Ebay: What does "combine shipping" mean?

[Karenn]

I had understood it to mean that if you bought several items from one seller, they would not charge you the total shipping that they listed for every auction, but would charge you a lesser amount since they were shipping all of the items in one package.

i.e. shipping for 3 auctions was $5 each auction. That would usually be $15. But if you "combine shipping" the seller would charge less shipping because all of the items were shipping together. So you would pay say, $10 shipping instead of $15.

Have I got that right or am I confused? I'm in a similar situation with a seller. She says, "I love to combine shipping to save you money" but she still seems to be charging full shipping price. Her shipping prices are really low to begin with, but she doesn't seem to have "combined shipping" the way I understand it. She has perfect feedback over 500, and I'm still very much a novice, so I'm assuming that I'm the one who is confused, but I just wanted to check with all you knowledgeable folk.

Thanks,

[writermama]

you are right, that's how it works, but you may have to "request total" from the seller before you pay. Many sellers require you to pay for all the items at the same time to get the shipping discount. you can also email a seller to ask about combining shipping before bidding, before the end of the auction, or before paying. You can also try emailing after you pay, but your chances of getting the discount are less.

hope this makes sense.

[Karenn]

Hmmm. I did "request total." Should I email her instead? I was wondering if the "request total" thing was just an email ebay kicked out based on her listed prices rather than a "real" response from the seller. I haven't paid yet.

[writermama]

hmm. I think sometimes I've had the shipping automatically adjust with request total ... but the seller might not have set up that function. An email couldn't hurt.

[hanaum02]

I've always emailed the seller directly when requesting someone to combine shipping and have always been accomodated.

Good luck!
Michelle
Zach (Sept 2004)

[crayonblue]

Sometimes, a seller will send me an invoice with the combined shipping. Othertimes, I have to ask.

I'm always so happy when someone buys more than one item and I have less work packaging and mailing that I usually only charge actual shipping. And, that is often significantly less than a lot of ebay sellers try to pull off.

[Karenn]

I heard from the seller yesterday (she emailed me almost immediatly after I posted here) and it turns out the first invoice was wrong. She bent over backwards to get it all worked out.

[Melanie]

That's how I understood it and how I do it when I am a seller. I just flat out say in the ebay instructions that I charge the highest shipping of the auctions you won, plus $1 each additional.