eBay

reclick · ‎04-03-2025

I am trying to give a potential buyer a good estimate for shipping an item weighing approx. 25 1bs in a box approx. 18x18x18 inches. The pkg needs to go from TX to PA.

Currently, the item is listed as local pickup only and has some watchers, so I can't add shipping options to the item to get a good estimate for this person. So I just plugged my info into the shipping calculator and got back a bunch of prices ranging from $8-$280. The lowest price is for shipping in a USPS flat rate envelope - obviously there is no way my item will fit in a flat envelope nor in any of the flat rate boxes nor can it ship media mail. (all of these options were provided with pricing)

So my question/comment is why in the world does the calculator return prices on options I clearly can't use. And how do I tell (without researching every other option) which shipping option(s) and price(s) are relevant?

Thanks for your help!

P.S. (I did send the buyer a range estimate but made it very clear that it was just my best guess and not guaranteed.)

lakefor94 · ‎04-03-2025

I will cut to the info you need.

I would be looking at UPS Ground or UPS Ground Saver for that shipment.

Posting ID

monica-sells · ‎04-03-2025

whenever I need to ship "larger than normal" items, I always check pirateship.com.

It's free to use, it integrates with your ebay account, and is sometimes cheaper than ebay shipping.

Here is the results for your inquiry. (Dallas to Philly)

as a side note:

There are no "approximates" in shipping. It is either 18" or under....if it's over it's 19"

with cubic pricing, an inch can be a LOT of money

nobody*s_perfect · ‎04-03-2025

@reclick wrote: ... has some watchers, so I can't add shipping options to the item to get a good estimate for this person. ...

So my question/comment is why in the world does the calculator return prices on options I clearly can't use. And how do I tell (without researching every other option) which shipping option(s) and price(s) are relevant? ...

You seem to be already aware of which options aren't available for eBay shipping labels for this item (MM, First Class, Priority flat rate packaging), so the quick answer is that the rest of them ARE available. If you have the potential buyer's ZIP Code, plug that into the eBay shipping calculator along with your package weight and dimensions.

I don't know why eBay includes those irrelevant shipping options. Maybe sometimes they ARE relevant if the seller adjusts their package dimensions, so eBay includes them for reference?

By the way, there's no apparent reason why you can't revise the listing's shipping section. Watchers do not block revisions; only active offers/counter offers, and auction bids, will block the seller from revising the shipping section. And I'm not 100% sure that even those would bock the seller from adding options.

ryry-jj · ‎04-03-2025

I am going to assume the box is 18 cube, so I would calculate based on a 19 x 19 x 19 box and round your weight up for Ground Advantage. Also check the cost calculator at USPS web site as well. I'm sure you know, there is no "good estimate", there is only the actual cost...and then add a buck or two to that...or three...