Shipping calculator is not combining the dimensions in multiple items order!

[sustainableitad]

 The shipping calculator is combining the weight of the items but left the dimensions of the box as is.  This indicated that multiple items would fit in the size box meant for one item and resulted in the buyer being charged less money than required to ship all the items.  This is happening for all my listings. 
-- I did call ebay 5 times, all i get is we created a ticket and will get back to you, this has been going on for months now --

My question is how to avoid this situation in the future.  How do I make a listing so that the shipping charge for multiple items is correct?

[wastingtime101]

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@sustainableitad wrote:

My question is how to avoid this situation in the future.  How do I make a listing so that the shipping charge for multiple items is correct?

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You've figured out the hard way, you cannot account for different package sizes based on quantity purchased when you offer combined shipping by weight.

I notice you are charging online discounted rates to buyers. This is part of the problem. Since eBay launched cubic rates, which is calculated on package size, offering online discounts means you'll be undercharging buyers when box size increases.

Ways to avoid this:

1. Charge buyers retail rates. You could also set a % off retail discount. As long as you charge online discounted rates you are losing money on every single package, regardless of size, because you pay fees on that ship cost.

2. Keep charging discounted rates but add a handling fee to cover the losses.

3. Keep charging discounted rates but change your box size on every listing to 12x12x12 to avoid charging buyers cubic rates. This will really screw up ship costs for international buyers if you use eBay International Shipping so I don't suggest it if you plan to ship internationally.

4. On your buyer management page, restrict the number of items a buyer can purchase in a 10 day period. I don't suggest this as you'd be limiting sales for something you can control in other ways.

Control carrier discounts on this page:

https://www.ebay.com/ship/prf

[babclassics]

"  3. Keep charging discounted rates but change your box size on every listing to 12x12x12 to avoid charging buyers cubic rates. This will really screw up ship costs for international buyers if you use eBay International Shipping so I don't suggest it if you plan to ship internationally. "

I read this part of your answer with interest and hope you have more details.  I just sold combined shipping order with 3 variation items from the same listing shipped by EIS with (my) free shipping.  The box is specified and 7x5x3 inches and 7 ounces.

The buyer was charged for EIS shipping to the EU based on a single 7x5x3 box with a weight of 1 lb, 5oz, weight is correctly summed.  But they left the box size alone.  Box will be more like 13 x 9 x 3 which for sure costs more for USPS label in US (which is fine). But no idea about what that means for EIS shipping with pre-paid VAT?

No idea what EIS in Chicago will do when they get that larger box?  Will they bill me?  Or the buyer an upcharge?  This is not the buyers problem.  Can not find any info at all regarding EIS and this situation but it sounds like you might have insight?

Sorry for replying to an over 1 year thread but it was the most relevant.  And great non standard package post you wrote!

FOLLOW UP: Have now done tests creating a listing the actual size and weight of the combine package to be sent to EIS for shipment to EU country.  Looked at the shipping / VAT shown for destination country.  Even with the larger box and a heavier weight total  (13 x 10 x 3) 2 lb 7 ounces, the shipping / VAT shown is still less that they are showing the buyer was charged!   So it APPEARS that they are generating an even higher EIS shipping for buyer to pay than what the listing tool shows.  I have to increase box size to 12 x 9 x 7 and weight of 3 pounds to get the shipping calculator to show more than the buyer paid.  So..... who knows?

Would still like to know what happens if final shipping / vat comes out more that buyer paid what happens to the shipment?  I would prefer to be billed back to my account.  Not bill buyer and not return package to me.

[ryry-jj]

This is one of the drawbacks to having combined shipments.  I preferred to have customers place items in a cart and request invoice to get the actual shipping.  Doing so also allows you to charge correctly to cover all your fees even if giving the eBay discount

[lo492950]

This involves another one of eBay's scams.

Up until earlier this year combined shipping rates were calculated by adding the individual shipping rates of each item. So if each item of a multiple quantity listing was $10 then eBay would auto bill the customer for $20. Then the buyer would request a combined invoice or just pay and the seller would refund overpaid amounts.

Earlier this year they changed this method to adding the weights together. They did this without making an announcement or sending a message to alert sellers.

That was so the shipping rates on the items could appear smaller so buyer would be more likely to buy items.

But this great endangered eBay sellers as combining the weights do not account for the size of the package, which could be subject to dimensional rates resulting in the seller actually losing money.

But of course eBay could care less about that as eBay enjoys abusing and using its users as the peon eBay management thinks its users are.

So now you will have to go into your account and establish a new multiple quantity rule that states not to combine the weights.

Another scam by eBay demonstrating it should have its postal contract terminated until it makes changes to its sites to protect consumers rather than ripping them off.

[kh-sireesha]

Hi everyone,

Due to the age of this thread, it has been closed to further replies. Please feel free to start a new thread if you wish to continue to discuss this topic.

Thank you for understanding.