eBay

lovecraft68 · ‎01-31-2025

I combine shipping. I say in my auctions to add items to the cart and request an invoice. But it has only worked on rare occasions. I have people contacting me all the time its not allowing them to ask for an invoice.

I have contacted E-bay three times in the last year over this and keep getting told "It should work now" and it doesn't. I end up asking people to pay for the auctions individually and I'll refund them the excess shipping right away.

Most have done it, but how many people are trying to get a request in, giving up and just buying from someone else (Going to mention that none of the large sellers have any issue at all, shocking, right?) yesterday someone told me they had 13 books in the cart and couldn't combine. No one is paying 13 x shipping upfront, I don't blame them. I did try, but they never responded, so I just lost a decent sale over this, and again, how many am I losing I'm not aware of.

Now, this time someone at e-bay said that because the books are discounted, they can't be combined. But added the words "I'm pretty sure" which is something anyone off the street could tell me. That and this was an issue even when I'm not discounting. But....I went looking at several big comic sellers I've bookmarked and lo and behold even when they have discounts I can request a total.

I'm past frustrated because I just picked up 1500 books I'm beginning to list and many are from the same titles so this is the ideal case where someone may want to grab a few....but apparently can't.

Is there anyone here who may know an answer to how I can get this to work?

Thank you

johnrj1226 · ‎01-31-2025

My SWAG says stuff in an My Cart has yet to be paid for by the buyer. It is not yet a sale. Once it is paid for an invoice can be sent. Some times who ever you talked to will give you an answer to blow you off. When I sold never used the auction format. But on occasions have combined multiple items into one shipping box to save shipping expenses. Was able to do so but only if the buyer had not payed, Had one buyer that initially bought one item and then added 7 more items to a Regional B Priority Box as we talked on the phone - another lucky day. But I believe in this old adage very much - Where there is a will there is a way.

"I have the right to remain silent but I didn't have the ability." Ron White, Fritch, Texas
"Stay away from negative people, they have a problem for every solution." A. Einstein
"The Devil made me do it!" - Flip Wilson
"If the band can only play loud - they ain't no good - peps too!" J.R. Johnson

lovecraft68 · ‎01-31-2025

Thanks for the quick response, but not sure I'm understanding.

The buyer has not paid yet because the point of requesting an invoice is for the seller to put a combined shipping rate in and make it one sale rather than them buying multiple items, paying shipping on each and hoping the seller will send some money back

I've had a few do that, and once in a blue moon someone is able to request a total, but mostly the feaure is hit or miss. I think I talked to a couple of the people who blow you off, only one person seemed to be trying to be helpful.

johnrj1226 · ‎01-31-2025

For one I never sent the buyer back any money for shipping. Had one item with a a ship/handling charge and adjust the for shipping to zero on the other one and used the same tracking number for all the others.. Haven't sold for 4 years maybe things have changed but I could adjust before the buyer paid, after they paid not. Basically I just worked around the system while I was communicating with the buyer on the phone or via eBay messages. It was easy to do and both the buyer and moi were happy. Also there was no cart involved. Exact detail are foggy now but it worked.well for all.

"I have the right to remain silent but I didn't have the ability." Ron White, Fritch, Texas
"Stay away from negative people, they have a problem for every solution." A. Einstein
"The Devil made me do it!" - Flip Wilson
"If the band can only play loud - they ain't no good - peps too!" J.R. Johnson

ittybitnot · ‎01-31-2025

@lovecraft68

These are your first line combined shipping killers:

https://www.ebay.com/bmgt/buyerrequirements

Buyer Rules:

*Require buyers to provide a payment method before they place a bid.

*Require buyers to provide a payment method before they make an offer.

You can turn these off. You will then be able to send a combined invoice to a buyer who wins multiple auctions, or has made offers to you for more than one product that you then accept. Otherwise, buyers will be automatically billed separately for each auction win, or offer they made to you that is accepted.

Users that use the app may not be able to request a total from the cart. Using the cart has its own list of issues as well even if the request total button is present.

Be advised that if you SEND offers to buyers, or accept counter offers, eBay has changed the way these work. Unlike the "buyer rules" listed above, this change is forced on everyone whether they want it or not. Offers you send and any counter offer you accept require a buyer to pay for each separately and full price. Buyers no longer have an "accept" feature that allows them to get an invoice/combined shipping for these. These will remain for sale until somebody buys them.

lovecraft68 · ‎01-31-2025

Oh, wow, thank you. I'll do that then have a friend try to put things in their cart and ask for a total.

Interesting no one from E-bay mentioned this to me.

I'll let you know how it works out once I get home this afternoon

lovecraft68 · ‎01-31-2025

Right, I found a way around by checking off local pick up on all but one auction and that worked. I'm just trying to figure out how to make the cart work the way its intended

Thanks for the help

ittybitnot · ‎01-31-2025

then have a friend try to put things in their cart and ask for a total.

@lovecraft68

Not that good of a plan. Your "friend" will have to 'commit' to buy what is in the cart. Then request to cancel. The cart may not work either if at least ONE of the items

is already on sale

is already paid for

is of a different shipping class

etc.

There is a long list, but I will have to find it.

Basically, eBay makes more money if items are not combined. Ten items that are paid separately costs the seller ten non-refundable transaction fees (30 or 40 cents each) as opposed to ONE for a combined order. eBay gets to have more items to add for their GMV count.

Be sure to select in your shipping preferences to "Allow combined shipping and payments" in general. It is found on this page:

https://www.ebay.com/ship/prf

lovecraft68 · ‎01-31-2025

Thanks for the tip, but my friend will pay for them to make it a legit purchase and I'll square up with them later and e-bay will get their fees which is all they pretty much care about, as you said.

But you mentioning already on sale may be the issue, because all my books are currently discounted except for my newest listings, so if the person from E-bay was right about that, I'm still screwed.

But at least I can check off what you said and it will work when things are no longer discounted

deltilogical · ‎01-31-2025

Are they using a cell phone or a computer? You can't do it from a cell phone on the app.

Are these auctions or BINs?

is their Java activated?

I believe the button for BINs after saving to the cart is Request Total. Buyers seem to be confused by this-I don't think it is their fault, the page is not intuitive and they are looking for something referencing an invoice. If auctions you can send from your awaiting payment page. But as the other sellers note, if you have immediate payment, they can't do this.