Seller Guide: Nonstandard (Irregular) Packaging
Straight to the good news: eBay (finally!) built a process for sellers to deal with nonstandard/irregular packaging. It's a pretty straightforward design for most** package types.
The new feature ensures buyers will be charged accurate rates when using calculated shipping, and provides sellers a way to pay these surcharges upfront with eBay labels instead of dealing with carrier cost adjustments after the fact.
For this process to be effective, sellers need to inform themselves on what qualifies as nonstandard with their chosen carrier(s). Sellers that don't utilize these new features when buying labels through eBay's platform or when setting up calculated shipping rates on their eBay listings will continue to see carrier cost adjustments and experience buyers underpaying for shipping.
This is a long post with a lot of screenshots because I tried to cover every detail, but I'll break it down into a few basic sections.
1. How to apply the irregular package designation in both the listing and label flows.
2. What each carrier considers nonstandard (hint: USPS launched nonstandard package type surcharges a few days ago).
3. The part of the process that requires a work-around.
4. Useful links & tips.
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1. How to apply the irregular package designation in both the listing and label flow.
eBay finally activated functionality behind that "irregular package" designation in the listing flow. Up until now, checking that box was nothing more than decoration. Checking that box today means nonstandard surcharges will be added to buyer-facing shipping rates when using calculated shipping, and it means a nonstandard package designation will automatically be applied in the eBay label flow.
This section has screenshots for every version of the listing tool, followed by screenshots for every version of the shipping label flow, so you can scroll past most of them and go straight to the tool(s) you're using on your account before moving on to section 2 of this guide.
Unified/Business listing tool
Super easy - just check the irregular package box under your package weight / dimensions. If you don't see that option, expand the shipping options using the button on the top right and toggle the slider.
Basic listing tool
Click the arrow on the package size specs, then check the irregular package box on the pop-up.
App listing tool
Unfortunately I am not seeing this on the latest app version released July 13. As this feature already exists on the app label flow, I am guessing eBay will add it to the app listing tool in the near future, hopefully next week.
Bulk Edit tool
This is a little tricky because there's a design flaw. Irregular package is nested under dimensions which means to add or remove the irregular package designation in bulk, you also have to overwrite the package dimensions. My hope is eBay will read this post and improve the process, separating Package Type into its own section within Package Details.
For now, your best option is to bulk edit in batches based on items shipping in packages that are the same dimensions. That way you can enter package dims and check/uncheck the irregular package box as needed. Use your Seller Hub Active Listings category filters to assist.
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Moving on to labels. When you purchase labels you'll see the irregular packaging options in the same place where you can currently designate hazmat. Here are screens of what it looks like on different label flows.
As you can see, the selection for nonstandard package type is limited, which means you'll select "other" for anything other than tubes, cans, wood/metal boxes, and liquids. See below for information about shipping in bubble mailers and polybags**.
Advanced label flow
Basic label flow
App label flow
Bulk label flow
With bulk labels you can add the irregular package designation on single transactions, or on multiple transactions with the bulk edit buttons as shown.
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2. What each carrier considers nonstandard.
USPS
As of July 13th, USPS added nonstandard surcharges for a few different package characteristics.
- Cylindrical tubes or rolls
- A can, or wooden or metal box
- A parcel containing more than 24 oz of liquid in glass containers, or 1 gallon or more of liquid in metal or plastic containers
- Other (for example, if the contents may cause the parcel to roll or not maintain the integrity of the packaging during processing).
The nonstandard characteristics surcharge is $4.00. If a seller does not select an irregular package type within the label flow and USPS audits the package in transit, the seller will be subject to a cost adjustment for the nonstandard characteristics fee of $4.00, and also the noncompliance fee of $1.50.
Note: USPS calls it a "dimension noncompliance fee" in their manual (previously it only applied if declared dimensions were understated) and the geniuses over there did not think to drop the word "dimension" with these changes. 🙄 This may cause confusion when APV cost adjustments are applied for package characteristics. Keep that in mind when assisting other sellers with their cost adjustment questions.
