Search results show inaccurate & HIGH calculated shipping

[dcintennessee]

I posted full details to the Selling board, but this may be the more appropriate board for getting answers.

In search results, calculated shipping shows higher than ANY shipping method offered. Click through to the listings, and you'll see (seemingly) accurate shipping for each service offered. But, buyers will go by the search results and not click through.

The absolutely FREAKY fact is that for an identical item that I and another seller have listed, my search for his/her item shows $3.37 more for shipping than the rate when I click on the listing. Another member checked my listing for the same item. The shipping rate they saw in search for my item is $3.37 more than what shows when they click on my listing.  The shipping shown in search is about 48% higher than actual.                 @Anonymous, @Anonymous - help, please.

[Anonymous]

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@dcintennessee wrote:

I posted full details to the Selling board, but this may be the more appropriate board for getting answers.

In search results, calculated shipping shows higher than ANY shipping method offered. Click through to the listings, and you'll see (seemingly) accurate shipping for each service offered. But, buyers will go by the search results and not click through.

The absolutely FREAKY fact is that for an identical item that I and another seller have listed, my search for his/her item shows $3.37 more for shipping than the rate when I click on the listing. Another member checked my listing for the same item. The shipping rate they saw in search for my item is $3.37 more than what shows when they click on my listing.  The shipping shown in search is about 48% higher than actual.                 @Anonymous, @Anonymous - help, please.

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Hi @dcintennessee - When you click into the listing are you needing to adjust the shipping info at all? Like your zip code? It's possible that your search results may be set to a different location which could be causing this. If not, let us know & we'll see what we can find out!

[labs118]

@Anonymous

Her post on the seller board under knowledge base shows results from a few of us who have looked at her listing mentioned .
In search her 1 item shows $11.67 to me at zip 07821 but when I click into her listing it shows below screen shot 
This is not a fair advantage for this seller , buyers may never click into her listing due to the high shipping costs

screen shot below and link to her other post

http://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/Calculated-shipping-is-overstated-on-search-page-accurate-if-you/qaq-p/27528638/jump-to/first-unread-message

[dcintennessee]

The zip code is set correctly. Others checked a particular listing I offered as an example with my original post on the selling board. Same results for them.

[dcintennessee]

@Anonymous  - The miscalculation occurs across all of my listings with calculated shipping. The shipping cost displayed on the search page is 15-46% higher than the lowest shipping rate available, and often is higher than ANY actual shipping rate . This is a huge deterrent to sales, as items are driven further down in search results.

Here are the things I've done in an effort to correct & troubleshoot:

1. Confirm that my zip code was set correctly

2. Log out of my account

3. Force close any orphaned sessions using:   http://signinalert.ebay.com/sgninalrt/sessions

4. Sign back in, again confirming that zip code is set correctly

5. Check results in multiple browsers: Firefox, Chrome, Microsoft Edge, iOS Safari, eBay Mobile for iPhone

6. Edit which shipping services are offered. The inaccuracy of shipping in search results varies depending upon which services are offered, but it's always higher than the least costly method offered, and usually higher than ALL actual rates.

7. Make certain the "expected" least costly service was selected first in my listing form. The shipping method buyers see displayed on the listing will be the FIRST one the seller chose when creating the listing, rather than the least costly. Selecting the least expensive service first is an impossible science, however, since it will vary, based upon the buyer's location....thus the reason for offering calculated shipping. 

The malfunction isn't limited to me. For the example item I gave (Debbie Mumm Easter Plate), the same bloated shipping rates occur in search results for another seller who offers only one calculated shipping option.

I appreciate any assistance you can provide.

[dcintennessee]

Thanks, labs!

[dcintennessee]

@Anonymous- I just had a brainstorm, and I am positive I have found WHAT is happening, but no idea how to fix it.

With calculated shipping, the rate shown on the Search results is the undiscounted (Retail) amount for whichever shipping option is first on the Listing Form, plus handling fee if applicable.

When you click on the item, the rate shown on the listing is the discounted amount for whichever shipping option is first on the Listing Form, plus handling fee if applicable.

I checked a few of my listings against the eBay shipping calculator to be certain.  Regardless of which shipping option was first on the listing form, Search Results display the undiscounted/retail rate for that method within my zip code. Calculated shipping for Media Mail listings is correct in Search Results, since there is no discount for Media Mail.

Is there something I can do to make the proper rates appear in Search Results? Somewhere I read that sellers must select the option whether to pass along shipping discounts or not. I must have checked it at some point, since my listings do reflect the discounted rates, but I can no longer find that option. My listings show the discounted rates...but search results do not.

I found the cause - I sure hope you guys can find the cure!  Thanks.

[labs118]

@dcintennessee

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@dcintennessee wrote:
Thanks, labs!

