Have You Seen Changes in How You Select Shipping Method (Flat Rate or Calculated)?
Summary: dobons shares their frustration with eBay's recent requirement to create individual shipping policies for each item, noting they had to create 27 separate policies. They received conflicting information from eBay support and are seeking feedback from others. kensgiftshop and vintage*brooches suggest opting out of business policies, while sassykzt and shire123 discuss the benefits and challenges of using calculated versus flat rate shipping. thriftyfiftyfifty mentions that eBay often promotes its Business Policy feature, but opting out is still possible.
Anyone else being forced to create "Shipping Policies" in order to post items for sale?
2 days ago when I was creating a listing to sell, the "Shipping" section changed. Usually, I had the option of selecting "calculated shipping" or "Flat rate Shipping". I send most of my items flat rate, so I would just select that toggle and enter the flat rate shipping amount in the blank box. Easy peasy. Not so easy now. Now the "shipping" section just had a single blank rectangle. When I clicked in that blank rectangle, there was a link to "Create Policy". It then took me into the Business Preference/Shipping Policy section of ebay where I was supposed to create a shipping policy for that one item. I contacted ebay and spoke to 3 different customer service reps. The first two could not help; the third told me that ebay is now making all sellers create shipping policies for their listings. I explained that I was going to have to create many many individual shipping policies for each price point I use for the flat rates that I charge. I was told that ebay was changing to this method, requiring all sellers to create policies. So, today, I created my shipping policies - - - 27 of them, each for a different price point for a flat rate charge ($6.00, $6.50, $7.00, $7.25 . . . all the way up to $22). Now when I create a listing, in the Shippng section, I have to scroll through all 27 shipping policies that I created to find the one that I want to use for that item.
Short of it all . . . . . is anyone else having to do this? Friends that I know that sell on ebay say they are not having to and that they have not experienced what I have.
HELP!!!
thriftyfiftyfifty
·3 weeks agoeBay randomly pushes their Business Policy feature to Sellers all the time. It hasn't been mandated yet. You can "Opt-Out" here on the Business Policy Page (To access from Seller Hub>Active Listings Page>Then Left Margin).
shire123
·3 weeks agoI know I am in the tiny minority here but I haven't changed anything. I have set flat rate policies that have worked well for me. I really only have about 8 different policies.
My biggest hesitancy about switching to calculated shipping is that I have no real idea of what size box I am going to use for any item. A lot depends on what boxes I have on hand. Nor do I have any idea what the final boxed item will weigh.
The items I sell vary widely as to size and weight.
With my flat rate, standard shipping I am doing well. On a few items I lose a dollar or two. On most items I make enough to cover my "costs" of shipping. Overall, I come out ahead and am not losing anything. Sales have been very steady if not increasing a bit. So the evidence for me is that my process is not hurting sales at all.
vintage*brooches
·3 weeks agoI've been using Business Policies ever since they became available ... many, many years ago. The work great for me. But if you don't want to use them, you can opt out. Just go to Account Settings, under Selling pick Business Policies, and in the upper right section of the page there is an Opt Out selection.
sassykzt
·3 weeks agoWhy are you not using calculated shipping charges that are based on your buyers location? With the latest USPS price increase, now all RURAL zip codes, AK, HI , all US protectorates, and APO/FPO are being billed at 15 oz, regardless if the packages weighs less than 15 oz. USPS eliminated the lightweight increments for these locations. If you use a flat rate in your business policies, you may be in for a surprise when you ship to someone with a rural zip code ( you can of course use a rate table for AK, HI, Protetorates, and APO/FPO to off set their higher shipping charges since their location is known -- but with rural zip codes ( there are thousands) you can't know ahead of time. If you switch over to calculated shipping, a rural zip code will appropriately charges that 15 oz rate and no $2 - 3 extra surprises for you when purchasing the labels.
USPS is just catching up to Fed Ex & UPS who have had rural delivery surcharges for years.
kensgiftshop
·3 weeks agoI've used business policies so long, I don't even look at that section, it's already set for me.
Not sure, but I think you can opt out of the business policies.