To be clear, I already figured out the combined shipping thing but that isn't what my issue is.
I sell diesel truck parts. When I list an item, I calculate the cost and shipping for that one item, since it can vary greatly with distance + weight. I match it up to the cheapest and best fitting shipping container and use that as the shipping method. My items vary greatly in size and shape, so I can't always choose USPS flat rate boxes since the parts just don't fit in them (often the cheapest shipping method). Sometimes I have to use UPS and sometimes FedEx is the cheapest. If the item cannot be shipped via flat rate methods, the shipping costs can vary from $10-20 depending on which coast it's going to (something I won't know until a buyer purchases something). I try to adjust the price to compensate for the gap, but that really isn't the issue.
The issue comes from when I have say 12 of an item. One of them can fit into a small flat rate and that is the option I choose to list with. My problem comes when a buyer orders more than one. If they buy two, Ebay will charge them twice for each item (2 small flat rate boxes). I know I can set the shipping to flat rate and manually enter the cost for one + additionals, but that doesn't really work out either. For my example item, up to 3 can fit in a 7x7x7 priority mail box, with an additional cost from 3x the weight, but there is absolutely no option or anything that I can find to set something like this up. I've already been burned a few times because of this, and since a seller can't change shipping options after a buyer has paid for an item when you're on the label printing screen (sometimes you can if you offer free shipping). Even if it's free it sometimes won't let me change from the small flat rate to a medium flat rate to fit 3 items instead of 1.
I hope I'm explaining this correctly. I don't have a problem with buyers ordering multiples of items and getting them on a combined shipping form, I have a problem with setting up shipping in case buyers order more than 1 of an item. I've read about a convoluted way to help alleviate this with flat rate + additional settings, but I don't really think that will work with the type of items I sell. Is there anything else I can try or do to try and get Ebay to cooperate with me? How hard would it be to add an option that allows the packaging type to change based on how many are ordered? I've created webpages from scratch and I don't think it would be that hard, simple 'if-then' programming. "If 1 purchased, use X shipping method. If 2-3 purchased, use XX shipping method. If 4-8 purchased, use XXX method." Super simple, but it probably can't be monetized as easy so that's why they don't do it?
