Combined Shipping for EIS

[tobaccocardyahoo]

hallelujah - I think Early access to combined shipping on eBay International Shipping orders now available

Hi , We’re getting ready to roll out combined shipping on orders sold through eBay International Shipping, and we’re giving you early access to this feature. By offering this option on your listings, buyer shipping costs will be determined by the weight and size of your buyer’s entire order, rather than by each individual item. That way, it’ll be cheaper for your customers to purchase multiple items from you. It’ll also be more cost effective and easier for you to send your items to the domestic eBay international shipping hub. Combined shipping is available on your eligible items immediately. We’ll continue to expand combined shipping to more categories and more sellers over the next couple of months, and as we expand, your eligible listings will automatically be included.  To learn more about combined shipping for eBay International Shipping, see our FAQs. Thanks for being part of the eBay community.

[mam98031]

Yes, this is fantastic news for many.  It will take them a while to get this rolled out to everyone, but it is great news that it is on the horizon for us.

Thank you for sharing!!!

[heckofagame]

I'm waiting until it's an additional shipping option, not the only option. Should be along shortly. 

[mam98031]

This isn't currently available for everyone.  As it gets used more and more, it is highly likely more improvements will be in our future.

What additional shipping options do you want?  Do we have control over how it ships out of the Ebay processing center?  I don't think we do.

[ebooksdiva]

I received that message as well.  

[buyselljack2016]

Don't light the cigars, or cut that cake just yet.

Seems it was earlier this month, or late last month another thread was started about the said "eIS combined" shipping invite/early access, but that it was a bit "flawed" as it actually did not work. Apparently, there were still "combining" complications.

Not sure where that ended up. 

[pjcdn2005]

@tobaccocardyahoo

 I hope that you don't mind me trying this out of your listing.

I'm in Canada and put 3 of your items in my cart. The total for all 3 before combined shipping would have been $36.31.  The original shipping cost to Canada from top to bottom was $12.57, $12.17 + $11.57. 

The EIS adds the domestic shipping cost to their international shipping cost. The domestic shipping cost from top to bottom is $2, $1.60 and $1 which accounts why the original international cost and the combined shipping cost is not consistent for each item.

The total for shipping 3 postcards to Canada still seems very high consider that the 2nd and 3rd postcard will only add a few ounces to the package. 

Since you are using ebay standard envelope, do you actually have a package weight on each listing? If you don't, I'm curious if that would make a difference.

I did add items from other categories to the cart and they also had discounted shipping.  You don't appear to have combined shipping rules set up for domestic shipping.  I am curious to see if that will change the amounts that ebay will charge. For example, if your shipping charge was $2 to the US for the first one and $1 for each one after that, it would be interesting to see if ebay will use the shipping rule for the domestic portion.

[buyselljack2016]

It's possible that domestic ESE shipping throws a whole nother monkey wrench into the mix for eIS

[tobaccocardyahoo]

---

@mam98031 wrote:

What additional shipping options do you want?  Do we have control over how it ships out of the Ebay processing center?  I don't think we do.

---

This may complete my list of wants for EIS if it works.

I have some items which I am certain my international buyers would buy more of with this function.

I do not care when it ships out of the Ebay processing center. Delivery times got longer when they switched from GIS, prices dropped and I stopped getting complaints from buyers about the cost, and have not had a delivery time complaint yet.

This service exists to save money for buyers, and as a by-product I get more international sales every month.

If I have a further request it will be my buyers who will tell me what it is.

[tobaccocardyahoo]

Many of my listings do not have a package weight because all are fixed shipping in the US. There are no combined shipping rules for my US shipments because I do manual combination and invoicing when there are on different listings. Multiple copies from the same listing ship for the price of 1 domestically.

I just modified a group of listings which I tend to have European buyers for to include a package weight so I will see if it makes a difference.

I expect there will be hiccups. And that I need to modify listings to make it work. For the group I am currently working on, I am adding the weight to about 250 listings.

My ESE orders are the remains of an experiment. I will not be making further use of ESE unless it improves dramatically.

[retro_entertainment_collectibles]

Opted me in too, see what happens.

[wastingtime101]

---

@heckofagame wrote:

I'm waiting until it's an additional shipping option, not the only option. Should be along shortly. 

---

I'll be very interested to see what happens when this announcement from the seller update goes live - whether buyers in the countries where I ship direct will choose direct shipping or eIS.

[tsme35]

Got my email today too, woo hoo I thought, then I had to research and finally call ebay. If you have domestic combine shipping rule set up, it should still be in effect to ebay's international hub. As far as international combine shipping, ebay goes by what weight and size you have listed and automatically combines shipping for the buyer when they put the items in their cart. Supposedly sellers won't get a combine shipping request from international buyers(according to ebay rep).

 Now my work begins, I have flat rate shipping too for 1200+ listings, I have most just set for 4 oz but weigh less then 2, most I can get 4 items in a package for less then 4 oz's. So a international buyer would get charge for 40 oz if they bought 10 items.

 I'll be changing most over to 2 oz to keep the international rate cheaper and see how it works. I've been out of the international business(except forwarders) for 6 years when rates just got too expensive. On a good note, weight can be change in the seller hub so won't have to do it one at a time.

[buyselljack2016]

Seems that perhaps in the example given ( 4 shipping at 4 oz.) instead of changing the weight to 2 oz it would work out the same for YOU  to change to 1 oz while at the same time making the BUYER cost for shipping to the eIS  more attractive for a larger purchase. 

Not sure just how much that would save a buyer, but you could probably punch some locations in to see what sort of difference it would to possibly increase the eIS sales where eBay takes all the heat.  

[tsme35]

I thought about that but need to be close to the weight, little over won't make to big of difference but if they bought a couple bigger items that are over just over 2 oz and shipping shows 8 oz and its 12 oz, ebay might say something about the weight being under.

 I looked at the shipping rates, Australia is $15 and Japan is $25 for the same 8 oz, their my biggest fishing lure buyers. Just wild but explains why my Japan customers use freight forwarders.