Guide · Reseller shipping
How Much Should I Charge for Shipping?
How much to charge for shipping depends on what the item actually costs to send: weigh it, measure the box, check the billable weight, then add packaging and a small buffer. Charge the buyer exactly that amount — or build it into the price — and you stop losing money on every sale.
Fees checked October 2026 · US fee schedule
The short answer: charge what it actually costs
Most resellers lose money on shipping in one of two ways: they guess a flat number and the real postage is higher, or they offer free shipping without raising the price enough to cover it. Both are avoidable. The rule is simple — your shipping charge should equal the postage the carrier will bill you, plus the box and materials, plus a small buffer of $0.50 to $1.00 for tape, labels and the occasional reweigh.
That buffer matters more than it looks. A label that costs $0.75 more than you charged, across 200 sales a year, is $150 of profit gone for no reason. Charge honestly and consistently, and shipping becomes a pass-through cost instead of a leak.
Step 1: Weigh and measure before you list
Never list an item before you know its packed weight and box size. A cheap kitchen or postal scale pays for itself in the first week, and a tape measure takes thirty seconds per item.
- Weigh the packed item. Weigh it in the box you will actually ship it in, with padding included — not the bare item on your shelf.
- Measure the box. Length × width × height in inches. Carriers charge by the larger of actual weight and dimensional weight, so the box size can matter more than the scale reading.
- Check the billable weight. Dimensional weight is box volume ÷ a carrier divisor (139 for US domestic, 166 for many international shipments). A 12 × 10 × 8 inch box is 960 cubic inches ÷ 139 = 6.9, rounded up to 7 lb — so a 5 lb item in that box bills at 7 lb. The dimensional weight calculator does this math for any box.
- Price it before you list. Run the packed weight and destination through your carrier’s rate tool, or use a recent label for the same weight class as your estimate.
Step 2: Pick how you charge — flat, calculated or free
| Method | How it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Flat rate | One shipping price for every buyer, whatever the destination | Light, similar-weight items where postage barely varies |
| Calculated | The buyer pays the carrier rate for their address at checkout | Heavy or varied items, and sellers who ship nationwide |
| Free shipping | You build the postage into the item price | Competitive categories where free shipping wins the sale |
Flat rate is the simplest and the most dangerous: a flat $5 charge is fine for a T-shirt and a loss on a 10 lb jacket. Calculated shipping is the fairest — the buyer pays what their address actually costs — but it needs accurate weight and dimensions on every listing, or the quote will be wrong. Free shipping usually wins more sales and better search placement, but only if you raise the price by the full shipping cost. On a $50 item with $5 postage, the free-shipping price is $55, not $50.
What shipping actually costs you
Postage is only the biggest line, not the only one. A realistic per-order shipping cost includes the label, the box or mailer, padding, tape and the label itself. Keep a small stock of standard boxes and poly mailers so you are not buying retail packaging one piece at a time, and track what each shipment really cost — the reseller profit calculator lets you enter your actual shipping cost per sale so your profit figure stays honest.
Marketplaces charge fees on shipping too
This is the part most new sellers miss. On several platforms the fee is calculated on the item price plus the shipping you charge the buyer — so the shipping line is not fee-free money. What you charge for shipping changes what you keep:
| Marketplace | Fee on shipping charged | Example: $10 shipping charged |
|---|---|---|
| eBay | 13.6% of item + shipping | $1.36 of fee on that $10 |
| Etsy | 6.5% transaction + 3% processing on item + shipping | $0.95 of fee on that $10 |
| Mercari | 10% of item + buyer-paid shipping | $1.00 of fee on that $10 |
| Depop (US) | 3.3% + $0.45 processing on item + shipping | $0.33 of fee on that $10 |
| Poshmark | Buyer pays shipping set by Poshmark; seller does not set it | No seller shipping charge to price |
| Facebook Marketplace | Local pickup: $0. Shipped: 10% of total | $1.00 of fee on that $10 shipped |
The practical point: if postage is $5 and you charge the buyer $5, you still pay a fee on that $5 on eBay, Etsy, Mercari and Depop. That is why the $0.50–$1.00 buffer exists — it covers the fee on the shipping line as well as the packaging. Run any real sale through the eBay fee calculator or the Etsy fee calculator with your shipping figure included to see the exact effect.
Free shipping: when it pays and when it does not
Free shipping is not actually free — you are still paying the carrier. It works when the item price can absorb the postage without killing your margin, and when the extra sales it brings outweigh the cost. It fails on heavy items, where one $15 label can erase the profit on a $30 sale.
Do the math before you switch: take a $50 item with $5 postage. With shipping charged, the buyer pays $55 total and you keep the same payout as a $55 free-shipping listing — because marketplace fees are charged on the total either way. The difference is not the fee; it is whether the higher headline price still sells. Test free shipping on your lightest, highest-margin items first, and keep charging shipping on anything heavy or bulky.
5 shipping mistakes that eat your profit
- Guessing the weight. Weigh the packed item, every time. A 1 lb underestimate can mean a postage-due adjustment later.
- Ignoring dimensional weight. Big, light boxes bill by size, not scale weight. Measure every box and check the dimensional weight calculator before choosing a box.
- Forgetting packaging cost. Boxes, mailers, bubble wrap and tape are real costs. Price a small handling buffer into every shipment.
- One flat rate for everything. A flat $5 works for shirts and fails for jackets. Use weight tiers or calculated rates once your catalog varies.
- Free shipping on heavy items. Keep free shipping for light items with room in the margin, and charge honestly for everything else. Returns double the damage — see the return cost calculator for what a returned shipment really costs.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much should I charge for shipping as a reseller?
Charge what the shipment actually costs: the carrier postage for the packed weight and box size, plus packaging, plus a $0.50–$1.00 buffer. Weigh and measure before you list, and never guess.
Should I offer free shipping?
Offer free shipping when the item price can absorb the full postage without killing your margin — usually light, higher-margin items. Raise the price by the full shipping cost; a $50 item with $5 postage becomes a $55 free-shipping listing.
What is dimensional weight?
Dimensional weight is box volume ÷ a carrier divisor (139 domestic, 166 international). Carriers bill whichever is larger: actual weight or dimensional weight. A 12 × 10 × 8 inch box bills at 7 lb even if the item weighs 5 lb.
Do marketplaces charge fees on shipping?
Yes, on most of them. eBay charges 13.6% on item plus shipping, Etsy 6.5% plus 3% processing on item plus shipping, Mercari 10% on item plus buyer-paid shipping, and Depop 3.3% plus $0.45 processing on item plus shipping. Poshmark and Facebook local pickup are the exceptions.
Should I add a handling fee?
A small handling charge of $0.50–$1.00 is reasonable and covers packaging, tape and labels. Keep it modest — an inflated handling fee looks like a hidden price increase and can cost you the sale.
Related tools & resources
- Dimensional weight calculator — billable weight for any box
- Reseller profit calculator — profit with your real shipping cost
- How to price items to make a profit — the fee-proof formula
- What is a good profit margin for reselling? — margin benchmarks
- All-platform fee comparator — rank 9 marketplaces on your sale
- Marketplace fee comparison chart — full 2026 rates
Estimate only — carrier rates change and vary by destination. Fees checked October 2026. Platform names are trademarks of their owners; we are not affiliated with them.