Updates to Package Preferences, Shipping Cost Calculation, and Quickly Adding Weights & Sizes

[#1]

Hi Everyone,

Today, we introduced a few updates to the way that you add weights and dimensions to listings, set your Package Preferences, and have shipping costs calculated. These changes have been made due, in large part, to the feedback and suggestions that you’ve been offering in this team. Thank you for taking the time to do so!

What’s new?

- Easily Add Weight and Dimensions to Listings via Quick Edit -

It is now possible to easily add a weight, size, and calculated profile to each of your listings via Quick Edit on the Listings Manager page. Check it out now by going to Your Shop > Listings > Listings Manager and clicking “Quick Edit.”

- Add a Height for Flat Rate Envelopes & Flat Rate Padded Envelopes -

Many of you expressed that the height of Flat Rate Envelopes may vary for your orders. Today, we added the ability to enter a custom height when you add Flat Rate Envelope as a Package Preference.

- Elect to use common Etsy package sizes -

If you decide to set Package Preferences, you will now have the option to choose whether or not you’d also like to use Etsy common package sizes. If an order does not fit into one of the package preferences that you’ve set, it will be calculated to fit into one of the common Etsy package sizes.

You may also now see the dimensions for those packages so you can get a better sense of the packages that those orders will be calculated to fit into. To do so click the “?” next to “Use common Etsy package sizes.” If do not want to use Etsy common package sizes you may turn them off after adding your Package Preferences.

- Calculating for the Smallest & Cheapest Shipping Method -

Until now, shipping for orders was calculated based on the smallest package that was eligible to ship the items in the order. Today, we added logic that will consider both size and price when identifying which package to use when costs. First, we’ll find the smallest packages that are eligible to ship the items, then from those we will find the cheapest option.

We hope these changes will make calculated shipping an even better experience for your shop. Please feel free to share your feedback on how these updates are working for you below!

[Former_Member]

Ha ha Craft - Rabbit Hole indeed!

[Former_Member]

Just an added note Janet - the price to ship a 14 through 16 ounce package through Etsy FC domestic is exactly the same and for International it is also exactly the same for FC 13 through 16 ounce.

So even setting your single larger item at 14 ounces would get you the same shipping FC price as 15.4 and then adding in the 1 additional item at 1 ounce would not change that price.

[ShadowCutterJewelry]

When adding dimensions to listings do we put item dimensions or package dimensions? Some of my jewelry items are pretty small and if multiples are purchased they can go in one package but in that case I might have to use a bigger package. Will the calculator add item sizes together and then choose a package size?

[Former_Member]

Laura, for dimensions you wrap your item up in bubble wrap, or whatever packaging you use to protect it - and measure that. If you put your jewelry in a jewelry box before putting it in an envelope or box to ship - then measure the jewelry box with any packing material around it.

The calculator will fit it into the proper box for shipping - it will put multiple items into one box if they fit.

If you use padded mailers to ship - you can add those to the custom boxes in Package Preferences - just make sure to add in a height that is higher than your item.

[Former_Member]

Laura, I put some of your items in my cart and it seemed to be working - adding them to the same package and showing first class, priority, and priority express options. Looks like you are doing fine.

[Former_Member]

So how would you set up shipping if you have your items set up with size variations? I sell fine art prints in sizes from 4"x6" to 40"x60", so I would love to be able to calculate shipping based on the variation.

[Former_Member]

Sorry Bob, CS doesn't work with variation - it's just like the other shipping method. You can only attach one shipping profile to each listing.

Admin is aware of the limitations this puts on variations and they say they are working on this for the future.

[Former_Member]

Thanks Kathy. Has anyone else tackled this issue?

I just put in a flat $40 for shipping and added to the description that shipping is based on sized and will be calculated at the time of the order.

[Former_Member]

Bob, your shipping seems extremely high. And saying that you will calculate shipping at time of purchase really doesn't work. You should really figure out how much it might cost first. Will you use a tube mailer for shipping prints?

Your best bet is to research what the smallest print would cost and what your largest print would cost to ship and maybe post something in the middle. It is usually best to provide a refund for overcharges, and say that, but you don't want your shipping to be so high that people won't purchase. I looked at one listing where the print was $10 and the shipping was $30 - people aren't likely to buy that.

You might look at this thread in the section down below where there is a discussion of someone who does prints and maybe look at how she ships.

https://www.etsy.com/teams/23557/calculated-shipping-prototype/discuss/16447021/?ref=team_page

[Former_Member]

Thanks for the input Kathy, it's difficult to set a reasonable generic shipping rates. If someone buys a 30x45 or larger metal or canvas print, it has to ship in a crate which adds another $65.

I will definitely have to spend more time on this ;-)

[vintageNCtreasures]

I don't sell prints but I do use variations and if I had that much difference in sizes and shipping costs, I'd do separate listings so I could have more accurate shipping.

I found a 4x6 print that cost $40 to mail, no way I'd ever pay that.
And is the same cost to mail a 40x60....

