>>eBay cannot do this, but you can set up a custom domestic shipping table for this listing to accommodate your situation.
A clever way to approach the issue - never thought of leveraging rate tables that way.
However, it has problems, and isn't a one size fits all solution due to the limitations of rate tables:
- rate tables are organized by states, parts of states, and cities while shipping costs are aligned by zones
- A lot of manual labor calculating costs involved to fill out flat charges for 4 pkgs to 7 or 8 zones (actually might be far more than 4*7=28 rate lookups due to the lack of alignment mentioned in point #1)
- Minimum of 7 unique rate tables per listing have to be set up (one for each zone 2-8)
As you can see from the Sacramento, CA centric zone map below, zone 8 would work out sort of ok by state lines, and some of the others, but zones 1,2,3,4 are trickier with no real way to delineate zone 1 from 2, from 3, etc. even using the rate table California (Bay Area) California (LA Area) California (North) California (South)
subchoices (many other states don't have those subdivisions).
However, differences in shipping costs for nearby zones are smaller and maybe not as worrisome.
Most destinations could be nailed down , but some edge case that Murphy's law says will pop up will occur (the zone 1,2,3 mentioned, Texas which spans 3 zones, etc)
Another angle utilizing the rate tables might be a hybrid approach using rate tables for variable handling fees (the "surcharge" function of rate tables along with my "fudging" approach using fake weights and dimensions in the listing. Again, very labor intensive, and just a brute force approximation, but might work in some cases.
The problem with all of these approaches is that they aren't "templatable" - every listing with different weights, dimensions, number of packages solution has to be reworked from the start with new calculations, rate lookups, etc. A lot of work.
For cases where seller is willing to take a hit or overcharge on shipping a bit (along the lines of sellers who charge flat rate shipping as standard MO) it could be an ok approach (as long as the extreme cases don't result in $250 differences.)
In general, a seller who wants to try these approaches to setting up a listing to charge a close to correct shipping amount for a multiple packages needs to:
- get a copy of the zone map centered on their location zip code to use for reference:
https://apps.endicia.com/apps/zonemap
https://www.fitshipper.com/freeTools/usps-zone-calculator.html - a USPS Zone Chart for good measure: https://postcalc.usps.com/DomesticZoneChart#zone-chart-2
- maybe a US Map showing some cities to use for "fringe location" calculations.
- use the eBay estimating calculator over and over for the 8 zones to get flat shipping rates to be entered in the rate tables (or to use for the "fudging" method - using a "fake" composite weight and dimensions along with handling fees).
- Will probably also need to use google and the USPS zone chart to get zip codes for "fringe locations" along the zone map zone lines to use in the eBay calculator to get rates where a decision on what to charge needs to be made. Depends on how accurate seller wants to try to be.
Then again, worst case base rate variations for FedEx Ground/Home Delivery for a one zone difference at high weights are about $10 max. That would be PER PACKAGE in the listing, but still not terrible.
An example: If a seller in Sacramento used the basic rate table approach with flat rate shipping amounts inserted in the tables for a 4 pkg listing where billable weight per pkg (greater of actual or dimensional) was 100lb (flat rates computed and inserted in the tables for the sum of 4 100lb pkgs), and seller set it up with Texas split across 2 tables (East, Houston and South in Z7, West in Z6), there could be some misses for far West Texas which is zone5, or in the middle and north where a particular zip might be on either side of the rate table line.
a buyer in Texas purchased the item (see the map that shows that Texas spans 3 zones),
If the buyer was in far West Texas he'd be charged for 4 zone 6 pkgs that really should be zone 5, and would overpay by roughly $25-35 on a roughly $250 total shipping charge. If buyer was in the middle of Texas, his zip might fall in the actual zone 7, but in the rate table z6, and seller would pay approx $20-30 too much over what the buyer was charged. (there is an oddity with FedEx and USPS where the rate difference for the jump from z5 to z6 is larger than for z6 to z7)
Those numbers are very, very rough based on base rates and fudging a bit of the eBay discount in, but in the ballpark. Not really too bad for a $250-$350 total shipping amount situation, so might actually be workable if a seller wants to put in the effort required to set up the 7 tables, and generate the flat rate amounts for them.
I said above that this approach can't be "templated". It occurs to me that that is only partially true. Once the structure of the 7 tables is set up with the states, regions, and cities in their proper zone tables for a given seller's home location, that stays constant. Those tables can be reused over and over with different flat rate amounts in them for different listings that have different weights, dimensions, and number of pkgs. However, a set of tables can only be used for one listing at a time (unless weight, dimensions, number of pkgs and therefore the flat rate charges needed are the same).
Also note that USPS zones are slightly different than FedEx zones (and possibly UPS zones), so there could be some minor issues with that. That zone map above is a 2016 USPS zone map, and may not be a perfect fit for a FedEx zone map, but probably close enough.
Territories, USPS zone 9, FedEx shipping to Alaska/Hawaii are an added complication. Alaska/Hawaii are z8 for USPS for most locations, but with USPS some territories fall into zone 9 and rate tables can't differentiate which ones do. FedEx to Alaska/Hawaii is just ugly and needs to be treated with caution. Might be a good idea for anyone doing this to add exclusions for territories for Alaska/Hawaii, and/or territories, depending on the carrier FedEx vs USPS), and home location.
(hope I didn't miss anything obvious that negates my assertions here 🙂
