One item needs to ship in 2 packages. Is that possible? How to set up the listing?

[poppyswag]

Want to ship the glass parts separately from the cast iron parts of a chandelier. How will I be able to get 2 tracking numbers to ship the item? I think I did this a long time ago but can't remember.

[tiramisu41]

---

@poppyswag wrote:

Want to ship the glass parts separately from the cast iron parts of a chandelier. How will I be able to get 2 tracking numbers to ship the item? I think I did this a long time ago but can't remember.

---

@poppyswag, you don't have to set up your listing any other special way except to put in the measurements of one of the boxes and a weight that will be representative of what the two boxes will weigh in total once packed.  That way, the postage cost will be calculated correctly for the buyer upon purchase.

Then when the item sells and you go to prepare it for shipment and purchase your labels, weigh the first box.  Buy the label.  The Tracking # will automatically be put into the transaction if you bought the labels via eBay.  Then, what I do is pack up the second box, go over to PayPal (www.paypal.com/shipnow), and purchase/print out a second label there.

Then, go back into your "Solds," and find the transaction. You can manually add a second Tracking # to the transaction by going to the Tracking # field and clicking on "Edit" which will bring up another screen.   Over to the right-hand side of the screen are the words "Add Another."  Click on that and you can enter a second, third, or how ever many additional tracking numbers are appropriate for that transaction.  That's it!

If I have to ship in more than one box, I usually send the buyer a note and inform them so they know what to expect.   I also usually write on the outside of each box:  "Box 1 of 2,"  "Box 2 of 2," etc. just to make it a little easier if both boxes don't show up, I/they know which one is missing/AWOL.    Hope this helps...

[poppyswag]

Thank you so much Livadia! That helps immensly and great instructions.

[lintbrush*]

You can actually buy both labels through eBay.  After you purchase the first, there will be an option to buy another label.

However, setting your listing up with the combined weight will not calculate properly.... unless the packages are strapped together and sent as one shipment.

A 25 lb box to Zone 5 costs $47.65  PriorityRetail

A 10 lb box to Zone 5 costs $25.95 

A 15 lb box to Zone 5 costs $35.65

[poppyswag]

Hmmm, thanks lintbrush. Good point. I added some handling, maybe need to add more. That 14 buck difference in your example is ouch! Maybe pad the weight a bit too, huh.

[tiramisu41]

---

@poppyswag wrote:

Hmmm, thanks lintbrush. Good point. I added some handling, maybe need to add more. That 14 buck difference in your example is ouch! Maybe pad the weight a bit too, huh.

---

@poppyswag, I just weigh the two separate boxes (packed), go to eBay's Shipping Calculator and figure out what the worst possible scenario would be which for me is shipping to the West Coast, and get the aggegate cost.  Then, I go to eBay's Shipping Calculator and fiddle with the weight a bit to come up with a single box shipping cost that is as close as possible to the number I came up with when calculating the cost of the two boxes separately.  That's the weight I put into the listing. 

I'm sure someone will be along shortly to beat me with a wet noodle and tell me how "I am doing it all wrong" but very, very rarely, has this approach not worked for me, but of course, up to you what you want to do and how to proceed.   But regardless, you will have no issue putting in more than one Tracking # on the transaction.  If anything, that's the asy part.  🙂

[poppyswag]

Sounds good to me. Glad you were around tonight.

[Anonymous]

I use calculated shipping and put in dimensions and weight for the first package. Then I figure out worst case scenario for the second package and put that number in as a handling cost. I usually restrict international sales on those items.

This is all assuming nothing is shipping in flat rate boxes and that shipping is too high to reasonably roll into the item price and offer "free" shipping.

[dtexley3]

---

@tiramisu41 wrote:

---

@poppyswag wrote:

Hmmm, thanks lintbrush. Good point. I added some handling, maybe need to add more. That 14 buck difference in your example is ouch! Maybe pad the weight a bit too, huh.

---

@poppyswag, I just weigh the two separate boxes (packed), go to eBay's Shipping Calculator and figure out what the worst possible scenario would be which for me is shipping to the West Coast, and get the aggegate cost.  Then, I go to eBay's Shipping Calculator and fiddle with the weight a bit to come up with a single box shipping cost that is as close as possible to the number I came up with when calculating the cost of the two boxes separately.  That's the weight I put into the listing. 

I'm sure someone will be along shortly to beat me with a wet noodle and tell me how "I am doing it all wrong" but very, very rarely, has this approach not worked for me, but of course, up to you what you want to do and how to proceed.   But regardless, you will have no issue putting in more than one Tracking # on the transaction.  If anything, that's the asy part.  🙂

---

This will work unless the dimensional weight of the second box exceeds the actual weight.

[monster-deals]

Within the listing & checkout intructions I include wording that states: "This item needs to ship in 2 boxes. You will be required to pay for a second box that is X" x X" x X" and weighs XXlbs. You will be invoiced for this after you have committed to the sale. Do not pay the automatic ebay invoice but wait for us to send one. If you do not wait you will only get the half of your order until the full shipping costs are paid"

Some of the time buyers are smart, some of the time they are not...but it's that way with everything on ebay.

[helloandgoodmorning]

@monster-deals, that is not enforcable.

[monster-deals]

Well ebay keeps backing me up.

Or I have been batting 1000 with CSRs the last few years....which is unlikely.

[helloandgoodmorning]

---

@monster-deals wrote:

Within the listing & checkout intructions I include wording that states: "This item needs to ship in 2 boxes. You will be required to pay for a second box that is X" x X" x X" and weighs XXlbs. You will be invoiced for this after you have committed to the sale. Do not pay the automatic ebay invoice but wait for us to send one. If you do not wait you will only get the half of your order until the full shipping costs are paid"

Some of the time buyers are smart, some of the time they are not...but it's that way with everything on ebay.

---

brian@ebay, this goes against eBay policy, correct?

[missjen831]

---

@helloandgoodmorning wrote:

---

@monster-deals wrote:

Within the listing & checkout intructions I include wording that states: "This item needs to ship in 2 boxes. You will be required to pay for a second box that is X" x X" x X" and weighs XXlbs. You will be invoiced for this after you have committed to the sale. Do not pay the automatic ebay invoice but wait for us to send one. If you do not wait you will only get the half of your order until the full shipping costs are paid"

Some of the time buyers are smart, some of the time they are not...but it's that way with everything on ebay.

---

brian@ebay, this goes against eBay policy, correct?

---

It’s against ebay policy. And I would hope that eBay is NOT backing him up either.