Rate Tables - expanded - better explanation please

[lintbrush*]

There have been a few responses regarding the rate tables - and this one I do like

lintbrush* wrote:
The shipping thing has me confused too.  Their example doesn't help. 
 
Does it mean I could have free shipping to those close to me and charge for those in Zone 8?  That might be interesting.  Include Zone 4 pricing in the "free shipping" listing and have the difference for Z4 vs Z8 as the charge shown to everyone in Zones 5 or higher. 
 Response from Greg_shipping:
Hi Lintbrush - yes you are right. Rate tables will allow you to customize your shipping charges by zones / region - so charge low or free shipping to neighbor regions and higher costs where approriate to zone further afield - to match how your carrier might charge you. You'll therefore be more price competitive where ship costs are lower, and not risk under charging buyers that further afield..

@greg_shipping

Since the thread that got moved here from another board and subsequently locked is a jumble of things, can you explain the shipping rate thing better as a whole.  Yeah you can post replies to the locked thread, but we can't 

[ebuycdn]

Is this based on weight in one table?

Table 1

LBS  Zone 1   Zone 2   Zone 3   Zone 4   Zone 5

1       $1.00     $2.00    $3.00      $4.00    $5.00

2       $2.00     $3.00    $4.00      $5.00    $6.00

etc,

If yes, is there a maximum weight?

Or is it more like:

Table  Zone 1    Zone 2

Shoes  $5.00     $7.00

Cables  $2.00    $2.50

Will there be an option to bulk update tables via spreadsheet or must it be done via the eBay interface?

[greg_shipping]

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@ebuycdn wrote:

Is this based on weight in one table?

Table 1

LBS  Zone 1   Zone 2   Zone 3   Zone 4   Zone 5

1       $1.00     $2.00    $3.00      $4.00    $5.00

2       $2.00     $3.00    $4.00      $5.00    $6.00

etc,

If yes, is there a maximum weight?

Or is it more like:

Table  Zone 1    Zone 2

Shoes  $5.00     $7.00

Cables  $2.00    $2.50

Will there be an option to bulk update tables via spreadsheet or must it be done via the eBay interface?

---

Hi ebuycdn - thanks for your question...

Rate tables can be built by weight or item. A Rate Table (and you can create up to 20 to account for different sizes of product for example) could look similar as follows:

Shipping Service         Regions / Zones        Cost or Per lb

Expedited                    NY, CA, OR, WA       $7

Standard                     CA, OR, WA              $3

Standard                     TX, FL                       $5

Standard                      NY                            $6

Economy                     NY, CA, OR, WA       $2

In terms of max weight, no I dont beleive so. 

In 1st phase rate tables will need to be built and updated on-site. For most sellers this should be a set-and-forget one time exersise. BUT you WILL be able to manage listings in bulk onsite or via API.

[d-k_treasures]

---

@llllady wrote:

Thanks!  It sounds like it is going to be very flexible.  Let's hope that is the way it works out (and works)!

---

Well, it looks like it will be a good thing WHEN IMPLEMENTED - since one of the responses on the locked thread contains this word:

Sellers have been asking for this level of control to best represent their actual shipping costs by region, and we're happy to be delivering this functionality soon. 

[greg_shipping]

---

@d-k_treasures wrote:

---

@llllady wrote:

Thanks!  It sounds like it is going to be very flexible.  Let's hope that is the way it works out (and works)!

---

Well, it looks like it will be a good thing WHEN IMPLEMENTED - since one of the responses on the locked thread contains this word:

Sellers have been asking for this level of control to best represent their actual shipping costs by region, and we're happy to be delivering this functionality soon. 

---

Hi d-k_treasures - glad you agree that rate tables are a good thing! But good call out on the timing too. As mentioned in FAQs this tool is due out in summer. We are in process of fginalizing the build help lots of input nd feedback from sellers to make sure we take into account many requirements and suggestions. More definate dates will be announced shortly!

[d-k_treasures]

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@greg_shipping wrote:

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@d-k_treasures wrote:

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@llllady wrote:

Thanks!  It sounds like it is going to be very flexible.  Let's hope that is the way it works out (and works)!

---

Well, it looks like it will be a good thing WHEN IMPLEMENTED - since one of the responses on the locked thread contains this word:

Sellers have been asking for this level of control to best represent their actual shipping costs by region, and we're happy to be delivering this functionality soon. 

---

Hi d-k_treasures - glad you agree that rate tables are a good thing! But good call out on the timing too. As mentioned in FAQs this tool is due out in summer. We are in process of fginalizing the build help lots of input nd feedback from sellers to make sure we take into account many requirements and suggestions. More definate dates will be announced shortly!

---

You have to understand that 'soon' and 'shortly' are not valid timeframes in ebayland. And sometimes they don't even exist.

We have been waiting for many things destined to be announced/clarified/released 'soon'. Sometimes that is years.

[llllady]

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@d-k_treasures wrote:

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@llllady wrote:

Thanks!  It sounds like it is going to be very flexible.  Let's hope that is the way it works out (and works)!

---

Well, it looks like it will be a good thing WHEN IMPLEMENTED - since one of the responses on the locked thread contains this word:

Sellers have been asking for this level of control to best represent their actual shipping costs by region, and we're happy to be delivering this functionality soon. 

---

Geez, whatever are you talking about?  😉

[llllady]

@greg_shipping

Greg, how practical are these rate tables going to be for sellers who sell a multitude of different items at different weights and classes of mail? 