If someone buys a 40X60 and pays $40 shipping but you find it's going to cost $80, you can not charge the buyer more shipping than what you have shown.

I think you'd be better off having more listings and doing variations for smaller prints in one listing, medium size in another and larger prints in another.

That way, you could put shipping cost a little more accurately even if using Non-CS.

[Former_Member]

Thanks for the feedback Pat, I am going to go through and make a spreadsheet of all the shipping costs based on size and print material, then decide what makes sense.

Maybe for now I should set the shipping to free and just eat the cost, that way I might get some sales 😎

[Former_Member]

Bob, NO, don't do that - you will get killed on shipping that way.

Perhaps start by taking those really large sizes out of your listings. Leave the smaller sizes and list a medium shipping price. Say just have 5x7 and 8x10 in your listings for now with say, $5 shipping. While you figure things out better, at least you'd have something up.

We don't want to see you loose money! Good luck and come back any time.

[Former_Member]

Earlier in this thread, there was a lot of discussion on shipping more than one item to a single customer and there was mention of "standard" ETSY carton sizes. I created my first Shipping Profile today and those box sizes are ll far too small for what I ship; solid wood tiys and stools, etc.. that weigh at least 2 or 3 pounds (up to 14) and often times I need to ship two in the same carton. So I created my first two Profiles; one for a single step stool and one for two step stools, each of them specifying the actual cartons sizes I use. When I went to edit my listing for the stool, I noticed that I can only select ONE Profile for that listing. So my question is; how can ETSY know to use the larger package Profile when a customer orders two stools? And in the rare case when a customer orders three stools, will ETSY know to arrange for shipping in one smaller carton and one larger carton? Or will it crash?

If I never shipped multiple items in one carton, I would be ecstatic with this new system. Over the past three years I have asked multiple times why ETSY could not implement something similar to what eBay uses, and this now looks very much like that. The difference is that I rarely sell my crafts on eBay (not a good venue for that) but mostly I buy or sell one-of-a-kind personal items so the question of multiples rarely comes up.

[custompetandtack]

Fred,
You can only attach "one" profile per listing.

I think you're referring to etsy's common box sizes. This is a list of virtual box sizes Etsy's uses to estimate what size box your item will fit in based on an items dimensions.

If any of the Etsy box sizes won't work, you need to set up the box sizes you use under Package preferences.

Once you do this, then you can disable Etsy's box sizes.

That way the calculator will only use the boxes you've added.

You need to have a box in your custom sizes (if one is not in etsy's size) for 1, 2 or 3 items to fit in.

Also in your listing for dimensions it's the item + any packing only.
Do not add your box size.

Weight is total weight, item + packing + box, packed up ready to mail.

You will have to probably tinker with your item sizes to get the calculator to put 2 or 3.

Example, if you have a box size in your custom list of 12x12x8.
But in your listing you put the item size as 13x12x8, CS will not use that box even if you can get it to fit, it will go to the next size up.

Just like someone the other day was complaning about CS not working because it was not putting an item with a 6" height in a mailer with only a 5" height.

I haven't looked at your items but if you have big items and for 2 to go in one box, that box could be oversize and triple or quaduple the shipping cost and alot of times, CS will figure 2 separate boxes rather than 1 box if 2 separate boxes are cheaper to mail.

Once you do add some items to CS, it's best to either LOGOUT or use another browser to shop and add items to your cart.

Just use different zips to make sure they are calculating correctly. I use my zip here in NC and a CA zip.

As for as Etsy's CS knowing what to put an item in, this is entirely based on the info you have entered in your listing and in your profile and custom box sizes.

[custompetandtack]

I wanted to add. What shipping method did you put on your profile?

If you use only Priority, then that is the only profile you need (unless you have different processing times and then you'll need more). ( I have 2 Priority profiles, 1 with a 1-3 day processing time and 1 with a 3-5 day processing time).

If you use Priority and Parcel Select, you need to put both on one profile.

If you have any lightweight items, then you need a first class and Priority profile together so if someone buys several first class items, CS will bump the shipping to Priority only instead of figuring 2 first class packages.

You can also add Priority express to these if you want.

If you do not sell books/cd's/etc, you do NOT need a media mail profile

The shipping profiles don't have anything to do with what box sizes are used

But if you want to name a profile Priority-small stool you can or Priority-large stool but it won't be used to select a large or small box. Only the shipping method and if you put a handling fee on either box.

[Former_Member]

Fred, just wanted to add I looked at your shop. I put a stool in my cart and it was $16.95 shipping (I am in RI). I put a CA zip code in and the shipping was $53 something. If I add 2 stools to my cart the price doubles.

You only have Priority and Priority Express. You might want to look into adding Parcel Select as an option for shipping. Maybe it will be cheaper.

Also, and here can be a problem for you. Do your stools stack in some way when you put 2 in a box? There really isn't a way to account for stacking.

You know the size box that one ships in. Like Pat said, add this box size to Package Preferences. And you know what size box 2 fit in so also add that to Package Preferences.

Now make sure the dimensions you put for one stool (this is what you put in the listing) is such that it will only fit in the one stool box - but also, the dimensions need to be such that 2 of them will fit in the 2 stool box.

