eBay launching USPS Cubic rates - Jan 21, 2024
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Announcements/2024-USPS-Rate-Changes/ba-p/34236252
Great news! Cubic services are now available for USPS Ground Advantage and Priority Mail effective January 21, 2024.
Smart Ship Tip: Cubic pricing is based on the size of the package instead of the weight; this means it’s even more important to include accurate weights and dimensions for your package so that eBay Labels can display the lowest rate for you.
61 comments
wastingtime101
OP2 years agoFYI to @fern*wood @buyselljack2016 and others discussing package dimensions on this thread:
eBay added the option to enter up to 2 decimal places when purchasing labels. I am seeing this ability on both single labels and bulk labels.
That will help sellers get the most accurate cubic rates when buying labels.
On the listing form itself, we are still limited to whole numbers. Anybody passing on carrier discounts should continue to round up on the listing form. The listing form is always full of problems. 😒
Edit: I tested using the RRA box example discussed upthread. Not only can we enter dims up to 2 decimals, but eBay is now accurately calculating volume based on those decimal places.
I also checked the eBay shipping calculator and we can enter 2 decimals there, too.
https://www.ebay.com/shp/Calculator
ddb.club
·2 years agoAm I missing something? I read the announcement but even when I go to ship it doesn't show me cubic rates like they said it would. Or does it just give u the price without showing u the change from regular to cubic ?
wastingtime101
OP2 years agoThat. It will show the lowest price available and it will say Priority Mail or Ground Advantage on the label purchase page without telling you whether the rate you're seeing is cubic or not. You can tell by looking at the physical label - if cubic, it will say cubic. If it's not a cubic rate there will be no indication on the label.
You can scroll up and read this discussion to see where valueaddedresource pointed out the text in the help page that confirms this. FB has been escalated to eBay that sellers want to see the word cubic in the label flow when cubic rates apply. Time will tell if eBay leaves as-is or makes that type of adjustment.
wastingtime101
OP2 years agoI posted this on another discussion with @mr_lincoln this week, but I think it's worth re-stating here for those following the cubic rate discussion.
Regarding both cubic rates and eBay's push for sellers to pass on carrier discounts to buyers:
I always thought the simplest solution was instead of setting a % off retail (as we currently can), we should have the option to set a % above non-cubic commercial. That way you could set a % that factors in eBay fees, etc and not worry about the vast retail/commercial differences between zones.
And, indeed, we should have the option to set above non-cubic commercial and not "eBay rates" because with cubic shipping, for example:
1 item in a 7x7x7 box vs 6 items bumps it up to a 12x12x12 box - if we set up combined shipping based on weight and buyer purchases 6 we would get hosed by offering carrier discounts due to cubic rates looking at the 7x7x7 on the listing form. (I mentioned this upthread on Jan 22nd.)
If we could offer buyers (percent over) non-cubic commercial rates instead of eBay rates, it would bypass the cubic problem.
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@island-city-gifts just posted about getting hosed on cubic rates & carrier discounts here. ðŸ™
As of right now Island City, the only way around that issue is to either not pass on carrier discounts, or to falsify your box size on the listing form. Enter 12x12x12 package dimensions on the listing form and cubic rates will not apply to those carrier discounts you're offering buyers. Down sides to that:
- You have to revise all your listings
- You have to manually adjust package dimensions on every single shipping label you purchase so you don't overpay shipping
- You will be overcharging international buyers that purchase through eBay International Shipping
It's a bad solution, but the only one if you're set on giving buyers your full discounted rate.
FYI @kyle@ebay if you're still gathering feedback.
carlmarxx
·2 years agoJust how much better and acerate is cubic feet Vs The dimensions sizing of package that is over 12x12x12 into the system shipping cost ,
mr_lincoln
·2 years ago@wastingtime101
Agree 100% with the % above non-cubic commercial instead of coming down off Retail which is what eBay "tested" on some accounts with the intent to have Sellers (many new and unaware I suspect) SHARE their eBay discount with Customers ... but NOWHERE in that conversation did eBay say they would waive their FVFs on the shipping (plus sales tax on shipping where applicable). So Sellers would basically be shipping at a loss in many instances.
