eBay

vinyl_freak · ‎08-17-2020

Hello! I am selling 28 items that are exactly the same in an auction. The buyer can buy 1 item or all of the items in one purchase. If the buyer wants to purchase only one item it would go first class mail. But, if the buyer buys 2 or more it needs to be priority mail. I can't find anywhere to have eBay automatically choose first-class mail for 1 item and automatically choose priority mail for 2 or more items. Also, I know I can have both mailing options on the page and tell the buyer that if they only want 1 item to pick first class mail and if they want 2 or more to pick priority mail. But, I know along the line at some time somebody is going to want to buy multiple items and still pick first class mail because it's going to be cheaper. I would like to avoid that whole situation.

Also, every item the buyer purchases is going to be a different package size and be a different weight. You would think eBay would know this. If a buyer purchases only one of the items the package is going to be smaller than somebody that purchases 10 of the items. I tried to do the calculated shipping, but you can't have multiple sizes. There was only one size you could fill in. That does me no good.

And last, how does it calculate different priority mail zones around the country. If I don't put enough shipping for the extra items, I'm going to lose money on the shipping if one zone is a lot more expensive than the other. Or, I would be charging too much for someone that lives in a zone that is not as expensive as the other zones.

Has anybody come across this? Does anybody know an answer to this? I really need some help.

Thank you!

disneyshopper · ‎08-18-2020

Create all of your listings using Calculated Shipping, entering the weight of the packaged item, dimensions of the package, method of shipping.

Then create a RULE for combined shipping. The rule I chose was to COMBINE all the weights. This works if all the items are shipped first class package or priority, but ebay doesn't do very well if one item ships first class package and another ships priority, but I haven't been stung too badly.

To create your RULE, go to My ebay > Summary > Account > Site preferences > Shipping preferences

disneyshopper
Volunteer Community Member

pa_38276095 · ‎08-18-2020

If you are going to bake the cost of shipping into the price of the item then you'll need to charge the maximum possible cost (the rate for the highest shipping zone). Items with free shipping result in higher prices verses calculated shipping. That is why eBay promotes free shipping - it means a higher commission for them. Free shipping is not a better deal for buyers!

Then of course you also have Priority Mail Cubic rate which eBay does not offer, but eBay shipping label provider Pirateship does.

https://www.pirateship.com/rates

List 14 lots of two units each with calculated shipping. If a buyer purchases multiple quantities of two then combine them into one box. Issue a refund to the buyer for any significant overage on shipping keeping in mind you had to pay a eBay & PayPal fee on that shipping.

+Total shipping paid by buyer

-eBay fee (10-12% + /-)

-PayPal fee (2.9% +/-)

-Amount paid for combined label

=

Refund to buyer

This will present the easiest solution for the buyer - i.e, they don't have to think.

Alternatively print your labels from Pirateship.

Show customers the retail rate in your eBay settings while you pay commercial rates. The different will help offset eBay and PayPal's fees on the shipping.

LOL, eBay can't even figure out after 25 years that its beneficial to list books in categories related to the book verses a book category thus eBay will show a warning about using media mail in non book categories. Don't count on eBay for anything - they are incompetent!