Shipping chart by weight is useless !

[speaknoevilrecords]

Hello,

We are a medium-sized seller of LP records based in Europe, and we are considering uploading our inventory to eBay Germany alongside another marketplace. However, based on our understanding of the Calculated Shipping feature, we find it to be inadequate, and we're surprised that eBay does not offer other options.

Currently, eBay only allows us to calculate shipping based on preset weight data or by item count. We prefer to calculate shipping by weight, as this aligns with our usual method. However, eBay's system only allows for an added price per additional kilogram, which is impractical for us.

Our items all weigh a preset value of 0.230g. Consequently, we cannot adjust shipping prices based on the quantity ordered. Moreover, eBay's system does not account for the weight of packing materials. Therefore, an order of eight items could realistically exceed 2kg due to packaging, resulting in higher expenses for us. This would force us to ensure that shipping fees do not cause our orders to operate at a loss.

Essentially, this means that the shipping fee for a 5-item order would be the same as that for a 12-item order is on our other marketplace, rendering eBay ineffective for our sales purposes.

We welcome any thoughts or corrections on this matter.

Best regards
Kasper 

[wastingtime101]

Hello and welcome. If you are going to be listing on eBay Germany you'll want to post your question over on:

https://community.ebay.de/

You're currently on the .com site and our shipping options here may be different @speaknoevilrecords .

[speaknoevilrecords]

I dont speak German and same rule applies to either site

[wastingtime101]

I can give you advice relative to the .com site, but it may not work on the .de site.

On the .com site you can set up combined shipping rules based on weight here:

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

Combined shipping does not factor in package size or packing materials - you need to do that yourself with the cost of the initial item listed.

On that same page you can set up rate tables if you prefer which is a flat rate option to different zones, and you can add a flat cost for each additional pound.

The options are limited, but there are some tools to work with.

[speaknoevilrecords]

Thank you for your response.

It's unfortunate to hear that eBay Germany operates with the same setup.

While your reply helped clarify that there are no other options available, it's also disappointing to learn that the platform lacks essential features like accounting for packing materials in weight calculations.

This limitation poses significant challenges for us, particularly concerning shipping costs. Many buyers tend to maximize their shipping rates, often ordering quantities that fall under specific weight thresholds.

However, our internal shipping rates with our courier are based on precise weight intervals, such as under 2kg, 5kg, and 10kg. As a result, we encounter difficulties when buyers reach these thresholds, especially if packing materials exceed the rates we've negotiated with our courier.

This makes it impossible to offer competitive pricing to buyers, particularly when the shipping price should technically apply to orders slightly over 2kg.

Alternatively, charging a price per item presents its own set of challenges. For instance, when customers include items in their orders that weigh less than our standard LPs, such as CDs or 7" singles, or when they purchase box sets that weigh significantly more, accurately pricing shipping becomes problematic.

In summary, the current calculated shipping system on eBay, whether based on weight or per item, presents significant obstacles to successful selling on the platform.

On a selling platform such as Discogs ( LP marketplace ) it's possible to setup our own shipping chart based on customised ranges such as 0-250g ( price ) ( one record order ) 251-750g ( price ) ( three record order ) and so on. 

im curious how thousands of Ebay selling are dealing with this issue. 

Best regards

Kasper