UPS
When purchasing labels through eBay, the current nonstandard packaging surcharge (as of July 2025) is a discounted $12.95. The surcharge is higher at retail.
- Is not fully encased in a corrugated cardboard shipping container, including tires
- Has an outer shipping container not made of corrugated cardboard, including but not limited to canvas, leather, metal, wood, hard plastic, soft plastic (e.g., plastic bag) or expanded polystyrene foam (e.g., Styrofoam)
- Is encased in a soft-sided pack (e.g., poly bags and bubble mailers) that exceeds 18 inches along its longest side or 14 inches along its second-longest side or 6 inches in height**
- Has an outer shipping container covered in shrink wrap or stretch wrap
- Is bound with metal, plastic or cloth banding, or that has wheels, casters, handles or straps (including packages where the outer surface area is loosely wrapped or where the contents protrude outside the container surface)
- Is cylindrical or triangular, including but not limited to barrels, buckets, cans, drums, mailing tubes or pails
- Is routed through UPS’s irregular package sortation process, including but not limited to packages 1 inch or less in height
- Requires special handling, as determined by UPS in its sole discretion
FedEx
When purchasing labels through eBay, nonstandard packaging surcharges match FedEx's retail rates which (as of July 2025) range from $25.00 - $31.50. Unlike the other carriers, FedEx's surcharge is not only much higher, it's also zone based; there is no fixed rate or discount.
- Is not fully encased in an outer shipping container
- Is encased in an outer shipping container not made of corrugated fiberboard (cardboard) materials, including but not limited to metal, wood, canvas, leather, hard plastic, soft plastic (e.g., plastic bags), or expanded polystyrene foam (e.g., Styrofoam)
- Is encased in an outer shipping container covered in shrink wrap or stretch wrap or excessive packing tape
- Is encased in a soft-sided pack (e.g., courier packs, poly bags, and bubble mailers) that exceeds 18 inches along its longest side or 13 inches along its second-longest side or 5 inches in height**
- Is round, cylindrical or triangular, including (without limitation) mailing tubes, cans, buckets, barrels, tires, drums, or pails
- Is bound with metal, plastic, or cloth banding, or has wheels, casters, handles, or straps (e.g., a bicycle) (including packages where the outer surface area is loosely wrapped, or where the contents protrude outside the surface area) or could become entangled or cause damage to other packages or the FedEx sortation system
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3. The part of the process that requires a work-around as eBay didn't factor it in to the current functionality.
** Soft-sided packs (polybags and bubble mailers) are not currently factored in to these new features. Unfortunately, eBay lists polybags as "standard" packaging which is not necessarily the case for UPS/FedEx. I'm hoping eBay will fix that pitfall in the future. In the meantime, there is an easy way to deal with this, but it relies on the seller knowing upfront whether their poly or bubble mailer dimensions are considered nonstandard.
When you are shipping in a poly or bubble mailer, take particular note the UPS/FedEx measurements provided above are "or" measurements, not "and" measurements, meaning only one of those dimensions needs to be exceeded for the surcharge to apply.
When your dimensions exceed UPS/FedEx limits for poly and bubble mailers, do not choose the "standard" packaging option even though that's where this package type is listed. Instead, select the "other" option from the irregular packaging choices in the shipping label flow to factor in the appropriate nonstandard surcharge.
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4. Useful links & tips.
eBay integrated the irregular package designation into the eBay Shipping Calculator. Check the box and get rates with the appropriate surcharge factored in.
Reminder: the shipping calculator is a GIGO situation. Data that comes out depends on the data you enter. If your parameters are for a package subject to dimensional weight as the billable weight, the calculator will factor that in automatically.
eBay's Guide to Understanding Dimensional Weight
If your package is, for example, an artificial Christmas tree being shipped in the product packaging which has an external handle, that's nonstandard per UPS/FedEx guidelines; to see an accurate shipping rate with those carriers, you must check the "irregular package" indicator.
