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As I reflect on my experience selling online throughout my career, I realize that I made a number of mistakes. One of my early mistakes was not taking advantage of credit card rewards when I first started selling on Amazon. At that time, I was so focused on sourcing, prepping, and shipping products to Amazon that I didn’t give much thought to the potential rewards I could earn from my credit cards.

It wasn’t until I attended some conferences and spoke with other Amazon sellers that I learned how much they were benefiting from credit card rewards for their sourcing expenses. There are several different rewards programs available, but my preferred choice is the Southwest card because I enjoy traveling. I discovered that many sellers would use their credit cards for all their sourcing and shipping expenses during the busy Q4 season, and in return, they would accumulate a significant amount of miles, allowing them to travel for free.

Looking back, I now realize the missed opportunity of not leveraging credit card rewards earlier in my selling career. It’s a valuable lesson I’ve learned, and I now make sure to maximize my credit card rewards to reap the benefits of free travel and other perks.

There are situations when it’s not advisable to use your reward cards, and I’ve noticed this particularly when shopping at bin stores.

Many of these stores have signs indicating that if you don’t pay in cash, they’ll add a three and a half percent surcharge for credit card usage. In such cases, it wouldn’t make sense to use a credit card if the cash back or rewards points you’re earning are only around 1.5%, as they wouldn’t offset the three and a half percent surcharge. If you have the cash on hand, it’s better to avoid paying the extra fee and not use your credit card, as you won’t be able to recoup the cost through your rewards program.

However, if you don’t have the cash available for the purchase, then using your credit card may be necessary, even with the added surcharge. It’s important to weigh the costs and benefits of using your reward cards in different situations to make informed decisions.

In this post, I will discuss the importance of resizing boxes to save money on shipping, especially with the rising cost of shipping. Shipping costs have been steadily increasing over the years, and simply throwing a product in a box and shipping it can be expensive. Many companies are now using dimensional sizes, also known as cubic dimensions, for boxes, making it necessary to resize boxes.

To learn more about cubic shipping, visit the Pirate Ship website. However, the general rule is to make the box as small as possible while still providing adequate protection for the product. For fragile items, consider double boxing or using a larger box with ample packing material.

Cheapest Ways to Ship with USPS from Pirate Ship on Vimeo.

Pirate Ship offers a bag rate that can be used for many items. If using free shipping supplies from the Postal Service, avoid flat rate boxes whenever possible. Instead, create Franken boxes by ordering free supplies from the Postal Service and resizing them using box resizers.

Two popular resizers are the basic box resizer and the razor knife version, which features a segregated roller on the backside. Using a score tool like the segregated roller can make the fold cleaner and the box sturdier. Check out the videos on how to use these resizers.

Resizing boxes can be time-consuming, but it can save money on shipping. When shipping across the country, even an inch can make a significant difference in cost, so always check the weight and dimensions of the package before sealing it up. If the box is just a few ounces over, consider cutting off some of the excess, but don’t compromise the integrity of the box.

It is essential to resize boxes not just to save money, but also for the safety of the product. A large item in a big box can easily bounce around and damage the product during shipping. A box that isn’t packed well can also squish easily under the weight of other packages.

If you’re an eBay seller, resizing boxes can help you make more money on the back end. If you don’t charge shipping, it can also save your customers money by reducing the cost of shipping. Always remember that shipping air is expensive, so resize your boxes to avoid paying for unused space.

Have you ever heard of a bin store? It’s a unique type of store that buys customer returns from large retailers and sells them by the pallet. These stores toss the items into bin type tables, which customers can then rummage through to find hidden treasures.

But before you get too excited, there are a few things you should know. First, most bin stores have a strict “no opening boxes” policy. If you get caught, you’ll likely be asked to leave. Some stores may allow you to open a certain number of boxes, but it’s usually limited to two per person.

Once the items are placed in the bins, the staff will often tape shut any boxes that have been opened. But there’s still no guarantee that the box’s contents will match the label, or that the item inside will be in good condition. After all, these are customer returns we’re talking about.

So why do people love bin stores? For one, it’s like a treasure hunt. You never know what you might find. And if you’re able to figure out what an item is worth, you could potentially make a big profit. That’s why one of the main goals of this blog post is to help you take the gambling out of your bin store purchases.

Here’s how it works: usually, the price of the items in the bins is lowered each day. For example, on Friday, all items might be priced at $7. On Saturday, they drop to $6. By Tuesday, everything is just $2.50. And on Wednesday, you can snag items for just $1.50.

Of course, the gamble is that you’re not always sure what you’re getting. Some items are easy to identify and assess for sellable condition, while others are more of a guessing game. That’s where the tips and tricks on this website come in. We’ll help you figure out how to identify valuable items and avoid making costly mistakes.

At the end of the day, bin stores can be a lot of fun. It’s exciting to find hidden treasures and potentially make some money. But it’s important to approach it with a smart, informed mindset. With the right tools and knowledge, you can increase your chances of success and minimize your losses.