A detailed response to this question (rather than "very practical") would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[d-k_treasures]

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@llllady wrote:

---

@d-k_treasures wrote:

---

@llllady wrote:

Thanks!  It sounds like it is going to be very flexible.  Let's hope that is the way it works out (and works)!

---

Well, it looks like it will be a good thing WHEN IMPLEMENTED - since one of the responses on the locked thread contains this word:

Sellers have been asking for this level of control to best represent their actual shipping costs by region, and we're happy to be delivering this functionality soon. 

---

Geez, whatever are you talking about?  😉

---

I'll have to let you know soon ..... 

[greg_shipping]

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@llllady wrote:

@greg_shipping

Greg, how practical are these rate tables going to be for sellers who sell a multitude of different items at different weights and classes of mail? 

A detailed response to this question (rather than "very practical") would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

---

Hi llllady - there will be some work required to get rate tables set up. But this work will for most part me a one time thing as once set up you can forget about them. So let me now, as a way to answer "how practical", describe what work will be required to set up rate tables where there are a multitude of items / weights / classes of shipping.

First a general understanding of how a rate table works - in a single rate table you can state your ship cost for the 4 classes of shipping (Next Day, Expedited, Standard, Economy) to all regions. In terms of "practical" you would simply select the regions to include in each line using a check box (very easy), you then type in the cost associated with each line. It could look as follows (and to get this far would take a few minutes:

This single rate table would be good if you had 3 different carrier services (Expedited, Standard, Economy) all your items were around the same weight..

Shipping Service         Regions / Zones        Cost 

Expedited                    NY, CA, OR, WA       $7

Standard                     CA, OR, WA              $3

Standard                     TX, FL                       $5

Standard                      NY                            $6

Economy                     NY, CA, OR, WA       $2

To add more complexity - lets imagine your items are NOT all the same weight, so you need to charge more in shipping. You would simply COPY this table and adjust the costs.. It could look as follows:

Shipping Service         Regions / Zones        Cost 

Expedited                    NY, CA, OR, WA       $12

Standard                     CA, OR, WA              $5

Standard                     TX, FL                       $7

Standard                      NY                            $8

Economy                     NY, CA, OR, WA       $4

Doing this (copying and adjusting charges would take another few minutes.. You would keep repeating this process if you had more weight classes of product..

If you need more info and detail I'd be happy to provide it.

[llllady]

Okay. Thanks.  That's a very convoluted mess to digest.  Calculated shipping looks like it might be the best solution in most cases. 

It looks like this is going to create more problems and less solutions for those selling a wide range of products in various weights and sizes. 

Too bad. "The road to you-know-where is paved with good intentions."  😞

[partial*eclipse]

@greg_shipping

Can you give us any examples of situations where a seller would be better-off using the new rate tables option, instead of the existing shipping calculator, in addition to:

1. Offer Free shipping to nearby buyers, but charge shipping for farther ones.

2. Offer prices lower than eBay's regular shipping calculator prices, due to access to better rates e.g., through high sales volume. 

[greg_shipping]

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@llllady wrote:

Okay. Thanks.  That's a very convoluted mess to digest.  Calculated shipping looks like it might be the best solution in most cases. 

It looks like this is going to create more problems and less solutions for those selling a wide range of products in various weights and sizes. 

Too bad. "The road to you-know-where is paved with good intentions."  😞

---

Hi llllady - thanks for the useful feedback. We're excited about this new tool because we want to give more control over this aspect of shipping. Stay tuned for more info on these changes over the next couple months.

[llllady]

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@greg_shipping wrote:

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@llllady wrote:

Okay. Thanks.  That's a very convoluted mess to digest.  Calculated shipping looks like it might be the best solution in most cases. 

It looks like this is going to create more problems and less solutions for those selling a wide range of products in various weights and sizes. 

Too bad. "The road to you-know-where is paved with good intentions."  😞

---

Hi llllady - thanks for the useful feedback. We're excited about this new tool because we want to give more control over this aspect of shipping. Stay tuned for more info on these changes over the next couple months.

---

I'd like to honestly reply to this post; however, the drug used for biopolar disorder has taken aim at me more than once today.  😉 

In the meantime, I'll let you enjoy the excitement.

[carlmarxx]

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@greg_shipping wrote:

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@ebuycdn wrote:

Is this based on weight in one table?

Table 1

LBS  Zone 1   Zone 2   Zone 3   Zone 4   Zone 5

1       $1.00     $2.00    $3.00      $4.00    $5.00

2       $2.00     $3.00    $4.00      $5.00    $6.00

etc,

If yes, is there a maximum weight?

Or is it more like:

Table  Zone 1    Zone 2

Shoes  $5.00     $7.00

Cables  $2.00    $2.50

Will there be an option to bulk update tables via spreadsheet or must it be done via the eBay interface?

---

Hi ebuycdn - thanks for your question...

Rate tables can be built by weight or item. A Rate Table (and you can create up to 20 to account for different sizes of product for example) could look similar as follows:

Shipping Service         Regions / Zones        Cost or Per lb

Expedited                    NY, CA, OR, WA       $7

Standard                     CA, OR, WA              $3

Standard                     TX, FL                       $5

Standard                      NY                            $6

Economy                     NY, CA, OR, WA       $2

In terms of max weight, no I dont beleive so. 

In 1st phase rate tables will need to be built and updated on-site. For most sellers this should be a set-and-forget one time exersise. BUT you WILL be able to manage listings in bulk onsite or via API.

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Greg: Did some one hit the Kooliad  ,when they came up this junk.  All it will do is make the buyers nutty.   I known I never asked for it And I know of no others that ask for it or want it .