How does eBay calculate maximum cost for shipping label?

[danielhaven]

Let's say I have a situation where if I pick "You pay," they say my shipping label cost will be within the inclusive range of $9.55 to $17.10.

Now, I do believe that I have my shipping locations limited to US and territories only. If that's the case, the maximum number of miles my package should be able to go would be around 3,000, according to this.

If I'm in the far end corner of the East Coast, and I have to send this package to someone on the far end corner of the West Coast, is $17.50 the highest price my customer (or me, if I select the "You pay" option) would have to pay for the shipping label alone?

[nobody*s_perfect]

$9.55 - $17.10 is the RETAIL postage cost for domestic Priority Mail shipping. Your eBay postage label will cost less than that.  If you want the shipping calculator in your listings  to charge buyers the online eBay rate, you have to change your site preferences.

[varebelrose]

Its also not strictly related to distance, but also involved the... remoteness...(?) of some destinations. But either way, the buyer will se the rate based on both your and his zip codes.

[danielhaven]

Where in the site preferences would I go?

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@varebelrose wrote:

Its also not strictly related to distance, but also involved the... remoteness...(?) of some destinations. ....

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UPS and FedEx have a variety of surcharges, including something rural, but USPS goes strictly by Zone. If you're shipping from the east coast to California, then your buyer will pay the Zone 8 rate, regardless of whether they live in Beverly Hills or miles out in a remote desert ranch.

[nobody*s_perfect · Accepted solution]

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@danielhaven wrote:

Where in the site preferences would I go?

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It's under "Share carrier discounts with buyers" here:

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

[chapeau-noir]

@danielhaven  Setting up shipping preferences.   How to set up calculated shipping in your listing.

Some informational videos on shipping.

You can use flat rate shipping (everything ships for the same price) or calculated shipping, which is nice if you have variable weight items. Calculated shipping as above can be set up in the listing itself with the box/package parameters and weight - that way depending on what zone people are in, they'll see the shipping to their zip code.

[buyselljack2016]

@danielhaven 

Just note before you change it........................  once you do..................  the buyer will pay you less for shipping on that item as they are paying "your cost".  While that seems like a nice thing to do....................  keep in mind that eBay will be charging "YOU" an fvf (most categories 12.9%) on the amount the buyer paid you for shipping, so in essence............  you will lose money on the shipping when those fees are factored in.

Some seller leave buyer paying at "Retail" using the difference to cover some selling fees.

[slippinjimmy]

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@danielhaven wrote:

Now, I do believe that I have my shipping locations limited to US and territories only. If that's the case, the maximum number of miles my package should be able to go would be around 3,000, according to this.

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Territories......the Marshall Islands are 8,000 miles from NYC

[nobody*s_perfect]

A few years ago, USPS invented a "Zone 9" which includes a few Pacific islands which consider themselves to be independent nations but which piggyback onto USPS postal services, probably because they're too tiny to operate their own.  Zone 9 includes Palau, Federated States of Micronesia, and the Marshall Islands, which are technically separate countries which use the USPS postal system, probably because they are too tiny to operate their own.   The Northern Marianas are Zone 8, along with Guam and American Samoa.  (Google says that the distance from New York to Guam is 7,942 miles.)

I have never seen any post in which shipping to Zone 9 is an issue, despite the postage cost being significantly higher than Zone 8 pricing for some services.  Perhaps this is because it's very rare for a seller who offers free or flat rate shipping to have a sale which goes there: the total population is about the same as Indianapolis. Or maybe they're not interested in eBay stuff.

Perhaps because it's such a tiny market, Zone 9 is not included in eBay's shipping estimates.  The retail postage cost for 2 pounds via Priority Mail (i.e., from your example above)  is $17.10 to Zone 8, and $31.75 to Zone 9.

[varebelrose]

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@nobody*s_perfect wrote:

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@varebelrose wrote:

Its also not strictly related to distance, but also involved the... remoteness...(?) of some destinations. ....

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UPS and FedEx have a variety of surcharges, including something rural, but USPS goes strictly by Zone. If you're shipping from the east coast to California, then your buyer will pay the Zone 8 rate, regardless of whether they live in Beverly Hills or miles out in a remote desert ranch.

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I am definitely not going to pretend to be an expert, nor up to date, but I remember USPS Priority costing waaaay more for a podunk address in the middle of nowhere Texas than to major West Coast cities, from my Virginia zip. Maybe I misremember.....