How to Combine Shipping on eBay in 5 Steps (with Photos)

eBay’s combined shipping feature helps sellers save considerable packaging costs. If your store receives multiple orders from one buyer, you can easily combine all the items and send them in one shipping. This way, the customer only has to pay a single shipping fee for multiple items in their cart. Of course, you’re not obliged to combine shipping on eBay, but it’s seen as a humble gesture from the business. 

The shipping fee is one of the top turn-offs for buyers when shopping online. Sometimes, these charges are even more than the actual amount of the purchased items. Since the shipping fee instantly adds up to the total order, combining orders makes sense when the buyer hasn’t paid already. 

Interestingly, eBay also allows businesses to combine shipping even after it’s paid. Sellers just have to issue a partial refund to such buyers. On the other hand, buyers can also request a revised invoice from the business.

So, whether you’re a buyer or a seller, combined shipping on eBay will surely help you save considerable time and fees. Let’s learn how to do it!

How Can Sellers Combine Shipping on eBay?

If you’re a seller looking to add an attractive bonus to your eBay store, combined shipping is the best way to do that.

Follow the below steps to combine shipping on eBay if the buyer hasn’t paid for the order yet.

Step 1: Open My eBay Summary

Start by opening eBay’s website on your computer. Head to the My eBay page if you’re already logged in.

If not, enter your eBay credentials (email ID and password) to log in to your seller account. Once the homepage loads, find the My eBay option in the vertical menu at the top. It will be on the left corner of the page.

Step 2: Choose Selling

On the next screen, select Selling to open an expanded drop-down menu.

Step 3: Click Sold

Now, select Sold from the menu. Clicking on it may reveal an Awaiting Shipping option, depending on your eBay version. If you don’t see it, choose Sold to proceed.

Step 4: Select the Items

eBay will now display all the orders pending shipment. Pick any one buyer’s order and check the boxes next to every item included in it.

Items with all the checked boxes show that they have been selected to combine shipping on eBay. If you’ve mistakenly chosen any item, click on its box again to uncheck it. 

Sometimes, eBay automatically groups items based on a buyer’s order. In this case, click Print Shipping Label from the right menu and choose Purchase and Print Label on the next page. You can also change the shipping services by scrolling down on this screen.

Step 5: Send the Invoice to the Buyer

Next, create an invoice for the order and change its shipping cost accordingly. Then, tap on Send Invoice from the action menu to send it to the buyer as an email.

And that’s how you can combine shipping on eBay! The buyer will now pay only one shipping fee for multiple orders from your store.

How to Set Automatic Combine Shipping on eBay: Steps to Follow

Combining shipping on eBay is easy, but it can be frustrating if you do it manually for every order. Instead, you can set your eBay account to automatically combine shipping for all the orders as soon as a purchase is completed. Even better, eBay will make invoices accordingly. 

Follow the below steps to combine shipping on eBay automatically.

1. Log in to your eBay account and open the Shipping preferences page.
2. Find the Allow combined payments and shipping section under Shipping settings.
3. Click Edit next to the Combine payments option.
4. Check the Allow buyers to send one combined payment for all items purchased box and select the time you will take to combine the payments. It ranges from 3 to 30 days. Once you choose any option, click Save to continue.
5. You can also set a flat shipping rate for every customer order from the Flat Shipping Rule.
6. Under Combined shipping discounts, you can modify the base rate for the first purchased item and then for every additional one.
7. You can also combine shipping on eBay based on the weight of the items instead of a flat fee. Click Edit next to the Calculated Shipping Rule and select whether you want to combine every item’s weight or subtract a specific amount for every additional one. 
8. Once you make all the changes, click Save to apply all the changes to your eBay seller account. 

How Can Buyers Request to Combine Shipping on eBay?

eBay’s versatility and convenience make it one of the leading e-commerce platforms worldwide. It doesn’t only cater to the sellers’ needs but also prioritizes the buyers’ demands side-by-side. For instance, buyers can request sellers to combine shipping on eBay to save a few bucks on their orders. 

This feature only applies when you buy multiple items from one seller. In fact, many sellers offer combined shipping on their own. But if you can’t see this option after placing your order, you can easily ask the seller to do it.

