Ok, how did this happen again?
I sold an item and the buyer paid $8.50 to have it shipped. I went to print my label and I was charged $8.98 for it. The details: no, it wasn’t a dimensional package (8x8x6); no, I didn’t add any weight (in fact, it ended up being 8 oz less than the weight I posted it as due to being able to find a smaller box that wouldn’t need as much “fillerâ€. And no, I didn’t change any other details. Last time this happened, some posters accused me of mismeasuring/weighing. None of that happened. So why did I have to subsidize the buyer (in addition to the money lost due to giving eBay their cut on shipping)? Yes, it’s only 48 cents but I’m trying to at least break even on shipping.
6 comments
wastingtime101
·1 year agoThis is once again a dimension issue. Like last time, I suspect you had a typo on your dimensions on the listing form.
Your listing is charging the .20 cu ft dimensional rate for Ground Adv $8.50 to zone 6.
Your actual dimensions of 8x8x6 are .30 cu ft. The actual 2 lb rate of $8.98 is less than the cubic rate of $9.67 so you paid based on weight instead of dimensions.
Best guess:
Your listing had dimensions of 8x6x6 (which is .20 cu ft) and on the label page you corrected it to actual dimensions of 8x8x6 (which is .30 cu ft).
If you go to the order and click "sell similar" then scroll down, it will show you the dimensions originally entered on your listing for those matchbox cars. If you do that, make sure you go to your drafts folder to delete the draft so you don't accidentally publish it later.
Breaking even on shipping is a separate issue because, as you noted, you pay eBay fees on total amount buyer pays.
First problem mentioned above is dimensions on your listings were wrong in both of these examples.
Second problem about paying fees to eBay, read on - but this advice is based on entering accurate dimensions go forward.
The question is whether you want to charge buyers retail rates or discounted rates. Keep in mind that you have access to discounted rates when you purchase labels on eBay regardless of how much you charge the buyer.
The setting to offer buyers discounted rates can be found on your shipping preferences page under the carrier specific discounts setting: https://www.ebay.com/ship/prf
Since eBay charges a fee on total cost buyer pays (item + ship + tax), by charging discounted rates you are losing money on every single package. If you want to make up for that you can add a handling fee or increase your item costs - or simply charge retail rates for a built in cushion instead of passing on the discounts.
pikabo-icu
·1 year agoMy advice it to add about fifty cents to your shipping price, if you're not using calculated shipping.
Perhaps up to $1.00 for larger. heavier packages to account for the differing zones.
nobody*s_perfect
·1 year agoSometimes these price differences are due to a mismatch in ZIP Codes. For instance, if you sent the buyer an invoice based on the ZIP Code of their primary location on file with eBay, but then when paying they changed it to an address in a farther Zone.
Or once in a while the eBay gremlins will change the seller's ZIP Code in the listing, or the "Shipping from" ZIP Code on the label purchase page (so it doesn't match the ZIP Code of your return address).
It would be useful to know which listing you're referring to.
pepper1202
OP1 year agoIt is but shouldn’t they know the zone of the person who bought it when they pay for it?
Who eBay? Only if you list with calculated shipping. If you are using calculated shipping you are undercharging. Which can account for the discrepancy.
Is it USPS? They charge different rates for different zones for the same weight and size of a package.