eBay Shipping Setup
Shipping is set in each listing template, and it's where dealers can lose money or sales. This article covers every shipping option, how to handle Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, and why PSS doesn't use eBay Business Policies.
What you'll learn
- Which shipping method fits which products
- How to configure for combinations of Flat Rate, Calculated, Domestic, and International
- How to ship to, or block, Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico
- Why you should turn off eBay Business Policies
Choose a Shipping Type
Open a template under eBay > Template Management and scroll down to the Shipping Details section.
| Method | How it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Flat rate | One price for every buyer and every product. | Items with predictable costs |
| Calculated | eBay calculates the cost at checkout based on the buyer's location and the weight and size values that you enter. | Heavy or oversized parts, where cost varies a lot by distance |
| Flat Domestic + Calculated International | You set domestic shipping prices; eBay calculates international shipping based on the buyer’s location and package details. | Offering predictable domestic pricing while accounting for varying international costs. |
| Calculated Domestic + Flat International | eBay calculates domestic shipping based on the buyer’s location and package details; you set international shipping prices. | Charging domestic buyers by location while offering fixed prices to selected international destinations. |
Set up a domestic rate table
⚠️ Warning: PSS is not set up to pull in multiple Rate Tables from your eBay store. It is recommended that you set this dropdown to None.
eBay International Shipping (EIS)
eBay International Shipping lets eligible sellers reach international buyers while shipping orders to a U.S. shipping hub just like a domestic sale. From there, eBay handles international delivery, customs clearance, and international returns, with the buyer paying the international shipping and applicable import charges. Sellers also receive protection against delivery issues that occur during the international portion of the shipment.
Price Banded Shipping
Aftermarket sellers can ignore this completely. For OEM sellers, we use this feature when we create your OEM replacement part listings. The PSS technical team typically creates and manages templates for OEM replacement part listings.
Domestic & International Shipping
PSS offers a selection of eBay’s most common shipping services for both international and domestic, allowing you to choose the options that best fit your business and customers. Each template can have up to 3 domestic and 2 international shipping options.
When you are using Flat Rate, you will have these fields to use:
- Shipping Service Cost - The amount charged to the buyer to ship one unit of an item using the selected shipping service.
- Shipping Service Additional Cost - The shipping charge for each extra unit of the same item purchased in a listing using flat-rate shipping. Set a lower amount to offer a shipping discount, or enter $0 to ship additional units at no extra charge. For example, a $10 base shipping cost plus $2 per additional unit results in a $14 shipping charge when a buyer purchases three units.
When you are using Calculated, you will have these fields to use:
- Shipping Irregular - Reference the Irregular Shipment designations for the shipping provider that you have selected. USPS, UPS, FedEx each have different rules and definitions for this.
- Pounds - Enter the number only; no symbols required. If it's two pounds, you put the number 2. Put a zero if it's less than a pound.
- Ounces - Same as above. Enter the number only. 5 ounces: you put the number 5.
- Package Length - Enter the number of inches.
- Package Width - Enter the number of inches.
- Package Depth - Enter the number of inches.
⚠️ Warning: A single flat rate charges remote buyers the same as everyone else, so you'll often undercharge for Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. Use calculated shipping or a rate table if you ship there.
Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico
If you want to ship there
- In eBay, go to Account Settings > Shipping Preferences and make sure these locations are not excluded.
- In Selling Preferences, make sure you're not blocking buyers from excluded locations.
- In your PSS templates, use calculated shipping or a rate table so you charge enough.
If you don't want to ship there
- In PSS, go to Settings > eBay > Shipping Locations and add them to Excluded Locations.
- In eBay, add the same locations under Account Settings > Shipping Preferences.
- In eBay Selling Preferences, turn on blocking buyers from locations you don't ship to.
⚠️ Warning: Set exclusions in both PSS and eBay. If you only exclude in PSS, buyers there may still be able to purchase. If you only exclude in eBay, PSS's daily updates can overwrite it.
Turn off eBay Business Policies
eBay Business Policies are eBay's own reusable shipping, return, and payment profiles, and eBay sometimes turns them on automatically. PSS manages all of this through your listing templates. With both active, the two systems keep overwriting each other: PSS sends your template settings, eBay replaces them with the policy, and the cycle repeats. That leads to wrong lead times, wrong shipping rates and wrong return policies.
🛑 Critical: Don't use eBay Business Policies with PSS. If you're enrolled, opt out in eBay under Account Settings > Business Policies. If eBay won't let you opt out, contact support.
Next step
Continue to Creating eBay Listings.