I currently refund a lot of shipping but it is after I have factored in the eBay Fee on the Paid shipping from Buyers. I view shipping as a break even proposition and I am fine with that. Now that shipping has gone ridiculously high I am sure I have lost business to Sellers in distance zones who can sell to customers in nearby zones for far less shipping than me. I mean a Buyer pays $ 15.70 Retail USPS Ground Advantage for a 2 lbs coast to coast shipment and in the same or adjacent zones here in the east their cost is much, much lower. If the item sold is $ 100 that's one thing but if the item (and this is usually the case) is around $ 20 the west coast Buyer is paying around $ 38 for a $ 20 item ... ALMOST TWICE THE COST!
island-city-gifts
·2 years agoI agree with you and @mr_lincoln that % above non-cubic commercial would be a better option.
I easily bulk edited over 200 items on 2 accounts to 12x12x12 as 99% of my items are a 9x7x5 box. Won't know if that change works until I get another multi-purchase order but will update here if it does. Definitely still want to pass the shipping discount to buyers as it attracts additional purchases. I stopped shipping international years ago, so no concern there. I have to change the shipping dimensions on multi-item purchases anyway, but has always been the case. The shipping rate didn't change for a single item shipped GA with any dimensions 12x12x12 or less, so I left it at that setting on a label purchase today. Thanks for the link to the previous discussion on cubic rates !
ltldpr
·2 years agoBookmarking for when (if?) USPS finally gets their bleep together in Houston. Until then, I'm on vacation from eBay.
Thanks for the heads up, though.
You're always so good with this sort of stuff, and it is greatly appreciated!
Edit: though not thought
wastingtime101
OP2 years agoTexas has been a mess @ltldpr . Hope USPS gets Houston on track soon. I don't blame you for pausing sales right now.
rfmtm
·2 years agoAs of tonight ebay is not calculating anything close to what GA cubic rates should be, showing rates around 30% higher than what the cubic rate should be. So something isn't right.
richard1rst
·2 years agoGot that right.
I have 3 packages, one to TX, one to NY and one to MI. All 3 are 2 pounds, 7x7x6
Ebay quoted (in order) 9.13, 9.80, 9.43 total 28.36
Pirateship was 7.15, 8.02, 757 total 22.74
nobody*s_perfect
·2 years ago$7.15, $9.80 and $9.43 are the USPS published rates for Zones 2, 8, and 7 respectively. The other 3 prices don't appear on the USPS price charts. Baffling!
https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/Notice123.htm#_c451
wastingtime101
OP2 years agoHow are you determining what the rates should be @rfmtm @richard1rst ? I haven't seen eBay publish a price chart. Did I miss a link somewhere?
I've been using cubic rates for several years with access through 3 different shipping service providers, now eBay makes 4. None of them offer the same cubic rates - they all have different contracts negotiated with USPS. So aside from an example posted upthread where I determined eBay is incorrectly calculating cubic volume by rounding up when decimals are entered in bulk shipping dimensions, it would be impossible to say what cubic rates should be showing without a price chart.
rfmtm
·2 years ago@wastingtime101 Granted there may be a small difference between postage providers, but ebay is 30% higher and I'm still grandfathered in for ebay's extra TRS discount on my other business account. So because of this extra discount ebay often is cheaper, not more expensive, than any other site like Stamps, PayPal, or even PirateShip, but for cubic it is not even close.
wastingtime101
OP2 years agoI completely forgot PayPal added cubic rates. Thanks for the reminder. I have not checked PayPal labels in a few years. I guess I have access to cubic through 5 label providers now.
It's not uncommon for me to find variances of 15-25% in cubic rates between providers. 30% doesn't sound like much of a stretch.
Not saying there isn't an issue with the prices shown, just saying without a price chart we don't have enough info to say for sure it's not a noticeably higher negotiated rate between eBay and USPS compared to other label providers. 🤷
sapphire_studio
·2 years agoWhich platform do you find yourself purchasing cubic on the most? Would you recommend to others to check all these platforms or is pirate ship mostly very competitive?
wastingtime101
OP2 years agoThe platform I've been using is not one I'd recommend to most sellers. It's geared towards high-volume sellers and the interface is awkward. There's a very steep learning curve, even for the computer-savvy high-volume shipper. It's not intended for the "average" seller. Even for high-volume sellers I am hesitant to recommend it as there are numerous issues they need to iron out which is why I don't typically discuss it on this forum.
My suggestion to sellers on this forum is to use either eBay or Pirate or a mix. Pirate is total crap when it comes to bulk labels, in case that's impactful to someone's decision.
As of today, eBay is competitive on Priority rates, save for the decimal issues on cubic volume which I'm hopeful eBay will correct/improve. But as @rfmtm and @richard1rst demonstrated above, eBay still doesn't have competitive (cubic) Ground Adv rates.
