Locked
Discussion interactions are currently paused.
USPS to replace First Class Package, Retail Ground, Parcel Select with Ground Advantage Summer 2023
As USPS implements price & service changes every July (think the first year was August), I expect that's about the time they're planning to roll this out.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — As part of its overall strategy to enhance its shipping offerings, the United States Postal Service today filed a procedural filing with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) notifying the commission of the Postal Service’s intention to replace its existing First-Class Package Service category with USPS Ground Advantage. USPS Ground Advantage will feature two-to five day service standards for packages up to 70 pounds.
The filing streamlines and simplifies package shipping options for customers and enhances the Postal Service’s ground product offering with the anticipated summer 2023 launch of its improved ground product — USPS Ground Advantage.
kh-stanley1
·2 years agoHi everyone,
Due to the age of this thread, it has been closed to further replies. Please feel free to start a new thread HERE if you wish to continue to discuss this topic.
Thank you for understanding.
lazer*lightning
·2 years agoWhen you revise the listing that First Class option magically doesn't appear unless it's a Letter or Large Envelope format but that's untraceable and only for paper docs, NOT regular merchandise:
lazer*lightning
·2 years agoI am going to be getting on the phone with eBay later today and pointing out that they still have that First Class Mail shipping option even though it's grayed out and doesn't appear as an option for a buyer to pay with. I will screen shot it here:
comics-scifi-collectibles
·2 years ago@lazer*lightning The first class option has been left on the listing form on purpose for sellers who DO ship items with postage stamps. These items are small flats with a low price that do NOT qualify for eBay Standard Envelope. This was brought up in one of the eBay seller meetings I attended not long after first class package was ended.
lazer*lightning
·2 years agoI did not read beyond page 1 of this thread but there is still a problem here. eBay in the original listing format when you first either start listing a new item or use a template has the option of USPS First Class but listing with that option doesn't do anything. It is grayed out and doesn't show up as a shipping choice when it's listed under the shipping calculator. I only just discovered this official merger now! I thought it was quite strange that this was not showing up when I viewed the listing from another browser not signed in to my account. The solution is for eBay to COMPLETELY remove this as a shipping option but as of 12/5/23 they have not!
19benedict
·3 years agoHopefully this is the simplest question of the day, but overnight several dozen of my listings disappeared, I am guessing because I need to update the shipping. But for the life of me I can't find where those listings went? Are they still in with my "active" listings? "Unsold"? Can't seem to find them.
Thanks in advance.
comics-scifi-collectibles
·3 years ago@19benedict This happens to me when fixed price listings are renewing AND a new month has started. My number of active listings drops and then comes back up again later in the day. They should show up later today, fingers crossed for you.
I am sure it doesn't have anything to do with the shipping.
fern*wood
·3 years agoAre they not in your unsold list? There is a thread on the seller board this morning by a seller of shoes stating many of his listings were ended. His were in unsold, though.
wastingtime101
OP3 years agoHey @19benedict - don't think your issue has anything at all to do with shipping so if your question hasn't been answered already I suggest starting a new post on the Selling board here.
The most common reasons for listings disappearing:
1. See above post from comics-scifi about listings that disappear temporarily on their renewal date while the system re-indexes them.
2. Seller's listing limits have been reduced. As a result, any listings over that limit will be ended on their renewal date until the seller's account is back within their listing limits. As fern-wood said above, those will appear on your ended listings page.
3. The listings were more than 12 mo old with zero buyer interest. Read about that here.
4. eBay removed listings and sent an eBay message alerting the seller to a policy violation.
