Why does the app show free delivery when AliExpress shows a fee?

Because the order passes the threshold AliExpress itself reports. Below it you pay the fee; above it you do not.

What does "not quoted" mean?

AliExpress refused to quote delivery for every variation asked about. Usually the product does not go to that country, though it can also mean the variations tried were sold out.

Should I charge my eBay buyer for postage?

Free postage generally converts better and eBay favours it, which means the cost has to be inside your price. Either way the arithmetic is the same — the question is only where the buyer sees it.

Guides 6 min readUpdated 25 September 2026

AliExpress delivery costs and your eBay profit

Delivery is the number that quietly decides whether a product is worth listing. A product costing $11 with $8 delivery is a different business from the same product with free delivery, and the page does not always tell you which you are looking at.

Delivery is quoted per variation, not per product

AliExpress prices delivery against a specific variation going to a specific country. Two sizes of the same garment can quote differently, and a variation that is out of stock may not quote at all.

A quote for "the product" is really a quote for whichever variation was asked about. If that one happens to be unavailable, the answer comes back as no delivery at all — which is about the variation, not the product.

Free above a threshold

AliExpress delivers free once an order passes a value it sets, and it reports that threshold alongside the fee it would otherwise charge. A $28 product with a $10 threshold ships free, even though the quote still shows a fee beside it.

Read only the fee and you cost that product $1.99 too high, reject it as too thin, and never list something that would have sold.

The threshold is AliExpress’s own figure and differs by product and country. It should be read from the quote, never assumed.

Prices differ between accounts

Coins, welcome offers and seller-specific pricing mean two accounts see different prices for the same product. A costing built on somebody else’s price is not your costing.

What matters is what your own account would pay, which is why eBay Lister reads prices and delivery through the AliExpress account you connect rather than a shared one.

Putting it in the price

Once delivery is known it belongs in the cost before your markup, not as an afterthought. A rule that adds a percentage to the product price alone will be wrong by exactly the delivery charge on every listing you own.

Questions

Why does the app show free delivery when AliExpress shows a fee?: Because the order passes the threshold AliExpress itself reports. Below it you pay the fee; above it you do not.
What does "not quoted" mean?: AliExpress refused to quote delivery for every variation asked about. Usually the product does not go to that country, though it can also mean the variations tried were sold out.
Should I charge my eBay buyer for postage?: Free postage generally converts better and eBay favours it, which means the cost has to be inside your price. Either way the arithmetic is the same — the question is only where the buyer sees it.