How Do I:
Online buyers consider the total cost – item price and the cost of postage – when deciding what and where to buy. Buyers especially love free postage and some buyers will only shop for items that post for free! In fact, buyers are more likely to choose an item with free postage over an item with a postage charge, even if the total cost is the same. Free postage can pay for itself in many ways.
When you offer free postage you get:
How to include free postage in your listing
You can offer free postage by following these steps:
- In the Postage section of the Sell Your Item form, select Flat: Same cost to all buyers or Calculated: Cost varies by buyer location
- Select a Postage Service from the drop down menu. Please note you cannot select 'Local delivery/pickup'
- Select the Free Postage checkbox
Note: if you select the Free Postage check box, this will set handling costs to ‘0’ for your buyers when they select free postage.
Your listing will appear in the search results with the word 'Free Postage' prominently displayed.
If you are using a listing tool that doesn’t have the Free Postage check box, enter 0 in the Postage Cost field.
Offering a postage discount is a good way to help promote items and encourage buyers to buy additional items.
Listings with postage discounts appear with the message "Save on postage". When postage discounts are set up and activated, eBay will automatically calculate the postage discount and deduct it from the total postage cost.
The postage discount will be shown to your buyers when they complete payment.
You can offer several kinds of postage discounts to your buyers:
- Flat postage rules
- Calculated postage rules
- Offering discounts through the postage calculator
- Promotional postage rules
Buyers like choice, and you can offer three domestic and three international postage services in your listings. Garner the most sales and deliver really great customer service with FREE standard postage as your first option or an express of courier service for buyers in a hurry.
Take full advantage of eBay's online global marketplace by specifying that you'll sell and post to buyers in other countries.
Here's what to do:
- Specify Postage destinations and rates. Be clear about the specific regions or countries you post to, and your International Postage costs, in the "Postage Details" section of your listing.
- Explain customs, duties and tax responsibilities. Let international buyers know they may be responsible for customs fees and experience longer Postage times due to customs-related delays. Let them know they can find more help with the customs forms from their local customs department.
Represent the value of the item (closing price) accurately on customs forms and don't mark an international item as a gift on customs forms. It's against the law.
- Offer multiple services. Some buyers will pay more for fast, trackable service, while other buyers may prefer a longer Postage time to save money. Offering a trackable service can improve the customer experience and provide an extra layer of protection on higher priced goods. Buyers feel more confident when you provide them with an electronic delivery confirmation, which is required for some Seller protection program's, such as PayPal's.
Postage tracking and Delivery Confirmation information gives your buyers more visibility into the status of their order and the expected delivery date of the product. This helps you manage the expectations of your customers and gives you peace of mind knowing that your item was delivered.
Sellers who provide either tracking numbers or Delivery Confirmation are likely to see an increase in Postage-related DSR scores and a reduction in the number of buyer contacts asking "Where's my stuff?"
From early April, you will be able to upload your tracking number of your items. Find out more.
