Why Doesn't Combined Shipping Discount Work Properly For Me?

[imbuzzy]

I am hoping to get some insight here...

I'm a seasoned seller and only sell postcards.

I sell on both ebay.com and ebay.ca and sometimes ebay.co.uk.

I fully understand the intricacies of using multiple currencies .  What I don't understand is why my automated combined shipping does not function properly.

My shipping model is simple:

Only letter mail - set up as flat rate.

I charge $1 per item, and after that, 5¢ each additional item for domestic shipping, 10¢ for the United States, and 25¢ international.

The problem is that no matter what,  my automated invoices for combined items always charges the buyer domestic rates.

I have set up my shipping policies in the business policy section as stated above.

I have set up my shipping preferences in my site preferences section to offer combined shipping and flat rate shipping.

No matter what, whenever a combined invoice is generated, extra items are being charged a domestic rate of 5¢ extra per item for shipping.  Since the majority of my customers are American,  I had to change my flat shipping rule to 10¢ per item, otherwise my US customers would be under-paying and I would for the majority of sales be at a loss.

Right now, only my international buyers are able to make a combined payment with an undervalued combined shipping rate.  US customers are charged correctly (10¢ per extra item) and my Canadian customers are overcharged 5¢ per extra item.

This present setup is flawed and leads to daily frustration of refunding money to Canadian customers and chasing my international ones for corrected amounts.  Even more frustrating is extra FVF on overcharged combined shipping (ie my domestic sales).  With my business set up as a penny business with micropayments, those pennies add up.

If I get rid of combined shipping, buyers are charged $1 for each item, resulting in multiple payments, huge FVF, manual refunds, and time spent.

If I set my flat rate rules to 5¢, all are charged 5¢.

If I set my flat rate rules to 10¢, all are charged 10¢.

If I set my flat rate rules to 25¢, all are charged 25¢.

^^No matter what my business policies state^^

Since the majority of sales are to the US, 10¢ it is.

So, I am hoping someone can tell me where I have gone wrong.

My business policies have their own separate names on each site to avoid any confusion.

To me, it seems like a pretty simple task.  I am reminded of my high school computer classes back in the early 1980's.  This would be a typical task that we would have to program, and it would take a day or two to write up the  code properly on computer punch cards!

I would greatly appreciate it if somebody could shed some light on this matter.

Thank you.

[kawartha-ephemera]

Setting up those shipping discount rules can be a daunting task. I have successfully managed to get them working properly with flat rate shipping but it took a while.

May I ask whether you are aware that it is necessary to create a separate rule(s) for every site you list on? So, it is necessary to go into your account shipping preferences on both DOT.CA and DOT.COM to create a separate rule for each site.

It's been a while since I've fooled with this but I don't think it's possible to set a rule that will add say. 05 for one customer and. 10 for another. At least I don't remember seeing a way to do that. It is possible to set a DOT.CA rule to add say. 05 and a DOT.COM rule to add .10 but those rules would not apply universally. In other words listings created on DOT.CA would have. 05 added but listings created on DOT.COM would have .10 added. Now unless ebay has upgraded lately neither rule will work at all if a buyer buys I item listed on DOT.CA and another listed on DOT.COM ... the rules will fail in that case.

There are ways around some of these problems. What I've done is raise base shipping rate (optional) and then created the discount rules with each additional item free, essentially adding 0.00
Setting the additional amount to free eliminates the problem you describe.

If possible list like items on each site to get around the possibility of a buyer purchasing items listed on multiple sites. For instance list only Widget Type A on DOT.CA and only Widget Type B on DOT.COM.

Clear as mud right?

[momcqueen]

I wish I could help. You're not accidentally applying 'domestic' rules to all your listings by accident? I use calculated shipping with 85 per cent of my Combined Shipping rules so I regret flat-rate is not my forte although, in principle, it works the same. 

[kawartha-ephemera]

It's been a while since I've fooled with this but I don't think it's possible to set a rule that will add say. 05 for one customer and. 10 for another. At least I don't remember seeing a way to do that.

I'm quoting my earlier comment above.
Now that I've thought about this a little more I think there probably is a way to add different amounts for domestic versus U.S buyers. You cannot manage it with just one rule though.

Maybe try this on DOT.CA and see if it works better.

1. Create a rule at. 05 and then apply that rule (when creating a listing) to just domestic shipping only.
2. Create a second rule at. 10 and apply that rule to International shipping only.

Another set of 2 rules would need to be added to DOT.COM as well.

[momcqueen]

---

wrote:
It's been a while since I've fooled with this but I don't think it's possible to set a rule that will add say. 05 for one customer and. 10 for another. At least I don't remember seeing a way to do that....

I'm quoting my earlier comment above.
Now that I've thought about this a little more I think there probably is a way to add different amounts for domestic versus U.S buyers. You cannot manage it with just one rule though.

Maybe try this on DOT.CA and see if it works better.

1. Create a rule at. 05 and then apply that rule (when creating a listing) to just domestic shipping only.
2. Create a second rule at. 10 and apply that rule to International shipping only.