This help page is an excellent resource for sellers to better understand package characteristics. It has clear information along with relevant links for all carriers. Good page to bookmark as a point of reference whether you or other sellers have questions about package types or carrier adjustments.
Help > Selling > Shipping Items > USPS, FedEx, and UPS package types
Along those lines, this Seller Center page is also a good reference on preparing shipments and avoiding carrier adjustments.
Seller Center > Shipping > Preparing Your Shipment > Packing and Measuring
TIPS:
- When you check the "irregular package" designation in the listing flow, it will translate to the label flow. In label flow it will default to the first nonstandard option on the list: cylindrical tubes or rolls
- To avoid surcharges for tubes, poly mailers and bubble mailers, place them inside of a rectangular box. The increased rate based on the increased weight of an added box will typically be much lower than the nonstandard packaging surcharge, especially with UPS & FedEx.
- If shipping in a tube, make sure your label is applied in the correct direction so the barcode is scannable and not wrapped around the tube.
- As always, make sure your weight and dimensions are accurate. eBay bills accurate rates with surcharges for size & dimensional weight automatically included, as long as the weight and dimensions you enter are accurate.
- Carriers bill based on outer dimensions, not inner dimensions. Those dimensions printed on the bottom of your box are typically inner dimensions. Measure the outer dimensions to avoid after the fact cost adjustments.
- If your package gets skewed or squashed in transit, that can bump out the dimensions resulting in cost adjustments, so do what you can to make sure your packaging is pretty sturdy.
- When it comes to charging buyers calculated shipping rates, irregular package is designated at the listing level, not the carrier level. If you plan to ship something that qualifies as nonstandard with UPS/FedEx, but not with USPS, you either have to apply the surcharge for all carriers in the listing flow or for no carrier in the listing flow, then verify the setting is correct when buying your label based on the carrier the buyer selected at checkout. You can simplify the process by not offering buyers a choice of carriers on items where the surcharge is not applied equally across different carriers.
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To sum it up: In addition to entering accurate weight and dimensions, check "irregular package" on both the listing form, and on the label flow to avoid after the fact carrier cost adjustments when using nonstandard packaging.
We sellers have been asking for this functionality for years - thank you eBay Shipping Team for finally making it happen!
wastingtime101
OP1 year agoI have a few updates to share. Since I can't edit the first post I'll mark this as 'best answer' to float it to the top.
1. USPS nonstandard surcharge applies to triangular boxes. This isn't mentioned anywhere in the Domestic Mail Manual, on USPS product pages, or anywhere, really. I consider this a failure on USPS' part to not include this information anywhere.
There is one solitary reference on Notice CP2025-7 from the PRC (Postal Regulatory Commission) from July and I was able to confirm that info is accurate, despite triangular tubes (boxes) not being referenced anywhere else.
You may be wondering about the Priority branded triangular boxes. Those are greater than 22" in length so if used as-is, they will be subject to a length surcharge and that will take precedence over the nonstandard shape surcharge. If you cut down one of those boxes to 21" or less, then yes, the nonstandard packaging surcharge will apply.
2. Finally! eBay added irregular package to the app listing form with today's app update. On iOS that's version 6.221.0.2 - I don't know the Android version. If you don't see it in the listing flow, you probably need to update your app.
3. Several sellers have asked me about non-uniformly shaped bubble and poly mailers concerning USPS specifically. If one end is thicker than the other end or if the package is lumpy, is that considered nonstandard? Generally speaking, that is not considered nonstandard as long as the package doesn't roll.
