What is the cheapest way to post items (dresses etc)

[40somethingwonderful]

Need to make some money and started to list my daughters old dresses, looking at the post office price to send parcels I can not believe how high the prices are £2.80 to post a dress.

Is this really the cheapest way?

That seems to be the average price unless you look at myhermes where the cost is slightly less,it does depend on the material of the "dress" and if it can be folded very flat so it will post through a normal letter box this will bring your cost down to a large letter price but the size rules are very strict.
I find it very difficult to sell childrens clothes as ebay is saturated with them and they don't make much profit really.best of luck.xglamma

£2.80 is as low as it goes for a parcel (well, MyHermes is £2.78), but small/lightweight items can be flattened into Large Letter format which is cheaper.

You'd be better off selling kids' clothes in bundles. Otherwise the postage is too high a percentage of the value.

I buy the padded envelopes in multi packs from the pound shops and package individual dresses etc as flat as possible into those. They sometimes will then go through as large letters.

I think this is the problem with the trend for listing free P&P to attract bids, you are then stuck with the postage fee.

As a buyer £2.80 is fine on most items - we know that's what the PO charge so we accept it. What pisses me off enormously though are sellers charging £4.50 to post a single pair of cotton shorts by normal second class. They're taking the piss! As a pp said, a bundle of two or three items is a good way to go - makes postage cost per item seem lower to the buyer, and they'll usually still bid because even if there's one item they're not as keen on they do want the other one or two.

Damson so so true I have just paid £3.30 postage for a parcel which had a £1.19p postage charge on it but I noted my disgust on my DSRs for that sale even though I was pleased with the item I will not be taken for a mug.

The postage charge isn't just the cost of postage though - packing materials etc. are part of it too.

The buyer knows how much it is in advance anyway.

Go onto interparcel.com or parcels2go.com and get quotes for postage.
One company (I think Hermes) have recently introduced collection points at local shops (like Collect+). You drop off the said parcel for collection at the shop rather than it being collected from your address - is a lot cheaper.
If selling kids clothes always better to sell as bundles rather than separate items, but note ebay will only allow a max of £10.50ish postage cost for bundles, so again best to get cheap courier quotes.
HTH

I do buy it now with best offer and free postage and send everything Hermes for £2.78. link your eBay to Hermes and it uploads all tracking for you too. Is a no brainer.

And a bundle under £1kg will cost that amount - £10.50 is a ludicrous amount for a few small items.

Poundland sell packs of plastic envelopes now, use those and squash it down. Sometimes they will go through as less if they are light and flat.