Combined Shipping with USPS PM Flat Rate Envelopes

Summary: eleeper-half is seeking advice on how to manage shipping policies for items shipped in USPS Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelopes when combined shipping is undesired. bashort suggests using a weight trick to prevent eBay from combining them, but eleeper-half notes a discrepancy with weight limits. inhawaii advises against offering combined shipping for those items, and eleeper-half mentions confusion with eBay's shipping settings despite not offering combined shipping. rfmtm recommends creating separate shipping policies for different items, but eleeper-half finds the system's behavior not as expected, despite having done so.

So far as I can tell, I can only choose yes or no on combined shipping for all calculated shipping rates. However, one of my calculated shipping rates is for an item which I ship in a USPS Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope, and if the customer orders more than one, it no longer fits in that, but eBay "combines" them and still charges them for just one envelope.

Is there a way to set up a shipping policy that lets me leave the USPS PM FRE as calculated, but doesn't combine shipping, while still combining shipping for my Media Mail and Ground Advantage items?

eleeper-half

760 View listings

Posted Sep 7, 2026 at 4:03 PM · Edited Sep 7, 2026 at 4:03 PM·Last reply 3 weeks ago

7 comments

rfmtm

·3 weeks ago

623 View listings

Yes it is a bit confusing. Best use Business Shipping Policies , which you can assign specially to appropriate listings, rather than the global options in your Shipping Preferences.

rfmtm

·3 weeks ago

623 View listings

You need to create multiple shipping policies as needed and then apply them to the listings each is appropriate for.

eleeper-half

OP3 weeks ago

760 View listings

Did that. The only PM FRE policy I have has no combined shipping.

inhawaii

·Sep 7, 2026 at 10:59 PM · Edited

Ebay's most handsome seller.4976 View listings

Just don't offer combined shipping on that item.

If they buy one, it ships in one PMFRE.

If they buy two, it ships in two PMFREs.

If they buy three, it ships in three PMFREs.

eleeper-half

OP3 weeks ago · Edited

760 View listings

Actually, I checked and I didn't offer combined shipping. eBay combined them anyway. Luckily while three of the items did not fit in a PFFRE, they did fit in a PM Padded FRE, so it only cost me an additional $1.50 for the order.

I have to say that dealing with two different sections (shipping policies and business policies) to set shipping is confusing--at least to me. But your response encouraged me to dig through them, so you did answer my question (except for why eBay didn't follow my instructions!).

bashort

·Sep 7, 2026 at 5:43 PM · Edited

12014 View listings

I used to do this all the time, I assume it will still work.

Put the item weight at 40 pounds and it will cause the shipping calculator to charge a PMFRE rate for each because 2 will exceed the PMFRE weight limit.

I would then log in with a different account, put 2 or more in your cart and see what it says shipping will be

eleeper-half

OPSep 7, 2026 at 10:55 PM · Edited

760 View listings

Thanks--apparently there is a weight limit of 70 pounds, so 2*40 = 80 is over that. SO much for "if it fits, it ships" (though I'm not sure what you could fit in a FRE that would weight more than 70 pounds!).

(Actually I just checked; if you are mailing an 8" by 10" by 1" piece of gold, it would weight 80 pounds.)

This is pretty inelegant, and in specific, it may very well mess with international buyers who are probably charged by weight by eBay for the international shipping.