How to Combine Shipping on eBay: A Simple Guide
Want to boost sales and satisfy your eBay customers? Consider offering combined shipping! This feature lets you ship multiple purchases to the same buyer in one package at a discounted rate. Here’s what you need to know to set it up and make it work for your listings.
Offering combined shipping has numerous benefits – it helps reduce costs for both you and your buyers, streamlines the fulfillment process, and provides an incentive for shoppers to make multi-item purchases from your store. Let’s dive into the details.
What is Combined Shipping on eBay?
Combined shipping, also known as shipping discounts or bundled shipping, refers to the ability to ship multiple items purchased by the same buyer in a single package at a reduced shipping rate. Instead of paying separate shipping fees for each product, the buyer only has to pay one discounted fee for the entire shipment.
eBay provides two options for sellers to offer combined shipping:
- Automatic Combined Rates: You can set up shipping rules in your account to automatically calculate and display discounted shipping rates when a buyer adds multiple items to their cart.
- Manual Invoicing: If you prefer more control, you can manually create and send a revised invoice with the combined shipping cost after a buyer’s purchase.
Many sellers choose the automatic option as it requires less effort and provides buyers with the combined rate upfront during checkout.
Why Offer Combined Shipping on eBay?
There are several compelling reasons for eBay sellers to take advantage of the combined shipping feature:
Encourage More Sales and Multi-Item Purchases
Shoppers are more likely to add multiple items to their cart when they know shipping costs will be discounted. Offering combined rates incentivizes larger orders from each customer.
Provide a Better Customer Experience
Paying separate shipping fees for each item can quickly add up and deter buyers. Combining shipping not only saves them money but simplifies the purchasing process by consolidating shipments.
Reduce Your Own Shipping Costs
As a seller, you’ll save on postage and packaging materials by shipping multiple items together. The discounts you pass on to buyers can be offset by your own cost savings.
Gain a Competitive Advantage
Buyers often compare listings and total costs across multiple sellers. Offering combined shipping rates can give your products a competitive edge and attract more conversions.
Streamline Order Fulfillment
Instead of processing and shipping each order individually, you can conveniently package and ship multiple purchases in one go. This saves you valuable time and effort.
How to Enable Automatic Combined Shipping on eBay?
If you want to provide automatic combined shipping rates upfront, you’ll need to enable this setting and set up shipping rules in your eBay account. Here’s how:
Enable Combined Payments
- Go to the “Combined payments and shipping discounts” section under Account > Site Preferences > Shipping Preferences.
- Click “Edit” next to “Allow combined payments and shipping.”
- Check the box to “Allow buyers to send one combined payment for all items purchased.”
- Select the desired time period for combined purchases (3, 5, 7, 14, or 30 days).
- Click “Save.”
Create Shipping Rules
With combined payments enabled, you can now set up flat rate or calculated shipping rules to determine the discounted rates:
Flat Rate Rules
- Under “Combined shipping discounts,” click “Create” next to “Flat shipping rules.”
- Set a base shipping cost for the first item.
- Add a flat rate for each additional item (e.g., $3.99 for first item, $0.99 for each extra item).
Calculated Rules
- Click “Create” next to “Calculated shipping rules.”
- Choose whether to charge for the combined weight or combined weight with a discount.
- Specify any packaging details to factor into the calculation.
With automatic rules in place, your listings will display the discounted combined shipping rates to prospective buyers during checkout.
Manually Combining Shipping for Individual Orders
Some sellers prefer more control and choose to combine shipping on a case-by-case basis. If you didn’t enable automatic combined rates, here’s how to manually invoice buyers:
Check “Combine Orders”
- From your eBay dashboard, go to the “Sold” section and locate the buyer’s multiple orders.
- Check the box next to each order you want to combine into one shipment.
- Click “Send Invoice” at the top.
Create Revised Invoice
- On the revised invoice page, adjust the shipping cost field to your desired combined rate.
- Double-check that the correct items are included from each separate order.
- Add an optional message explaining the shipping discount.
- Review and send the new invoice to the buyer.
Allow Buyers to Request Combined Rates
If you don’t set up automatic rules, buyers can still request a combined shipping quote:
- From their eBay cart, the buyer clicks “Request total from seller.”
- You’ll receive a notification about the request.
- Create and send a revised invoice with the bundled shipping cost.
This method allows you to review orders before revising shipping fees, giving you flexibility.
Tips for Offering Combined Shipping on eBay
To provide a seamless combined shipping experience on eBay:
Refund Excess Shipping Charges
If buyers paid separate shipping fees before you combined their orders, be sure to issue a partial refund for the overpaid shipping amount.
Clearly State Your Policy
Update your eBay shipping policies and listing descriptions to indicate if/how you offer combined shipping discounts. Managing expectations upfront prevents confusion.
Use Shipping Software
Automating processes like invoicing, refunds, and tracking can streamline your combined shipping workflow. Look into third-party shipping solutions.
Promote as Incentive
Highlight your combined shipping offer in marketing campaigns and product listings. It can persuade buyers interested in multiple items from your store.
Potential Drawbacks of Combined Shipping
While combined shipping offers many benefits, there are a few potential downsides to consider:
Not Ideal for All Product
Shipping multiple fragile, oversized, or hazardous items together may not be feasible. You’ll need to evaluate which products you can reasonably combine.
Complex with Distributed Inventory
If your inventory is stored across multiple warehouses, combining orders and optimizing shipments becomes more complicated logistically.
Managing Expectations
You’ll need to clearly set policies to avoid situations where buyers expect combined rates in ineligible circumstances.
As long as you account for these potential limitations and set proper guidelines, the advantages of offering combined shipping generally outweigh the drawbacks for most eBay sellers.
In Summary..
Providing combined shipping is a smart way for eBay sellers to attract more buyers, boost sales, and deliver an better overall customer experience. By shipping multiple buyer purchases together at a discounted rate, you’ll save on fulfillment costs while simultaneously incentivizing customers to buy more products from your store.
Whether you configure automatic combined rates during checkout or manually revise shipping fees after each order, clearly communicating your policy and using the proper tools can streamline the entire process. With the right approach, combined shipping is a win-win that benefits both sellers and buyers on the eBay marketplace.