4. Some sellers have asked about items that can roll, but aren't fragile - are there options other than using a box. Yes, depending on the item. Someone asked me specifically about a rolled up t-shirt that the manufacturer packages that way. My suggestion for something like that is to stick a piece of cardboard inside the mailer, that's roughly the same size as the mailer. That way the package will be completely flat on one side and won't roll. You could also create a rectangular cardboard sleeve for the item, or sandwich it between 2 pieces of cardboard inside the mailer.
adamcartwright
·1 year ago@wastingtime101
Shipping Guru 😎
https://www.ecommercebytes.com/C/blog/blog.pl?/pl/2025/7/1753580762.html
wastingtime101
OP1 year agoThanks for the link. Ina's always been pretty complimentary of my shipping knowledge and my efforts to help sellers. 🙂
christworks
·1 year agoThank you for taking the time to put all of this in one place - and for linking to it in your signature. 😀
fern*wood
·1 year agoThanks so much for taking the time to do this. I'm going to bookmark it for future help that I know I will need. This may take a bit for most to get the hang of, at least it will me. 😄
I've seen several posts recently where sellers had irregular checked and didn't know why their postage costs were so much. It sounded like their packages weren't irregular to begin with and the box didn't matter before now, so why were they checking that on all their listings?
wastingtime101
OP1 year agoI posted about that here with a warning to sellers if they "sell one like this" from another seller's listing they need to check not only all of the item details, but also the shipping details as the system is going to copy the other seller's shipping settings.
stainlessenginecovers
·1 year agoIs a Manila Bubble Envelope housing an item that is abnormal shape; for instance, a 16"x12" envelope that has One Boot (shoe) in it, that will make the final dimension 4" high (but not consistently 4" since it's a 'boot') (so 16"x12"x4" is used) -for example?
wastingtime101
OP1 year agoI don't think I understand what you're asking with the boot question. My answer is a boot should never be shipped loose in a bubble envelope; it should be packed in a box.
stainlessenginecovers
·1 year ago@wastingtime101 I used that because most will understand the abnormal shape. I make Covers for Engine Bays for Corvette Camaro Mustang Impala etc and many items are a 'weird' shape, which is then bubble wrapped and put in a 'manila bubble envelope'- so it's an 'odd' shape in the envelope- so pretend you were to put a boot in that envelope, wrapped and that was my question.
wastingtime101
OP1 year agoSorry, I still don't understand. Are you asking how to determine the measurements mentioned in your first post or are you asking which carriers consider the boot nonstandard?
Measurements are based on the largest dimensions in each direction. With a boot laying on its side, your height is going to be the measurement of the sole end, not the top of the boot.
A boot loose in a bubble mailer could (depending on the structure of the boot or lack thereof) change shape during transit as a heavy box falling on top can cause the boot to become squashed and misshapen and roll off the conveyor belt. It's hard to give a specific yes or no on that one.
Chances are a boot would maintain enough of its structure and be heavy enough to not roll off a conveyor belt, and USPS doesn't surcharge for "lumpy" if that's what you're asking. If the boot is altered from its original shape then you can get hit with a dimension cost adjustment.
But - if it's lumpy - you've gotta have at least one side with a surface flat enough to place your shipping label so it's readable by the sorting machines.
Did I answer your question somewhere in there?
If you're trying to ask about your own product it would help if you could provide a link to the product and maybe a photo of it packed.
Edited for clarity - hope that helps.
lisa5768
·1 year ago@wastingtime101
Thank you for the great information.
Where do plush animals fall in the new non-standard definitions? They are soft (not rigid) and not a consistent thickness, can they still be sent in a poly bag without a non standard charge? see item 124258305260 for example. I have been shipping these in a poly bags, do I now need to start putting them in boxes? That would add a lot to the cost of shipping.
wastingtime101
OP1 year agoYou're asking about USPS, right @lisa5768 ?
It's not really about soft or rigid, but I referenced that above because a boot (depending on the type of boot and its structure or lack thereof) can become misshapen and the package can turn into something that might roll. Obviously not literally roll like a round ball, but can roll off a conveyor belt if it becomes misshapen enough. I edited my above post to clarify that point. I keep imagining a 70 lb box landing on that boot. The example of a boot in a polybag/bubble mailer is really odd so it was hard to wrap my brain around that question.
