In the past, consumers only had to consider an item’s purchase price when shopping. But in the ecommerce business landscape, they must also consider shipping costs.
It is one of the most common reasons for abandoned shopping carts. On the flip side, offering free shipping or shipping discounts can entice them to buy from your store.
That’s how psychology works!
If you want to make more money from your online business, it’s crucial to learn how to use the combined shipping on eBay feature to navigate the complex shipping issues that could drag down your sales performance.
As experts on eBay selling and dropshipping, our team provides you with a detailed guide on how to offer combined shipping to your customers.
You can use this information alongside other eBay guides we’ve created in the past as you embark on your online business journey on eBay!
In this guide, you will learn about how to use the combined shipping feature and how it can benefit your customers.
Article Overview:
Key Takeaways
What is Combined Shipping on eBay?
How to Set Up Combined Shipping on eBay
Why Combine Shipping on eBay?
How to Maximize the Combine Shipping on eBay Feature
FAQs
Key Takeaways
- The combined shipping on eBay feature is a fantastic tool that offers discounts when a buyer purchases multiple items from the same store.
- The combined shipping discount can be applied manually or automatically, or even after the buyer has paid.
- Sellers can implement combined shipping with other product research tools to increase sales and conversions in their store.
What is Combined Shipping on eBay?
Combined shipping on eBay allows buyers to combine payment for shipping multiple items they’ve purchased in their shopping cart. Thus, you can send all their orders in one package, so they don’t have to cover the shipping cost for each item.
Simply put, the combined shipping feature makes it easier for the buyer and the seller, especially if they purchased from the same seller.
For the seller, offering combined shipping reduces the shipping cost on your end. You can also pass on the savings on the shipping cost to your customers, further incentivizing their decision to buy from your eBay account.
You can set up combined payments when offering combined shipping. Thus, it streamlines the items’ payments and the shipping expenses when the buyer purchases multiple items from the same seller.
There is even an option to set up automatic discounts on the buyer’s shopping cart via a combined shipping rate.
If the discount isn’t automatically updated on the shopping cart, buyers can request a combined shipping rate in their cart. Or, they can also message a seller directly asking about the eBay combined shipping costs.
How to Set Up Combined Shipping on eBay
This brings us to the next step: setting up the combined shipping feature on eBay. When you have this feature set up in your eBay account, it will automatically combine shipping on your eBay store.
This step benefits you and the buyer by simplifying the calculation of the shipping fee for multiple orders.
Improving shipping methods, especially combining multiple orders to save on shipping fees, directly improves customer satisfaction. Whether you want more sales or repeat purchases on your eBay store, you should enable combined shipment on eBay.
There are two options for you to do this: 1) manually calculate new combined costs for shipping and 2) automatically combine reduced shipping costs.
Manually Combine Shipping
You can set up the manual combined shipping feature on eBay after sending the combined invoice for the multiple items they purchased. Your customers can request a shipping discount, and you can provide them with a combined shipping rate.
The customers can issue the request during or after the payment. If they already paid for the shipping services, you can offer a partial refund to cover the difference in shipping cost after you combine shipping on eBay.
Manually combined shipping is more time-consuming, although it offers more control over how much you charge for the combined shipping rate. To do this, follow these steps.
Step 1: Manual Method.
Go to My eBay or Seller Hub.
Click on Order > Awaiting Payment to find a list of unpaid orders.
Choose Send Invoice beneath the chosen product or order.
Input the new shipping cost for the combined items. You can use a Shipping Calculator to determine the new rate for the combined shipping.
Adding a message to the customer is optional. Once you have completed the steps above, click Send Invoice.
The buyer will receive a notification about the new combined shipping rate and a revised invoice (if they haven’t paid for the order yet). You can send them a combined invoice with their purchased items and the new shipping discount.
Automatically Combine Shipping
Step 2: Automatic Method
You can also set it up on eBay to offer automatically combined shipping for customers purchasing multiple items. Most eBay sellers prefer this method since eBay automatically calculates the shipping fees and saves them time.
To do combine shipping on eBay automatically, follow these steps.
Go to My eBay or Seller Hub and click on Shipping Preferences.
Go to Allow Combined Payments and Shipping and click the Edit button next to it.
Specify the time period that you allow for combined payments to be made on the purchased items, which can range from 3 to 30 days.
Once you’ve made the selection, click Save.
eBay offers two options when offering combined shipping to customers: calculated shipping and flat shipping rate.
About eBay flat shipping rules
The flat shipping rule on eBay states that the first item a buyer purchases from your store will have a base shipping rate. Then, the rest of the items on their shopping cart will have a smaller rate added to them.
Essentially, buyers can save on shipping for the combined costs compared to paying for the individual shipping cost for each item. The shipping discount varies according to the number of items they purchase from your store.
