I use Fedex for large items, but because that's not an eBay shipping option, I enter the info as if I'll use UPS (Calculated Shipping). The Listing Templates I use for big items have a note at the top telling bidders to ignore the UPS calculator and saying the item will be shipped Fedex with $x for the packing fee. When a sale is made, I tell the buyer their invoice will be emailed as soon as I've packed the item and determined the exact weight and box size. But sometimes buyers submit a Paypal payment immediately which means it includes the estimated UPS cost. Usually, that will more than cover the Fedex cost, so I'll end up issuing a partial refund.

The problem is that every now and then, the UPS shipping that shows up at Paypal is lower than the Fedex cost (because the box I end up using is a little larger than I estimated -- size being the big factor these days). So I email the buyer, reminding them of the note at the top of the auction, and I refund their entire payment (because if they made an additional payment, I'd have to pay another Paypal base fee). Then I box up the item, send their invoice, and hope they aren't too miffed that the shipping is higher than they expected.

So (finally), here's my question:

Is there a way I can alter the shipping cost that appears at Paypal? I have my account set to allow buyers to change the shipping cost (and other fields, as well, I think), but some of the newbies can't handle this, and they are afraid to use the link I provide that would fill everything in for them. Is it something I can do at eBay? I have my Preferences set to not use Checkout. Do you guys have Checkout enabled even though you don't use it? If so, are you able to adjust the shipping cost that shows up at Paypal?

Thanks, Sue