Who uses calculated shipping
Summary: A participant expressed concerns about the rising costs of shipping, particularly due to increases from USPS and rural route expenses, and sought advice on using calculated shipping. chapeau-noir responded that they avoid calculated shipping due to inaccuracies, opting for flat rates instead. caldreamer claimed calculated shipping can be accurate with correct details, but chapeau-noir disputed this with a past $30 discrepancy. Other participants shared varied strategies: some use calculated shipping with accurate measurements, while others prefer flat rates or a combination of methods due to concerns about overcharging customers or complexity. The discussion highlighted the challenges and benefits of either method, with many indicating personal preference depending on product size and shipping dynamics.
With the new increases from USPS and the rural routes cost eating away at my flat rate pricing. Who uses calculated pricing and how close is it to what the customer is charged? I want to hear sellers take on using calculated shipping
Thank You
fabrics24
·2 weeks agoI mostly use calculated shipping; it's nice and I don't have to adjust my prices every time there's a shipping hike. I just have to make sure the price is maybe a dollar or two more than what I'd like to profit on, in order to cover handling/packaging.
The only times I've ever lost money on calculated were totally my fault (ie: putting in the wrong dimensions, not having the right boxes, etc.); most of the time it covers everything you need.
It's not for everyone (if you ship mostly only one kind of item that doesn't come in a variety of sizes, you might find flat rate better), but it's been godsend for me.
thriftyfiftyfifty
·2 weeks agoCalculated Shipping for the most part @ the Retail Rates for many years and several service options depending on Size/Weight (e.g., Fedex, UPS, Priority vs. Ground, etc.) Thus I rarely lose money regardless of Rural Zipcodes or annual/random Shipping Increases by any Carrier. I do use Flat Rate for International to Canada though...just to give them options outside of eIS.
authentic*vintage
·2 weeks agoI used to but it is too much work - take your last month's worth of actual shipping label costs, average them, add 20-30 cents and that is now your flat rate shipping cost.
kibble-net
·2 weeks agoI've been using calculated shipping for almost 2 years now. I highly recommend it. If you lose money on shipping using this, then you have only yourself to blame. Make sure to weigh and measure your packages accurately, rounding up instead of down, and add a small handling fee to pay for the cost of packaging and fuel. Wishing you all the success in Q4 2026. Cheers
carterk37681
·2 weeks agoi don't sell that much but when i do i get confused on the shipping cost.
how can ebay calculate shipping if they don't know where its going when its listed. i measure and and weigh but i always loose money.
authentic*vintage
·2 weeks agoit is calculated differently depending on the buyer location and your dimensions/weight.
carterk37681
·2 weeks agoYes, but when i list an item and i come to select the shipping cost me or ebay has no idea where the buyer location is.
authentic*vintage
·2 weeks agoYou are only to put the weight and dimensions in - ebay will calculate the cost for each buyer that views your item. You are only asked to put in a cost if you are charging flat rate shipping costs.
mam98031
·2 weeks agoYou need to remember that just as Ebay can see the zip code where you are from, so can they on buyers that look at an item. When you are using calculated shipping and you view a listing of your own, you will see what the shipping cost would be to YOUR zip code because that is the account you are viewing the listings with. Other members from other zip codes, as they view your listings, they would see what the shipping would be to their zip code. It is driven by the zip code of the account viewing the listing.
@carterk37681 Keep in mind that Calculated shipping is ONLY as good as the information YOU put into the calculation screen, so make sure you are accurate, no guessing.
squinkercat59
·2 weeks agoI've never used anything BUT calculated shipping. Most of my items are smaller and I know exactly what the weight and dimensions will be, so it hasn't been a problem. It is true that with larger items, you need to measure and weigh the package before listing, but I only use USPS and have never had the price be wrong (unless I print the label right after a price increase, when the buyer bought it just before). Makes things easier when the post office raises its rates, too. I don't have to go in and change all the shipping costs.
zakstreasuretrove
·2 weeks agoI've used calculated shipping since I started selling seriously on eBay in the early 2020's. I sell a variety of different sized and weight items so it makes sense for me. Here's a couple of tricks I've utilized:
For USPS items I select the full retail price for the buyer, not the eBay price. It's usually a matter of just a few dollars, but it pays for shipping materials.
For my larger items going FedEx or UPS (golf clubs or A/V equipment for example) I give the ebay discounted price for the buyer then add a few bucks on shipping and handling to cover the shipping materials. The eBay discount for those services tend to be significant. Usually close to $10, but frequently much more. I've seen $30-50 differences or more between retail and eBay discount. Keep in mind, these are larger and usually heavier items. (I'm able to ship clubs for about $9-10 cost for the buyer with this method and it costs me between $6-$8.) I also restrict buyers to the lower 48 and no PO boxes for these carriers. EIS is certainly welcome though.
Now that the shipping services change their rates about 47 times a year it just makes it easier to use calculated shipping.
You could use option 2 for all services, just make sure to work it into your price or add S & H to your orders so you don't lose money on shipping. I don't think I'd ever sell large items again if I had to charge full retail for FedEx/UPS. Some of the price differences for my heavy and large audio devices would be massive.
If you sell stuff that is essentially the same size and shape exclusively, a flat rate or "free shipping" might be a better option. I've done some test listings with free shipping and it doesn't seem worth it to me. The shipping prices change so much now that a listing done a year or two ago could lose money if I don't keep on top of it. Plus the rates are different (by a lot sometimes) based on where the buyer lives, but you don't know that information until it sells.
shire123
·2 weeks agoThere are proponents of using calculated shipping. But one size does not fit all.