As long as you have etsy common sizes unchecked, and only have the boxes you use listed in Package Preferences the calculator will go by the box dimensions and the weight you put in the listing for one stool. It will double the weight for 2 stools and use the dimensions of the larger box. You should get accurate shipping prices then. But you may have to manipulate the dimensions of the item slightly so that this happens.

The calculator will automatically go to a second box for the third stool. The calculator fills up your largest box and then starts over again.

I know this all sounds complicated. You just need to be aware of how the calculator works in order to have it work properly for your items. Stacking can be tricky, but since you only stack two, and your items are limited, you might be able to make it work for you.

[Former_Member]

Let me try to demonstrate what I mean.

Your stools are 15x9x9. Say your one stool box is 16x10x10. That will work.

Now if your larger box is 16x10x20 - you should be fine and both stools should fit according to the calculator.

But if your larger box is say 16x10x16 then it won't fit 2 in there.

If the height of the larger box is anything less than the height of two stools stacked, it won't fit. But you could change the height you entered in the listing to make doubling it fit within the height of the box.

[custompetandtack]

Great points Kathy!

That stacking items can be a royal pain since CS can't figure when items can be stacked and really not take up that much more space (like a pail or bucket).

Kathy, SInce you got $53 for one stool to CA........I'd think CS is putting the stool in an oversize box, either because the box size is in the listing (not the item size) or CS is putting the item in a much bigger box than needed because it doesn't have one to pick from that is close to the stool size from the list of etsy's box sizes.

[Former_Member]

I agree Pat. I thought you laid out perfectly how CS worked. I just wanted to add about stacking. There are limitations to what CS can do. But Fred might be able to make it work with his items. He just needs to add some Package Preferences and get those item dimensions right.

[Former_Member]

Thanks for all the comments and ideas. I had mentioned that I created the two box sizes that I use, but I also used them in the Profiles as the package dimensions. Once I shrank the package dimensions to just the item plus a layer of corrugated, the calculator did put two stools into one box. Kudos to the programmers!!

However, when I started scenarios on # of stools vs. zip code I saw where shipping a 7 or 8 pound package to the western half of the country would cost the customer much more than what I charge now. The reason is that for anything over 6 pounds I have found that FEDEX charges much less than the USPS for packages going more than 6-700 miles. The one exception among all my products is that the carton I need for two stools exceeds 3 cubic feet and FEDEX applies a surcharge for that! In that one situation, I will use my Prepaid account with the USPS (saves me approx. 15%) and they do not surcharge for larger cartons.


So I won't be using the ETSY calculated shipping program for my stools. But I do sell a number of other items that weigh 5 lbs or less and I will use CS for those to give the customer the best possible pricing.

Again, thanks for your help and input..

Fred

[Former_Member]

Fred, it sounds like you have a good handle on things. If we can be of further assistance just come on back.

[vintageNCtreasures]

Fred, I wanted to mention that if you have CS shipping and set your own shipping on some items that for the set your own shipping, you might need to put that each additional item shipping the same cost as the first item shipping.

What happens if a item with CS is bought with an item without CS, The calculated shipping is figured and then the "each additional item" cost is added to that.

So if you have a low amount set or $0 for the each additional item s/h cost that is the amount that will be added to calculated shipping prices.

So you need to be sure that the each additional item shipping cost is enough if that item is bought with an item with CS you'll have enough shipping to cover them.

[Former_Member]

OK I seem to be a total idiot because I'm having nothing but problems with calculated shipping. I had to cancel an order last night due to the shipping cost charged to the customer being double what the cost came up as when I tested it. It was more than the actual item.

When you talk about adding the weight and size, are you talking about the actual item or what the size and weight is when packaged for shipping? And if it's the size and weight of the item, how is the seller to know what the box size needs to be to meet the shipping costs charges to the customer? And how do you reliably see what your customers will actually be paying in order to know what the is better option for setting up your shipping?

[Former_Member]

artworksgallery

First, you don't need to cancel a sale because shipping collected is too much. You just refund the overage to your buyer.

For calculated shipping:

Dimension is for the item + any packing material around it like bubble wrap but NOT the shipping box.

Weight is the item packed in the box ready to ship.

You put the item dimensions so the calculator can fit more than one item into one box if possible. If you put the box size then each item bought will be boxed separately or the calculator might charge for an over sized box.

You can list all the boxes you use in Package Preferences or choose to use Etsy common box sizes. I personally list all of my boxes and uncheck the common etsy sizes so the calculator only selects from the boxes I want to use.

You can also select from regional and flat rate boxes in package preferences.

And just because the calculator says it used a particular box size, that does not mean you have to use that exact box size. You can use whatever you want to ship your item as long as you have enough postage.

That is why for weight you put the item boxed up ready to ship. If you sell only one item you need enough shipping to cover that.

Last, you can check your shipping by either signing out of your etsy ID and going back as a shopper and put things in your cart. Or you can open to your shop in a different browser and not sign in and shop that way.