5. Some kind of account restriction, but if that were the case I'm sure you'd be well aware already.
6. The seller uses the 'out of stock' setting and the listing had zero quantity available for 6 months, so eBay ended the listings.
chickadee8618
·3 years agoI tried listing an item on computer using media mail and it kept telling me the "Starting July 9th" message over and over and over again and wouldnt let me list. I'm not even using First Class or Ground Advantage ! Finally had to switch to the phone to list the item and it went through fortunately.
wastingtime101
OP3 years agoFor whatever this feedback is worth @kyle@ebay, I think it was very smart for eBay to put an alert at the top of the listing form:
A few seasoned sellers told me they don't read messages from eBay or the announcements board, so putting that alert on the listing page where it's hard to miss was a good move.
kyle@ebay
Hey @wastingtime101 thanks for the feedback! I agree too; I think it's a great move. I'll be sure to share this with the folks who put it up!
mozartbach1971
·3 years agoI printed a couple labels through Stamps.com for two ground advantage packages weighing 4 ounces each and at the top they say 1 LB Ground Advantage Rate. Does anyone notice anything like this on their labels? Is this correct?
nobody*s_perfect
·3 years agoWhat did you pay for the label -- the 4-ounce rate or the 1-pound rate? Did you have any particular reason for using stamps.com rather than eBay?
mozartbach1971
·3 years agoWhat did you pay for the label -- the 4-ounce rate or the 1-pound rate? Did you have any particular reason for using stamps.com rather than eBay?
I paid $4.13 each for the two 4 ounce packages. I never used Ebay shipping I prefer Stamps.com.
toomuchstuffagain35
·3 years agoI use ebay shipping and mine just say USPS Ground Advantage and show the weight as 4 oz
nobody*s_perfect
·3 years agoThe listing form just has not been updated with the new rates at all for any service; ALL the shipping options are showing the old rates. It's just harder to spot for First Class because the rates are all the same (except retail prices for 12+ ounces).
Here's an example of Priority Mail's old rates showing up for a 15-ounce package, including Priority pricing showing under First Class because the shipping calculator in the listing still thinks that there's a weight limit of 13 ounces.
mozartbach1971
·3 years agoThe listing form just has not been updated with the new rates at all for any service; ALL the shipping options are showing the old rates. It's just harder to spot for First Class because the rates are all the same (except retail prices for 12+ ounces).
Here's an example of Priority Mail's old rates showing up for a 15-ounce package, including Priority pricing showing under First Class because the shipping calculator in the listing still thinks that there's a weight limit of 13 ounces.
Are you saying if you tried creating a completely new listing today, you would still have USPS first class mail as an option in your listing?
nobody*s_perfect
·3 years agoYes. There are active auction-format listings, started today, which offer First Class package postage.
steve_stuff
·3 years ago"Are you saying if you tried creating a completely new listing today, you would still have USPS first class mail as an option in your listing?"
Yes - also if you are editing active or scheduled listings, replacing first class with Parcel Select / Ground Advantage, first class is still on the list to be picked - I know as I spent four hours this morning 'changing' first class to .... first class. I spaced out and messed up bad after the first batch. After 50 plus years of picking first class I picked first class. Also put the wrong priority back in as second option on a bunch ... but that's a whole other problem
fern*wood
·3 years agoDon't feel bad. Even with all the help other posters have given (no thanks to ebay BTW) I'm still messing up simple stuff. I need to take a break, because I've been at this on/off all day and my eyes and brain are shorting out.
fern*wood
·3 years agoI'm needing to list some perfume and previously I listed with parcel select shipping since I thought 1st class/Priority wasn't permitted. Now do I list with ground advantage and does the weight matter? For instance, is the 13 oz work around for up to 15.9oz still work and get me the old 1st class rates? Is that allowed now for perfume?
nobody*s_perfect
·3 years agoIf a package is required to travel by ground (e.g., hazmat, perfume), the box is supposed to be labeled as such.
https://www.usps.com/ship/shipping-restrictions.htm
Yes, you can purchase Ground Advantage for that. The prices and weight brackets are the same for online postage, and for retail the top bracket now goes up to 15.999 ounces so there's no more need to worry about that 13-ounce limit.
normkin8
·3 years agoSo I am specifically on this thread for the how to change. We currently have a few thousand Items. With maybe half of them currently listed as First class. Is there a bulk edit option I can use in order to make this change. Or will I have to go in and change each individual Listing? Ive only played around on bulk edit a few times and did not see this as an option to do?
