Regards,
Since its inception, the APV system has caught a number of weight inconsistencies and I have received Refunds from eBay for them. USPS has checkweighers in their bulk facilities that check the package weight at every facility they pass through. This information is fed back through the system and if they record a weight lower than what the "paid for" weight is a refund is generated. Below is one I recently received. This happens on heavier weight items in my case. I tend to err on the side of caution when I have a package that is right on the boarder line of their weight ranges. 1/4 of an ounce (or less) is all it takes for a package to get bumped UP or DOWN in eBay-USPS weight ranges like 1-2 lbs, 2-3 lbs, etc.
In any event, the system works so I Give eBay-USPS credit for this system!
@bbravo65 wrote:
...you must have an account in shipping bulk...
...individual purchasing shipping label won't have that privileged...many packages slip through the system without getting caught for underpaid or overpaid shipping labels...
...the extra credit in revenue vs. Postage Due...
@bbravo65 Actually @nobody*s_perfect 's post clarifies that. The APV system is NOT account specific, all it does is monitor the weight and postage paid. One of the reasons they created it was to cut down on packages arriving to Buyers with "Postage due" notices. With APV that charge goes back to the Seller, which it should. Thus far I have not been charged for more postage just given credit for over paying. This I think is only the 2nd one I've gotten all year on just over 600 shipments ... that's a very low percentage. And again, this can happen easily if your package is right on that boarder line between the weight ranges eBay has established. I think it would be nice if USPS had like a 1/2 lbs rate instead of a full 1 lbs range. So instead of 1-2 lbs they would have 1 - 1.5 lbs then 1.5-2 lbs. But I know that might complicate their system.
@nuclearomen wrote:never had this happen to me, from ebay or otherwise, but I heard of it happening to others, specifically recently in posts on the board. I don't know if it happens for heavy weight items or what...but all my packages are weighted before I print label and the box dimensions are already on the listing. When I print label I always add weight to the package from whatever it is... so say I have package where my scale says 1 lbs. 10 oz. I add a few oz.'s to make 1 lbs. 13 oz. to cover any slight differences in weight and scales. When I go to post office and get a receipt all my packages are slightly less then the weight I placed and that's OK IMO. The difference however of few ounces won't affect price in most cases.
@nuclearomen I have been in bulk facilities, I use to work with some of the specific machines they use. In general terms, the "checkweigher" is an electronic scale that a 4 foot long conveyor is mounted to and it runs at (least) 360 feet per minute. The scale mechanism has a factory tolerance (+/-) so it is accurate to within "X" amount of weight. If THAT machine gets just a little out of spec it could interpret the weight as 1/8 ounce higher or lower then the actual weight. So you could weigh a package at home on a digital scale (which ALSO has a tolerance of (+/-) value) and it shows as 1 lbs 15.95 OZ ... so it ships for 2 lbs. BUT, that same package, at a USPS bulk center "could" be seen as 2 lbs 0.05 oz and they think you under paid. The same is true the other way (and where our refunds come from). YOUR package weight says 2 lbs .05 oz so you pay for 3 lbs. and the USPS bulk system sees 1 lbs 15.95 OZ and says you over paid and it should be 2 lbs. rate NOT 3 lbs.
Last year I may have had about a half dozen refunds issued to me ...
@nobody*s_perfect wrote:Ouch! You paid the 2-pound weight but USPS decided your package weighed one pound. So it probably could have gone as a First Class package. So even though you got a credit for the overpaid Priority Mail postage, you might have saved even more by using FC in this case.
@nobody*s_perfect Yes, but per my other post about the tolerances of the scales involved, (Sellers, USPS bulk centers, etc) you can't know that ahead of time. The other part is the item value ... I offer BOTH Parcel Select and Priority Mail ... Buyers usually go cheap and purchase Parcel Select, I use my discount and upgrade to Priority for insurance purposes, I get $ 100 built in insurance with Priority mail. I have had items that could have shipped First Class but I go Priority because of the value of the item ...
@nobody*s_perfect wrote:"but per my other post about the tolerances of the scales involved, (Sellers, USPS bulk centers, etc) you can't know that ahead of time. "
I think I'd take my chances with First Class, knowing that APV would just charge me (and not my buyer) if they decide that the package is over the weight threshold.
Not if the item has a higher value, for myself I won't try to save a few pennies but risk damage on a $ 50-$100 item even if it weighs 8 oz packed ...
UPDATE: Received another refund today, $ 2.03. Checked the routing on the previous one, both went west and shipped within one day of each other.
-One to CA on the 20th
-One to MI on the 19th
The only common bulk center they passed through is the first one in the tracking chain. It happens to be the FIRST bulk center the packages would have gone to from our local Post Office.
