topic Re: Ebay 'cheap' postage labels not so cheap in Selling

Ebay 'cheap' postage labels not so cheap

pnc75 — Thu, 15 Jan 2026 04:52:39 GMT

So much for the save money on ebay postage labels spiel; their 'cheap' postage for a parcel under 1 kg is $18.91! Not real cheap when over the counter at the PO it's $15.25 (and that's without any discount). And no, I didn't have the real dimensions of the box in the ad, I had it reduced to 20 x 20 x 15 and clearly stated the weight as 980g.

I hate to think how 'cheap' their postage label would have been if I'd put the correct dimensions of 28 x 23 x 14! Would have needed a bank loan!

Re: Ebay 'cheap' postage labels not so cheap

purplemon18 — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 09:34:04 GMT

This is because you are using your own packaging and have not hit Auspost's threshold for increasing the price based on size, so they are only charging you for the weight.

Whereas eBay are only really set up to charge by the standard flat rate parcel prices. While your item weighs less than 1kg, it is so big it only fits in an large box.

Base rates:

$9.70 250gram = extra small

$11.15 500gram = small

$15.25 1kg = medium

$19.30 3kg = large

$23.30 5kg = extra large.

So the options are the medium parcel price on Auspost and the large parcel price on eBay.

some other notes

If it is heavier than 5kg then Auspost start charging by "cubic weight" or "volumetric weight" which is a formula that accounts for both weight and size. I get sticker shock at cubic weight prices sometimes.

There are also limits to how big a parcel can be before they start charging by cubic weight, but you are unlikely to encounter anything that big that weighs less than 3kg.

You can always use Auspost's postage calculator on their website to check the cost compared to eBay.

Generally speaking though, when items under 1kg are actually small enough to fit into a small or extra small parcel, eBay are a little bit cheaper than Auspost. This is because of the volume discount that they have managed to negotiate with Auspost.

Aside from that, It stops being cheaper on eBay when you ship enough items to qualify for a Mypost Business discount.

Re: Ebay 'cheap' postage labels not so cheap

purplemon18 — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 09:50:10 GMT

Btw, eBay discounts match Mypost Business's band 2 discount rates, so you have to spend more than $500 a month on postage to get a better rate.

Re: Ebay 'cheap' postage labels not so cheap

davewil1964 — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 10:31:03 GMT

But eBay gives the discount to the buyer as well as the seller. Nett zero - except for the fees on postage.

In which case AP Band 2 is definitely better for those who are prepared to manage their accounts themselves.

Even Band 1, as the minimal discount helps offset fees. eBay labels do not offset fees.

Re: Ebay 'cheap' postage labels not so cheap

pnc75 — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 23:30:45 GMT

Whereas eBay are only really set up to charge by the standard flat rate parcel prices. While your item weighs less than 1kg, it is so big it only fits in an large box.

I hardly think 20 x 20 x 15 cm is large!

Re: Ebay 'cheap' postage labels not so cheap

brickworksmarket — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 02:02:54 GMT

Thanks to chatgpt I did the numbers on a xsmall satchel and it said you would be better off profit wise using a fixed rate postage charge and then pocketing the savings from a set number of buyers. I used band 4 discounts in the calculation.

This is its answer.

"Because most buyers fall into the 19% discount zone but you can’t know their location in advance, charging a flat $9.70 postage gives you slightly more profit per sale on average, but it can reduce how many items you sell because buyers dislike high shipping costs. Charging actual postage and recovering the cost in the item price usually leads to more sales, and even though the profit per item is slightly lower, the higher sales volume typically results in greater overall profit."

Re: Ebay 'cheap' postage labels not so cheap

purplemon18 — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 01:48:22 GMT

" eBay labels do not offset fees."

They do if you are not using calculated shipping.

Re: Ebay 'cheap' postage labels not so cheap

pnc75 — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 01:55:56 GMT

No, I'm afraid they don't. They're often more expensive, because unlike Ap, ebay insist on cubing all parcels under 1 kg as well as catering to the zone charges. That's what is causing the problems.

Re: Ebay 'cheap' postage labels not so cheap

purplemon18 — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 01:57:31 GMT

"I hardly think 20 x 20 x 15 cm is large!"

This isn't really relevant. An item with those dimensions wont fit into anything smaller than the boxes/satchels that Auspost have called large. However, Auspost only charge you the medium price if you use your own packaging.

Re: Ebay 'cheap' postage labels not so cheap

pnc75 — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 02:07:39 GMT

To quote you directly: 'Whereas eBay are only really set up to charge by the standard flat rate parcel prices. While your item weighs less than 1kg, it is so big it only fits in an large box.'

So you made it relevant. with your reply.

Re: Ebay 'cheap' postage labels not so cheap

purplemon18 — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 02:31:30 GMT

"No, I'm afraid they don't. They're often more expensive, because unlike Ap, ebay insist on cubing all parcels under 1 kg as well as catering to the zone charges. That's what is causing the problems. "

eBay charge their fees at the time the customer makes a purchase. If you haven't told eBay that you intend to use their label for shipping at that time, they just charge the fees on the sale total. If you then purchase a label through eBay after that, they only charge you the label price, there are no extra fees on shipping you buy at a later date.

eBay are not trying to charge anyone a fee for shipping. There was a time in the past where people would sell things really cheap with really expensive shipping as a way to avoid paying fees to eBay. eBay solved the problem by charging their fees on the sale total instead of on the item sub-total. Dodgy sellers are to blame for this current situation.

