Fractional shipping weights...

[wc1956]

I sell a few keyblanks for automotive, residential and commercial locks. The item weight is usually about 0.018 lbs. or about a quarter of an ounce.

The problem is ebay only works with full ounces and pounds, this makes it a problem with multi-item sales.

6 items that are listed as 1 ounce each total 6 ounces, where in reality they only weigh less than 3 ounces total.

Throws the shipping cost into the next weight cost class.

Is there a way to list things less than an ounce?

Thanks,

wc1956

[loveyourimagination49]

It sounds like you want to offer your buyers combined shipping discounts.
https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/posting-items/postage-rates/postage-discounts?id=4168
There isn’t any difference in a quarter of an ounce vs one ounce money wise.

[corvettestainless]

Call it 'shipping and handling' and call it a day. A few pennies won't hurt any buyers, they have no clue what your shipping discount would be, plus you have packaging, tape, label (ink) and fvf/paypal fees on top of real shipping cost. It's 'X' per unit and you can have a discount for multiple items. $4 1st item, $1 each add'l is not uncommon. 

[wc1956]

An extreme example would be a sale I had to a buyer in China. They purchased 66 keyblanks. Each was listed as one ounce. They paid when they ordered, I had to refund over $60 in excess shipping costs and I ate the ebay fees. Now do you understand my problem?

WC1956

[loveyourimagination49]

You chose to refund. You didn’t have to. The link I posted should let you set up discounts on shipping.
Good Luck

[corvettestainless]

When you have items, as a Buy it Now and have multiple 'count' of the same item, when you set up shipping, it has a box for the 'first one' and right next to it for 'add'l ones'. 

Does not work for Calculated shipping- you need to 'put in a number' for both. Also available for 'international' shipping, right below it. 

[nobody*s_perfect]

I mention clearly right in my listings that buyers who request an invoice for their combined purchase will be billed at the exact postage cost.  

If buyers ignore this, I do still give them a partial refund based on the difference between actual cost and their payment, BUT I hold back enough to pay the fees incurred due to their impatience (or due to not reading the listing carefully).

[buyselljack2016]

...

[wc1956]

I have shipping discounts in place. I have multi-item discounts. If I discount any more, i'll just give it away.

[wc1956]

I've done that. But it keeps happening. Just trying to lessen it from the start.
Its obvious that none of you sell small, light objects in quantity.
Thank you for all your input.

[corvettestainless]

The answer to your question is "there is no way to do micro ounces'. So, you should try some of the other suggestions.

Offer free shipping, then your 'multi purchase' discount will work better.

Do 'flat rate shipping' and offer the 'add'l' items for free, or for .10c  or .25c or whatever works. 

[wc1956]

---

@corvettestainless wrote:

The answer to your question is "there is no way to do micro ounces'. So, you should try some of the other suggestions.

Offer free shipping, then your 'multi purchase' discount will work better.

Do 'flat rate shipping' and offer the 'add'l' items for free, or for .10c  or .25c or whatever works. 

---

There would be if ebay would add it to the program. They don't see the problem.

I have been selling on ebay for a few years and have been doing everything you have mentioned from the start.

Free shipping doesn't work with my sales profile. I only do that with items that I probably won't sell more than one to a purchaser at a time.

[a_c_green]

---

@wc1956 wrote:
I've done that. But it keeps happening. Just trying to lessen it from the start.
Its obvious that none of you sell small, light objects in quantity.

---

I do. Any item of mine whose packed shipping weight is less than a pound goes as Free Shipping. Those that weigh over a pound go via Calculated Shipping (buyer pays).

If a buyer goes for enough of my Free Shipping items to push the combined shipment over a pound and into Priority Mail land, I still eat the shipping, because by then I have enough profit to make it worthwhile.

Incidentally, note that the First Class Package rates go in four-ounce increments, so you pay the same charge for the package regardless of its weight up to 4.0 ounces, then a single higher increment for 4.1 - 8.0 ounces, another for 8.1 to 12.0 ounces, and one more increment for 12.1 - 15.999 ounces. 

[nobody*s_perfect]

The OP is selling items that are VERY lightweight.  It gets complicated when adding up items that weigh a fraction of an ounce.  As in the example where 66 items each registering as a full ounce incurred a shipping overcharge of $60. A less extreme example would be the purchase of 17 items; the package would weight far less than a pound, but can't be calculated that way because its weight would show as 17 ounces.

[a_c_green]

---

@nobody*s_perfect wrote:

The OP is selling items that are VERY lightweight.  It gets complicated when adding up items that weigh a fraction of an ounce.  As in the example where 66 items each registering as a full ounce incurred a shipping overcharge of $60. A less extreme example would be the purchase of 17 items; the package would weight far less than a pound, but can't be calculated that way because its weight would show as 17 ounces.

---

But that was my point... 😕 If I'm listing really lightweight items, I just show them as Free Shipping, so that the cost is part of the item price, and it doesn't matter how many the buyer purchases. 66 one-ounce items, to use your example, aren't going to result in a shipping overcharge of $60 when I'm not charging the buyer anything for shipping in the first place.

Yes, this does mean that I'm not selling items for less than, I don't know, $6.95 or so apiece (factoring in not just postage but also cost of shipping materials and such), but I wouldn't find it worthwhile to sell items that cheaply anyway.