Printing eBay Shipping Labels Made More Difficult

by: etectra

Use PirateShip and import your orders there.

eBay label printing has not been efficient since the Classic Label Printing Page, with every choice inside a small border box that occupied only a portion of the webpage - not idiotic interface they have that required scrolling.

They got rid of the the Classic interface to update their website for phones. Web developers are suppose to tweak their website for different devices. But not eBay, they changed their entire interface to work on phones. I should not be seeing a bloated interface with giant buttons on my desktop's 24" screens.

eBay management does not care about you at all. They only care about themselves!

by: Shanna

etectra is correct, stop enriching eBay's bottom line buying shipping labels from them. Pirate ship offers all types of USPS shipping option, so for less than eBay offers. I use a point credit card to buy postage there, and get cash back. Ebay doesn't allow that. Ebay makes more money off of shipping labels than FVFs, they are paying Amazon rates to USPS, and not passing any of that discount to sellers. Poshmark and Mercari offer flat rate shipping option for significantly less than eBay does. On Mercari I can ship up to 3 pound from the east coast to the west coast for $7.99, cheapest eBay offers is $9.99.

by: Old School Seller

I pay for eBay shipping labels through eBays shipping platform using PayPal for payment which is an option they've always given. Because I keep zero balance in my PayPal account, payment is made to USPS via my credit card on file. I get CC points and eBay is not getting a dime of shipping funds from me other than FVF and sales tax on said cost.

by: spooky

I noticed a couple months ago eBay added an extra step. When I used to hit label, it would automatically come up with a print link. Now I have to hit a second print label link after the label is chosen and paid for.  

by: etectra

I should add that if you require additional insurance beyond the free insurance given by the carriers PirateShip will not let you purchase additional insurance through the carriers. You must purchase additional insurance through their private insurer.

If you want additional insurance from the carrier, and do not want to use a private insurer, you might need to purchase your label on eBay. Another label third party label provider might be an option, but almost all of them, unlike PirateShip, charge a monthly fee.

by: Snapped

Hmmmm.  If they make it too hard to DIY, maybe they have plans to try and do it all themselves.  For your ‘convenience’ of course.  

Hey…..wait a sec….

by: etectra

PirateShip also has a custom menu where you can store frequently used boxes sizes with a initial weight.

In this example the various sizes of Priority Mail boxes and envelopes were stores with their sizes if applicable and a initial weight of 2 pounds.

So if you use one of these boxes or envelopes for a shipment you would select the option from the custom menu and any sizes would be automatically entered with a weight of 2 pounds. You would then only have to change the weight if it was not 2 pounds.

https://i.postimg.cc/PxL00j5N/Screen-Shot-2026-06-02-at
-8-18-14-PM.png

I used this for many years on one PirateShip account as prior to Ground Advantage it was often cheaper to send a package out via the commercial Priority Mail rate even though the customer had paid for the USPS Retail Ground. Since Ground Advantage the only Priority Mail packages I've been some Medium or Large Flat Rate.

Of course you can change the same menu to whatever boxes you use. If for example; you regularly use 10" x 8" x 6" would could make a entry on the menu with a common used weight you ship. Worse case scenario you just have to change the weight. Alternatively you could also enter the same box size multiple times with different commonly used weights you ship.

by: BillBooks

''If you want additional insurance from the carrier, and do not want to use a private insurer, you might need to purchase your label on eBay''

Just a FYI, ALWAYS use the private insurance as long as it covers all the sale price.  Collecting from carriers is notoriously difficult.  Lots of horror stories on the web about denied claims, ridiculous proof of value requirements, partial payouts (like losing half a 20 vol OED can be ''repaired''), etc.  I make about 1 claim a year using private insurers like Pirateship's, Shipstation's, etc.  Much easier to file a claim, lower proof of value needed, etc.  Those private insurers almost always just require a copy of the sold listing or link to the ended listing, and sometimes a copy of an email from the buyer stating ''I never received it'' or ''It was smashed/torn/ruined, etc''.  Simply attest that your statements are true and you get a check a week or two later.

by: Bill

I agree with BillBooks. Collecting an insurance claim fro a private insurer is a lot easier then trying to get one from a shipping carrier.

by: Andy

Just FYI, eBay rolled back this update to the Buy Shipping Label form a week or so ago now, so the missing listing title, missing link and other sale info has been restored. What they were trying to achieve is anyone's guess, but there was a slowly growing mountain of complaints, so it appears that they finally gave up and went back to the previous version, what we're used to seeing.