Thanks in advance for anywhere you could point me to read up on how to make the change all at once if that is an option.
wastingtime101
OP3 years agoHey @normkin8. I'm working on a tutorial to help sellers with bulk edit, but with a few thousand listings I strongly suggest switching to business policies.
I posted info on setting up business policies a short while ago and you can find that here:
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Shipping/Setting-up-Business-Policies-Update-to-USPS-Ground-Advantage/td-p/33855922
wastingtime101
OP3 years agoI have a new Ground Advantage question @kyle@ebay :
As we're aware, eBay is auto-updating Parcel Select to Ground Advantage. They are not updating First Class or Retail Ground. Sellers will have to handle that themselves starting Sunday, July 9 with a window of 30 days.
eBay recently changed the Parcel Select name within shipping settings and listings. It was changed to: Parcel Select / Ground Advantage
This is causing confusion today as many sellers seeing this are incorrectly assuming when they select that service and see the current Parcel Select rates that it's reflecting the Ground Advantage rates that will be in effect in 2 days. So they are concerned their 4 oz package is going to see a big price jump when that's not the case.
My question:
When this change takes place on Sunday, is eBay going to drop Parcel Select from the current "Parcel Select / Ground Advantage" name? Because if they don't, that's probably going to create even more confusion.
wastingtime101
OP3 years agoAdditional questions @kyle@ebay
We're already seeing confusion from many sellers today because of the PS/GA name mentioned above. Sellers are looking for straight up "Ground Advantage" with no mention of Parcel Select.
Another issue is the listing form is showing old (higher) Parcel Select rates for packages under a pound. This outdated info has resulted in sellers mistakenly (yet understandably) believing selecting PS/GA will result in incorrect rates.
The eBay shipping calculator and live listings are all reflecting accurate rates, but for some reason the listing form is not.
Since I use biz policies I can't capture a screenshot, but perhaps someone else reading can.
Will we see that issue fixed in the next couple days?
Another question being brought up: when will eBay remove both First Class Package and Retail Ground from the list of services when creating new listings? Will that be done within the next couple days to avoid sellers creating new listings with the discontinued services, or is eBay planning to wait out the 30 days? I'm assuming those services will remain for 30 days since they're still live on active listings, but couldn't eBay program things to gray out those options - make them un-selectable on the listing form?
At this point it's probably late in the game to get that kind of change made quickly, but it would definitely help sellers if that could be done.
wastingtime101
OP3 years agoThanks to @my_old_stuff_for_sale we have a screenshot of the listing form error showing the wrong rates @kyle@ebay
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Shipping/USPS-Ground-Advantage-I-am-so-confused/m-p/33858842#M451836
kyle@ebay
Hey @wastingtime101 We have heard from our shipping team on both of these issues and have some updated info to share! The Shipping team is in the process of updating Ground Advantage service name and rates in listing flows, we expect updates to be completed over the next day. In the mean time you may experience the following in listing flows:
"Service name
Shipping service reflected as Parcel Select Ground/Ground Advantage. If you select Parcel Select Ground/Ground Advantage shipping service, the service name will automatically be updated to Ground Advantage once the Shipping updates are completed over the next day. No further action will be required by you.
Rates
Ground Advantage retail rates are currently being updated from Parcel Select rates in listing flows and will be updated to Ground Advantage retail rates over the next day. Calculated shipping quotes in active listings have been updated to Ground Advantage rates."
norskmediashop
·3 years agoso @kyle@ebay
ebay is still refusing to not change over the first class automatically? so stores with thousands of listings that simply can not do it ebay is fine with losing the revenue from? Were not going to have a choice but to leave the platform. other platforms are automatically doing it, it's not right.
wastingtime101
OP3 years agoThanks @kyle@ebay - appreciate the update. I also saw the latest announcement that had a bit more info on listings with First Class:
"We are asking sellers to update listings to Ground Advantage over the next 30 days to ensure buyers see the most accurate shipping details. We realize this may take longer for some sellers and we will continue to support First-Class on existing listings for a longer period of time. We will update you as more information becomes available."
