Is there a way to ship to only certain regions of the United States?

[martwinter0]

You can limit what countries, but is it possible to ship only to certain regions within the United States?

Basically, for me, shipping is very risky.  You never know when some lying buyer will not like an item, claim it was "not as described" and stick you with a massive shipping bill.  It was one thing in the recent past, when buyers had skin in the game and needed to pay return shipping themselves, but now it's too much.  They've been completely emboldened by the rule change and know they can essentially 'window shop' on sellers' dimes, and get an item to see if it's what they want, and if not, return it and not pay any shipping or anything else (aside from gasoline driving to their local Post Office, I guess. Maybe eBay can make it so buyers get an extra $5 from the seller in SNAD-induced refunds to cover 'miscellaneous' expenses of the return.)

I live on the east coast of the U.S.  The price difference for shipping a package too large not to be a First-Class Package within my region vs. shipping it to, say, California, is astronomical.  If I send something that costs $30 to ship to California, and the buyer opts to return it by claiming it's "not as described," I am out either the item or $60.  It's just too much of a gamble for someone of my income.

So, back to my question, does eBay allow you to sell to only certain states/regions?  Is that possible?

[clee1325]

you would be losing out on a quite a bit of potential customers if you were to not ship to a certain region...personally if i were you id rethink my buisness strategdy and maybe sell stuff thats cheaper to ship? how many customers from the regions who you dont wanna ship to have been great customers?

[chrysylys]

You should be able to block by state or region, but you can't.  Thought I read something recently about being able to set shipping rates by zone/region, but I can't find it right now.  If somebody can point to that, you may be able to jack your rates up higher to those areas to account for losses.

[partial*eclipse]

You can't literally exclude them, but you can set up shipping costs that will discourage them or even cover the return shipping.  Use the shipping rate tables  in your Site Preferences.

$30 is enough to ship an 8-pound package to California. So another strategy would be to avoid selling heavy items, or use the shipping rate tables only for items for which you aren't willing to absorb return postage costs.

[slippinjimmy]

It was one thing in the recent past, when buyers had skin in the game and needed to pay return shipping themselves

It's been a long times since sellers could force buyers to pay return shipping for SNAD returns. Even when it wasn't a firm policy on eBay most reputable sellers covered that cost in most cases.

Do you get a lot of returns? Or is this more of a "what if" situation?

Personally I offer free returns for any reason, have for almost 5 years, so far I've only had one return other than a few that were entirely my fault. That said I know there are categories where returns are a major issue.

[fashunu4eeuh]

Hi, you can block Alaska and Hawaii so that you are only shipping to the Continental US. But you cannot block certain regions.

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@martwinter0 wrote:

 “Basically, for me, shipping is very risky.  You never know when some lying buyer will not like an item, claim it was "not as described" and stick you with a massive shipping bill...”

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The overwhelming majority of customers are decent, honest and fair-minded. I offer free returns like the previous poster and cannot recall the last time i had a return. It’s been years.

Selling on ebay isnt for everyone, and there is no shame in moving on because one’s risk tolerance has changed.

[orangehound]

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@martwinter0 wrote:

I live on the east coast of the U.S.  The price difference for shipping a package too large not to be a First-Class Package within my region vs. shipping it to, say, California, is astronomical.  If I send something that costs $30 to ship to California, and the buyer opts to return it by claiming it's "not as described," I am out either the item or $60.  It's just too much of a gamble for someone of my income.

So, back to my question, does eBay allow you to sell to only certain states/regions?  Is that possible?

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You can do it by setting up one or more domestic shipping rate tables.   Go to Account Settings >> Site Preferences >> Shipping Preferences >> Use Shipping Rate Tables (Edit).  Basically put in a flat shipping rate (or free shipping) for areas you want to ship to, and something really high for places you don't.  As others have said, the west coast is a big market and I would not exclude the west coast for long tail items, but you might find excluding the West Coast to be appropriate for high sales velocity items or heavier items where the shipping cost approaches the value of the item.

To use your shipping rate table in a listing, the option will appear when you select "Flat:  Same Cost to All Buyers", then check "Use A Rate Table".    

One note.  If you check "Free Shipping" in addition to the "Use a Rate Table", then your item will get free shipping everywhere - the free shipping overrides your selection of the rate table.   So, make sure it is unchecked ... you also need to put some dummy flat-rate number in the box (otherwise, your listing will generate some odd error about local pick-ups).

[best_vintage_photos]

Shipping Calculator, no?

[gracieallen01]

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@partial*eclipse wrote:

You can't literally exclude them, but you can set up shipping costs that will discourage them or even cover the return shipping.  Use the shipping rate tables  in your Site Preferences.

$30 is enough to ship an 8-pound package to California. So another strategy would be to avoid selling heavy items, or use the shipping rate tables only for items for which you aren't willing to absorb return postage costs.

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Well, that's not necessarily true in every case. Size does make a difference - if it is over 1 cu. ft. (12 x 12 x 12 inches)

Priority, for a 2 pound package - CA to NY - 16 x 16 x 16 will run $40-$65, though surface can be $12-$15. (USPS)

[duggmills]

Your concern is founded in having to pay return shipping if your buyer is a member of eBay's newest class of Twaddling Prepubescent Snowflake Buyers, cheer led by customer service sweltering in some distant land lunching from a tin of curried rice.

This underscores the need to have plenty of item pictures and detailed descriptions of your offerings. Don't ever use phrases such as;  "What you see is what you get" or "See pictures for condition". Those are, catch me if you can invitations from the sellers.

By the way, Priority Flat Rate Boxes will go to Alaska and Hawaii for the same price as the lower 48 states for now.

(Your post has been changed because invalid HTML was found in the message body. The invalid HTML has been removed. Please review the message and submit the message when you are satisfied.)  

"invalid HTML"  Had To Mute Language ????

[gracieallen01]

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@duggmills wrote:

Your concern is founded in having to pay return shipping if your buyer is a member of eBay's newest class of Twaddling Prepubescent Snowflake Buyers, cheer led by customer service sweltering in some distant land lunching from a tin of curried rice.

This underscores the need to have plenty of item pictures and detailed descriptions of your offerings. Don't ever use phrases such as;  "What you see is what you get" or "See pictures for condition". Those are, catch me if you can invitations from the sellers.

By the way, Priority Flat Rate Boxes will go to Alaska and Hawaii for the same price as the lower 48 states for now.

(Your post has been changed because invalid HTML was found in the message body. The invalid HTML has been removed. Please review the message and submit the message when you are satisfied.)  

"invalid HTML"  Had To Mute Language ????

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Ooooooooooooh!  You did THAT, too? 

     

[jabarno54]

If I could stop shipping anywhere it would be Brooklyn and the Bronx. If I'm going to be ripped off it's going to be in either of those two places. I've had less problems shipping out of the country.