Double check your shipping rates - eBay is overcharging on some
We have had about 5 out of 30 incorrect shipping rates this morning. eBay is incorrectly applying the new increase for (Alaska, Puerto Rico, Hawaii) to some stateside items. We were getting rates of $8 for 3oz Ground Advantage to Alabama, Oregon, South Dakota etc.
The work around for us was Pirate Ship where we got the correct rates.
This was across multiple accounts as well.
8 comments
gt-5000
·3 weeks agoeBay's shipping calculator is broken. Their help people told me to use Pirateship for shipping.
oregon_bins
·3 weeks ago · EditedApparently Now packages going out tomorrow on pirate ship are also being charged the higher rate for rural zip codes
hdod7267
OP3 weeks agoYep, we see the same. Pirate ship is now the same as ebay. This will force us into using calculated shipping for everyone, all but assuring we will no longer make sales to rural areas.
oregon_bins
·3 weeks agoI just updated all my listings to calculated shipping for the first time since selling on eBay for 12 years
tobaccocardyahoo
·3 weeks agoCould be rural surcharges at work.
hdod7267
OP3 weeks agoIt is rural areas and I assume where ebay goofed in their coding. The rate is wrong. Rural rates did not go up this weekend. DO NOT PAY THE EBAY RATE on these. Go to Pirate Ship where the correct rate is available.
tobaccocardyahoo
·3 weeks agoBeware the PirateShip rates also. They did some strange adjustments of weights to 3 lb this weekend.
The issue here is, in part, that the rates being used by Ebay and other sites are negotiated rates, with no publicly available rate tables, and sellers are attempting to determine the rates based on incomplete information.
It is also complicated that the rates are the lower of the GA Commerical (as negotiated) and the GA Cubic Rates (as negotiated).
I know enough to not think I know how Ebay is getting to the rate being charged. Just what factor that a seller playing detective is leaving out.
I also know that some of the negotiated rates took effect on June 22, when both Ebay and Amazon made changes to their buy shipping.
hdod7267
OP3 weeks agoYeah I kept digging because I need to fix my rates being charged based on location now. It does seem this is effecting rural areas and whether or not a rate has been negotiated with USPS.
I just find it really hard to believe ebay can't negotiate the best rates with USPS considering the volume would be one of the highest in the country.
I've also seen enough from ebay over the years to know they will happily take in extra money on shipping because they get more fees. I would not put it past them to have actual negotiated rates below what we pay and not pass that along.