details tabs below will be different.
Review all the settings for each item to be shipped and make any changes that are necessary. You can edit directly in the grid, or in the details area at the bottom.
The Postage tab contains all the information that is related to printing and addressing the postage. Make sure the fields are filled in properly. To change the postmarked date, you can enter a positive value in the Date Advance field. This will allow you to print postage on a postal holiday and have it postmarked on the next business day.
The Services tab allows you to select any services and restrictions you would like. This tab will contain different fields depending upon the carrier chosen.
To make your selections the default for all future postage, click the Set as Default button.
The Customs Information tab allows you to enter customs information for international shipments. You do not need to enter any info on this tab for US domestic shipments. This tab is only available for USPS postage.
Choose the Customs Declaration Form to use as well as the Type of Contents. Once you enter the Certification info, it will stick for all future postage. Identify each item in the package and provide the Description, Weight, Value and Country of Origin. By default the Description, Weight and Value are filled in from the Sales record. For more information about mapping these values from different fields, please read Mapping Postage Fields.
When printing postage with Dazzle, choose whether you would like to Preview the Cost in Dazzle or not. If checked, eB will load Dazzle for each item and show you the cost. You will then print the postage from Dazzle. Please note you will not be able to make any changes in Dazzle. All changes must be made in this window before Dazzle is loaded. If you do not check this box, eB will load Dazzle in the background and print the postage.
When printing postage with Dazzle, choose whether you would like to Print Customs forms for international shipments or not. You should leave this on unless you create your customs form by some other method.
When printing postage with Dazzle, choose whether eB should Close Dazzle when it is finished printing the postage. By default, you should leave this on. You would only need to uncheck this if you need to make adjustments to Dazzle settings like printer settings before closing.
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If you use a shipping method that provides tracking numbers, you can modify your Item Shipped email to include the tracking number returned from Dazzle. |
By default, eB will try to match up fields from its Sales records with the proper field in Dazzle. For instance, the Height field in eB maps to the Height field in Dazzle, the Title field in eB maps to the Description field in Dazzle, etc. In some cases however, users may want to map to different fields. If for instance, you did not want to use the Title field for the Description and wanted to use a custom field you created called "Shipping Description", then you can change the mapping.
You may also change the mapping of Dazzle's Rubber Stamp fields. A rubber stamp field is a field that can be included in your postage layouts in Dazzle. You will find them in the far right of the grid. This is a good way to get a field like your part number onto your postage.
Select all the sales records you would like to print postage for.
From the Print dropdown button on the Actions toolbar, choose Print Shipping Postage|Endicia. The Print Postage in Endicia Dazzle window will open.
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If you do not have Dazzle loaded on your computer then the Print Shipping Postage|Endicia option will not be available under the Print button. |
Find the Dazzle field in the grid that you would like to map, and right click the column header. Choose Map From and then select the field from those available.
Select fields from the sales records as well as all custom sales fields of the same data type will be available. If you are trying to map a numeric field, then only numeric fields will show in the Map From list.
Once mapped, the mapping will stick until it is changed, or you choose Reset Mapping from the right click menu.
After shipping your items, the sales records should have their status changed to Shipped. You can do this manually, simply by changing the status in the Sale Status dropdown, or you can send an Item Shipped email which will set the status for you automatically.
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Unless you have a reason not to, you should send the Item Shipped email. It is an easy way to update the status of your sale while letting your buyer know the item was shipped and the tracking number if applicable. |
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There is one more way a sale record can be marked as shipped. If you are a Selling Manager Pro user on eBay, and you have marked the sales as being shipped in Selling Manager Pro, the Blackthorne sales will be marked as shipped the next time the servant refreshes the sale records. |
Select all the sales records you would like to send the email to.
From the Email Buyer dropdown button on the Actions toolbar, choose Item Shipped. The Email Buyer window will appear.
The Email Buyer window contains a composed email for each buyer of the selected sales. The X of Y message in the upper right corner indicates which email you are viewing. You can use the navigation arrows next to it to browse through the emails. The To, CC, BCC, From, and Reply To fields along with the Subject and Text of your email will be filled in. You may want to take a moment to view each email for accuracy.
By default, the From and Reply To information will be the values from the Email Account that was associated with the item when it was listed. If you would like to change the Email Account that is sending the email, you can choose one of your existing Email Accounts from the Account dropdown.
The text of the email is created from the Item Shipped email template. If you would like, you can edit the note text on this Email Buyer form before sending the email. Any changes made will not apply to the email template or any other future email. For more information on creating and modifying email templates, see the E-Mail Templates topic.
If you would like a copy of the email printed on your printer when you send it, check the Print email when sending box.
When you are ready to send your email, click the Send button to send them one at a time, or click Send All to send them all in a batch. The act of sending an email can be customized to automatically change the status of the sale when the email is sent. A note on the status bar identifies what status changes will occur when sending the email. By default, this email will set the status to Shipped.
When all emails are sent, the window will close, or you can hit Cancel at any time to return to the main window.