So, my point still stands, if you don't use calculated shipping, then any postage discounts are not automatically passed along to the customer, which means that those discounts can be used to offset fees and handling costs.

Re: Ebay 'cheap' postage labels not so cheap

shoppingbag* — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 07:09:10 GMT

I am being overcharged just like you. I had one parcel to travel only 10 kms, and while the buyer got a discount on the postage, to print the label it would cost me $5 more than the buyer paid. Ebay offered to refund me the difference if I printed the label, I declined and paid over the counter at the Post Office, and while still out of pocket over what the buyer paid, I was only out of pocked 20 cents, not $5. I since changed my listings to "flat rate" not "calculated" and enter what Australia Post quotes online (you can enter, size and weight, own packaging etc and get this from their website) and that amount is always accurate to what they charge over the counter. However the quotes for printing a label are still too high, so no choice but continue to pay over the counter. The latest one which posts for $14.10 (under 500g with siganture on delivery) Ebay and Australia Post quote $19.93 to print a label and state that they are giving a 25% discount. Are they kidding??

Re: Ebay 'cheap' postage labels not so cheap

pnc75 — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 07:16:49 GMT

It's because they cube everything and apply the zonal charges. Complete mess.

Even if you use flat rate and they offer you a discounted ebay label, it's still highly inflated. Over the counter is definitely cheaper most times.

Re: Ebay 'cheap' postage labels not so cheap

lezned-toycollector — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 08:14:58 GMT

@shoppingbag* wrote:
I am being overcharged just like you. I had one parcel to travel only 10 kms, and while the buyer got a discount on the postage, to print the label it would cost me $5 more than the buyer paid. Ebay offered to refund me the difference if I printed the label, I declined and paid over the counter at the Post Office, and while still out of pocket over what the buyer paid, I was only out of pocked 20 cents, not $5. I since changed my listings to "flat rate" not "calculated" and enter what Australia Post quotes online (you can enter, size and weight, own packaging etc and get this from their website) and that amount is always accurate to what they charge over the counter. However the quotes for printing a label are still too high, so no choice but continue to pay over the counter. The latest one which posts for $14.10 (under 500g with siganture on delivery) Ebay and Australia Post quote $19.93 to print a label and state that they are giving a 25% discount. Are they kidding??

While there are actually numerous options available to you, I think you may have overlooked MyPost Business - just saying

Re: Ebay 'cheap' postage labels not so cheap

shoppingbag* — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 10:13:20 GMT

I looked into mypost business, but I am only selling personal items, so not a business and would not sell enough to make it worthwhile, I could not make the second stage. I also have read there are problems with labels there also, and I suspect they will overcharge for labels as well.

Re: Ebay 'cheap' postage labels not so cheap

shoppingbag* — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 10:23:05 GMT

What a fiasco this whole thing is. Ebay claim they are getting postage discounts for us, because they have listened to us, yet the reverse is true, labels are now much more expensive if you want to print them via eBay. I have been printing labels for years, all correctly priced before they changed to "so-called" discounted postage rates. It was so easy to get other people to drop off the parcels at the post office, now I have to do it all in person, and without a car, I have to find someone to drive me. How to get the message through to eBay that these aren't discounted prices, and please change it back?? Any ideas??

Re: Ebay 'cheap' postage labels not so cheap

lezned-toycollector — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 16:26:50 GMT

@shoppingbag* wrote:
I looked into mypost business, but I am only selling personal items, so not a business and would not sell enough to make it worthwhile, I could not make the second stage. I also have read there are problems with labels there also, and I suspect they will overcharge for labels as well.

I only mentioned MyPost Business because you stated that you had no option other than lodging over the counter.

Unfortunately, it looks as though you may have misunderstood the information you found.

To clarify, you don't need to be a business to open a MyPost Business account. There is also no minimum send requirement, and you can still pay over the counter, or you can pay online - both methods are charged at the exact same rate.

The notifications alone make it worthwhile, but you can also avoid going to the PO altogether if you so choose... and if you're looking at the savings bands, it really doesn't take a lot to reach band 1 (you can get there on one shipment a week).

Re: Ebay 'cheap' postage labels not so cheap

garymacscw — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 20:31:04 GMT

To work out the cubic weight for what you have used would be .2 x .2 x .15 = 0.006, then times that by 250 = 1.5 kilos. If you did the correct size it works out to be 2.25kgs. Same price 1 to 3 kgs for post in Australia. If you take it into the post office, some times they wont check the size and just go by weight and then you save money, you can also get the Austpost app and scan it at the post office, if you sell it bit you will ended up saving money.

Re: Ebay 'cheap' postage labels not so cheap

shoppingbag* — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 20:46:20 GMT

I realize i do not need to be a business to have a My Business AP account. However, to get a discount on Postage depends on selling a certain amount. Also, I use my own packaging which does not qualify for flat rate postage, instead items are cubed etc, which is apparently what is happening on Ebay, so I would be stuck with the same problem with overpriced postage that I already have. It is flat rate on my parcels over the counter which is the same as estimated via AP website. I have printed labels for years with no problems, only since the so called "discounted Postage" was introduced, they are charging me much more than I need to pay. Unfortulnately, I think I will be wasting my time trying to get this issue rectified. Thank you for all your advice and information though, much appreciated.

Re: Ebay 'cheap' postage labels not so cheap

twyngwyn — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 00:25:55 GMT

Anyone else get this?