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why oh why do we still not have a shipping calculator on Etsy??

Mickey Fielding avatar
Mickey Fielding from TerraformaStudio 5:31 pm Oct 5, 2012 EDT
I'm SO tired of having to go through the calculations with the FedEx and USPS site shipping calculators for each and every item I'm posting. Because all of my items really are handmade and one of a kind, their weights and sizes are all different—there is no one-size-fits-all option here. I don't even show shipping options outside the U.S. because the thought of going through all of those additional calculations is so off-putting. I don't know how people with lots of inventory that show shipping to many locations can do it!

AND, I always have to show a shipping fee that is the highest possible, farthest, worst-case-scenario for shipping in the U.S. so that I won't actually lose money on shipping. I then have to go through the extra step in most instances and refund the overage to the buyer. I have to include language about all of this in each and every listing, so that potential buyers aren't scared off by that high shipping cost!

Can you see yet why I'm so anxious for a shipping calculator? Come on, Etsy—Ebay has had shipping calculators in their postings for YEARS—why can't we?

54 Responses

Geri avatar
Geri from ShopAtGeris 5:48 pm Oct 5, 2012 EDT
Mickey, I completely agree. I believe it can be confusing and off-putting to the buyer to list the highest possible shipping charge and then offer a partial refund if actual charges are less. A shipping calculator is really quite necessary.
Marmalady avatar
Marmalady from Marmalady 5:53 pm Oct 5, 2012 EDT
Ebay can have a built in shipping calculator because it has separate sites for each country --and so can plug into the relevant postal website

Etsy has just one world-wide site and would have to plug into hundreds of postal websites

That is an impossible programming task
Pam avatar
Pam from fabricjunkie1640 5:56 pm Oct 5, 2012 EDT
I agree as well. I don't know why Ebay can figure it out but Etsy can't. It must be because they don't want to have it but I can't amagine why. With all the stupid new changes and other useless things they are working on why not give us something that we can really use?

I loose over $3 every time someone from the west coast buys more than one pair of pillow covers and it's either that or charge everyone else too much and give a lot of refunds.
Marmalady avatar
Marmalady from Marmalady 5:58 pm Oct 5, 2012 EDT
if you read my post above it explains why Ebay has one and Etsy doesnt

If anyone can figure a way to easily plug into hundreds of postal websites around the world, I'm sure the developers at Etsy would be very gratefull for the insight
Pam avatar
Pam from fabricjunkie1640 5:59 pm Oct 5, 2012 EDT
Okay Marmalady, thanks for the explanation. Makes sense. Now I'll get off my soap box.
Mickey Fielding avatar
Mickey Fielding from TerraformaStudio 9:55 pm Oct 5, 2012 EDT
Marmalady—if that's the case (I want to believe that the computer experts at Etsy are capable of figuring out how to connect to foreign shippers' websites...), couldn't they AT LEAST start with offering U.S. (and Canadian) sellers a shipping calculator?
Geri avatar
Geri from ShopAtGeris 10:00 pm Oct 5, 2012 EDT
I agree. A shipping calculator for at least US shipments would be an excellent start.
Robert (Bob) avatar
Robert (Bob) from Mainetrader 10:49 pm Oct 5, 2012 EDT
I think the Postal Service would be very happy to help install a system for shipping in the U.S. If anyone can do it they can.
vintagethisretrothat avatar
vintagethisretrothat from vintagethisretrothat 11:03 pm Oct 5, 2012 EDT
I've been thinking about a shipping calculator for years, this would greatly increase my sales
alas..

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