Shipping quotes before listing item; not after item sold

[chupacabra2000]

Ebay's got their promotion with Canada Post until the New Year and I've been taking advantage of the break in shipping cost, printing my own labels and dropping off packages with shipping already paid... But how can I get shipping quotes before I even list the item?  I can even pre-package the item, measure and weigh it at home and enter those figures with my listing, but I don't get any shipping quotes yet. 

So, I miscalculated the discount due to the size of the parcel.  When I confirm the weight and box dimensions, only before I'm about to send, and long after I estimated shipping and factored that into my listing.  So, I got stung pretty bad.  Am I missing something?  Can I even get quotes as I'm listing?

Also:  shipping options provided only cover to a maximum $100, but my item sold for over $200.  I normally deal with a cross-border shippers, so I guess I'll have to skip the offer thru eBay this time.

[femmefan1946]

What are you insuring against?

If the package is lost in the mail? How often has that actually happened?

Damage? If the postal system damaged the parcel they will pay up, but if the contents only are damaged they will claim poor packaging.

Insurance doesn't make the shipment move faster or ensure gentler handling.

Your best insurance is excellent packaging combined with Cookie Jar Insurance, adding a few pennies to every asking price to cover the very rare (most report less than 1%) Claims for Not As Described or Not Received.

Most sellers using CJI report it eventually becomes a profit centre.

A penny saved...

[chupacabra2000]

The cross-border shipper I usually go to for US orders includes up to $300 coverage. I shipped a promo poster that I got signed by members of a band, sold for nearly $100 and it arrived with the poster tube INSIDE a similar size box, crushed and chewed open on one end. Contents were similarly wrecked. I reimbursed the buyer and filed a claim through the shipper.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

---

@chupacabra2000 wrote:

Ebay's got their promotion with Canada Post until the New Year and I've been taking advantage of the break in shipping cost, printing my own labels and dropping off packages with shipping already paid... But how can I get shipping quotes before I even list the item?  I can even pre-package the item, measure and weigh it at home and enter those figures with my listing, but I don't get any shipping quotes yet. 

So, I miscalculated the discount due to the size of the parcel.  When I confirm the weight and box dimensions, only before I'm about to send, and long after I estimated shipping and factored that into my listing.  So, I got stung pretty bad.  Am I missing something?  Can I even get quotes as I'm listing?

Also:  shipping options provided only cover to a maximum $100, but my item sold for over $200.  I normally deal with a cross-border shippers, so I guess I'll have to skip the offer thru eBay this time.

---

@chupacabra2000 

As a side to what @flipistics  posted if you want to cover yourself for additional insurance the only way would be either built it into your unit pricing or add as a handling charge. You are unable to charge after the fact. The insurance you can purchase with eBay labels is based on final selling price.Something you won't  always know in advance. If you purchase your postage directly through CP (not eBay Labels) you can purchase additional insurance on a case by case basis. 2.75 per 100.00.

-Lotz

[chupacabra2000]

Oh, I wouldn't think to add it after the purchase or bid is submitted. I get shipping estimates through my cross-border shipper before I even post listings, but since this promotion that allows me to print the shipping label directly off the eBay site comes about about 50-60% off regular CP rates, that beats my usual shipper, so I guess I have to decide whether to risk the $100 that coverage doesn't cover. Otherwise, if I could, I'd pay the extra $4 or whatever for additional coverage before sending, but I wouldn't even think of charging the buyer more than they agreed to.

[flipistics]

You can go to https://www.ebay.ca/shp/Calculator

Keep in mind though that the rates vary depending where in Canada an item goes (plus the fuel surcharge changes weekly), so it's dangerous to use fixed shipping rates domestically unless you're using a flat rate box. If you're using flat rate for the States, you might consider setting it to calculated and use the option eBay gave us yesterday to show the customer the discounted rates. If you really want to build that in to the price, then use the calculator link above and make sure you set it to show you the discounted rates.

[chupacabra2000]

I get quotes from either my cross-border shipper or CP, or both if I'm offering within Canada and the US. It's usually much cheaper to ship anywhere in the US -and quicker- than within Canada, so some items I don't even offer domestically.