confused on multiple box shipping quote and how to set it up?

[stackz]

so I have a set of 4 wheels I want to ship.  they will each ship in their own box just because the boxes are 22"x22"x12" and 35lb each (4x 18" wheels).  obviously taping them all together to form one huge box just will not work.

how do I properly set up buyer calculated shipping for this?  I watched this video:

multi-box shipping video 

but it seems like they may have offered free shipping and then just priority mail flat rate boxes so they factored in the shipping cost most likely in their listing price. 

that will not be my case and I dont want to eat almost $200 in shipping...because it always happens...someone in Oregon will buy the wheels and here I am in South Carolina eating cross-country shipping costs hah.

I dont want to split the item count into 4 because then someone will likely buy just ONE of the wheels and then demand the one without curb rash or something stupid which I dont want to deal with either.

I have never tried to sell/ship something this large and in multiple boxes before in my long time on ebay and everything I read just confuses me more.  

help!

[kensgiftshop]

You can't do calculated shipping on multiple boxes.

Better to do local pick up.

You would have to see how much it'll cost to ship each box, then charge a flat rate.

[monica-sells]

(just thinking out loud....)

Besides looking into "freight" a hack that might work (but not if you want to sell all four as a set for sure)....

If you setup the listing with an inventory of 4, and each individual shipping (58 bucks or so according to a calculator I looked at) then you would receive 4 X 58 bucks for shipping when the buyer selects all 4

The obvious problem is if a buyer buys only 2...does that ruin your ability to sell these if you are left with 2? (or worse buys 3 and left with 1)

[ebooksdiva]

It's best to list bulky heavy items such as tires, as local pick up only to avoid shipping confusion and headaches. 

[toysaver]

"I dont want to split the item count into 4 because then someone will likely buy just ONE of the wheels and then demand the one without curb rash or something stupid which I dont want to deal with either."

Just claim they all have curb rash...   but really not worth the price to ship.  

[wheelworkzmurfreesboro]

I've shipped wheels for 13 yrs on Ebay. I list them as a set of 4 and set a fixed shipping cost. My labels from eBay generally run from $28-$45 each depending on the distance.

[stackz]

how do you set it up? here's my thought:

take one box and weigh/measure it, then use the ebay shipping calculator and for me I use a zip code like portland or (97035) or similar.  calculate the shipping.  then I guess multiply it by 4 and use that as the flat rate shipping.  

I guess once it sells, I would just print 4 shipping labels based off this flat rate total shipping.  it should come close I would think?  does this sound feasible?

[sextons-sweet-deals]

The weight and dims of each wheel will be very costly these days. Have you calculated safe packing material costs and labels in your shipping fees? FedEx and UPS are known to toss things around and cause damage, let alone coming back to eBay to get additional shipping fees from sellers. 

I agree with others with pick-up only and buyer pays then in person. Then you can mark listing as picked up. 

Does your potential look solid? Profile / feedback / location? Some buyers are known to play the game of paying for heavy items and then turn around an open a case to force the seller's next move. Doe you issue return labels (your cost). Will you actually get the same wheels back? You might not get anything back. Buyer might just ship 4 small boxes or envelopes to another address. Once scanned as delivered. eBay AI bots will automatically refund the buyer.

[wheelworkzmurfreesboro]

My career is selling/shipping wheels. You do have to pack it well. I also receive wheels in daily with no damage. It will work if packed correctly. Might as well use marketplace if your gonna exclude the rest of the US from being able to purchase.

[stackz]

I have had them on marketplace for a while.  just trying to expand exposure for them.  I dont want to exclude the rest of the US but it seems like that may be what has to happen if I cant figure out a way not to get shafted on shipping.  I was simply going to ship them in the boxes my new wheels came in.  I figure if wheels were shipped fine in them once, why not twice.