eBay Shipping Calculator prices far exceed USPS.com Retail Postage Price Calculator prices

[dolphintale154]

Someone was inquiring about one of my listings, and asked why the shipping was so high?  I charge what the actual shipping cost is.  I used the usps.com shipping calculator and the cost was $14.90 using ground advantage, ebay's price is $47.90 for the same shipping service.  I called ebay and she stated that the usps.com calculator is incorrect, that they hare having issue's since they updated their system for usps ground advantage.   This just does not make sense to me.  Does anybody know what is going on and having the same issues? Thanks!

[klhmdg]

That is 100% not true.

USPS pricing is not having any issues. 

eBay CS has been known to just make stuff up.

I looked at 1 of your listings that seems high for me.

Shipping on the colander for CA to WA - was $22

Seems high for a plastic item.

You should check your package sizes and weights.

I just checked the eBay site and the USPS site for 1 of my items and it was exactly the same.

[dolphintale154]

That is odd, did you use the ground advantage option, when  I do it they don't match!

[ms.rodriguez*]

Check the weight.  Check the dimensions.  Also do NOT confuse USPS GROUND ADVANTAGE with UPS GROUND.   The names are two similar.

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@dolphintale154 wrote: ....  I used the usps.com shipping calculator and the cost was $14.90 using ground advantage, ebay's price is $47.90 for the same shipping service. ...

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$47.90 is the cost to ship 16 pounds to Zone 8.

$14.90 is the cost to ship 2 pounds to Zone 8.

The most likely reason for this difference is that you have entered dimensions above 1 cubic foot (1728 cubic inches), so eBay is charging the "dimensional weight" according to the USPS formula. So you should double-check the dimensions that are entered in the listing.

[dolphintale154]

Yes, the dimensions are above the 1728 cubic inches, so that is probably why.  The cubic foot size didn't matter previously when you shipped USPS Ground Select, so I guess this is an improvement (haha)! Thanks for the information I was not aware of the size limitation.

[12345jamesstamps]

I would take it to a post office the old fashion way to see what an item will cost and what you might save. Plus it won't get stuck in some eBay hub for not knowing how long before it gets delivered. Prices have changed plus where the items got would you are using these eBay shipping labels. 

If a buyer questions your cost of shipping...tell them you can refund any amount over what they paid for.

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@dolphintale154 wrote:

Yes, the dimensions are above the 1728 cubic inches, so that is probably why.  The cubic foot size didn't matter previously when you shipped USPS Ground Select, so I guess this is an improvement (haha)! Thanks for the information I was not aware of the size limitation.

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Parcel Select Ground and Retail Ground had been subject to USPS's dimensional weight rules since 2019.

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@12345jamesstamps wrote:

I would take it to a post office the old fashion way to see what an item will cost and what you might save. Plus it won't get stuck in some eBay hub for not knowing how long before it gets delivered...

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They won't save anything, because USPS counter prices are higher than eBay's online prices.  There are no "eBay hubs" for domestic mail.

[dolphintale154]

Okay, thanks.  I guess I just never ran into it before!

[dolphintale154]

Do you now why the USPS shipping calculator would not account for that since it has all the information?

[nobody*s_perfect]

I believe there is an error in the programming at USPS.  When I ran a test label that exceeded the threshold for dimensional weight and/or a length surcharge, their shipping calculator was accurate for Priority Mail but not for Ground Advantage.  

If you look on the page for Ground Advantage in the official USPS rates publication, Notice 123, you can see the footnotes detailing  these upcharges.

https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/Notice123.htm#_c078

[shisa_dolls]

Thank you for this information.

I am having the same issue, buyers are balking at having to pay high shipping costs on a box 4lbs 11oz, 18" x 14" x 9".  I suspect my box is somehow over the size limit for USPS Ground Advantage?  But when I put the exact same measurements and weight into the USPS online calculator, they show a shipping price that is HALF of what the eBay shipping calculator is showing. 

Since my auction already has bids, I can't change anything anyway and I did check to make sure all my numbers are input accurately.   I need to figure out how to explain to my bidders whether that shipping charge is accurate... I just got off the phone with eBay and they said there is nothing wrong with the calculator.  So I'm headed next to the USPS to have them put my box o the scale and ask how much would they charge me to ship this?  

I did ship a couple other smaller items via USPS Ground advantage with no problem since the change.

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@shisa_dolls wrote:

Thank you for this information.

I am having the same issue, buyers are balking at having to pay high shipping costs on a box 4lbs 11oz, 18" x 14" x 9".  I suspect my box is somehow over the size limit for USPS Ground Advantage?  ...  I'm headed next to the USPS to have them put my box o the scale and ask how much would they charge me to ship this?  ...

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The volume of your package is (18 x 14 x 9 😃 2268 cubic inches, which is well above the dimensional weight threshold of 1728 cubic inches (i.e., 1 cubic foot). This is not something new for Ground Advantage; the same formula applied to Retail Ground and Parcel Select Ground, and also applies to Priority Mail.

The formula for dimensional weight is volume (in cubic inches) divided by 166, so your package will ship at the 14-pound rate.  Last time I checked the shipping calculator at usps.com, it was applying dimensional formula to Priority but not to Ground Advantage, which is a programming error.

eBay's postage cost for 14 pounds via Ground Advantage is  $11.64 - $23.11, depending on distance (Zone); the retail price ranges from $15.10  - $43.90.  As you can see there is a substantial online discount. The shipping calculator in eBay listings defaults to show retail pricing but in your site preferences you can change it so show the eBay rate. You can compare eBay and retail pricing here:

http://www.ebay.com/shp/Calculator