eBay Shipping Not Paying Fedex for labels?
Sold an item. I shipped it Fedex Ground Economy via eBay Shipping. Fedex picked up the package, scanned and it began tracking. After two weeks, I noticed tracking showed it stuck in Chicago with a notation stating "unpaid postage". This forced me to email packageretrieval@usps.gov with the info below:
Today, I received USPS's reply.....
"Unpaid Package Retrieval - USPS
Good morning,
Thank you for contacting the United States Postal Service.
We apologize; though you submitted payment for postage to a third-party postage vendor, the United States Postal Service did not receive postage payment from that vendor for this package. This resulted in seizure for non-payment of postage.
Please contact eBay/Fedex for potential reimbursement or reshipment options. You may also contact your credit card company to file a payment dispute, if applicable."
USPS is claiming that it wasn't reimbursed for it's leg of transit. Anyone experience this before? Who would I contact?
21 comments
lesegouts
·1 year agoNot my milieu, but just know you can drop FedEx parcels at any Walgreens. More of those around than USPS stations. For now...
305greengal
·1 year agoHi,
I am having an issue as well with 3 packages sent FedEx Economy Ground. When printed the shipping label has a dual barcode USPS & FedEx. Checked with my local post office and asked them about this service, they informed me I could drop it off at my local Post Office and FedEx would pick up the package. I now have 3 packages sitting in distribution warehouses in 3 different states that are not being delivered and way past the delivery date. I noticed last week there is a pop-up box on the Ebay shipping platform that states "packages must be taken to FedEx if dropped off at USPS package will be confiscated". I think there is alot of confusion due to the dual barcode and obviously local post offices are not aware they should not be taking these shipments as well due to the dual barcode. After contacting FedEx & USPS both claimed the package was not with them I was able to contact USPS Consumer Affairs and they gave me an email to start an investigation which I am optimistic but doubtful will help. The long and the short if using FedEx or UPS Economy don't drop off at USPS no matter what the post office tells you. Ebay should consider changing the barcode label to avoid any confusion this presents for sellers. Especially since buyers are not receiving their orders and sellers are unable to get the items back.
wastingtime101
·1 year agoHi @305greengal . Sorry this happened with your packages. I agree the dual-carrier label is a big problem and it stems with FedEx for not fixing it - they were supposed to remove USPS from the labels in January. USPS is contributing to the problem because post offices keep taking these packages when they're not supposed to.
eBay has had the warning up for a while, trying to inform sellers that keep getting caught up in this mess.
Unfortunately once USPS confiscates your package, it's irretrievable; they destroy them.
Please check out this thread for more info:
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Shipping/Reminder-FedEx-Ground-Economy-packages-can-NOT-be-dropped-off-at/m-p/34973783#M500825
kalyoth
·1 year agoIn tracking this on Fed Ex, without the added 92, the shipment details indicate:
Can confirm this item never was in the hands of Fed Ex. Otherwise it would have had a ship date attached to it's tracking for acceptance. Unlike the inept USPS, Fed Ex has actual stock holders that hold them accountable & they are extremely less likely to move an item w/o an acceptance scan as they do not get paid otherwise.
albertabrightalberta
·1 year agoMay 12, 8:58 am - label purchased
May 12, 11 am - info sent to fedex
May 12, 12:42 pm - acceptance by USPS in Merrill, WI
Further tracking only by USPS.
You dropped the package off at the post office.
lacemaker3
·1 year agoGood catch, @albertabrightalberta,
The other possibility I had thought of, was that FedEx had neglected to scan the package when they received it, which would explain why they had not sent the money to USPS for it. However, the timing of those first 3 "scans" shows that it could not have been in the possession of FedEx before it arrived at OP's local post office in Merrill, WI, less than 4 hours after the label was purchased.
I also noticed that the USPS scan when the package arrived at the Oak Creek WI distribution center (USPS) was transmitted to FedEx and shows up on the FedEx scan, with the same location and exact same time. Both the Oak Creek WI and Chicago IL Distribution Centers are USPS facilities, not FedEx facilities.
albertabrightalberta
·1 year agoIn this case, Fedex never got the package. This was @pls-consignments 's error in dropping it at the post office as indicated by the first scan on May 12 showing that USPS was "in possession" of the item.
