Shipping label adjustments

[ed-boo-2u]

I’ve been selling over 20 years, basically the same merchandise. Over the past 2 months I’ve been hit with 7 label cost adjustments of $11.75 from UPS and FedEx. This is killing my business. My weights and measurements are spot on. No specific reason for the adjustment given. I’ve read the articles on shipping. I cannot get a specific reason for the charges!

[toysaver]

UPS and FedEx are notorious for the label you purchase to only be an estimated charge.   USPS is more reliable.  Have you been using the same scale for 20 years?  It may need to be replaced.  

[lux.ra_14]

Good thought about the scale. I've had mine for years but periodically check my weights against my USPS receipts.

Seems to be so prevalent, though, with UPS and FedEx that it makes you wonder if it's a form of greedflation. Had anyone ever received a credit/refund for a weight adjustment, or is it always an upcharge?

[fern*wood]

After looking at what you sell, my money is on the dimensions---probably one side being over a threshold.

[ed-boo-2u]

It’s a new digital scale. My weights and measures were verified by eBay. They still didn’t  give me an explanation 

[toysaver]

My weights and measures were verified by eBay.

I've been selling over 20 years and can't make that statement.  How the heck does eBay verify your package measurements and weight?  Do they come to the house with a scale and yardstick?  Do they give you a certificate?  From my packages they can only go on the information I supply.  

[lux.ra_14]

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@ed-boo-2u wrote:

It’s a new digital scale. My weights and measures were verified by eBay. They still didn’t  give me an explanation 

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How can eBay verify your inputs on the listing form? That's between you and your scale and your tape measure.

Take your time and double check. I weighed a package recently, and it seemed to weigh less than it should.  Turned out the little button got pushed somehow to change the measurement from pounds/ounces to kilograms. I blamed my cat. 

[ed-boo-2u]

I spoke to eBay customer service. They contacted UPS and they said my dimensions and weight were correct. They can look up any label and give you detailed info on actual dimensions and weight of package. I still think the shipping calculator are wrong.

[retro_entertainment_collectibles]

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@toysaver wrote:

My weights and measures were verified by eBay.

I've been selling over 20 years and can't make that statement.  How the heck does eBay verify your package measurements and weight?  Do they come to the house with a scale and yardstick?  Do they give you a certificate?  From my packages they can only go on the information I supply.  

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It Majik.

[lux.ra_14]

Wait, you got an eBay rep on the phone and they proactively called UPS to discuss your weights and measures?

I'm skeptical. More likely they told you what you wanted to hear to get you off the phone.  That would be much more typical of eBay customer "service."

[duffy4444]

Switch to USPS, where things are not perfect, but are more consistent and reliable. I hate to say that about a US Gov't entity, but for specifically what you're facing, I've had so much better luck and reliable pricing  with them than with UPS and FedEx.

[gb58]

If your scale is off slightly, and your entering a weight of, say for example, 4 lb., but the actual weight is 4.2 lbs. that automatically jumps the weight to 5 lb.  

I have had a few shipping adjustments, mainly for oversized boxes though, rather than weight. So that's another thing, you may be measuring the boxes incorrectly. 

I've also had a few shipping adjustment refunds over the years, that is always a nice surprise.

If you are getting hit with adjustments as much as you say however, it has to be something you are doing wrong on your end, and I would guess it's on the measurements.

[gator08041971]

In all the years I have sold items on here, I have had exactly two adjustments.  One I had incorrectly judged the weight and had to pay a bit more, and the other they credited me for charging me too much.  (yeah, I was shocked too)

But I primarily use USPS.  I measure everything, always round up to the next inch.  I weigh everything with a scale, and usually round that up to the next OZ or two, or the next pound.  Mostly to cover my butt.  I will not go by the exact reading, as I would rather error on the side of too much.   So far, it works for me.

I also notice the biggest discounts using USPS vs UPS or FedEx.  (I'm not sure I ever used FedEx on Ebay to be honest, but have used UPS a few times)

Other factors, making sure your labeling is correct for the item.  A LOT of sellers don't even bother labeling lithium ion battery items correctly for example.  Which is a big no-no when it comes to shipping anything with those batteries in them.  But anything that could be hazardous needs to be properly labeled.  Someone that ships an item that's hazardous and there is an incident with their package and its not labeled correctly, who do you think gets blamed?  You can select hazardous options during the label creation, so its easy to do now.

My advice, use UPS and FedEx sparingly if you can.  And I would have to agree with some of the others, a lot of reasons people get hit with "adjustments' is due to a mistake with the packaging.

[mightymouse]

I've had 5 Up charges in the last 2 months all with UPS. All were for box sizes. I don't over fill my boxes but when checking I found that my last set of 12 x 12 x 12 boxes turned out to be miss cut and 30% of them are 12 x 12 x 12 1/2 which ends up being 12 x 12 x 13.

I ship almost 80% of my items UPS as USPS has always been more .

[stephenmorgan]

I noticed with UPS on eBay that all the details are not viewable or presented.  Using a different shipping service all the details are viewable once you input the complete address.  See cost for a label to Canada below.  There is an additional handling of $12.95 added that I did not see with the eBay estimate.  If I would have used eBay, then I may have been charged the $12.95 after item had already shipped.

I have seen a charge before for a remote delivery, but this does not show on eBay, so you may be billed for it after shipment.