I am a returning E-bay seller, who has ALWAYS charged nothing more than what it actually costs to ship items. It has been a wonderful tool.

Because I am but ONE lone person listing, selling, packing and mailing, the change since taking away the option of such has become a huge challenge. I seem to be drawn to dishes and glassware, which creates the added issue of packing before hand. I never pack an item unless/until it has sold, or I get a request.

I am not a company, and listing a set of dishes (plates, cups, bowls, platters etc) seperately, which seems to be preferred by buyers, makes packing beforehand idiotic. Most times than not, you will be combining items, and I cannot be unpacking everything to repack them.

Since I have never charged for supplies and handling, this would be counter productive. It used to be so easy. Why can't we (seller and buyer) have the choice of Actual shipping at auction end?

I have tried using the calculate by location (after entering all measurements and weights) only to find the price shown is almost double what the actual would be. Most buyers are deterred by high shipping, and if a very rare interested buyer hadn't emailed me questioning it, I would have never known, Re-arranged the measurements and it lowered it and SOLD it?

Crazy... I understand the reason for showing a shipping, especially if you charge extra. But I am DEFINITELY NOT ALONE HERE! I have read hundreds of other sellers descriptions, who like me, only charge what it costs, and like them, to no avail, you type a speel about it, asking the buyer NOT to pay invoice sent, to wait on actual, but they pay anyway.

This creates yet another opportunity for bad feedback. I have none yet, but I either lose my butt, or smooze so hard, and do many refunds to fix, and re-invoice. There really should be a choice. Like my listings say "I am OLD School, and Fair is Fair". If I can save someone on shipping, sell my item, and everyone is happy...why not? Times are tougher now,and every little bit helps. I AM NO GOOD AT GUESSING! Love numbers and facts....REAL ONES....HELP FOR THE SMALL SELLER....

I agree with Mike's answer. In fact, I would like to see the shipping weight of an item in the Item Details Page. It's hard to tell by a picture that an item weighs 3 pounds. If the Details page states the widget is 3 pounds, then the buyer knows that a $10 charge to ship is reasonable.

Hi cel2ya,
The simple truth is that buyers want to see the cost of shipping before they purchase the item. Buyers appreciate knowing the shipping cost so they can compare one item from one seller to a similar or same item from another seller.

Understand that you are a good seller and will only charge actual shipping - I (and all buyers on eBay) appreciate it.

You mentioned your use of the shipping calculator and your issues with it in the past. The calculator is very sensitive and costs vary greatly based on the weights and the shipping dimensions that you put into it - a change in a few ounces or a few inches in dimensions can change the shipping charge dramatically.

Doing the upfront work of specifying the shipping is required. Options are to charge actual shipping (by packaging and weighing the item before it is sold) to using flat shipping that will approximate and get close to what shipping should be. Sometimes it's a little less than actual, sometimes it's a bit more more - if it's reasonable, your buyers will be happy.

Mike