What I don't like is that USPS destroys items rather than returning them to the sender and charging the sender for their own error either by returning it postage due or backchargingthe seller's account through ebay.
pls-consignments
OP1 year agoThank you for clarifying. I failed to mention that our local FedEx drop-off is an office supply store that accepts all carriers. I wonder if it was inadvertently included with the USPS parcels. I use a pickup manifest for USPS for home pickup that requires the tracking numbers. So, this may explain things. I will know for sure when I visit the store on Monday. Thanks for your help!
kensgiftshop
·1 year agoThat's possible, they just tossed it in with USPS packages.
wastingtime101
·1 year agoYes, that's most likely what happened. Another seller here had a similar problem last week or the week before where they left their package with the building's mailroom for pickup, and the mailroom gave the package to USPS instead of FedEx.
My suggestion is to clearly mark the package or add a neon post it or do something similar to alert the drop off location that package must be handed off to FedEx only, not USPS.
Part of the problem is the dual-carrier label coming from FedEx and they really need to fix that.
Sorry your drop off point messed this up. At least now you know to take extra measures going forward to avoid a repeat event.
ryry-jj
·1 year agoAnother unfortunate shipment, but everything I see and read says you paid for a FedEx label but delivered the package to the USPS. FedEx never had it
tobaccocardyahoo
·1 year agoYou appear to have the scans only from USPS.
The FEDEX Economy labels used to have both the FEDEX and USPS barcodes and numbers and no longer do when bought from other services. I have no clue whether the Ebay label is up to date in format.
I hate FEDEX Ground do not use it, and do not buy from retailers who would use it to ship to me, but I know that FEDEX Economy is a service which has been in chaos since the recent changes. But I also think that you dropped this package off at USPS.
Postal workers have always hated FEDEX and I am sure they are thrilled when they catch an unpaid FEDEX shipment.
The only reason to use FEDEX Ground Economy is price and hopefully you have saved enough on your other orders to make up for the probable loss of this shipment.
pls-consignments
OP1 year agoPerhaps I should have started with the first leg of transit.
I discovered that this has become an issue for others who ALSO handed it to FedEx and not USPS. It is clear to me that the purpose of this union was to reduce claims liability by creating a moving target for those using the service.
kensgiftshop
·1 year agoYour first image says USPS has it on May 12th.
This last image says shipment information sent to FedEx on May 12th.
pls-consignments
OP1 year agoWell, let me clear the board here. This was a Fedex package without the [92] that was dropped off directly to Fedex. That's where it started. All of my USPS parcels are picked up at my home. The [92] was added by me in order to track into the USPS system after Fedex tracking ended.
12345jamesstamps
·1 year agoSorry about that package...hope it wasn't much value and hope you can get it back.
I am sure buyer is not happy and even wonder if something like this gives the seller a 'ding' for something not their fault.
wastingtime101
·1 year agoIf it was dropped with FedEx there would be an acceptance scan with FedEx.
Do you get scans and receipts when you drop off with FedEx? If so, see if you can find this package on your receipt for that day.
I'm guessing the package was mixed in with your USPS pickups because the scans indicate it was never with FedEx. Sorry this happened. ðŸ™
FedEx Ground Econ only transfers to USPS for final delivery to PO Boxes and Military (APO/FPO/DPO) addresses. Even in those situations, the package has to originate with FedEx since that's the carrier paid for the service.
wastingtime101
·1 year agoHi @pls-consignments . I'm sorry to say that's not accurate. When we drop the 92 prefix and track the package on the FedEx website, we can see the only scans are "on the way - in transit to local post office." There is no acceptance scan with FedEx. This package was dropped off / picked up by USPS, not FedEx.
FedEx was paid for the label; USPS was not. USPS confiscates packages with a different carrier's service for unpaid postage and destroys them. It's essential to leave packages with the correct carrier.
I wish I had better news here, but you're responsible for refunding the buyer and taking the loss. You can write off the loss when you file your taxes.
12345jamesstamps
·1 year agoI read where you cannot leave FedEx packages at USPS any longer.
So naturally, it was considered unpaid postage,
kensgiftshop
·1 year agoDid you drop the package off at FedEx or USPS.
If you dropped it off at USPS, USPS no longer takes FedEx packages and will dispose of them.
kensgiftshop
·1 year agoIf you bought a FedEx label, why did you contact USPS?
When you buy a FedEx label, the payment goes to FedEx, not USPS.