Everyone needs to understand the different methods of figuring out shipping charges and then choose the method that works best for them.
bolensparts-360
·2 weeks agoI run flat rate and give the buyer option of ground advantage or priority. Most of the stuff I sell is all about the same size and wright so its easy for me to set a flat rate , the only negative is ebay still does not have any option as far as I know to bulk edit shipping prices on multiple listings so basically when rates go up we do lose a bit I usually only get to fixing the shipping as the items sell and get relisted again.
stephenmorgan
·2 weeks agoThis can be done using Business Policies. Research Business Policies.
shire123
·2 weeks agoI think that if most of your items are fairly uniform in size and weight then calculated shipping should work nicely for most buyers.
But over the years I have seen issues that preclude me from using calculated shipping and have used flat rate for a long time now.
For calculated to work you have to have accurate weights and dimensions. That means that you sort of have to "prebox" all your items. When you have large numbers of variable size/weight items the logistics of that are a nightmare for me.
I think calculated can scare off buyers with high shipping rates. This has happened to me as a buyer and may be due to the seller not setting things up correctly. I like to buy/sell Franklin Mint WW2 airplanes. I see many on ebay with calculated shipping of around $100. I know for a fact that those can be shipped for around $35 using the correct shipping. So I don't buy because of that.
burningrubbertoycompany
OP2 weeks agoExactly why I posted this. I know I have calculated on heavier items and the price is bad. Just getting killed on rural is the problem now. Before this flat rate was perfect. This is really getting me to rethink my whole business plan.
christworks
·2 weeks agoI switched to flat rate shipping two years ago for similar reasons as @chapeau-noir . I'm stragetic about how I set it up so that at the end of each month there is enough money leftover to cover a $1 per order supply cost and selling fees. I don't get tangled up with the thoughts like, "OMG, I lost $5 on shipping on THIS order!" Because I know I will make enough on other orders that cover any shortfalls on any particular order.
Being on the east coast, I do not wish to scare off west coast buyers, especially California as they are in my top 3 of states that order from me. It would be very foolish if I charged calculated shipping to those buyers as I'd never actually know what they are being shown. By using flat rate shipping, I know what my buyers see. I can keep shipping costs in check for those buyers so they aren't seeing $18 for a 2 pound package. Last fall I added shipping tables as a tool to further help mitigate costs for buyers who are in my hot areas of the country.
I do not give buyers a choice on carrier. I want to select the carrier so I can pick the best option. I have fear about using FedEx or UPS. I highly recommend both and frankly like them better than USPS. (In fact, a little side note tease here, probably next week I will be posting about my most recent insurance experience with FedEx.)
I ran some A|B testing after the July 12 rural surcharge changes. Testing showed that changing the shipping option from Standard to Economy for packages 12oz and under was sufficent to offset any higher charges for rural zip codes. On average for 2026, I am paying .40 cents less for shipping labels for rural zip code buyers when compared to what I was paying prior to the change. This has resulted in a slight increase in the number of rural buyers I have each month when compared to prior months. I may also be picking up rural buyers due to other sellers perhaps cancelling orders for rural buyers or raising their costs to account for the possibiity they may get a rural buyer. My view on it is that 12% of my eBay revenue comes from rural buyers, so why would I want to drive them away? That would be foolish. When a rural buyer makes a purchase, I ship their order Economy, normally using FedEx. If the shipping address is non-rural, it goes Ground Advantage.
fm2000
·2 weeks ago · EditedI sell similar items, and I switched from flat to calculated. The rural zip penalty is significant enough I can't afford to "eat" the cost on small, lower value items. I am sure it upsets some of the folks in those zip codes but there is nothing I can do, it is what it costs me (they need to direct their anger at the PRC and Congress, I didn't cause this mess, but I digress...)
On items over 2lb, I usually do GA calculated, sometimes I may do Fedex calculated, I may do flat at my discretion based on package characteristics.
stephenmorgan
·2 weeks agoI use a mixture of retail price for small packages and flat rate with a handling fee for large boxes.
On the large boxes I try to use UPS but their discounts can be as high as 70% off retail. Sometimes I will use a Flat Rate with a handling fee so it works out a little closer to actual cost.
adamcartwright
·2 weeks agoI do use calculated shipping. Be careful to enter the actual dimensions and weight of your packaging in the listing.
caldreamer
·2 weeks agoCalculate shipping is 100% accurate if you provide the correct "weights & measurements" of the BOXED item. USPS will also charge customer for "rural address".
chapeau-noir
·2 weeks agoIt over-priced shipment by $30 on my last shipment. Not 100% accurate - I'm not sure where it got its numbers. FWIW, this last time was UPS.
stephenmorgan
·2 weeks agoI ship boxes with measuring rounded up to 27" X 14" X 9".
Example 88310 to 10001 5lbs
USPS $87.05 discounted 15% to $73.36
UPS $66.54 discounted 48% to $34.53.
I use UPS and to get it closer to actual cost I use Flat Rate of $25 and raised the product price $15.
burningrubbertoycompany
OP2 weeks agoExactly why I have been hesitant from changing my flat shipping rates.
aeparts1
·2 weeks agoAre you being overcharged $30, or is the buyer? If it is the buyer, that's $30 in your pocket to cover the selling fee.
chapeau-noir
·2 weeks agoThe buyer was overcharged (fees are already covered when I price) - I fixed it so the buyer simply paid shipping and the usual $ I build in for the fee. But I shouldn't have to finagle it like that.
chapeau-noir
·2 weeks agoLately, I've found calculated shipping to be so off that I don't use it, which is a bummer because I normally would use it for the DVD players and the like that I sell, but it is SO off, despite painstaking measurements and weight. I end up aiming for a flat rate.
burningrubbertoycompany
OP2 weeks agoscares me to change it because of the few items I do sell calculated is off. In fact the weight I have listed of the one item is a pound less then what its supposed to be and still overcharges the customers