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No problem 

I see you have other posts & you are still having this issue , just to

let you know at weekly chat  Alan mentioned Trinton & Tyler have been out of the office so they haven't been able to get to a lot the the board tags 

I never saw the retail show as shipping if you are passing along the online discount to your buyer so I would tag Heidi 

again and see if she can pass this on

this cannot be helping your sales . 

Good luck 

[dcintennessee]

Thank you again! It was such an AHA! moment when I realized that search was showing retail shipping prices, while listings show the courier-specific discounted rate I'm (attempting!) to pass along for calculated shipping. I found examples of it happening to other sellers in the searches I did while seeking confirmation of my suspicion.

When I changed to calculated only on the listings for which it is most appropriate, this was the how-dee-do I got for impementing that brilliant idea!

[partial*eclipse]

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@dcintennessee wrote:

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 ... Is there something I can do to make the proper rates appear in Search Results? ....

In your Site Preferences, you can choose to show the online discounted prices.  It's under Shipping > Offer carrier-specific discounts to buyers.

[dcintennessee]

That setting is chosen, which is why the correct rate appears on the listing. In search results, the retail/counter rate is displayed.  

[Anonymous]

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@dcintennessee wrote:

@Anonymous- I just had a brainstorm, and I am positive I have found WHAT is happening, but no idea how to fix it.

With calculated shipping, the rate shown on the Search results is the undiscounted (Retail) amount for whichever shipping option is first on the Listing Form, plus handling fee if applicable.

When you click on the item, the rate shown on the listing is the discounted amount for whichever shipping option is first on the Listing Form, plus handling fee if applicable.

I checked a few of my listings against the eBay shipping calculator to be certain.  Regardless of which shipping option was first on the listing form, Search Results display the undiscounted/retail rate for that method within my zip code. Calculated shipping for Media Mail listings is correct in Search Results, since there is no discount for Media Mail.

Is there something I can do to make the proper rates appear in Search Results? Somewhere I read that sellers must select the option whether to pass along shipping discounts or not. I must have checked it at some point, since my listings do reflect the discounted rates, but I can no longer find that option. My listings show the discounted rates...but search results do not.

I found the cause - I sure hope you guys can find the cure!  Thanks.

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@dcintennessee

I'm so sorry for the late reply! It sounds like you're right with what's happening here. I would check your Account settings > Site Preferences > Shipping Preferences to confirm that you are offering a carrier specific discount just to confirm. In the meantime, I've reported this to our tech team to review and troubleshoot. I'll let you know when I hear back!

[dcintennessee]

Thanks, Heidi. My account settings WERE to pass through Commercial prices for all couriers, but since it won't display correctly in search, I have disabled that setting. I'm editing the affected listings so at least the shipping prices will match between what's shown in search & what's shown on the listing. I've heard from other sellers that this is a longstanding problem. If the tech team fixes it, that would be great to know!

[berserkerplanet]

[I was in the middle of replying to your other thread when it went "poof" and found this one. Info in this thread negates most of what I was going to say, except for a few things.]

I looked at a half dozen of your listings with calculated shipping and see the same thing you do - much higher shipping in the listing than in the search results.

Every one of them has FedEx shipping options along with USPS. It looks like all your calculated shipping listings are Smartpost/FedExGround/USPS.

That is sort of a known issue - it has been happening for at least a year and a half? for FedEx shipping. It happened to me early in 2016 IIRC, but not since that I'm aware of.

Checked a half dozen of my listings and none have an issue. Not straight FedEx Ground, nor Smartpost/ParcelSelect/Priority. I don't have any FedEx Ground/Home Delivery mixed with anything else currently, only Smartpost/USPS mixes. I also checked not logged in to see if that mattered and it did not.

Are you saying that the glitch has the same discounted/retail effect on ALL your shipping options including USPS Priority Mail?

Try removing

• FedEx Ground from one of the listings and check.
• FedEx Smartpost from one of the listings and check.
• all FedEx options from one of the listings and check to see if USPS is ok.

That may indicate something about where the problem is.

[dcintennessee]

Ha! Funny/not funny that the other thread went poof. Looks like admin removed it. Unfortunately that means I no longer have record of specific examples of the inconsistencies & attempted fixes.

In checking out my listings, I observed similarly affected listings for other sellers, including one offering only SmartPost.  And yes, the non-discounted rate appeared in search results for my listings offering only Priority Mail. The discounts appeared only when clicking through to the actual listing.

You're right - your listings that I looked at seem to show matching rates in search and on the click through. ENVY!! That makes me wonder whether there is SOME other setting you have checked off that I and the others affected by this have not. I'm going to monkey around with my settings ONE more time...BRB with results if anything changes.