Ebay USPS shipping rates are terrible

[royalfoils]

You know it's bad enough that Ebay charges you 10% on the shipping as well as the item. Well guess what I just discovered? Ebay's rate for shipping a $1500 Priority Mail item across the country to New York is about $34 with insurance and signature. Mind you, there is a cap of $1000 on their Priority Mail shipping for some reason.  Just out of curiosity I try shipping through some third party shipping software that I use all the time for my website, which easily auto-links to my Ebay account and even feeds back the tracking number to Ebay automatically.  Turns out I can do exactly the same shipment for the same item for about $28, but with the full $1500 insured! By the way, this third party software is absolutely free unless you are a high volume shipper. And if that is the case, you get an even LOWER rate than the $28. Now, does anyone believe that the rate we pay on Ebay is what they negotiated with USPS? They got beat out by some shipping app? I don't think so. I would love to hear an explanation from Ebay.

[partial*eclipse]

eBay's domestic USPS rates aren't specially negotiated with USPS.  Sellers pay the regular online rate (Commercial Base) for Priority Mail unless they are Top Rated Sellers or high-volume sellers; then they pay the Commercial Plus rate which is 3% lower than the Base rate. You can see these rates in  the official USPS rates publication, Notice 123.

http://pe.usps.com/cpim/ftp/manuals/dmm300/notice123.pdf

[royalfoils]

That still doesn't explain why I would pay nearly 25% by shipping through Ebay vs. shipping third party (that is basically free), linked to Ebay.

[green-night]

And pray tell, what 3rd party would that be...............?

[partial*eclipse]

It's impossible to answer or even speculate, when you have been so vague about the package (weight), the insurance providers, and the shipping service that you used.  Another way of phrasing your question is "Why does the other site give such a big discount relative to the regular USPS online rates?"

[royalfoils]

ShippingEasy

[royalfoils]

Both being shipped USPS Priority Mail, generic package, 2 lbs 1 oz, insured for $1500 (capped at $1000 in Ebay's case) within the shipping dialogue box.

[richard1rst]

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@royalfoils wrote:

 By the way, this third party software is absolutely free unless you are a high volume shipper.

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So why is it that when I checked their site the basic price is $29.00 PER MONTH for up to 500 shipments. And if you are a bigger shipper then it goes to $149.00 PER MONTH.

Where is this "absolutely free" of which you speak?

[lja440]

Hardly looks free to me.

Basic $29/month

Plus $49/month

Select $69/month

Premium $99/month

You can't access the cubic foot pricing unless you have at least the $49/month Plus plan.

Added fees for inventory management ( $14 to $49/month) and customer marketing ($9 to$49/month).

[muttlymob]

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@royalfoils wrote:

Both being shipped USPS Priority Mail, generic package, 2 lbs 1 oz, insured for $1500 (capped at $1000 in Ebay's case) within the shipping dialogue box.

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How big is the package?

[royalfoils]

It's just a normal USPS Priority Mail cube-shaped box. Not flat rate. Same selection in either shipping software.

[royalfoils]

If you ship 50 packages a month or less it is free. I don't pay a dime.

[lja440]

Free Trial

[berserkerplanet]

You provided incomplete information which makes analyzing with exact numbers impossible.

Regardless, your box shipped at 3 pounds for a base rate of $14.90. The rest in both cases was signature confirmation and (major) insurance addons. Your third party shipper just charges lower third party insurance rates, which is a non-issue for most sellers since the basic %50 (or $100 TRS) PM insurance coverage through eBay covers most sales, many self insure, and separate inexpensive third party insurers can be used.

Show me that your third part shipper is significantly less expensive for a typical shipment of a $30 item without signature and insurance.