Shipping for business

From shipping tips to creating a flexible return policy, eBay will help you become a shipping pro and an expert seller.

Streamline your operations

Keeping costs down and shipping speeds up can be a challenge as your sales volume increases. As your business grows, you’ll find it helpful to take advantage of tools and solutions to help keep your shipping practices up to speed. Read our tips below to help you learn how your shipping practices scale alongside your business.

Save with eBay-negotiated carrier discounts

When you print shipping labels online with eBay, you get access to special discounts from our shipping partners like Canada Post and FedEx. Explore your options, check each carrier’s rates, and choose the option—or options—that make the most sense for your business.

Customize your returns to expedite return handling

A generous return policy, along with quick and easy returns, are must-haves for today’s online shoppers. You can virtually automate the entire return process to expedite returns and refunds, or select options to manually approve specific requests, such as returns for high-value items or items in certain categories.

Upload tracking—by shipment or in bulk

When buyers are able to track the progress of their shipment, they tend to be more satisfied and leave higher ratings. Plus, it cuts down on the amount of time you spend answering the question, “Where’s my item?” You can upload virtually any shipping carrier’s tracking information, which buyers will then receive via an automated email and can access right from My eBay.

Combined invoices save you time

Buyers appreciate getting a single invoice for multiple purchases, and it can save you substantial amounts of time and hassle before you ship. Just turn on eBay checkout in My eBay to make sure buyers can easily add multiple items to their orders—and make sure you can receive a single payment for it all.

Tracking your shipments

Uploading shipping tracking information is a vital part of the selling process. When buyers can track the progress of their shipment, they tend to be more satisfied and leave higher detailed seller ratings. Additionally, tracking information and delivery confirmation play an important role in protecting you in the event of an Item not Received request, and helps you qualify for automatic 5-star shipping time.

When you upload tracking information to eBay, your buyers receive it via an automated email, and can access it from within their My eBay. And if you pay for shipping and print shipping labels online, it’s uploaded to eBay automatically.

Even if you use third party services or bulk tools to list your items, uploading this information to eBay is easy, and offers the following benefits:

  • A better buyer experience. When you upload tracking information, buyers can more easily determine when they will receive their packages.
  • Greater buyer confidence. Uploading delivery confirmation or tracking information gives buyers greater confidence that their transaction will go through without an issue.
  • Improved feedback and Detailed seller ratings. When buyers can track the progress of their shipment, they’re more satisfied, and tend to leave higher Detailed seller ratings. Tracking information and delivery confirmation also help you qualify for automatic 5-star shipping time rating.
  • More efficiency. Providing tracking information and delivery confirmation tends to reduce the amount of time spent answering shipping-related buyer questions.
  • Seller protection. Shipping tracking information plays an important role in the eBay case resolution process. Tracking information that shows delivery to the address in the order details is seen as evidence in the event we are asked to step into an Item Not Received request.

eBay API tools for uploading shipment tracking

For sellers who prefer to interact with eBay through the eBay Trading Web Services (Trading API), shipping tracking information and carrier name can be passed via the CompleteSale API or the SetShipmentTracking API. If you use eBay’s APIs to upload shipping tracking information, you can add any shipping carrier name in the ShippingCarrierUsed field.

Learn more about the CompleteSale API.

Learn more about the SetShipmentTrackingInfo API.

Check with your eBay-certified provider for integrated uploading

Most certified providers offer tools integrated with eBay for uploading shipping tracking information. For example, when you upload tracking numbers to Auctiva, ChannelAdvisor, or GarageSale, the information is automatically updated to eBay. Contact your third-party provider for more information.

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