Beware of the Ground Advantage Gotchas!!
I went to ship a package today and got a big shock. Packed the first time it weighed 4oz and was 22-1/2" long (x4x3/8"). I ended up trimming 1/2" off it's length to keep from paying twice as much, and way more than my buyer paid for shipping!
Always round up, the USPS is.
Beware of the traps:
>22" long, add $4
>30"long, add $7
>1728 cu in, pay actual or dim weight, which ever is greater
>3456 cu in, add $15
if girth+length/166 is greater than actual weight, pay dim rate
If girth+length >108, pay oversize rate (you don't even want to go there!)
22 comments
simba6
·3 years agoYou got to watch those package sizes. The price can really jump when you go over.
ten_o_nine
·3 years agoIt's the same but with a different name, adding the $100 insurance which you will die before you collect is a bonus.
bigtexasyardsale
OP3 years agoI have actually one a few of these when I shipped directly with the USPS. Now that its going through ebay I think you are probably right about never collecting a thing.
mybigsale
·3 years ago@bigtexasyardsale
Now that it's going through ebay I think you are probably right about never collecting a thing.
What do you mean? We are just buying USPS postage through eBay, like we do with Priority Mail and the included insurance. Ground Advantage now includes the $100 USPS insurance. I believe we still need to file through USPS- not eBay.
I've been on eBay for over 20 years and have never had a USPS claim denied (I have seen the many posts about USPS denying claims).
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Details from USPS when I track a Ground Advantage package:
Up to $100 insurance included
plumeriabreeze
·3 years agoI would love for this to be a new thread to share your experience and tips for USPS claims. We have never lost a claim for a LOST package, but have never won a claim now that all damage claims ( even ones with USPS damaged stickers/ letters/ rebags) require the buyer to drop off the parcel at their local postmaster in person along with the USPS mailed letter that comes with the claim that you have to get to the buyer before they drive it to their local PO.
mybigsale
·3 years ago@plumeriabreeze
have never won a claim now that all damage claims ( even ones with USPS damaged stickers/ letters/ rebags) require the buyer to drop off the parcel at their local postmaster in person along with the USPS mailed letter that comes with the claim that you have to get to the buyer before they drive it to their local PO.
I have always filed claims online at USPS from my USPS Account. Buyers have always been happy to provide pictures of packaging and damage which I include in the claim. I always ask the buyer to please set aside the packaging and item until I hear back about the claim. I have rarely been asked by USPS to take the Item and Packing to a USPS office.
Hopefully I will not start getting a new experience with USPS Claim Denials.
stuff4divas
·3 years ago@bigtexasyardsale has nothing to do with ground advantage. that dimension change from usps is OLD OLD news
bigtexasyardsale
OP3 years agoEnough of the piling on already! I never ran in to it so its new to me, and I'm sure there are LOTS of others who don't know about it.
inhawaii
·3 years agoI think you owe Ground Advantage an apology....
stuff4divas
·3 years ago@bigtexasyardsale Well boo hoo for you and any other seller that doesn't keep up with eBay policies then later lays blame on anything else or makes false accusations rather than taking personal responsibility.
coolections
·3 years agoDo you use calculated shipping ? If so it will tell you the exact amount you pay when you set up the shipping calculations. If you do not use calculated shipping I suggest you start using it.
sextons-sweet-deals
·3 years agobest to enter weight and full dim's when listing.
It's another USPS gotcha for odd size that has been in place for a year+
mtgraves7984
·3 years ago@sextons-sweet-deals
^^ This gotcha is new to me... please expand. I ask because when I revised all my FC ball cap listings last night (to GA)... I entered the package size of 7" x 11" x 6" (like always), but also ticked 'Irregular package' on my listings, too... the first time I remember seeing it. It may have been there before, but...
I ticked it because my ballcaps ship in packages that finish something like this. Should I un-tick 'Irregular Package'??? I mean, so far I've only been paying the regular rate... like regular packages. (7" x 11" x 6" are widest/highest/longest.)
@nobody*s_perfect... what is your take?
nobody*s_perfect
·3 years agoThe OP's "gotcha" referred to dimensional rates and length-related surcharges, not to the finer points of "irregular" parcels. If you haven't been checking off "irregular," I certainly wouldn't start now. DMM hasn't yet been updated to reflect the July 9 changes, so we'll have to wait for that update to see details about Ground Advantage.
mtgraves7984
·3 years agoThank you so much... I've removed 'Irregular', just in case. If I had a Payroll, I'd be adding you to it! 😚
P.S. The way I ship, I get an 8 oz. package. If I boxed each, I'd be looking at 12 oz. and above.
nobody*s_perfect
·3 years agoAs noted in the other post, those surcharges have been around for a while.
Until yesterday, the length-related surcharge didn't apply to online First Class postage, because it had a length limit of 22 inches. Now it has been absorbed into Ground Advantage and has the same very generous size limits so it can encounter those surcharges.
USPS always rounds up weights, but dimensions are rounded OFF to the nearest inch. So 22.4 would be 22 inches; see section 1.4.1:
https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/223.htm
stainlessenginecovers
·3 years ago@nobody*s_perfect
I Thought the '$4 fee' , as stated on your attachment is
OVER 22".
For Cubic, it says it goes to nearest lower 1/4" (so 12-3/8 is rounded down to 12-1/4); so wouldn't 22-3/8 be rounded down to 22-1/4 and STILL be over 22"??
nobody*s_perfect
·3 years agoIn the page that I linked to above, cubic has its own separate special section of criteria. The rounding rule that I referred to (nearest full inch) is for all other shipments.
bigtexasyardsale
OP3 years agoI read your link and I don't think 'round off' is to the nearest inch, its to the nearest 4th decimal point. Besides, it says "more than 20 inches" gets a surcharge which I would interpret to be 20.1 gets it, as well as 20.6 (actual).
But the real warning is that you had better be entering your shipping dimensions and not your product dimensions or you might be in for a big surprise between what a buyer paid for shipping and what the label really costs you. Of course you are trading one problem for another as doing that screws up the combined items weight and dimensions.
heckofagame
·3 years agoAnd they are not specific to Ground Advantage.
ms.rodriguez*
·3 years agoThese surcharges have been around since April of last year.
mn467462
·3 years agoGood advice. I personally don't ship anything that can't fit into the drop slot at the post office. But if I do, hopefully I remember this. Glad you able to shave off ½", boy that's a killer.