Locked
Discussions in this board are limited to the original poster and Community Mentors
Understanding eBay's Shipping Cost Calculation
Summary: carterk37681 inquired about how eBay calculates shipping costs for listings, expressing concern about the accuracy of the estimates provided by the platform. comics-scifi-collectibles advised against relying on eBay's suggested shipping prices as they may not reflect the actual dimensions and weight of the package. They recommended that sellers measure and weigh items themselves and use calculated shipping, which matches costs to the buyer's location. monroe67 explained that eBay uses both the seller's and buyer's zip codes, as well as the package details entered by the seller, to determine shipping costs. Despite this, carterk37681 noted discrepancies between their listings and the actual charges and sought further advice on selecting calculated shipping.
Hi everyone,
I've recently started selling on eBay and I'm curious about how the platform calculates shipping costs for my listings. Specifically, when I list an item, eBay provides a shipping cost estimate. I'm wondering how eBay knows where the item will be shipped to since I don’t know the buyer's location until a sale is made.
Could anyone shed some light on this process? How does eBay calculate these costs, and what factors do they consider? Have you had any experiences where the shipping costs were significantly different from these estimates? I’d love to hear your insights and any tips you might have for managing shipping costs effectively.
Looking forward to learning from your experiences!
monroe67
Mentor3 weeks ago · Edited"How does eBay calculate these costs, and what factors do they consider?"
When a seller offers Calculated Shipping prices, eBay calculates shipping using
(1) The package weight and size dimensions that were entered by the seller (you) during the process of listing the item, and
(2) For US eBay users, the zip codes of both the seller and the buyer. Those zip codes are entered by every eBay user at the time he/she establishes his/her eBay account.
If you are selling things in the auction format, YOU, as the seller, will know only the eBay IDs of your bidders. You are correct that you do not know any buyer's location until after that buyer pays.
But eBay's computers -do- know the buyer's address, including zip code.
They also know your zip code, as the seller
THAT is how eBay calculates the shipping cost.
carterk37681
OP2 weeks agoi am measuring and weighing the package and entering that info. then when i look at my listing its showing a shipping charge thats now where close to the real charge. i don't see anything that will let me select the buyer pays calculated shipping charge. where is that. should i sell Auction in order to fix this.
comics-scifi-collectibles
Mentor3 weeks ago · Edited@carterk37681 Do NOT accept eBay's AI suggested shipping prices as eBay doesn't know the actual dimensions and weight of your box. The AI uses an estimate based on average shipping prices for "similar" items and is often wrong which can cause you to lose $.
I strongly recommend you measure and weigh your items in the package they will ship in and enter the information on the listing. Select buyer pays calculated shipping then the system will charge the buyer the correct shipping price to their location.
Always round up to the next full inch and next full ounce. Also the dimensions printed on a box are for the INSIDE, be sure to accurately measure your boxes so that you do not have surprise surcharges. Boxes over 1728 cubic inches ( 1 cubic foot) are charged a dimensional weight price.
carterk37681
OP2 weeks ago · Editedi am measuring and weighing the package and entering that info. then when i look at my listing its showing a shipping charge thats now where close to the real charge. i don't see anything that will let me select the buyer pays calculated shipping charge. where is that. should i sell Auction in order to fix this.
comics-scifi-collectibles
Mentor2 weeks ago@carterk37681 Keep in mind that when YOU look at your listings you are seeing the shipping price to ship to your location. Your listings are set up with calculated shipping.
The jewelry box appears that it might be correct. Keep in mind that the measurements on boxes are for INSIDE so you still have to measure the boxes.
How large of a box is the Lefton Egret shipping in?
You can check shipping prices with this calculator>
https://www.ebay.com/shp/calc/rates