All shipping and other pricing listed within here was correct effective 11/9/07

One of the complaints I hear about eBay sellers’ is that shipping prices are too high. No one wants to pay ten dollars for shipping when the item bought was worth 99 cents to begin with, and who can blame them. I wouldn’t want to either. Most people do not understand what is included within sellers shipping and handling cost. With that in mind I thought I would take a few minutes to explain some important shipping guidelines for both buyers and sellers, what is included in shipping and handling, and list the USPS (United States Postal Service) maximum shipping rates by weight.

Shipping

First and foremost the basic rule for calculating shipping is weight multiplied by distance. In other words the weight of the package times how many miles it has to go. Sellers on eBay usually understand this fact; however, what they do not know is where the winning bidder will be, if they are in the next town over or across the country. I personally try to find a happy medium where sometimes I might make an extra dollar or two depending on the proximity of where the item is being shipped and sometimes I lose a dollar or two depending. To me it all works out in the wash, but to the buyer that had to spend 10 dollars on shipping and the actual shipping cost was $7.50 that seems really unfair, but another buyer that spent 10 dollars on shipping when it actually cost $12.50 to ship thought that it was a great deal!

Shipping calculators:

I am sure you have seen shipping calculators in auctions and those are great; when they work. If you are going to use shipping calculators be sure to check them and verify them with a few items to ensure they actually do work, because sometimes they really mess up and that causes major problems for both buyers and sellers as you can imagine. I personally prefer using flat rat shipping charges so there is no doubt what the buyer can expect to pay for shipping.

Current Shipping Charges for USPS

The USPS (and many other shipping companies) rounds all their shipping cost up to the next pound. So if you ship an item that weighs 2 lbs and 2 ounces then you are being charged the same as if you were shipping an item that weighs three pounds.  And don’t forget packaging (boxes and materials) add extra weight. Extra Fees are also added for undersized and oversized shipping boxes. The below prices just reflect standard size boxes according to the USPS and are based on the max price (furthest distance) to ship.

Weight                               Priority Mail Cost                  Parcel Post Cost
 
1 pound                                  $4.60                                       $4.50
2 pounds                                $6.15                                       $6.15
3 pounds                               $10.55                                      $7.93
4 pounds                               $13.45                                      $9.25
5 pounds                               $15.85                                     $10.50
6 pounds                               $16.05                                     $11.77
7 pounds                               $18.30                                     $12.88
8 pounds                               $20.55                                     $14.08  
9 pounds                               $22.85                                     $15.21  
10 pounds                             $25.05                                     $16.17  
15 pounds                             $30.50                                     $20.40  
20 pounds                             $34.40                                     $23.98
 
Handling
So we’ve covered actual shipping fees, but what about Handling Fees. Handling Fees are widely misunderstood and can include a variety of things. Please think about this now as most auctions are listed with Shipping and Handling Fees combined into one price. Handling fees can include but are not limited too the following:

Packaging
Packaging Materials – i.e. peanuts, bubble wrap, newspaper, etc
Gas to drive to the Post Office
Storage (either product or packaging)
The list could go on and on …

So buyers let’s soak all this up for a minute and look at an example…

I sell something to you for 99 cents with 5 dollars shipping. You live in California and I am on the east coast so I will have to pay the max freight. The item weighs less than 1 pound, let’s say 9 oz’s. The box and packaging material weigh another 9 oz’s. (and these are both really light estimates by the way) So that gives a total weight of 1 lb 2 oz (16 Oz in a pound). So immediately I have a postage fee of  $6.15 and that's Parcel Post, the cheapest way to go. (see above and remember it’s rounded up to 2 pounds). I already had to buy a box to package the item, and packing materials to ensure it arrives safely, let’s say I bought them in bulk so it only cost 50 cents for both of those. Then I spend 1 gallon of gas to get to the Post Office (today it’s currently $3.19 a gallon, Yikes!)  I still haven’t accounted for any storage or any of my time but will just assume I was donating it for the good of the sale. So I collect a hefty 5 dollars from you (the buyer) by the time eBay and Paypal take their fees and I spend $9.84 just to ship which leaves me in the hole 4.84 and without the product I once had. I would have literally been better off to throw it away than sell it!

As Buyers; please check the shipping cost before you bid. The value of the item to you should be greater than the shipping cost plus your bid. Most sellers list shipping cost so you will know exactly what the shipping will be. Many sellers will combine shipping. If you are interested in combining shipping then please contact the seller to determine what they can do for you. Remember you have to win more than one auction to combine shipping so be sure that you prepared to win multiple auctions to combine shipping. Do not ever bid on any auction that does not have shipping listed as the seller can charge whatever they like and eBay will hold you liable for that.