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Announcements/USPS-introduces-the-new-consolidated-ground-shipping-service/ba-p/33860819
dadanddaughterantiques
·3 years agoI just put in an item. it was 4.24 and on the 9th it will be 8.07??!!So basically doubling the previous postage.!!
buyselljack2016
·3 years agoLikely because the system is not yet set up for Ground Advantage. Could be defaulting to the Parcel Select rate.
On the 9th one would hope that it will detect the weight/dimensions to show the correct Zone 6 amount.
nobody*s_perfect
·3 years agoThe online postage cost for packages up to 15.99 ounces will stay the same for Ground Advantage as it currently is for First Class packages. I don't know how you got $8.07.
opshop85
·3 years agoThat's exactly what I got!!! I just shipped an 8 ounce package, the Ground Advantage rate was $8.09! Unbelievable. I still have access for First Class for 3 more days so I was able to buy the lable FC and pay $4.24 but the Ground Advantage rate was available and it was $8.09, which is what the customer paid because I'd just listed the item and I selected the GA shipping option. The online postage cost for packages up to 15.99 ounces is NOT staying the same. I put in lower weights to see what would happen to the cost and it was $8.09 for any under-a-pound package. And in case anyone is wondering it was a west coast to a west coast address. Wow. Excuse me while I go throw up.
nobody*s_perfect
·3 years agoNo, the current rate for 8 ounces via Parcel Select Ground is $8.09. Why do you think you are seeing the rate for Ground Advantage? It hasn't started yet. Here are the new prices, starting on Sunday:
https://pe.usps.com/resources/PriceChange/July%202023%20Price%20Change%2020230627%20-%20Notice123%20-%20PDF.pdf
mtgraves7984
·3 years agoI've just pretended to buy a label for an item that I mailed yesterday (7/10), and today my label options are correct. But... Saturday night (7/8), the Ground Advantage price was $9.03 (if I remember correctly)... so I ticked 'FC' and paid the $5.33 price... true story. I'm thinking this error was 'sooo last week' and has now been corrected. 🤞
fern*wood
·3 years agoIt's probably not important considering all the hiccups that are occurring, but I just printed a label for my item that weighed 15.3oz. So I debated what to enter, and I guess I should have entered 15oz, but I went ahead with the old method of entering 16oz, which would end up as 15.9oz on my label. Well, it ended up showing 1 pound on my label, but I was still charged the rate for up to 15.9oz.
mtgraves7984
·3 years agoGood to know!! 😉
kyle@ebay
Hey @wastingtime101, @nobody*s_perfect, @iamalwaysright, I have great news! I have just received word that this has been updated! Previously, it was set up where Parcel Select was required to be the sole service offered, in order for eBay to automatically update the listing to reflect Ground Advantage. This is no longer the case. Now, your listing CAN offer multiple shipping options, and still have Parcel Select automatically updated to Ground Advantage.
nobody*s_perfect
·3 years agoYes, that IS great news.
Now, about those listings with First Class . . .
mg3483
·3 years agoI’m waiting for that, too. Almost all my packages are first class package 🥴
ednasells
·3 years agowhat about listings that currently have first class package shipping option? announcement says they will have to be changed manually within 30 days.
Why can't eBay automatically change them to ground advantage same as they are saying they are going to change parcel select automatically.
I think a few hundred of my 1100 active listings have first class package as an option or exclusive shipping method and I don't think there is a way for me to select them to change them manually and dont think bulk edit would be capable of picking them out and changing them but I think ebay programmers should be to revise routine that is going to change parcel select to also change first class parcel to ground advantage
american-seller-67
·3 years agoI am concerned about the adjustment also. I was looking at the business policy page (shipping) section.
