Offering free postage Using flat postage costs Using postage rate tables Specifying where you ship

When you list an item on eBay, you need to tell the buyer how much postage costs. You can do this 3 different ways:

• Offer free postage

• Choose a flat postage cost

Offering free postage

Offering free postage is a great way to attract more buyers and get a higher placement in search results—plus, if you offer free shipping, and we can confirm a buyer chose this option, you'll automatically receive a 5-star postage and handling charges detailed seller rating.

If you're using a listing tool that doesn't have the Free postage check box, specify your shipping cost as "0."

Note: If you select the Free postage check box, this sets handling costs to "0" for your buyers when they select free postage.

In search results pages, "Free postage" appears next to your listing.

Using flat postage costs

If you want to charge all buyers the same amount for postage, choose Flat: same cost to all buyers. You can then enter flat costs for U.S. and international delivery. If you're selling more than one item, you can enter a postage cost for each additional item a buyer purchases. The cost you enter appears in your listing.

In certain categories (such as Books, DVDs & Movies, Music, and Video Games), we set maximum shipping and handling costs. When selling in these categories, you have 2 options:

• Offer at least one postage option where the total shipping cost (postage+ handling) is less than or equal to this maximum. You can also offer other options above these maximums for expedited or international delivery.

You're required to specify a handling time, which is how long it will take you to put the item in the mail once you receive payment. If you don't specify a handling time, we select a default handling time for you.

Using postage rate tables

You can use shipping rate tables to set the amount you charge for shipping by shipping method and destination. You can also specify costs for international shipping destinations, either by region or by individual country.  

There are 3 ways you can specify shipping costs in your shipping rate tables:

• By item: With this option, the shipping cost to a buyer depends on where you're shipping the item and the shipping method you use. For example, you can choose to charge $7.75 for standard shipping to the continental US, $8.75 for expedited shipping to Alaska and Hawaii, and $9.75 for economy shipping to Europe. If you choose this option, the shipping cost to the buyer won't vary based on the weight of the package.

• By weight: If you choose this option, you can set a fixed base cost for any destination and shipping method, and then add an additional fixed amount per pound. For example, for an item shipped within the continental US by expedited shipping you can charge $7.50 plus $0.50 per pound.

• By surcharge: This option lets you set a fixed base cost and then add a surcharge to it for any destination and shipping method. For example, you can charge $7.50 for standard shipping and then add a $1.00 surcharge for shipments to Alaska and Hawaii and a $2.00 surcharge for shipments to Europe.

Once you've set up your shipping tables, you can use them any time you list an item. To do so, select the Apply my domestic rate table rates or Apply my international rate table rates option when listing your item (or select both). These options are in the Give buyers shipping details section of the listing form under the Shipping rate tables heading.

Specifying where you deliver

You can exclude certain destinations (e.g. certain U.S. states and territories), and can exclude certain regions or countries from the places you're willing to deliver to.