eBay Revives Push For Sellers To Pass Shipping Discounts To Buyers
eBay is once again "nudging" sellers to pass discounted shipping rates along to buyers as carrier increases put the squeeze on margins ahead of the holidays.
Some sellers report receiving an email advising that listings using calculated shipping will default to showing eBay's discounted rates to buyers starting October 1, 2026.
Those who want to keep their current shipping settings can opt out by September 25 or change their settings back to showing non-discounted rates after October 1.
We’re making your default shipping rates more competitive
We wanted to let you know that starting October 1, discounted shipping rates available through eBay Labels will become the default rates shown on your eligible listings.
What's changing?
This update only applies to listings that use calculated shipping. If you use flat-rate or free shipping, nothing changes. To access the discounted rates shown on your listings, simply purchase your shipping labels through eBay Labels.By offering lower shipping rates, you can help make your listings more competitive and give buyers a better shopping experience.
This change only applies to sellers who received this email. If you don’t want this update applied to your account, you can opt out here by September 25. And, If you change your mind after this change takes effect on October 1, you can update your carrier rate settings at any time in your shipping preferences.
eBay made a similar push in 2024, after months of cold calls and social media campaigns encouraging sellers to offer free or discounted shipping in hopes of making listings more competitive.
Liz Morton
At the time, sellers pushed back on what many saw as eBay asking them to take another hit to margins without addressing the fees and other costs that go into fulfilling an order.
eBay charges its percentage-based Final Value Fee on the full transaction amount, including shipping and sales tax. Promoted Listings General cost per sale ad fees are also calculated on the total with shipping and tax, while boxes, mailers, tape, labels, ink, packing material and time spent getting the package out the door don't come free either.
Several sellers discussing the announcement on Reddit said they intend to opt out because they use some of the difference to cover eBay fees and packing supplies. One described already passing 20% of the discount along to buyers, typically leaving only a dollar or two extra, while others said they use flat-rate or calculated shipping specifically because postage, materials and destination can vary so much from one order to the next.
eBay is clearly aware of those concerns - the opt out form lists "I use the difference to compensate for my handling and shipping fees" as the first option for sellers to select when noting why they've chosen not to pass the discounted rates on to buyers.
Other sellers in the Reddit thread said they already use eBay's discounted rate or reduce shipping when the difference gets too high.
Shipping is also included in eBay's Gross Merchandise Volume along with the item price and taxes, so changes in postage can move reported GMV without any change in the underlying value of merchandise sold. Higher shipping can increase both the amount included in GMV and the base on which seller fees are calculated, but it can also make a listing less attractive and hurt conversion, particularly on lower-priced items where delivery can be a large part of the total cost.
But eBay only counts paid transactions in GMV, so a lower shipping charge can still work in its favor if it helps convert more buyers.
eBay said shipping revenue grew double digits year over year in Q2 2026, and identified shipping, advertising and payments as positive contributors to take rate in its Q3 outlook.
Earlier this month, the company hired longtime Walmart and Amazon supply chain executive Andres Gonzalez as VP and General Manager of Global Shipping and Authentication, with Gonzalez describing both businesses as "must-win priorities."
Liz Morton
He arrives as eBay is steadily taking a larger role in the shipping transaction, particularly outside the US where a majority of UK C2C orders are now processed through managed shipping.
The company is testing a similar Managed Shipping model with select sellers in the US. For eligible listings, eBay determines the shipping rate shown to the buyer and uses those funds to provide the seller with a prepaid label, taking much of the pricing decision out of the seller's hands.
The US Managed Shipping test is still limited, but eBay has also expanded Item Not Received protections for sellers using eBay Labels, building on changes introduced last year.
eBay sellers have been playing whack-a-mole with USPS rates for much of 2026, with changes coming both through the normal Postal Service rate schedule and separate adjustments to eBay's negotiated pricing.
USPS added a "temporary" 8% transportation-related increase to Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, Ground Advantage and Parcel Select in April that will remain in place through January 17, 2027. Then came a surprise drop in some eBay Ground Advantage rates in June, followed by the regular USPS Competitive Products update in July that made many larger, lightweight packages more expensive.
Liz Morton
eBay sellers saw more targeted increases affecting certain weights and zones after that, only for rates to shift again August 22 with lower prices for some 2 lb Ground Advantage shipments and Priority Mail packages to zone 8.
Because eBay and other shipping platforms can have negotiated USPS contracts separate from published commercial rates, those changes can happen outside the regular USPS calendar and the details are often not disclosed publicly.
And just as sellers are trying to keep up with all of that, USPS is proposing another round of increases for the holiday season. The temporary peak rates would run from October 4 through January 17 on Priority Mail Express, Priority Mail, Ground Advantage and Parcel Select.
Liz Morton
Some of the proposed commercial increases are significantly larger than last year's holiday adjustments, particularly for heavier and longer-distance packages. Exactly how much of those increases will flow through to eBay Labels will depend on the company's negotiated USPS pricing.
Lower shipping can help make a listing more competitive, and some sellers will decide passing more of the discount along is worth it if it helps win the sale.
But eBay is once again focusing on the amount buyers see for shipping without doing anything about the fees sellers pay on that amount or the other costs they are trying to cover. This time, the push comes as shipping contributes more to eBay's own revenue and just three days before the proposed USPS holiday increases would take effect.
