Here is a quick overview:

When you sell on eBay, you can offer to combine shipping for your potential buyers, thus making your shipping costs more competitive.

Buyers like it because they love choice when shopping. The ability to combine orders is something that has become an e-commerce standard, and buyers have come to expect it when shopping online. And they love a good deal!

It also benefits sellers because it gives buyers a reason to buy multiple items from you, it inserts buyer messaging right into your listings, and it differentiates your listing from competitors.

Here is an example of how combined shipping discounts are displayed to potential buyers right in your listing:

Now for a bit more detail:

1) Set up your Discount Rule

Go to My eBay and select Preferences under My Account. In the Selling Preferences section, select “Show” for “Combined payments and shipping discounts”, then select “Edit”



From here you can set up your Discount Rule by clicking on the “create” link located under the combined shipping rule you want to offer.




You have three types of Discount Rules to choose from:

• Flat rate shipping: applies your discount rule to listings where you enter a flat shipping cost
• Calculated shipping: applies your discount rule to listings where you use the eBay Shipping Calculator
• Promotional shipping: can apply to any of your listings

2) Add a custom profile to the types of products you sell (this is optional)

We realize you may not sell items that are always the same size and weight. Have you ever wanted to apply different discount rules for the different types of products you sell? We’re excited to introduce custom product profiles! You set up the profiles based on the types of items you sell. It is flexible to your needs and allows you to offer different combined shipping discounts depending on the specific item.


Profiles are a way for you to manage your combined shipping discount rules. One way to manage shipping discounts is to name your profile something easy for you to identify and remember.

Example 1: You use flat shipping and name one profile “Light items” and specify $1.00 as the additional cost per item. You name another profile “Heavy items” and specify $3.00 as the additional cost per item.



Example 2: You use calculated shipping and name one profile “Light items” and specify 3 ounces as the weight for each additional item. You name another profile “Heavy items” and specify 5 ounces as the weight for each additional item.

When you are listing your item, you select the profile name in the Sell Your Item form. This tells eBay how to apply to your combined shipping discount rules according to your custom product profiles

Welcome and thanks for joining us today!

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Cheers,

Deirdre
eBay Community Development

Thanks for the course on shipping charges preferences. I already had most of these set. I do find it hard to combine items sometimes as I sell such a variety that not all items can be combined to place in one package. For UPS this isn't a problem as I can do mulitple package shipments and still get a discount. USPS doesn't offer muliple package discounts shipped at the same time to one address.

Hi minniealdinger - We are posting an answer to your post shortly.

timecatchers (reply to #11). Great question!
Flat Rate shipping on eBay means you enter your shipping amount on eBay. For example you say shipping on my item is $5, regardless of where the buyer resides in the U.S.

USPS Flat Rate Shipping requires specific USPS Flat Rate Packaging (envelopes and boxes) You may ship anything you can fit into these containers for one domestic shipping rate with USPS, regardless of the total weight (up to 70 lbs)

Suzanna

Hi workshop lurkers! Don't be shy - come join the fun and ask us some questions.

Deirdre
eBay Community Development