How to Negotiate Shipping during Live Auction?

[mizliz1984]

I'm brand new to selling on ebay, so thanks for helping me out!

I have an auction ending tonight, and a customer reached out asking if I could negotiate a lower shipping rate.  Because it was my first listing, I chose the option "recommended by ebay".  I'm looking up FedEx and Ground rates for her, but if I give her a lower shipping cost, how do I modify my listing to offer her the discounted rate?  Thanks in advance!

[nobody*s_perfect]

It is not possible to make changes in an auction that has less than 12 hours left.

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/listings/revising-listing?id=4356

If she wins the auction, you can send her an invoice with an adjusted shipping cost.  Meanwhile, if you look up a price, you can send her a message to let her know what you'd charge her on the revised invoice.

[7606dennis]

Is this an auction or a fixed price listing?

With regard to shipping I recommend that you always select the shipping method that gives you the best chance of getting the item to the buyer safely for the most reasonable cost.  This may not always be the cheapest, but it is your responsibility to get the item there safely.  If you took care when selecting the proper shipping method for the item, I would not negotiate a lower rate.

By the way, any negotiation should be carried out before the buyer places a bid or commits to buy, not after,