RVA Seller Circle

Shipping Strategy Check-In - How are you handling it?

Summary: In this discussion, eBay sellers share their various approaches to shipping strategies. Danielle Craun emphasizes offering free shipping by incorporating shipping costs into item prices and choosing carriers based on current rates. Other members, like Carolina C and Ken Kelly, also offer free shipping and prefer the cheapest carrier available, with no complaints from customers. Taylor S uses buyer-paid shipping but sticks to ground services unless otherwise requested. Jason Greer seeks advice on combined shipping issues, while Gabriela Morrison shares experiences with encouraging bulk purchases to offset shipping costs. The discussion is collaborative, with members like Danielle Craun offering additional support and guidance.

AI Summary

At last night's meetup, shipping came up again.

Some sellers

use calculated
use flat rate
switch carriers based on cost
add disclaimers in listings
stick with one service for consistency

What are you currently doing? Let's help each other!

I offer free shipping and build the estimated cost (including materials) into my listing price, based on rough weight and dimensions to the farthest zone (90210). I choose the carrier based on cost at the time of shipment. I may borrow Maggie’s disclaimer to help prevent future issues 💙

15 comments

Carolina C

2 months, 3 weeks ago

I offer free shipping too. I guesstimate the cost and include that into my listing price. I use whatever the cheapest shipping carrier I can get, either USPS, UPS, or Fed Ex. I have never had a customer complain about the carrier.

Taylor S

2 months, 3 weeks ago

Buyer paid shipping for me - I stick with ground advantage unless they specifically request a different service ahead of purchase (the odd priority or overnight request). The simpler, the better when you crosslist!

Ken Kelly

2 months, 3 weeks ago

Generally, I offer free shipping, it seems to give me better control of the costs. On a few items that are heavier, I'll use flat rate shipping. I'm like Carolina, try to use the least expensive carrier at the time and haven't heard any complaints about which one is used.

I missed Maggie's disclaimer - would you mind providing it , would love to see it. Thanks.

Update - found the disclaimer, it's great!

Diane Murphy

2 months, 3 weeks ago

I use calculated shipping / ground advantage for most everything. For larger items, I will sometimes use UPS. I also pass along my shipping discount to the customer, which helps lower their price and seems to help boost sales.

Jason Greer

2 months, 3 weeks ago

Help!!! I can't figure out how to do combined shipping. I Googled it and I feel like I have everything set up but when people buy multiple items it comes up with separate transactions.

Danielle Craun

2 months, 3 weeks ago

Go to your seller hub
Under orders - go to shipping labels
On the very top you should see a very small option for the bulk shipping tool

https://drive.google.com/file/d/14zXEFrTm23NxnTMuNjpduDPXlaBhkD2P/view?usp=sharing

This is a tutorial on how to get to the page. If you have multiple orders for the same buyer, it will give you the option to combine on the top left.

Let me know if this helps💙

Jason Greer

2 months, 3 weeks ago

Thanks for this.

I still need help. I'm moreso talking about the combined shipping when they are buying. So, before they purchase everything will be combined into one shipping. I just had 2 different sales and they put them in 1 cart but on my end they came in as separate orders with separate shipping.

Danielle Craun

2 months, 3 weeks ago

Jason, if you are able come to a virtual and maybe we can screen share and walk you through the process.

We have one tomorrow morning 8am-12pm ET and one Thursday evening 5pm to 9pm ET.

If neither of these work, feel free to contact me directly through the contact button on the RVA Seller Circle page.

eBay RVA Seller Circle | Seller Events

Gabriela Morrison

2 months, 3 weeks ago

Hello, new to this group, been an ebay seller over 20 years. I have 2 stores. My main one which offers free shipping "but try to build the shipping into the cost within reason" I try to encourages sales of buy 2 get a percentage off, buy 3 and get a better deal. Plus Ebay is happier with you that way as well. On my other smaller store, I only do free shipping for the hosiery and lingerie. "Soft lines" The rest is the buyer pays discounted shipping. You have to realize on my main store I sell socks and that allows me to do USPS ground advantage. UPS charges too much, and now I have USPS pick up my shipping from the house. I log into USPS and schedule shipping on the normal mail route. I seem to be getting delivery status notices with less tracking issues due to doing that. Mind you I have to look at my orders late in the evening and do my request by midnight so I don't loose the 24 hour window and then I can add orders to the shipment request in the morning. Shipping kills ya, but if you get folks to buy more than one item it increases you profit margin.

Just a thought, but what do I know. Smiles and Good Luck

Danielle Craun

2 months, 3 weeks ago

Welcome and thank you, Gabriela!!! It’s always good to hear how we do things! 😉 I love buyers who buy more than one item!!!

Mark Sullivan

2 months, 3 weeks ago

I use a flat rate shipping, and look for the best cost of usps , fedex ground , fedex home, or a usps flat rate.

I don't add it to the cost of the item because I have found that does not help with sales. I offer the lowest price i can for the item, then the lowest flat rate I can.

clemence Musoko

2 months, 2 weeks ago

Hello, I'm new to this group and been ebay seller since december 2025,can you explain to me what does mean use flat rate and how it works

Danielle Craun

2 months, 2 weeks ago

Welcome Clemence! Here's the explanation on eBay's website.

We can go over this you if you would like to pop into a meeting. We are on tonight and you are most welcome. 2/19/26 Thursday 5pm-9pm

clemence Musoko

2 months, 2 weeks ago

Thank you.

Gabriela Morrison

1 month, 1 week ago

I am seriously thinking of doing graduated shipping paying perhaps 50% of the shipping fee. It is getting expensive out there to ship. You can only build the cost in so much. I mean I might list an item for 14.95 yet I see an icon come up the darn price last sold was 6.00 I mean how can that be? I have to abide by the distributors MFG price so how can someone sell the same item new and so cheap??