3 min article

Setting up your postage options

From sending through the post to arranging a local collection, there are many ways to send items to your buyers. By offering more than one delivery option, you'll be able to attract different types of buyers, and by always offering tracking you can increase buyer confidence.

You can pick which delivery methods you want to offer your buyers when creating your listing.

Depending on how you list your items on site, you'll do this in slightly different ways:

Setting your Delivery options from the Selling page:
  1. Go to the Selling page and select List an item.
  2. Start your listing.
  3. Scroll down to to the Delivery section. We'll recommend a service and calculate your postage based on how other sellers sent similar items.
  4. You can change the service by selecting Change Delivery Service and Change the postage charge. You can also offer free postage by ticking the Free for buyer box, so you pay for delivery. Learn more on the benefits of offering your buyers Free delivery.

Rather than selecting your preferences on a listing-by-listing basis, you can streamline the process by creating business policies on payment, postage, and returns, to apply to all your listings.

 
Setting your Delivery options with Business policies:
  1. In Seller Hub, select Manage Active listings.
  2. Select Create listing.
  3. Start your listing.
  4. Scroll to the Postage section.
  5. In the Postage policy section, select the Business policy you want to apply to the listing.
  6. From the 3 vertical dots you can view, edit, create your postage policy, or edit the postage cost for the listing.

When editing the postage cost, you can update the postage for the item or tick the box for free postage. Learn more on the benefits of offering your buyers Free delivery

 

Stating your handling time in your listings is important so potential buyers know how long you need to dispatch the item. Handling time is also a factor in our Estimated Delivery date calculation on your listings. For more information on handling time, see our Estimated delivery dates for sellers page.

You can choose to set buyer requirements to exclude buyers who have a delivery address in countries you don't want to post to by using Exclude postage locations.

You can also exclude buyers who have a history of unpaid items by Setting buyer requirements

If you are enrolled in the Global Shipping Programme or plan to enroll in the programme, and have an exclusion list for international buyers, this exclusion list will also apply to Global Shipping Programme items unless you choose otherwise. For more information, please see Global Shipping Programme Terms and Conditions.

Tip
Before setting your postage options for an item, look at what other sellers are offering. Offering free 3-day delivery service may make your listing more appealing to buyers and avoid abandoned carts. Please see Retail Standards for more information.

Integrated shipping Carriers for Tracking

To protect yourself against "Item not received" claims filed through eBay Money Back Guarantee, you need to use a shipping carrier that is integrated with eBay. Buyers are more confident their orders will arrive when they receive regular shipping status updates.

Tip
For insights and information on how adding tracking to your orders can help increase buyer satisfaction and reduce complaints and queries, please visit our Retail Standards page.

How to upload tracking on your orders

My eBay Sold:
  1. Tick the box next to the item(s) you want to add a tracking number to, and select Add tracking number.
  2. On the Add/Edit/Delete Tracking Number page, enter the tracking number.
  3. If we can determine the service you're using, we'll pre-fill that information in the Carrier box. Otherwise, select the name of your carrier from the dropdown menu.
  4. Select Submit.
 
Seller Hub:
  1. Select All Orders.
  2. Select Add tracking number (there are 2 places on every order to do this).
  3. Check the Buyer details, and item title/image are correct for the tracking you’re about to enter
  4. Enter the tracking number and the carrier’s name.
  5. Select Save and Continue.
  6. Repeat step 3 through 5 if there is more than one item.

If we can determine the service you're using, we'll pre-fill that information in the Carrier box. Otherwise, select the name of your carrier from the dropdown menu.

 
Bulk upload tracking:
  1. From Seller Hub, go to the Orders section.
  2. Select the Actions box on the top left of the Orders page.
  3. Select the dropdown menu in Postage.
  4. Select Add Tracking to pull all your orders into the add tracking details page.
  5. Enter the tracking number and carrier name for each.

After you've uploaded the tracking number, it will show up below the item title in the Sold section of My eBay and on the View Order Details page.

 
API Upload tracking:

Sellers can use our APIs or web tools to provide a tracking number and carrier name. Both methods allow us to map the tracking number and carrier name to the transaction. If you use API calls then you can follow the instructions on the Developer page for a full overview on API’s offered

Sellers are encouraged to ensure they provide the accurate tracking number and carrier name via our approved list.

 

Tip
A common reason for invalid tracking is failing to match the tracking number to the right carrier name. Make sure you enter the correct tracking number and carrier name when uploading tracking information.

The following carriers are integrated with eBay for tracking delivery events:

Domestic Carriers:

Carrier name

Services

Royal Mail

1st Class (Parcel/large letter, Signed for Delivery Confirmation only)

Royal Mail 24 (Delivery Confirmation only)

2nd Class (Parcel/large letter, Signed for Delivery Confirmation only)

Royal Mail 48 (Delivery Confirmation only)

Tracked 24

Tracked 48

Special Delivery Guaranteed

eBay Postage (Packlink)

Tracking auto uploaded at purchase

Evri

Trackable Services

Yodel

Trackable Services

Parcelforce

Trackable Services

DPD UK

Trackable Services

UPS

Trackable Services

DHL UK

Trackable Services

FedEx UK

Trackable Services

UK Mail

Trackable Services

TNT UK

Trackable Services

Collect Plus

Trackable Services

InPost

Trackable Services

APC Overnight UK

Trackable Services

 
Heavy/Bulk Carriers:

Carrier name

Services

Panther

Trackable Services*

Arrow XL

Trackable Services

XDP Express

Trackable Services

DX

Trackable Services

BJS

Trackable Services*

Furdeco

Trackable Services

Palletways

Trackable Services

*You must give permission to the carrier to share tracking events with eBay

You can also review Exclusive bulky parcel pricing from HubEurope

 

Setting your delivery options using a postage rate table:

For more control over setting postage costs by region, you can use postage rate tables.

Postage rate tables allow you to assign postage rates to domestic and international locations. When you set up a postage rate table, buyers will see the postage cost you specify for their delivery address.

Read our guides below for more information on Click & Collect, offering local collection, updating your postage options on live listings, and postage rates.

Selling with Click & Collect

Learn more about Click & Collect, where you post the item to the buyer's chosen Argos and CollectPlus.store.

Offering local collection

Find out more about letting buyers collect their item in person.

Update your postage charges on live listings

Learn when and how you can change postage costs on an item you've already sold.

Postage rates for sellers

Find out about postage rates, and how to calculate your delivery costs.

Buying and printing postage labels

Find out how to create and print your postage labels.

eBay fulfilment by Orange Connex - opens in new window or tab

Learn more about the available fulfilment and delivery options for business sellers.

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