Shipping Your Gear

How shipping works on Paintball Vault, how to set up shipping policies and free shipping, and how to pack your gear.

How Shipping Works

Every sale ships with a prepaid label that Paintball Vault buys for you through USPS or UPS. You never pay for postage up front:

• Buyers pick from the carriers you allow and pay for shipping at checkout, unless you've offered free shipping.
• Labels ship USPS Priority Mail or UPS Ground, and shipping insurance is included on every label.
• Tracking is attached to the order automatically, so you and the buyer both get updates at every scan.

The package size and weight come from the shipping policy on the listing, so an accurate policy means an accurate label.

How To Set Up A Shipping Policy

A shipping policy is a reusable set of shipping rules. Make one per kind of package you send. For example, one for headgear in a USPS flat rate envelope and one for markers in a large box shipped UPS.

1. Go to Settings > Shipping Policies and press Create New Policy. You can also create one from the Shipping Policy field while you're listing gear.
2. Under Select Your Shipping Carrier(s), choose USPS, UPS, or both. Buyers can choose any carrier you enable, so enabling both gives them more options.
3. Choose your Ships From Address. You can add a new address here if you need to.
4. Describe the package (see below).
5. Turn on Enable Free Shipping if you want to cover shipping (see below).
6. Give the policy a Name you'll recognize, like "USPS envelope for headgear".
7. Press Save.

To change a policy, open it from Settings > Shipping Policies and press Edit. Changes apply to every listing that uses it, and each policy shows how many listings use it.

Describing Your Package

• USPS only: pick a box from USPS Specific Packaging: Large, Medium or Small Flat Rate Box, or Flat Rate Envelope. You don't need to enter a weight or dimensions. Free flat rate boxes are available at any post office or from usps.com.
• UPS, or UPS and USPS: enter the Package Weight (Ounces) and the Package Width, Height and Length in inches. UPS needs exact dimensions.

Weigh and measure the packed box, not just the gear. If the real package is bigger or heavier than your policy says, the carrier can charge the difference, and that charge can be taken from your payout for the order.

How To Offer Free Shipping

Free shipping is one of the easiest ways to stand out to buyers.

1. In your shipping policy, turn on Enable Free Shipping.
2. Optionally, set a Maximum Free Shipping Covered Cost. This is the most you'll pay toward any one order's shipping. If the label costs more, the buyer pays the difference. The cap has to be at least $25.
3. Press Save.

With no cap, you cover the full label cost wherever the buyer is. Shipping you cover is taken out of your earnings for the order.

How To Add A Policy To A Listing

Every listing that's for sale, takes offers, or takes trades needs a shipping policy. Choose one in the Shipping Policy field when you list or edit your gear. Vault pieces don't need one.

Packing Your Gear

• Use the box your policy describes. The label is priced for that size and weight.
• Pad everything. Gear shouldn't move when you shake the box. Bubble wrap or packing paper around markers, and pad goggle lenses so they can't scratch.
• Air down and remove tanks. Never ship a pressurized tank, and remove CO2 or HPA from markers before packing.
• Label on the largest side, flat and fully taped, with no old labels or barcodes showing.

When Your Gear Sells

Once an order comes in, you accept it, print the label from the order and drop it off. See Accepting & Shipping Orders for each step, how to track the package, and what to do if the label is wrong.