In a press release issued March 10, uShip.com representatives highlighted the story of Don LeMaster, an antiques and collectibles seller on eBay. Many of LeMaster’s items fall into what’s known as the Larger-Than-Parcel (LTP) small-freight category. Arranging for delivery of such items is now “about to get easier and more affordable,” says uShip, with the company’s new arrangement with eBay to be its global transport supplier for LTP items.
“Within a year,” the company says, “uShip will be integrated into global eBay properties, more deeply into listings and in the buyer checkout process.”
While the uShip-eBay agreement on LTP transport is new, the companies’ association is not. Since 2007, 93,000 users have linked their eBay accounts with uShip, the company reports. The transport marketplace has seen more than 560,000 eBay items valued at $712 million listed for shipping. To date, total shipping cost of eBay goods on uShip is nearly $75 million, about 15 percent of uShip’s all-time total shipping volume of $500 million.
Company spokesman Dean Jutilla outlined what the new agreement could mean for transporters utilizing the uShip.com marketplace: “More Volume. Annually, more than 3 million LTP items are bought and sold on eBay, which translates into more volume into the uShip marketplace.”
With new functionality tying eBay to uShip, an added measure of intent will flavor eBay users’ experience of arranging shipping. “Buyers or sellers,” Jutilla says, “have likely just consummated a transacation on eBay so are ready to ship now. While LTP on eBay represents a small percentage of total items sold, the large items tend be have higher selling prices, so represent a disproportionately high share of eBay’s Gross Merchandise Volume (GMV). When you are talking eBay volume, we’re not talking small numbers.”
To view an example of the new options for buyers on eBay via the “Shipping and payments” tab, click on this example eBay Motors vehicle listing.
