I have been with eBay "forever", don't know how to combine shipping! (BEFORE items purchased)

[newerused]

Sorry if this has been covered time and time again, I'm just not getting it. 

Once again, sigh, I have a buyer who wants me to combine shipping on several items and JUST SEND AN INVOICE although they have not purchased anything yet. I have never seen an option on eBay to send an invoice on combining various items that are unpurchased!

Please don't suggest I make a special listing just for this buyer transferring photos and descriptions - and then, like as not, buyer never comes back and items languish there unsold. We are talking three $3.00 items. Today this particular "buyer" states "just do it like you did last time!", well, I never did it last time and I've never had this buyer before. 

It likely is just ME, although I've been here a long, long, long, long time and I'm pretty durn savvy on most of the ins & outs this INVOICE ME!!! has got me upset today. Please help, thank you. 
(Photo of what's keeping me sane during this covid isolation, Scamper, 5 months old, my licensed product tester)

[paradiso*bella*a*venire]

If it were me, I wouldnt even consider bothering.

but thats me

[cynthealee2]

There isn't an option to just send the buyer an invoice BEFORE purchase.

Tell buyer to pay for the items, then you will refund the difference after the items ship.

Since you don't want to do the whole create a listing just for them.

[alcoforever]

I get those requests all the time.   I just gather up all the items the buyer wants, weigh them, get a shipping price from USPS.com and then send the buyer a message with my shipping price.

There is no way to do this within ebay until the buyer actually buys the items.

[ittybitnot]

Once again, sigh, I have a buyer who wants me to combine shipping on several items and JUST SEND AN INVOICE although they have not purchased anything yet. 

This has been on ongoing problem for some, especially for fixed price BIN items.  Often times a buyer is NOT presented with the option to "commit to buy, and continue shopping with this seller".   Without that option, a buyer can put your items in their cart all day long, and you will never be able to see what is in there anyway.  Buyers don't seem to understand this 'finer point'. 

They get angry at the seller for not being able to send an invoice for something that is not visible. 

If any of your items are IPR (immediate payment required) the buyer will be forced to pay for each item individually.  The IPR may be a function of a seller's choice, or may be a hidden feature employed by ebay anyway when a seller does NOT choose IPR. 

Even if a buyer manages to commit get things in their cart,  there are still  more stumbling blocks that can prevent a "request total".  

[1tuna]

I send combined invoices all the time  but I do not use GTC,the advice  you need to know is about putting items in your cart and then requesting a total or an invoice.This is done all the time by people who know how to do it but lots of people have a hard time with it............or its just balky and does not work good

the people on this board know this exact problem and someone can surely help you that is more familiar

[bargainbasement101]

If everything goes to the same address with free shipping, ebay does it automatic.

[punkaag]

Hi! We have this request all the time and good for you and you "forever" status on eBay, love it!!

There's no way to do it "thru eBay" before they purchase but I'm sure you can understand why buyers are asking.

Buyers simply do the math of taking individual shipping quotes and adding ["combining" in their eyes] those together. When you and I, as sellers, think "combining" we mean to add all the weights together then requote as if those items were one entity being shipped. MOST of the time, explaining this (I have a prewritten response somewhere basically writing to them what I just typed there) is enough. Basically the message assures the buyer that all items are securely packaged together and reweighed as one unit to quote shipping efficiently, rather than merely adding all the individual weights and subtracting a few dollars. Words like "securely" and "efficiently" really help.

If this doesn't cut it or if you really want to offload the items and you think an actual quote would seal the deal (lol, this would be me) just reweigh the items (add a good 6oz  - 10oz, even a whole 1lb if it's going to be a cardboard box, for packaging that you'd use if you were packing up for real) and go to USPS.com and use CALCULATE THE PRICE. Remember that if you charge an extra $1 for handling thru eBay you need to add that one to the USPS calculated prices there. You can either give them that exact quote and stick with it, or you can say, looks like the items together weight about 3lbs packaged so that will be about $XX. In the end, we're all just concerned about spending money efficiently.

I do not recommend having them pay the shipping of each item individually with the promise to "refund" the overage. As a seller that sounds complicated. As a buyer, I'd be worried about receiving my money back.

Def you don't need a special listing either.

I haven't really dialed down the "combined shipping" toggles exactly but I've gotten pretty close if you go here (there may be a more direct way to find it because this is pretty hidden):

MY EBAY

> ACCOUNT (tab)

> Seller Dashboard

> (under Shipping Preferences, click the link) Shipping Preferences

> then "Allow combined payments and shipping" click the "Calculated shipping rule" EDIT

> select Combine all items weights

(on the next tab you can input your handling fee) too

Anyway -- this has really helped. Sometimes it over quotes (remember each individual weight includes packaging and when combined you only need half the packaging (in theory). But I'd rather it OVER calculate than you can quote less when they actually pay.

Hope this helps!

Oh, this is an ok article too if you need some "wording" for your email:

Offering combined shipping

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/shipping-items/shipping-rates/offering-combined-shipping