Heads Up – USPS "Rounding Up" = Hidden Rate Hike
Summary: elpbeautysupply raised concerns about recent USPS changes affecting shipping costs for eBay sellers, specifically the new practice of rounding up package dimensions and a change in the DIM divisor. shire123 and others discussed the importance of staying informed about such changes, noting that dimensional rates are important due to the space boxes occupy. kibble-net sought clarification on how the rounding rule applies to dimensional versus cubic weight. Meanwhile, ryry-jj and other participants expressed frustration over the impact on shipping costs, although the conversation suggested that the changes mainly affect sellers' bottom lines. The discussion highlights a broader conversation on adjusting business practices to accommodate logistical changes.
Heads Up – USPS "Rounding Up" = Hidden Rate Hike
Just a heads up for anyone shipping with USPS through eBay Labels.
The July 12 update changed two things that are quietly costing sellers more:
Rounding. USPS used to round dimensions to the nearest whole inch. Now they round up — so a box that measures 16.4" x 12.4" x 9.4" is billed as 17" x 13" x 10".
DIM divisor. Changed from 166 to 139. Same package, more "weight."
The example USPS gave says an 8 lb package is now billed at 16 lbs dimensional weight. That's not a rate increase — that's phantom weight.
If you offer free shipping, you are absorbing that cost. I am adjusting. I suspect others will need to as well.
Anyone else seeing this hit their bottom line yet?
shado-x
·Jul 12, 2026 at 12:26 AM4oz package to ID at $8.40 from the East Coast. Total Highway Robbery!
aces_outlet
·Jul 11, 2026 at 3:57 PMUSPS is the only service that has not rounded up for quite a while. The box dimensions you see on boxes are generally the inner size. If you try to squeeze in an extra quarter inch, you'll be paying. Just measure your package and round up, not that hard.
shado-x
·Jul 12, 2026 at 12:27 AMI'm going to squeeze the Charmin no matter what.
thriftyfiftyfifty
·Jul 11, 2026 at 3:51 PMIt will be no different than the Billable Weight calculation used by Fedex/UPS currently. You'll get the same (except of course for Pricing).
ryry-jj
·Jul 11, 2026 at 3:29 PMAny increase sucks..but from my point of view, it is costing the buyer more, not the seller
kibble-net
·Jul 11, 2026 at 10:49 AMUnless I misunderstood, the rounding will only apply when dimensional weight is being used. For cubic weight, rounding still works the same. If I'm wrong, please cite a source that says otherwise.
shire123
·Jul 11, 2026 at 10:41 AMIt will hit your bottom line only if you don't keep up with changes and make the necessary adjustments to your listings.
This has been and will always be an issue with price increases no matter who the shipping company is.
While phantom weight is technically correct we need to realize that weight is not the major determining factor in shipping cost. Boxes take up space when transported. As transportation costs increase shippers need to take space into account as well as weight. Hence the need for dimensional shippng rates.
To be a successful seller you MUST keep on these issues. I would guess that by the end of the year UPSP will increase things again.