Shipping discounts let you offer buyers savings on shipping when they purchase multiple items from you. Offering a shipping discount may encourage buyers to buy additional items from you.

Listings with shipping discounts appear to buyers with the message: "Save on shipping" When buyers pay for more than one item and your shipping discounts are set up and activated, eBay will automatically calculate the shipping discount and deduct it from the total shipping cost. The shipping discount will be shown to your buyers when they complete payment.

Note: To offer shipping discounts, you must offer combined payments. For more information on combined payments, see Using Combined Payments. You set your shipping discounts in My eBay Preferences.

You can offer shipping discounts whether you sell many similar items or a wide variety of items. If you want to expand a rule to fit your needs better, you can create profile names. Profile names are a way for you to manage your shipping discount rules. See more information on Managing Profiles.

You can specify the following for shipping discounts on combined purchases:

• Flat shipping rules

• Calculated shipping rules

• Promotional shipping rules

• Insurance rules

Set Shipping Discounts

To set up shipping discounts:

Note: To exclude an item from shipping discounts, clear the "Apply a shipping discount if the buyer purchases multiple items from me" check box on the Sell Your Item form. A buyer may still send a combined payment to you, but a shipping discount will not be applied.

Flat Shipping Rules

You can choose from four options to create a flat shipping rule. This rule will apply to all listings for which you specify flat shipping costs and combined shipping discounts. Select one rule, and then apply profiles to the rule.

• Charge the buyers the shipping price for the item with the highest shipping cost, and then add an additional cost for each item they purchase from you.
  
  Example: A buyer purchases 3 items with a shipping cost of $5.00 plus $2.00 for each additional item. The combined shipping cost for these items would be $9.00 ($5.00 + $2.00 + $2.00).
  
  

• Charge the buyers the shipping price for the item with the highest shipping cost, and then ship any additional items they purchase from you for free.
  
  Example: A buyer purchases 3 items with a shipping cost of $5.00 plus $0.00 for each additional item. The combined shipping cost for these items would be $5.00.
   
  

• Charge the buyers the shipping price for the item with the highest shipping cost, and then subtract a shipping cost for each additional item they purchase from you.
  
  Example: A buyer purchases 3 items with a shipping cost of $5.00 minus $2.00 for each additional item. The combined shipping costs for these items would be $11.00 ($5.00 + $3.00 + $3.00).
   
  

• Charge the buyers the shipping price for the item with the highest shipping cost, and then subtract a percentage for each additional item they purchase from you.
  
  Example: A buyer purchases 3 items. One item has a shipping cost of $7.00, another has a shipping cost of $5.00, and another has a shipping cost of $3.00. You specified that the buyer be charged the highest shipping cost and receive 50% off shipping for each additional item. The combined shipping costs for these 3 items would be $11.00 ($7.00 + $2.50 + $1.50).

Calculated Shipping Rules

You can choose from three options to create a calculated shipping rule. This rule will apply to all listings for which you specify calculated shipping and combined shipping discounts.

• Calculate the shipping price by the individual weight of each item. This rule assumes you are shipping all items separately.

• Calculate the shipping price by the combined weight of each item. This rule assumes you are shipping the items in a single package.

• Calculate the shipping price by the weight of each item, and then subtract a specified number of ounces for each additional item a buyer purchases from you
  .
  Example: You have listed 3 items and each item weighs 1 pound. You have specified US Postal Service Priority Mail as your shipping service. The shipping cost for each individual item is $4.05. A buyer purchases 3 items and you have specified that 8 ounces be subtracted from each additional item purchased. The total weight for the items would be 2 pounds (1 pound + 8 oz. + 8 oz) and so the total shipping cost would be $4.20.

Handling Costs

If you specify a handling cost, it is added to the calculated shipping cost. The handling cost is not displayed to buyers separately – it is included in the shipping cost.

The options for handling costs are:

• Charge a handling cost for entire order. This will add one handling cost for a package of combined items.

• Change the full handling cost for each item. This adds a handling cost to each item in a package.

Promotional Shipping Rules

You can choose from three options to create a promotional shipping rule. This rule applies to all listings that have combined shipping discounts (for both flat and calculated shipping costs). When buyers qualify for your promotional shipping rule, the promotion takes priority

• Spend a specified amount on 2 or more items and shipping is free or discounted.
  
  Example: You can specify that if a buyer purchases 2 items for a total of $25.00, the buyer receives free shipping. Or you can specify that if a buyer purchases 2 or more items for a total cost of $25.00, the buyer pays only $2.00 for shipping.
  
  

• Buy a specified number of items and shipping is free or discounted.
  
  Example: You can specify that if a buyer purchases 4 or more items from you, the items will be shipped for free. Or you can specify that if buyer purchases 4 or more items from you, the total shipping cost will be $2.00.
   

• Charge a maximum shipping amount for a single order.
  
  Example: You can specify that a buyer be charged no more than $5.00 for shipping if the buyer purchases more than one item from you.

Insurance Rules

The insurance rules apply to all packages in which you combine items for shipping. If you select Required, then even if the other items purchased do not require insurance, the combined package will require insurance.

The insurance cost table applies to packages with flat shipping only. The table determines the amount that appears to the buyers and is based on the final cost of the item. The final cost of the item does not include shipping. If you offer flat shipping, you must complete the cost table.

If you have multiple listings, some with calculated shipping costs and some with flat shipping costs, eBay will use the cost table for all insurance rates.

Managing Profiles

Profiles are a way for you to manage your combined shipping discount rules. When you select a rule for your shipping discounts, you can specify the amount you want additional items to cost for shipping. One way to manage shipping discounts is to name your profile something easy for you to identify and remember.

Example 1: You use flat shipping and name one profile “Light items” and specify $1.00 as the additional cost per item. You name another profile “Heavy items” and specify $3.00 as the additional cost per item.

Example 2: You use calculated shipping and name one profile “Light items” and specify 3 ounces as the weight for each additional item. You name another profile “Heavy items” and specify 5 ounces as the weight for each additional item.

You select the profile name in the Sell Your Item form when you add shipping discounts to your listing.

Note: When you delete profile names, listings with that profile name will no longer have combined shipping discounts. However, if the listing has any activity, such as a bid, then the combined shipping discount profile will still apply.