Shipping Options

This guide with help you to set up your shipping options – Step by Step

Before setting up shipping on eBay, define what options will be available and the cost of each option.

Shipping options

Shipping options or Shipping policy define handling times, shipping costs and other options that you offer to buyers. Checkout the international shipping services that are offered by the logistic partners in your city and what are the shipping methods they provide.

Then you need to calculate how much would be the shipping cost that you will have to incur given the weight and the possible buyer’s location or destination of shipment. Then you need to evaluate the different shipping times offered for having your item shipped internationally. This is important since you are doing Cross Border Trade.

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Shipping options

Shipping options or Shipping policy define handling times, shipping costs and other options that you offer to buyers. Checkout the international shipping services that are offered by the logistic partners in your city and what are the shipping methods they provide.

Then you need to calculate how much would be the shipping cost that you will have to incur given the weight and the possible buyer’s location or destination of shipment. Then you need to evaluate the different shipping times offered for having your item shipped internationally. This is important since you are doing Cross Border Trade.

Shipping Cost

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We recommend offering buyers

Free shipping — more than 80% of buyers look for items with this option. And the free shipping option boosts the listing’s visibility.

Offer at least one option for Expedited Shipping, at extra cost — in order to give your buyers as many options as possible. Shipping costs are paid by the buyer who needs the item urgently, in addition, you save on eBay fees since the Expedited Shipping cost is not included in the item’s total cost.

Offer shipping discounts and additional relevant promotions clearly — in order to win your buyers’ loyalty.

After you have defined the shipping options and cost which are acceptable to you, go to the Sell Your Item template to set up shipping options.

If shipping to specific countries or addresses is beyond the abilities of your business, you can block such shipping.

Setting up your shipping options using Sell your Item template

On the Sell your Item page, scroll down to the Shipping details section.

  • ebay.com is a US e-commerce site, so the Domestic shipping section defines the shipping options within the United States and to the United States from other countries. Setting on options in this section by default is mandatory for all sellers who create listings on ebay.com.

The International shipping section helps you set up shipping options to all other countries in the world.

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On the Sell your Item page, scroll down to the Shipping details section.

  • ebay.com is a US e-commerce site, so the Domestic shipping section defines the shipping options within the United States and to the United States from other countries. Setting on options in this section by default is mandatory for all sellers who create listings on ebay.com.

The International shipping section helps you set up shipping options to all other countries in the world.

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Domestic shipping

The shipping cost is set up in the first field of the section.

From the drop-down menu, under Domestic shipping, select Flat: same cost to all buyers.

  • It means that you charge all buyers the same amount for shipping, regardless of their location.(Other options are useful only for US sellers:1. Calculated: Cost varies by buyer location, 2. Freight: large items over 150 lbs, 3. Offer local pickup. Do not select these options if you are outside the United States.)

Shipping rate table for Flat: same cost to all buyers option

When you select Flat: same cost to all buyers you will have access to setting up the Shipping rate table.

Shipping rate tables allow you to more accurately tailor your shipping charges to your buyers. You can indicate multiple shipping options for the same region or state. You can specify shipping costs in your shipping rate tables by item or by weight. Once you’ve set up your shipping tables, you can use them any time you list an item. 

As a rule, sellers who ship items to the United States set a flat shipping rate for the whole country, so you can skip this setting.

Services and Shipping Cost

The Services field provides access to setting up the international shipping services that you can use.

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From the drop-down menu under ‘Services’, select an option depending on the shipping time that your postal service or international shipping service offers.

Offer buyers Economy shipping as the main option and Expedited shipping as an additional, express but more expensive shipping option. 

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Please note : the free shipping option boosts the listing’s visibility.

From the drop-down menu under ‘Services’, select the ‘Economy services’ from abroad section, then Economy Shipping from outside US (11 to 23 business days).

Set the shipping cost in the Cost field.

Please note : there is also the Free Shipping checkbox. Check the box if you want to offer buyers this option.

If you can use shipping services that offer expedited shipping to the US, you can add up to three additional fields for additional shipping services by clicking on the Offer additional service button. Remove the service with the Remove service button.

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Handling time

Set the handling time. To do this, select the relevant option from the Handling time drop-down menu.

Handling Time – the time it takes you to ship the item from the buyer’s purchase (in business days).

We recommend that the handling time should be set up to 1 business day. The shorter your handling time, the higher the position of your listing is in the search results.

Choosing this option, you should stay within the capabilities of your business, don’t reduce Handling Days if you cannot meet them!

International shipping

International Shipping section helps you to set up options on ebay.com for the shipping outside the US.

In the drop-down menu, select Flat: same cost to all buyers. 

  • (From the drop-down menu you can select:1. Flat: same cost to all buyers, 2. Calculated: Cost varies by buyer location. This option will only be useful for US-sellers, 3. No international shipping. You can select this option if you only want to ship your items to US-buyers.)

Flat: same cost to all buyers as an International shipping option

Selection of the Flat: same cost to all buyers option means that you charge all buyers the same amount for shipping, regardless of their location.

When you select Flat: same cost to all buyers you will have access to setting up the Shipping rate table.

Shipping rate tables allow you to more accurately tailor your shipping charges to your buyer. You can indicate multiple shipping options for the same region or state. In addition, you can specify shipping costs in your shipping rate tables by item or by weight. Once you’ve set up your shipping tables, you can use them any time you list an item. 

This is an optional step, if you’re a beginner, we recommend you to skip it and move to step 7.

Shipping rate tables

  1. Once you’ve set up your shipping tables, you can use them any time you list an item. You can also create multiple shipping tables.
  2. Click the Create button. The Shipping rate tables form automatically opens in a new window.

International Shipping Services option

The Services field provides access to a selection of International shipping services that you can use for your items for international shipping.

The set of shipping services in the drop-down menu depends on what you’ve selected in the Ship to field.

Select Worldwide And then one of the shipping methods available to you.

Set up the Cost & Offer buyers the Economy shipping by default — 11-23 business days. Offer it as free shipping for buyers by including shipping costs in the item price. For this option of international shipping, we recommend using any service within the Economy shipping option.

In addition, offer at least one option for Expedited Shipping, at extra cost. Expedited Shipping usually takes up to 10 business days. 

The second option of the Ship to field is the Choose Custom Location.

When you select the Choose Custom Location, you will have access to setting up the shipping directions table. Select regions, set the shipping types and cost.

Here you can also select Economy shipping as the default shipping option and offer buyers Expedited shipping as a more expensive but express shipping option.

Next to the Services field, you can see the Shipping Calculator tab. This tool is relevant only for US sellers. It allows you to calculate shipping costs within the United States.

You can set up additional fields for additional shipping services (for different regions in total or for the same region).

By clicking on the Offer additional service button, add shipping service variations. Remove the service with the Remove service button.

Exclude shipping locations

In this section, you can select those countries or regions you do not want to ship to.

To exclude certain shipping locations, click on the Create exclusion list button.

The Edit exclude shipping locations form will open automatically in a new window.

Set exclusions for the Domestic Shipping or for the International Shipping, ticking the boxes for the regions or countries you do not want to send items.

Here you can set an exception for the shipping to the Post Box (PO Box).

Click the Save and close button.

By default, this section selects the option No excluded locations.

Item location

In the item location field, you should clearly specify the city and country where your item is located.

Please remember that under eBay policy you are not allowed to provide false, incorrect, non-specific or misleading item location information in the Item location field as well as in the Item description field.