Listing your item

Specify shipping details. Include information such as shipping service, cost, and package details in the shipping details section of your listing – not just in the description. Your listing may get better exposure in search results, and buyers will know exactly how much it costs to ship the item. Listings with shipping details are more likely to sell and may also get higher feedback ratings for shipping.
Competitive shipping. When you use calculated shipping (Link), you won't need to guess the amount it will cost to ship the item in the U.S. or internationally. eBay will automatically calculate the shipping costs for your buyer based on your ZIP Code, the buyer's ZIP Code, package details, and shipping service. Buyers will know exactly how much it costs to ship the item. Also, buyers who live close to you may see lower shipping costs.
Be specific about the shipping services you offer. You can select the shipping services (Link) that you want to offer when you list your item. You may want to select one inexpensive service and one fast service. Use the generic shipping service options (for example, "Standard Flat Rate Shipping Service") only if your preferred shipping service is not an option. This helps buyers evaluate your shipping cost and estimate delivery time.
Specify your handling time. When you list your item with calculated shipping, you can specify the amount of time you will take to ship the item after you receive payment from the buyer. (You don't need to include the amount of time the shipping service takes to deliver the item to the buyer.) This gives the buyer an idea of how long it will take to receive the item.
Provide details about any packaging or handling costs. You may include a reasonable handling cost to cover the cost of mailing, packaging, and handling the items that you sell. If you decide to add a handling cost, let the buyer know what the costs include. In the item description, clearly state how your item will be packaged and what the related costs are. For more information about appropriate handling costs, read the eBay Excessive Shipping Charges policy. (Link)
Offer free shipping. Consider offering Free Shipping. Free shipping can work well for certain categories and items. You may attract more buyers by offering free shipping (Link).
Offer shipping discounts. Offer buyers savings on shipping when they purchase multiple items from you. Buyers can see the shipping discounts (Link) you offer when they view your item, and the discounts may encourage them to buy additional items from you.
Ensure you are offering a competitive shipping price. Research the shipping costs buyers would see on other websites selling similar items. And while a seller’s DSR score may not always reflect their current shipping behavior, it can be helpful to look at the shipping practices and costs of other sellers with high DSR scores in your category.

Shipping internationally

Let your buyer know they will be responsible for all duties, taxes, and Customs costs. Include this information in your item description. Your buyer won't be surprised by any additional costs when the item arrives.
Help your buyer understand Customs. Provide a link in your item description to a website like the World Customs Organization (Link) (WCO). The WCO has a list of international Customs websites where you buyer can learn more about Customs costs. When you include the link in your listing, it will also remind buyers that they may have to pay Customs to receive the item.
Don't mark the item as a gift on the Customs form. Sellers are responsible for accurately representing the value of the item (the amount that the buyer paid for the item). Don't mark the item as a gift on the Customs form–even if the buyer asks you to. It's against the law.
Save on international shipping costs. When you print shipping labels on PayPal, you receive an automatic 5% discount on U.S. Postal Service Priority Mail International and 8% discount on U.S. Postal Service Express Mail International.
Don’t mark an international item as a gift on customs forms. It’s against the law.

Thank you for taking the time to read our posts above. We’re happy to take any questions or feedback you might have. We would especially love to hear from sellers who have good tips to offer to others.

In this test of the proposed new layout, the following warning message was posted on the seller's listing:

Read feedback profile This seller has low ratings for Shipping Time

The seller in question has a DSR rating of 4.0 for Shipping Time, which means that the seller's customer (by ebay's own standards) have rated this seller as mailing "quickly", yet the seller is punished with a red warning on their listing.


How quickly did the seller ship the item?
1 star - Very slowly
2 star - Slowly
3 star - Neither slowly nor quickly
4 star - Quickly
5 star - Very quickly


QUESTION: If eBay truly believes that "people are basically good", why are 4 out of 5 stars considered to be a low rating, punishable by a warning message on your listings, and lower search visibility with the Best Match feature, when 3 stars is apparently average according to eBay's own DSR standards?

I have the same problem. We ship within 2 business days from CA, yet our DSR is 4.6.

I really try to communicate with my buyers. I charged actual cost (or less) for shipping items and I ship same day, 7 days a week including holidays. I keep in touch with my buyers and try to give as much information that I can about the transaction/price/shipping/delivery/return policy....


But, I have no idea how my buyers are rating me and how can I improve something that is so secretive? Are they unhappy with ship time because they don't understand that I've shipped same day and the post office took 4 days? Are they happy but giving me a "4" for quickly? Are they happy but never give "perfect scores" Am I getting all 5's but an occassional "bad hair day buyer" that gives all 1's out of spite?

How can I improve when I don't know where the remarks/scores are coming from? If I can't leave negatives anymore, the need for this secretive rating is unnecessary as I can't "retailate" If you are going to charge me based on Dsr's, I need information to help me improve my scores.

My biggest concern is how to combat the fact that some buyers have an unresonable idea of what shipping should be. They give you a low mark when you are only charging actual shipping based on the calculated rate because they would rather it be free.

I am interested in the answer to Post 6.
Again...if 4 is represented to buyers as average...why then is it considered to be a low rating...low enough to put a BOLD RED warning that seller has slow shipping?