I am going to create a new business policy which includes 'ground advantage'
You can then select your former policy that has your FC items and select 'Reassign Listings' and move them in bulk to your new ground advantage policy.
norskmediashop
·3 years agoyes but if you bulk edit to the new service once available, its going to delete any other options you have active such as expedited etc. we already tried this with a few changing from priority to parcel select, and while it changed it to the parcel select it deleted the priority option, giving customers only one option, so bulk editing is not going to work unless your content with just one shipping option being available. Normally we like three being available to the customer. I don't know what were going to do next month, ebay is throwing sellers under the bus, there is no reason it cant automatically switch over like the current parcel select will be.
wastingtime101
OP3 years agoThen you're not doing it right. On the bulk editor you can select multiple shipping options. If you select only one that will override what's in place with just the one.
Parcel select won't automatically update unless it's the only shipping option on the listing.
stainlessenginecovers
·3 years agoBuyers only need one option. Anything else is just utter confusion.
I've NEVER offered more than 1 type of service in 22000+ transactions in 13 years and NOT ONCE has a buyer EVER asked about anything different.
They simply don't even know there are 'options' when buying (1 out of 100,000 might)- simply NOT worth the trouble.
norskmediashop
·3 years agowe have had many buyers choose priority or express over a lesser one like first class or media etc...when they can see more shipping options available to them its been a good thing, for us anyway.
nobody*s_perfect
·3 years agoI always offer Priority as a second option on listings which offer Media Mail, so buyers who are in a hurry can choose to pay more. And if buyers who paid for MM complain about slow delivery time, I can gently point out that they had an option to pay for faster.
tori_729
·3 years agoI also disagree with this - shipping prices vary widely across the country so I usually offer Parcel Select, UPS, and Priority in that order on the listing, that way that have choices. Not sure if this is changing but since Parcel Select doesn't have the option of retail rates vs online rates for us as sellers, often Priority is actually cheaper for me than the retail Parcel rate. So I will end up shipping Priority for less than the buyer paid for Parcel. Not sure if this is changing though on July 9th.
nobody*s_perfect
·3 years agoParcel Select Ground IS the discounted online rate. The retail equivalent is called Retail Ground. Both services used to be known as Parcel Post.
nymiss2
·3 years agoMaybe I am missing something (and Ebay too). Why do we have to CHANGE anything. Ebay could simply "translate" FCP shipping to Ground on the shipping page (if calculated) where buyer select their shipping option. Only new listings should have to be set up with the new shipping terms. Or is this just too simple?????
decadesgoneb4
·3 years agoI went into my listings and selected a few to 'bulk edit'
the shipping policy doesn't seem to be a field that can be modified
what am I missing?
buyselljack2016
·3 years ago`As this happens on July 9 my understanding is that it is not yet available. Can not edit to something that does not exist. you will have 30 days to do so when it becomes available.
stainlessenginecovers
·3 years agoIt can be 'edited' easily. I'm not sure what you are doing wrong, but if I wanted to 'bulk' edit 100 of my items, I would
click them
Edit
Domestic Shipping
'Change to'
and then the 'drop down shows which will allow you to choose' "Expedited Shipping" "Economy shipping" etc. and with EACH of these I could choose various types of shipping from UPS Ground to USPS Priority Express to Fedex etc etc.
What is it you are not seeing?
2010byandsel100
·3 years agoOh, I thought it would be modifiable over on the right within the column like BIN & offers.
Now I see that there is a drop down list on the left under 'bulk edit'
thanks for that (don't use bulk edit that often)
wastingtime101
OP3 years agoIf you use biz policies then you need to update your policies, not your listings. Manage and edit them on this page, but as Jack said, you won't be able to update the new service until it becomes available on July 9 @decadesgoneb4 .
wastingtime101
OP3 years agoAnnouncement was posted a third time. Doesn't look like any changes were made.
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Announcements/USPS-introduces-the-new-ground-shipping-service-USPS-Ground/ba-p/33836509
The United States Postal Service is consolidating its ground shipping options by combining USPS Retail Ground®, First-Class-Package®, and Parcel Select Ground® into a single service: USPS Ground Advantage™.