Here is how!

Step 1: Add Items to the Cart

Scroll through eBay’s website to find your desired items. Then, add them to your cart while ensuring they’re from the same seller. You can only combine shipping on eBay when buying from one seller.

Step 2: Check Your Subtotal

Now, open your cart and see your calculated subtotal. Many eBay sellers support the combined shipping feature. In such a case, your shipping cost discount will be visible in your subtotal. There is no standard combined shipping amount. So, talk to your seller to inquire about their shipping discounts.

But what if your seller doesn’t combine shipping on eBay? In this situation, your cart’s subtotal will include the costs and shipping fees for all the items. 

Step 3: Reach Out to the Seller

It’s also possible that your seller offers combined shipping after a customer places the order. Again, it’s recommended to contact them directly to request combined shipping and gather more information about the discounts. 

Click on the first item from your cart to open its detailed page. Then, scroll to the seller’s information. Select the Contact option from the right side of the page to type a message. 

Step 4: Type Your Message

On the next screen, eBay will ask you to choose your message’s topic or why you want to contact the seller.

Select Combined shipping to see if the seller has answered this question. If they haven’t, click on the Contact the Seller option from the bottom and manually type your query in the box. 

You can request the seller to combine shipping on eBay even if the items aren’t shipped and you have paid for them. Make sure to mention all these things to the seller in the message. If your seller understands your situation, you’ll get a shipping discount as a partial refund soon.

Step 5: Wait for the Seller to Send You the Invoice

Once your request is sent, the seller will take some time to send you the invoice with updated shipping costs. You can access your invoice from the Messages section in your eBay account or email.

eBay will now allow you to retrieve your invoice and use it at the checkout with the new subtotal. That’s all you need to do to combine shipping on eBay as a buyer!

Facing Issues with Combine Shipping on eBay? Try This!

Many sellers reported issues after eBay introduced the Combine Shipping feature. Although the company has resolved them significantly over the years, you may encounter them anytime. 

The most common issue is receiving many combined shipping requests daily despite using the automatic combined payments option. Instead of buying the items at a flat shipping rate, customers are required to first request the seller for the shipping discount and then complete the purchase. This process is quite tiring for both the seller and the buyer. 

How to Resolve This Problem: Step-by-Step

If you’re facing the same issue, you can try the following steps to set your account for automatically combined shipping.

1. First, open the Shipping Preferences page and click on Edit next to Combined payments in the Allow combined payments and shipping section.
2. Check the Allow buyers to send one combined payment for all items purchased box and select when you can combine payments for an order. Click Save.
3. Now, select Edit next to Flat Shipping Rule.
4. Open the dropdown menu and select Add an Amount for the extra items.
5. Set the shipping rate to 0.00, so the buyer won’t be charged extra when checking out multiple items from their cart.
6. Select a name for your rule and click Save.
7. Next, create another rule following the same steps but name it differently. 
8. eBay will ask you to pick a rule when editing the items to add one. However, sometimes, it may not be able to detect a list of one. You will have to choose Bulk Edit to add any rule to the items.
9. Select every item in your Active items and choose Edit at the top. You will have to choose all the products again on the next page. Open the pull-down menu and select Domestic Shipping Discount. Then, choose a rule and click Save.
10. Close the page and return to the main edit screen. Select Submit, and you’re done!

This process will indeed resolve your combined shipping on eBay issue. If it doesn’t, your last result will be to contact eBay Support here to seek guidance from their team. 

Wrap Up

Combined Shipping on eBay is a convenient feature for both sellers and buyers. It allows buyers to purchase multiple items from one seller while paying shipping costs only once. With this feature, sellers can add a unique selling point to their businesses by showing the customers that they care about them. On the other hand, this feature saves a lot of money for the buyer. 

As a seller, you can combine shipping for selected orders or set this setting as the default. Head to the Shipping Preferences page and make the changes you like. Save the settings, and you’re good to go. As a buyer, you can request the seller for combined shipping.

The image featured at the top of this post is ©StockStudio Aerials/Shutterstock.com.