Feature Request to trinton@ebay

[obtanium_enterprises]

For carriers' flat-rate boxes and envelopes, add an additional data field to contain how many of that item would fit into the selected flat-rate box or envelope. The default entry should be quantity-one. Seller could then update that when creating their listing, and then those "shipping discounts" should be advertised in the top "Shipping:" section so the discounts would be obvious to potential buyers to encourage them to purchase more. Checkout should of course honor and position shipping options in ascending order of cost, which would automatically present "discounts" to buyers.

[nc-daydreamer]

I realize you asked your question of Trinton - and I guess he may respond when he sees it... however, I must chime in to say.... "What?!" As I am confused by your idea and would  like to better understand it myself.

When one creates a listing, they take pictures of the item. Then, before anything else, shipping supplies are gathered and the item is packed, weighed and measured for the size and shape of the box on hand to be used.  So a seller knows how many items can safely fit into the package before the listing goes live. 

Many sellers will state in the  listing something to the effect that combined shipping is available as to encourage multiple sales. (This calculation is set up via your shipping rules.)  Now, using calculated postage by weight, a listing is published. If only one item is bought, col, easy to ship. If more, then just use a bigger box since you've already planned for this scenario.

So, my question is this... how is it that Trinton, or anyone else, would know what the dimensions and weight of each item you would like to list is and how would they be able to dictate what size box that you have in your possession to use?  

If I am not comprehending your idea correctly, I apologize - so I am asking that you clarify it for me.  Maybe it's just me and I do things weird?- LOL!! Thanks.

[obtanium_enterprises]

"Then, before anything else, shipping supplies are gathered and the item is packed, weighed and measured..."

If you had, let's say, 500 of your item, and it's a small item, and typical buyers would typically buy more than one... Then how exactly would you gather and pack and weigh and measure? 

Typical eBay thinking is: "Who'd ever buy more than one toaster???"

Also, let's say you have 500 different items, and 500 of each item, and they're small items, and typical buyers would typically buy more than one of more than one...  - oh, the HORROR!!!

[obtanium_enterprises]

Also, re "...how would they be able to dictate what size box that you have in your possession to use?"

Open the listing creation page, scroll down to where you select offered shipping methods, and examine the possible selections; you'll see stuff like:

Small flat-rate box

Medium flat-rate box

Large flat-rate box

Padded flat-rate envelope

You can select more than one shipping option for your listing, and if you select any of those flat-rate options then by implication it's "known" what size boxes you (should) have in your possession.

[dollybeauty]

Maybe I also do not understand your purpose, but if you set up your listing with a total of 500 items available, then specify the additional shipping for additional items to 'free'. Serves the same purpose.

[obtanium_enterprises]

"Serves the same purpose."

How so? (I suspect that you don't understand the whole thing, but anyway...)

[eburtonlab]

@dollybeauty

[I]f you set up your listing with a total of 500 items available, then specify the additional shipping for additional items to 'free'. Serves the same purpose.

I think the OP is trying to provide a more accurate shipping cost by letting sellers specify how many items fit in a flat rate box -- so that shipping can be calculated rather than estimated.

If the seller raises the individual item price and offers completely free shipping for that 500 items listing, then multiple quantity buyers will be paying too much. If the seller sets a shipping price for one item, and free shipping for each additional item, then single quantity buyers will pay too much. Even providing a cost for each additional item does not quite get the right price, since there will be large price jumps when the +1 quantity requires an additional box.

If the seller can specify that, say, 10 items will fit in a flat rate box, then shipping for 1-10 items costs $7.20 (for example), and 11-20 items cost $14.40 -- the buyer can see the actual cost breakdown and decide if buying additional items to bring down the average shipping cost is worth it.

[obtanium_enterprises]

Actually, it's a bit more refined than that... Imaging a listing of some huge quantity wherein the item actually weighs, let's say 4.5 ounces, so I've specified 5 ounces:

1. By calculation, First Class Package will carry up to three (under 15.999oz)

2. By calculation, Priority will carry however-many at the calculated rate.

3. Additionally, when creating my listing, I included and specified that...

3a. Small-FRB will carry up to seven.

3b. Medium-FRB will carry up to twenty-one.

3c. Large-FRB will carry up to fifty.

I think most sellers ar familiar with postage rates, so it should be clear that when purchasig in quantity the flat-rate options will be a significant savings over the PM base rate.

All rates should be presented to buyers at the top of a listing in the "Shipping:" section rather than BURIED on the "Shipping and Payments" tab where way too many buyers never look; ENCOURAGE volume purchases as much as possible.

And, in Checkout, the least expensive option should be presented first, with others listed beneath in perhaps ascending order of cost, rather than whichever is the first option/rate offered in the listing, as is done currently, so that buyers can easily select their desired option.

(On a side note, eBay should accept at least one decimal point in the item weight field for ounces; makes a huge difference when the item weighs, say, 0.2 ounces.)

[berserkerplanet]

In theory, sounds like a good idea, and I personally like it, but:

- sellers selling multiple 2.5 oz items are probably less than 0.01% of the sellers on eBay
- a goodly percentage of sellers can't grok the current shipping options, and another choice would make their heads explode
- adding more software complexity to already broken systems probably isn't in out best interest*

*unless you are shorting eBay stock

[obtanium_enterprises]

"sellers selling multiple 2.5 oz items are probably less than 0.01% of the sellers on eBay"

Any hard data on that? Everyone I know personally typically buys quantity of several items from the sellers they buy from, and probably half of my sales are quantities of multiple items, but my experience is just a microcosm so...???

"another choice would make their heads explode"

Most never even read my text about combined shipping and requesting an invoice... And probably not even if I offered free shipping for reading it... Which is why, as I suggested, the current highly-obfuscated/difficult system of buyer-choice be replaced with automatic eBay-choice beginning with least costly.

"unless you are shorting eBay stock"

I'm short most stocks, and long the "Five-Gs."

[berserkerplanet]

No hard data, just my microcosm of experience. Like I said, I like choices and complexity, but be careful what you wish for - especially with eBay - what you get may not be what you wanted:

"well I was just told to code in a checkbox for x widgets in a flat rate box. I've never sold or shipped anything, and no one told me I had to consider that new settings interaction with combined shipping rules or anything else. It isn't my fault. pat on the back? I done good? Participation award?...."

I was talking about the seller's heads exploding, not the buyers.