About eBay calculated shipping rules
The eBay calculated shipping rule determines the shipping charges and discounts when you combine item weights. Therefore, the total weight of the package is used to determine the shipping fees.
Online business owners have the option to subtract an amount based on the total weight of the package.
With the two options above, the buyer can settle one combined payment after the seller applies the discount on eBay combined shipping.
Why Combine Shipping on eBay?
Shipping costs can determine a buyer’s ability to proceed with an item they want to purchase. Therefore, offering combined shipping can incentivize them to proceed with their purchase.
If they can save with the combined shipping rules on eBay, it will encourage more buyers to purchase from your online business as they can save money on shipping. The more sales you get, the more your online business can thrive.
These benefits show why it’s a good idea to combine shipping on eBay for customers.
1. Attract Value-Seeking Buyers
When you offer combined shipping on eBay, it will be visible under the Shipping section on that particular product listing.
While it is not hugely visible, buyers who can see this option will be enticed as they find more value when buying this product from you, as they can get a shipping discount.
It also encourages your buyers to make multiple purchases, meaning they could save money when you combine shipping on eBay!
If you cannot offer free shipping to customers, combined shipping is the next best thing.
2. More Economical
Combining items in one shipping package is more economical for all parties involved. For the sellers, it can reduce the cost of packaging, so eBay allows the combined shipping feature and offers discounts on shipping fees. I
f you are an eco-conscious seller, it’s also an excellent move to reduce waste on packaging items. The shipping cost can significantly rise when shipping to international regions, so combining shipping for multiple orders makes sense.
3. Increase Customer Satisfaction
Positive feedback and higher customer satisfaction directly result when you combine shipping on eBay.
As mentioned, buyers don’t like to pay for expensive shipping costs, especially when they purchase multiple items. Combined shipping discounts will entice them to buy and save!
Whether you offer this feature automatically or after the buyer requests it, they will appreciate the chance to get a discount on the shipping fees.
And that’s great for your online business as it fosters customer loyalty and drives more sales!
4. Increased Visibility on eBay
The eBay combined shipping feature is one of the e-commerce giants’ tools to boost customer satisfaction. Buyers who implement this feature will get an extra boost from eBay by increasing the visibility of their listings in search results.
They can also show your product listings under the ‘Best Match’ suggestions for relevant items.
Think of it as eBay’s way of rewarding sellers who offer competitive shipping to customers.
5. Simplified and Streamlined Shipping
While it might be confusing initially, eBay sellers offering combined shipping will benefit from the streamlined shipping process. Offering one combined payment and shipping to customers means the buyers only have to track one item instead of multiple packages.
It also simplifies the shipping process for you, the seller, because you only have to prepare one package instead of several items for the same buyer or shipping address.
How to Maximize the Combine Shipping on eBay Feature
In summary, the ability to offer combined shipping on eBay is one of the best tools in every seller’s arsenal. It overcomes the common challenges sellers face in enticing buyers without offering free shipping.
In such a competitive ecommerce industry, any discount you can offer buyers can drive more sales and conversions to your online business.
The combined shipping feature is also practical since it saves money and time for all parties involved. Yes, it’s not just the buyers who can save on the shipping cost because you can also save from the reduced packaging costs.
Combined with other promotions and optimization on your eBay listings, it could unlock more sales and repeat buyers to your store. It becomes more powerful with other market research tools like ZIK Analytics.
It identifies the best-selling items on eBay based on sales data and search result performance. Employ these tools and the feature to combine shipping on eBay to build a solid ecommerce marketing strategy for your eBay store.
FAQs
How do I get combined shipping on eBay?
You can go to your eBay account and set up the shipping preferences for orders to manually or automatically apply shipping discounts for multiple items from the same buyer. It allows you to combine the items in one package using a single tracking number instead of packing and shipping multiple orders.
Can a seller refuse to combine shipping on eBay?
eBay does not require sellers to offer combined shipping to their customers. But to foster a positive customer shopping experience, consider the benefits of enabling this feature in your store.
This option allows the customer to request a revised invoice, or you can automatically set it up for reduced shipping fees.
Can you combine shipping on eBay after a buyer has paid?
While it’s more complicated, combining shipping after the buyer has paid for an order is possible. You can send them a partial refund by going to My eBay or Seller Hub.
You can send them the difference between the original shipping cost and the new combined costs for shipping.
It is best to set up the discounts upfront to avoid the hassle of more work by sending them a refund after payment. This will allow you to send them a combined invoice with the combined shipping rates, saving you time and effort.
Does eBay global shipping combine?
eBay does not allow sellers to combine shipping for international or global orders. The items will be shipped to the shipping hub nearest to the address in a particular country and will be shipped individually.
Can I combine shipping on eBay auctions?
Yes. It is up to the seller to decide if they want to combine shipping on eBay for items purchased via the auction.
