Post office is holding up package for inadequate postage when we paid the correct amount
We purchased a postage label through eBay as usual on December 3rd, took it to the window at the post office and received a receipt, but the package is being held up in Pennsylvania because, they say, we did not pay enough postage. Our local post office followed up with “the help desk†and was told that they are not disputing the size or weight of the package, a smallish one weighing barely over a pound, they are saying that we should have paid $16.35 in postage for that package, not the $11.27 that we paid. When we pointed out that the postage was purchased through eBay, they responded that eBay postage discounts aren’t that large and never exceed $2. Seriously.
We contacted eBay and the agent was suitably outraged on our behalf and stated that they will file a complaint with the post office. They will also remove any defect since we “did everything right,†but they are unable to contact the carrier directly. It has been 16 days since we mailed the package, but the agent said that eBay has not received anything from the post office requesting more money as happens when the package size or weight is incorrect. Not sure eBay would pay more anyway, because we already paid the full amount for the size and weight of the package.
We did submit a “find missing mail†request before we heard back from the post office. Has anyone encountered this before? Any advice?
ddkt
OP1 year agoThanks to everyone who took the time to reply!
robbie31415
·1 year agoTo me it sounds like you used flat rate priority packaging with a non flat priority label.
Commercial price for a flat rate medium box is 16.85.
ddkt
OP1 year agoNo, we use our own boxes.
dhbookds
·1 year agothat was going to be my guess..........but if you use your own boxes.......can't figure it out.......
buyselljack2016
·1 year agoThe clowns are trying to charge you "retail" rate instead of the "online commercial postage rate".
If there was an error the APV would have charged the difference back to you.
I once was witness to the fact that a Postmaster charged a shipper for an extra 2 ounces on a Priority package. 2# 6oz VS the 2# 4 oz shown on the online label.
ddkt
OP1 year agoExactly right. And per eBay, there has been no charge. They probably just lost the dang thing.
nobody*s_perfect
·1 year agoThis is exactly what's happening. That $16.35 is the retail rate to ship a 2-pound package via Priority Mail to Zone 6, and if I test a Zone 6 ZIP Code in eBay's shipping calculator, behold it shows $11.27 for Priority Mail.
So the poor OP is the victim of ignorant local PO staff who have made multiple errors including trying to charge retail price for an online label, and also not knowing that an underpaid online label will be caught by the APV equipment at the sorting center and charged to the sender. And also the online discount is usually more than $2!
Usually for cases of Postage Due, the package is either returned to the sender, or is presented to the recipient with a demand that they pay for the postage. IMHO the only practical way to salvage this transaction is to promise the buyer that you will pay a partial refund if he picks up his package, pays the $5.08 ransom, and gets a receipt.
And of course the lesson here for us all is to be very careful not to show the postage cost on our labels!
stuff4divas
·1 year ago@ddkt what i would do> contact the Consumer Affairs Dept, now called Consumer & Industry.
Here is a link u can use to find your local office> https://postalpro.usps.com/ppro-tools/consumer-affairs
ddkt
OP1 year agoThank you!
gator08041971
·1 year ago@ddkt
When we pointed out that the postage was purchased through eBay, they responded that eBay postage discounts aren’t that large and never exceed $2. Seriously.
I wouldn't have told them anything about where it was paid or its price actually. As for the 2 dollar thing, that's hilarious. I have seen it be MUCH more than that.
and was told that they are not disputing the size or weight of the package, a smallish one weighing barely over a pound, they are saying that we should have paid $16.35 in postage for that package, not the $11.27 that we paid.
This one here. "barely over a pound" Well if its over a pound, its over a pound. They are sticklers for this. I would think they are probably going by dimensions and weight, even though they say they aren't.
I trust you don't print the amount paid on the label when you do your labels, do you? If so, you should not do this, unless its Media Mail, since those are one-to-one priced. (we don't get discounts on those). That alone could trigger a zealous mail worker into thinking you underpaid. There is an option to display or not display price paid on labels.
Just a thought.
ddkt
OP1 year agoWe don't normally print the postage amount on the label, although I can't say with 100% certainly that we did not this time. And I am also a stickler about weight and dimension; I use two different scales to make sure the weight is correct. We paid the correct amount for the weight and size through eBay.
stuff4divas
·1 year ago@ddkt u can find the label on your browser history and-or when u hover over 'orders' from seller hub and click on 'shipping labels'
u say the pkg was barely over 1 lb, so did u pay for a 2 lb pkg?
ddkt
OP1 year agoYes, we did. I just calculated the priority shipping again on a 1-2 pound package from our zip to theirs, and it was $11.27.
stuff4divas
·1 year ago@ddkt what does it say when u put the data in the USPS website?
like @buyselljack2016 pointed out, i bet it shows the retail rate
u might also try calling that PA post office to speak with a supervisor, or your local post office.
if u get their email address, u can screenshot the ebay label page showing the discounted rate.
what a pain, especially this time of year. hope it works out for u.
gator08041971
·1 year ago@ddkt
Yeah, I picked up a nicer scale myself for better accuracy and when I weigh something, if its less than a lb, I will round up 1 or 2 oz, depending on the scale amount. Anything over 1 lb of course, just rack to the next lb.
Well, if you have it set to not print the price, then it probably didn't unless you specifically changed the setting.
Its either set one way or the other, it doesn't choose for you at random.
dhbookds
·1 year agoWas it mailed priority or media mail?
ddkt
OP1 year agoIt was priority.
12345jamesstamps
·1 year agoSomeone else posted about this the other day.
Basically item does not get mailed and I would assume it gets returns...but it might end up in the dead package zone...by the people who posted about this situation.
Maybe someone else can find that post.