Here’s what to expect on eBay beginning July 9th:
Printing labels on eBay
Updating your listings on eBay
On July 9 USPS is updating rates for some services, please see our previous announcement.
For more details on USPS Ground Advantage and FAQs, visit our Seller Center.
As always, thank you for selling on eBay.
norskmediashop
·3 years agoand what happens if we do nothing, this is a mess
wastingtime101
OP3 years agoWhy would you do nothing when you know you need to make changes?
With nearly 2K listings, biz policies would work to your benefit.
wastingtime101
OP3 years agoeBay posted an FAQ section at the bottom of this page:
https://www.ebay.com/sellercenter/shipping/choosing-a-carrier-and-service/usps-and-ebay-labels
Some highlights:
Do I need to update the shipping service in my listings and business policies?
In most cases, yes. Listings with the following USPS services will need to be updated to select USPS Ground Advantage
- First-Class Package Service
- Retail Ground
- Parcel Select Ground if offered in addition to First-Class Package Service and/or Retail Ground
These changes can be applied starting July 9. We recommend that you make these updates as soon as possible in order to keep your shipping information up-to-date for buyers.
If my listings and business policies only show Parcel Select Ground as a shipping service, do I need to update to USPS Ground Advantage?
No. If your listings and business policy has Parcel Select Ground as the sole shipping service, the service name will be changed to USPS Ground Advantage starting July 9.
Question for eBay @kyle@ebay : If a biz policy or listing offers Parcel Select along with a non-affected service like Priority Mail, will Parcel Select still be automatically updated to Ground Advantage per above FAQ? Is it correct to assume that Parcel Select being the "sole" shipping service means the sole affected service as related to First Class, Parcel Select and Retail Ground? Or does it have to truly be the only service with no other non-affected services (USPS Priority, UPS Ground, FedEx Ground, etc) offered in the same listing/policy?
What services will need to be updated to USPS Ground Advantage in my listings and business policies?
Any listing with one or more of the following services from July 9:
First Class Package Service
Retail Ground Service
-----
FYI @imapaqrat you were asking about this and there's now updated info so what I posted previously no longer applies. Tagging @iamalwaysright also.
nobody*s_perfect
·3 years agoWhat an absolute nightmare for sellers with large numbers of listings! This is certainly a situation where having business policies is going to pay off.
Thank you for finding that information, which is buried in a page that most sellers have never seen. eBay really should put something about this in Announcements, especially since the June 21 original announcement about this new service specifically said, "More information to follow soon."
wastingtime101
OP3 years agoIndeed. Sellers not using biz policies can use the bulk editor, but they still need to know which listings offer which shipping services for that to work smoothly for them.
If anybody is interested switching to biz policies, here's my usual advice:
Business policies help me keep my sanity. Manage and edit them (or disable them to go back to how you used to set up your listings) on this page.
Once you set up your shipping policies and name them so you can easily identify them, you can go to your active listings and bulk edit to assign your new policies.
After the initial mess of policies that are created when you first sign up are no longer tied to active listings, you can delete them.
It takes a little time and work to set it up, but in my opinion it's well worth it.
wastingtime101
OP3 years agoI thought I said this earlier, but I guess I didn't.
I think eBay should not only post an announcement, but they should send a mass email out to sellers since this is a significant change that will require a lot of manual updates. And they should put a pinned post on this board with the FAQ because you know we'll be flooded with posts about it and a pinned post can cut that way down.
iamalwaysright
·3 years agoYes they definitely should, it's not every day USPS gets rid of First Class. It's not even every century. @kyle@ebay
kyle@ebay
Hey @iamalwaysright , @wastingtime101 , and @nobody*s_perfect we appreciate your suggestions! We did release an announcement just a short while ago, which can be found here: https://community.ebay.com/t5/Announcements/USPS-introduces-the-new-ground-shipping-service-USPS-Ground/ba-p/33836509 (this will also show in your Seller Hub!)