Remember in the fall when Pirate, Stamps, etc all lowered their Ground Adv rates? eBay didn't implement lower Ground Adv rates at the time (though they did maintain lower Priority rates when other platforms increased). So it appears eBay's current Ground Adv rates on packages over a pound are less competitive than Pirate. 🤷
Hope that helps @sapphire_studio .
carlmarxx
·2 years agoShould be very interesting to see how all the seller's on site handle USPS Cubic Rates .
wastingtime101
OP2 years agoUpdate on my response to your question @sapphire_studio . A few days ago I said:
The day after writing that post, eBay pushed out another update on Jan 24th.
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Announcements/New-lower-rates-on-eBay-Labels-for-USPS-Ground-AdvantageTM/ba-p/34244525
More exciting news – in addition to the rate changes implemented on January 21st, you can now save even more on Ground Advantage. Rates have decreased for packages between one and 20lbs, which could save you up to $2.12 depending on the package weight and zone.
Smart Ship Tip: To make things easy, visit the eBay shipping calculator for up-to-date pricing on all shipping services.
wastingtime101
OP2 years agoI thought of a fun new challenge for cubic rates and sellers that choose to pass on carrier discounts to buyers.
Selling multiple items, with combined shipping rules, system will combine weight but has no way to factor in a larger box size. Say single item is 6x6x6 box. Buyer could be charged cubic rates for a small box, and the seller could be out $$$$ when they have to up the size to a 12x12x12 box if multiple items are purchased.
There's a lesson in there: if you pass carrier discounts to buyers, combined shipping rules can become problematic for you.
sapphire_studio
·2 years agoI also really don't understand why eBay isn't making it more clear that they switched to cubic shipping for people that don't happen to come on the community forums or look deeply into their eBay emails. I never bother with accurate dimensions with eBay labels because I don't ship things that are oversized. I think many sellers are like that and they know it's based on weight not the actual dimensions. If I didn't know about this cubic shipping change I could have underpaid on shipping my straightener today that had pre-populated much smaller dimensions from when I hit sell similar create the listing. There's not even anything that says that it's ground Advantage cubic when choosing the shipping method to give me a clue that my dimensions are a part of the charge.
So thousands of labels are going to have people just happy they see a lower ground Advantage rate not realizing it's because their dimensions are completely wrong and either USPS is getting stolen from or they are going to end up with a really large surprise bill later.
I just really think eBay needs to make it much more clear with banners that dimensions are very important now when creating a label.
sapphire_studio
·2 years ago@wastingtime101
I'm working on my shipments for tomorrow. I sold something that is 14"x6"x3" and is 5 lbs.
I compared what eBay is charging me to What pirate ship is. I imported the sale directly to pirate ship from eBay and used the exact same dimensions and weight and eBay is costing $2 more. Why do you think that is?
 
 
buyselljack2016
·2 years agochances are ...............................pirateship is passing along more of their "negotiated rate, or has a better negotiated rate
sapphire_studio
·2 years agoIt's very surprising to me eBay isn't putting a banner up on the bulk shipping page (or the page where people buy individual labels) telling them the announcement of adding cubic shipping and telling them to make sure their dimensions are correct.
cd_schwane
·2 years agoIf a listing is set up for calculated postage, and the weight is correct, but the dimensions are wrong and will result in a cheaper cubic rate, is that the shipping amount that will now be shown on the listing and charged to the customer? If so, oh boy.
wastingtime101
OP2 years agoThat depends. If you give buyers your online discount, then yes it's possible to undercharge buyers should you end up using a larger box than what's declared on the listing form.
If you do not pass on carrier discounts then buyers will continue to see retail rates on the listing page with calculated shipping, regardless of what you pay when you purchase the label.
I think most sellers do not pass on full carrier discounts, as it's a money-losing venture unless you are making up for it by raising item prices to cover packing materials and eBay fees on buyer-paid shipping.
fern*wood
·2 years agoSo even if the listing has 1x1x1 instead of the correct 12x12x12 & weighs over a pound it will be okay if retail rates are charged? I probably have many old listings like that.
wastingtime101
OP2 years agoYes. Key words: if retail rates are charged.
nobody*s_perfect
·2 years agoIt looks like your buyer will be charged the retail rate. But then, with those dimensions, you'll be charged the cubic rate for the package label, if you don't correct the dimensions on the label form.
fern*wood
·2 years agoI apologize to all for my denseness on this issue, so buyers aren’t offered/charged cubic rates at the retail level?
wastingtime101
OP2 years agoNo. Cubic does not exist at retail.
wastingtime101
OP2 years agoAdding some general info on box measurements for cubic pricing. Based on outer (not inner) box dimensions, below is from the USPS Domestic Mail Manual:
https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/223.htm#ep1403990
Cubic prices are not based on weight, but are charged based on zone and the mail piece’s cubic measurement, with any fraction of a measurement rounded down to the nearest 1/4 inch. For example, a dimension of a piece measuring 12-3/8 inches is rounded down to 12-1/4 inches.
wastingtime101
OP2 years agoI don't feel like copy/pasting to another discussion @fern*wood so I'm tagging you here. Saw you asked about cubic measurements on another thread. See above.