With USPS a surcharge will apply when contents may cause the parcel to roll or not maintain the integrity of the packaging during processing.
So if you ship one of those round Squishmallows (if you don't know what that is, look it up) in a polybag it'll definitely roll around and be considered nonstandard with all carriers.
Your example of the Peep looks pretty round-ish and if in a polybag I could definitely see the parcel rolling off a conveyor belt, depending on the angle when it hits the belt. I'd put it in a box. Cost of a box is going to be less than a cost adjustment if USPS calls it out as nonstandard. Although if it puts you into the next weight class you may have to evaluate if it's better to pay for the heavier package or the $4 nonstandard fee.
You're on one of the coasts which means you'll have to consider zone 8 prices. How much does it weigh boxed vs bagged? You might ship boxed to closer zones and bagged w/ nonstandard fee to further zones.
You might also risk it and see if the surcharge is even applied as a cost adjustment. If the item is not as roll-y as it looks, the fee shouldn't apply. You've handled the physical product so you'd know it's rollability factor better than me. Remember it's $4 nonstandard + $1.50 noncompliance, so $5.50 if you want to risk it and see if USPS eventually starts billing you for it.
Now if that Peep was tiny - like 3" instead of 9" - I'd say you could get away with shipping it in a bubble mailer that's somewhat stiff (a paper one, not a plastic one), but I still would not ship it in a polybag.
The part of USPS text that talks about maintaining the integrity refers, as far as I understand it, mainly to a situation like a box that becomes misshapen because the item is too heavy for the box to maintain its structural integrity.
Hope that helps.
P.S. In case you couldn't tell by my long answer, as we haven't seen USPS put this in to practice yet, there is subjectivity right now in trying to determine what might roll off a conveyor belt. Some stuff is clear and other examples like your Peep or stainless's boot are less clear. I certainly don't have all the answers and can only provide an opinion on what I expect could happen, and I'll typically advise sellers to be risk-averse on this topic (use a box) if they cannot afford a potential cost adjustment with their profit margin on a product. We may have to learn how it's going to work with these questionable products by trial and error and reports from sellers when cost adjustments are applied. Sorry I couldn't give you a definitive yes or no.
lisa5768
·1 year ago@wastingtime101
Thank you for the detailed answer it does help as it confirms what I was kinda thinking and yes it is USPS.
The peep is kinda triangle shaped. I wrap them in bubbles, lay them on their side and use a packing pillow to "square them up" on the thinner part. They may rock a bit but will not actually roll.
Yes I am on a coast. I think I am going to just keep what I have been doing but make sure they are as uniform as I can get them and see what happens. I do have them in different sizes from 3" up to 9" and use bubble envelopes for the smaller ones.
My USPS guy's answer was it looked ok to him but that he had no idea how this was going to be interpreted.
wastingtime101
OP1 year agoOK someone messaged me @stainlessenginecovers and tried to help me understand your question.
You basically want to know if a bubble mailer is not uniformly shaped, whether that is subject to a nonstandard characteristic USPS surcharge. Is that correct?
The answer is no if it won't roll.
The answer is yes if it can roll.
See my previous post for my solution on objects that may roll - adding some stiff cardboard inserts to prevent rolling.
Generally speaking, being lumpy or non-uniform in shape does not qualify as nonstandard with USPS.
Sorry I wasn't grasping your question. Have had a killer migraine all week.
stainlessenginecovers
·1 year ago@wastingtime101 yes, that is exactly what I was asking (the 'boot' was just an example of an 'odd shaped' thing)- and you answered it. Thank you.
robbie31415
·1 year agoIf you are entering 16x12x4 for a bubble envelope then you are overcharging yourself on shipping if its over 1 lb.
A 16x12 envelope shouldn't bill more than cubic tier 3 regardless of height.
However 16x12x4 is tier 5.