Calculated shipping is not working correctly on some of my listings.

[georgestobbard]

I just noticed that on some of my published listings, the shipping calculator is not displaying the correct price to buyers.  For example, on a listing that advertises first-class shipping, the price displayed is way too high. It's as if the computer is charging the buyer the priority shipping rate, even though the package will weigh under 1 lb.  

On another one of my listings, I chose to enable both first-class and priority shipping options for this item, which will still weigh under 1 lb., and the prices displayed for BOTH options still reflect the more expensive priority rate. So even if the buyer were to choose the first-class option, he or she would still pay as much money as the buyer who chooses priority.  

My handling fee isn't very high, and it certainly doesn't account for the huge, unexpected jump in prices I'm seeing as of today.  

Is this a brand-new bug?  And is there a workaround for it?  I have about 175 listings, and I don't have time to visit all of them tonight to see how many of them are affected by this glitch.  I've spot-checked only about seven so far, and my heart sank when I saw that two of them were messed up.  

[berserkerplanet]

Item 132925081053 shows "Standard Shipping (USPS First Class Package®) " at $10.30 to a zone 8 destination, which is the $9.30 RETAIL PM rate plus a $1 handling fee.

That tells me that your site setting is to NOT pass USPS discounts to buyers, and to charge buyers retail rates. When retail rates are charged, USPS First Class Package Service - Retail is used, that service only goes to 13 oz, and when the item is over 13oz, the calculators switch to Priority Mail at retail rates.

If you want to be able to use Commercial USPS First Class Package up to 15.99 oz you have to charge buyers online rates for USPS via the site setting: https://www.ebay.com/ship/prf/carrier

If you are already charging USPS online rates (passing discount to buyers via that setting), then maybe there is something else going on.

[nobody*s_perfect]

As berserkerplanet noted, this is happening because the shipping calculator cannot show retail prices for weights over 13 ounces so it shows the Priority Mail price instead.  

This default became more noticeable when USPS rates for First Class packages went to zoned pricing.  Before the change, all of the listings with weights above 13 ounces showed $6.70 as the postage cost, whereas now they show the actual calculated Priority Mail price for one pound to the buyer's Zone.

[georgestobbard]

Thank you both for your help.  I have used predetermined shipping costs for many years, and I switched to calculated shipping only a couple weeks ago, due to the new zone-based pricing for first class packages. 

You are right, the two listings that I noted last night are both for items that are over 13 oz.  

I clicked on the link you provided, Berserkerplanet, and checked the box that will enable eBay-negotiated discount rates.  Going forward, I hope that will fix the problem for any new listings I create for packages that will be slightly under 1 lb.  However, after checking that box, my affected listings still show the wrong prices. Do I need to make any other edits, or is it just a matter of waiting a few more minutes or hours for the changes to apply?  

[georgestobbard]

And another thought: is a handling fee still allowable, now that I've checked the box on the page that would show the buyer the actual online postage rates? 

All my items have a small handling fee, ranging from a few cents to $1, to help cover seller fees and shipping materials.  I would like to continue having that handling fee automatically applied to whatever price the buyer sees.  

[nobody*s_perfect]

Yes, you can add a handling fee regardless of whether the calculator is showing the retail or online price.

The price that eBay charges for its shipping labels is not some special price that is negotiated by eBay with USPS.  It's just the USPS published online Commercial rate, which you can look up here:

http://pe.usps.com/cpim/ftp/manuals/dmm300/notice123.pdf

The only exception is that Top Rated Sellers get an additional 3% discount on Priority Mail postage.

[georgestobbard]

An update:

I just noticed something....  In the listings form, where you input the package  weight, there is a dropdown menu where one of the choices is "Custom weight."  Two weeks ago, when I went into a mad frenzy of changing hundreds of fixed-rate shipping costs for the packages that are light enough to qualify for first class at the online postage rate, I may have selected "Custom weight" for some listings and "1 lb. or less" for the other listings.  But in all cases, I input the correct number of ounces, so I didn't think it mattered.

Just now, I looked at one of my messed-up listings and I fixed it by using "Custom weight."  I didn't change the number of ounces, just used "Custom weight" instead of "1 lb. or less."  Is that what I've been doing wrong?

I wonder now, if "Custom weight" publishes the accurate shipping cost for first class, under what circumstances would a seller deliberately choose "1 lb. or less?"

[georgestobbard]

Thank you!

[berserkerplanet · Accepted solution]

If you change your global "pass discounts to buyers" setting(s) as you said you did you have to revise the listings, and probably has to be the shipping section of the listings somehow to get the listings to suck the new settings in and apply them (never gotten around to rigorous testing to see if changing the description forces shipping section specific setting changes)

Not sure if I read that correctly, but when you changed the 1 lb or less to  custom weight that WAS a shipping section revision nd would get the global setting change to apply.

As nobody*s_perfect already noted, handling fees are "legal" on any calculated shipping (non-free shipping) listing.


Custom weight vs 1 lb or less shouldn't make any difference for sub 16oz things like First Class Package - I have used both and never had any issues (others have claimed one or the other I can't recall causes bugaboos, but I have never seen it substantiated or proven or bothered to test it)

Revise the listings that are not showing the new discounted pricing (change the handling fee by a nickel) and then check. The changes are immediate when they do happen.


(you are in a perfect position to test if just changing the description slightly like adding a space or a period also forces the settings to apply - if so that's easier than changing the handling fee, saving it, then changing it back)

[georgestobbard]

Thank you!  I played around with the listings all morning, and you are correct, a minor tweak is all it takes to trigger the new shipping settings.  I don't even have to change anything specifically in the shipping and handling section of the listings.  Just adding an extra space between two words in the description field will trigger the new shipping settings, just like you said.  I'm so relieved.  It will make the editing go a lot faster.

Thank you both for your help!!!  

[berserkerplanet]

Glad you got it straightened out and can get back to selling.

And thank you for the testing that confirms that any* revision to the listing will get the changed site settings to "take".

That makes it so much easier to bulk edit to "refresh" a slew of listings, instead of having to edit/add a handling fee, save, and revise again to change it back to what you want it to be.

*still unknown if ANY change to a listing will force ALL site setting changes to apply, so everyone should keep that in mind if you ever run into a situation where site preference changes are not applying to active listings. If it occurs, think about trying specific revisions (such as to shipping options) to see if that makes a difference.