As for pricing @valueaddedresource , eBay is defaulting the label to whichever is cheaper between cubic and non-cubic. Doesn't appear to be an indication in the text if cubic rates are shown, just in the price.
fern*wood
·2 years agoThanks, I used cubic a couple times on pirate ship and even a quarter inch would sometimes change the price, so now I’m having a brain issue with rounding to the nearest 1/4 in. I guess I just round down or up and enter the nearest inch? I know many don’t enter the dimensions at all if under a cubic foot. I guess they are required now or the pricing could be very wrong.
wastingtime101
OP2 years agoDimensions only matter if the package is over a pound (and small enough that it's not subject to size surcharges).
If you round to the nearest inch you may find yourself overpaying @fern*wood . If length is 5.5" then enter 5.5" do not enter 6". Example:
.1 cu ft is 172.8 in
6x6x5 = 180 = .2 cu ft rate
6x5.5x5 = 165 = .1 cu ft rate
fern*wood
·2 years agoOkay, I should actually mess around with some labels instead of asking things which should be obvious if I’d start doing them. I was hung up on the fractions, because I didn’t think I could enter them on eBay labels.
wastingtime101
OP2 years agoOn the label purchase page you can enter a single decimal, not 2 decimals.
buyselljack2016
·2 years agoOK, I know this has been posted before, but how much do I have to reduce the size of the old "RRB-A 1" to get from the stated cubic OD of 0.20874 to qualify as 0.2 cubic, and the "decimal points"............ ?
The box shows 10.125 X 7.125 X 5
What are my entries? 10.1 X 7.1 X whatever I cut down to?
fern*wood
·2 years agoI just tried to enter dimensions for cubic in an ebay shipping label and could not enter a decimal fraction.
valueaddedresource
·2 years ago@wastingtime101 that's what I was noticing too in playing with it today - thanks for confirming!
The FAQ on this page also seems to confirm there won't be any indication in the text shown on the label purchase page, but you will be able to see it on the label once it's printed.
https://www.ebay.com/sellercenter/shipping/choosing-a-carrier-and-service/usps-and-ebay-labels
How can I receive USPS cubic rates for my eBay shipments?
Simply enter accurate weight and dimensions for your package when printing your eBay shipping labels. eBay will automatically offer the best rate, and apply cubic pricing for Priority Mail and Ground Advantage if the cubic rate is better than non-cubic rates.
How will I know whether I was charged cubic pricing or non-cubic pricing for my shipping label?
If you were charged for cubic pricing, you will see the cubic price tier above the USPS zone indicated on the top section of the label—remember, you will be charged the lower of cubic or non-cubic pricing for packages that qualify for cubic pricing.
wastingtime101
OP2 years agoYep @valueaddedresource that appears to be how eBay designed it. You can only tell if you (a) are well informed on rates or (b) look at the label.
It's excellent that eBay has launched cubic rates, however there is a significant flaw.
On Pirate, you can choose package type such as tube, box or poly mailer. On eBay you cannot choose package type.
On Pirate, when you choose poly mailer (aka envelope or box-in-bag) you enter TWO dimensions - LxH and disregard width. Cubic is calculated based on LxH.
On eBay you will not be able to do that. So you will get good cubic rates for boxes on eBay, but not for polymailers or box-in-bag. On eBay you are forced to enter 3 dimensions so it will always be calculated LxWxH.
Until eBay starts accounting for package type, which in my opinion they need to do, sellers will still see lower cubic rates for polymailers through Pirate.
Plus we see all those sellers hit by UPS and FedEx surcharges when they use round mailing tubes. If eBay added in package type and let sellers choose tube upfront, they could account for that charge upfront in what's shown to buyers on calc shipping and what's charged to sellers when they buy labels, instead of applying cost adjustments after the fact when the carrier adds them.
eBay's made several positive shipping changes in the second half of 2023 (Ground Advantage transition disaster aside) - hopefully we'll see more improvements throughout 2024. 🤞