Another set of 2 rules would need to be added to DOT.COM as well.

---

Yes, that's exactly the way that I do it except that mine applies to calculated shipping discounts. 

[imbuzzy]

May I ask whether you are aware that it is necessary to create a separate rule(s) for every site you list on?

Yes, I have separate rules (policy names) on each site.

It is possible to set a DOT.CA rule to add say. 05 and a DOT.COM rule to add .10 but those rules would not apply universally.

I originally had it set that way, but had US buyers on DOT.CA being billed a nickel instead of a dime.  I raised my DOT.CA rule to a dime to prevent a huge percentage of my buyers from being undercharged - at the cost of having to refund a smaller percentage of domestic buyers.  Plus its easier to refund a few cents than to ask for it.

It's been a while since I've fooled with this but I don't think it's possible to set a rule that will add say. 05 for one customer and. 10 for another. At least I don't remember seeing a way to do that.

It certainly allows it in the shipping policy component of the business policy.  All my required information is defaulted in there.  The automated invoice correctly pulls that information to bill my customers correctly depending on there place on this planet, but completely ignores the additional costs per item stated for each delivery type.  I am now led to believe that option is for variances or multiples of that same item number.

Too bad that the flat shipping rule wasn't a bit more robust and allowed for multiple destinations like afforded to the shipping policy.

[imbuzzy]

You're not accidentally applying 'domestic' rules to all your listings by accident?

I do, and not by accident.  When I take it out, buyers are charge dfull amount per additional item. This results in large FVF fees and large refunds.

[kawartha-ephemera]

I wonder if the use of business policies could play a role here.

Everyone has their own personal preferences but I myself don't find them useful. Perhaps the business policy tool interferes with the operation of some discount rules. Could that be possible? Crazier things have happened with ebay software.

I don't use any business policies, Instead I continue to use old fashioned listing templates. My discount shipping rules function properly.

Removing layers of complexity is not usually a bad thing. Hope you find a solution... must be very frustrating.

[momcqueen]

---

wrote:

You're not accidentally applying 'domestic' rules to all your listings by accident?

I do, and not by accident.  When I take it out, buyers are charge dfull amount per additional item. This results in large FVF fees and large refunds.

---

Then I'm not understanding the problem. If you apply 'domestic' rules to all listings, it will apply only one method of calculation to all listings selected for that. You can't differentiate between buyers from various locations within that rule; it's one size fits all. If that one size doesn't fit all, then you have to apply one rule to 'domestic' parameters and another separate one to 'international' calculations. Ebay doesn't decide for you who is international with it, you do. Like, you can establish an 'international' rule and apply it to domestic postage, ebay doesn't prevent that. It's just the suggested name to help you determine which rule is which. 

I don't have Business Policies set-up. I haven't heard good things about them from other sellers.

[imbuzzy]

Then I'm not understanding the problem.

It's the best work around that I have come across.  It costs me the least amount of time and extra costs.

I'm suspecting that it might be because of my business policy setup.  To be quite honest, I did not know that I could opt out and maybe I should.

In the meantime,  look at my settings below in the pics to see what I have been trying to state.

Business Policy:

Business Policy

Flat Shipping Rule:

Flat Shipping Rule

As I see it, my business policy is being ignored.  If I get rid of the flat shipping rule, then combined discounts is not possible.  Nowhere in the flat shipping rule are any parameters for non-domestic shipping.

I might regret it, but I think I'll try to opt out of the business policies.  It might be interesting how it will affect all of my listings.

[kawartha-ephemera]

Thanks for taking the trouble to provide screenshots. Thinking about this logically it would seem to me that you have inadvertently created a conflict.

The ebay calculator is receiving conflicting instructions.

Faced with mismatched instructions from 2 sources (they are really identical tools but that's another discussion ) the calculator is forced to default to your global account shipping preferences.
I believe this is the reason every buyer is charged .10 no matter where in the world they're from, that is what your flat shipping rule is instructing the calculator to do.

I assume you would like the calculator to behave as instructed in your first screenshot, add. 05 , .10 and. 25 for each additional item.
If so, then try clearing the "Apply my flat shipping rule" check box. By checking that box I believe this causes your desired business policy settings to be ignored.
For good measure go into your account shipping preferences and delete ALL flat shipping rules.

This to my way of thinking should eliminate the conflict and allow the calculator to follow your business shipping policy settings.

A caveat if I may. It has been years since I opted out of business policies so I don't recall what the screens looked like or how where they were even accessed . So, I'm ASSUMING that your first screenshot is accessed in your business policy setup.

In my case, being opted out of business policies those "add additional " boxes are NOT an option! To set up discount shipping I MUST do so by creating discount shipping rules in my account shipping preferences.

Ebay has created your problem by introducing business policies thus creating opportunities for system conflicts.

If any of the above makes any sense to you then perhaps experiment with some auctions with that check box cleared.

I think the calculator would work fine with a single set of instructions be it from either shipping rules or business policies, just not BOTH at once.