We anticipate a widespread announcement to go out soon as well!
norskmediashop
·3 years agoThis doesnt make sense still, why do we have to update hundreds or thousands of listings manually that are currently first class?? why is it not changing over automatically like parcel is? This is still going to be a major mess and not going to work.
tori_729
·3 years agoI found it when I was shipping something - it talked about how First Class is changing in July and gave me a link for more info. Otherwise I wouldn't have known. Sounds like Parcel Select automatically changes but First Class doesn't.
Yes Business Policies are SOO helpful! I don't know how I would post listings without it, it's SO much easier now that they are set up.
kyle@ebay
Hey @wastingtime101 that's a good question.
---Edit: Previously, it was set up where Parcel Select was required to be the sole service offered, in order for eBay to automatically update the listing to reflect Ground Advantage. This is no longer the case. Now, your listing CAN offer multiple shipping options, and still have Parcel Select automatically updated to Ground Advantage.
wastingtime101
OP3 years agoThanks Kyle for the quick response.
fern*wood
·3 years agoI'm just now seeing this new information. Total nightmare, in my opinion, and no one is making this information known except a couple knowledgeable posters on the shipping board!! shameful
Most of my 1300 listings are 1st class package. When I first heard about this change, I felt in my heart ebay would muck this up and now it's clearly the case. We are now only a few days out and to just now hear this. I see no announcement from ebay with specifics. Is there nothing in the works to automatically switch 1st class package on our listings to the new terminology? If they are doing that for parcel select, it seems it should be doable.
If it isn't done automatically, when are we supposed to do this? Magically revise 1300 listings at midnight on the 9th? So, since there will be plenty of sellers that know nothing about this, what will happen? Please tell me I've read this all wrong.
wastingtime101
OP3 years agoHey @fern*wood . I fully agree that eBay should be auto-updating First Class and Retail Ground, not just Parcel Select.
The only solace I can offer here is that I don't think you need to panic about updating your listings at midnight on the 9th.
Remember earlier this year when Regional Rate was discontinued? eBay automatically updated RR to regular Priority on sellers' listings. But there was a glitch that came up (and still hasn't been fixed). Some sellers offered a choice of RR and Priority on the same listing. When that happened, RR wasn't updated because the system couldn't have Priority twice on the same listing and eBay did not program the update to delete the duplicate. Instead those listings were left untouched for the seller to make manual updates. What happened to those listings? They are still showing calculated RR prices based on the last RR rates.
So if we look at that as an example, we can make an educated guess that for the time being, listings with calculated First Class will still display calculated FC rates. Since the GA rates under a pound match current FC rates, buyers will be charged an accurate ship cost.
To sum it up: you should have a grace period to update listings from FC to GA if eBay doesn't make the updates automatically.
fern*wood
·3 years agoI appreciate you (as usual) talking me off the ledge, but that ebay information page you posted earlier was so nonchalantly written as if it was no big deal. Just by the way you peons need to update your thousands of listings. umkay No details to help sellers were offered--except by you and others. Where the heck is ebay and their shipping people? I don't even know where you were able to find that information and feel sure most sellers have no idea about this.
wastingtime101
OP3 years agoI was under the impression that eBay would update all 3 services automatically because to me that's the logical move. I thought the only roadblock would be when sellers offered 2 or more of those 3 services in the same listing.
Last night another poster here offered that link and a screenshot. I was surprised when I read how eBay will be handling it.
If a seller offers Parcel Select and no other service, eBay will automatically update their listings/policies. That's going to impact an incredibly small number of listings. This is going to be primarily a manual process unless eBay changes their published plan in the next week or so.
None of my biz policies will be updated automatically because every single policy offers a choice of services. For me it will be fairly quick to make changes. By fairly quick I think I can have all my policies and accounts updated within about half an hour.
If I didn't use biz policies I'd be looking at a more dire situation due to the number of listings I'm dealing with. I'd be using the bulk editor for sure. Hopefully the bulk edit tool can help in your situation.
fern*wood
·3 years agoFinally...
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Announcements/USPS-introduces-the-new-ground-shipping-service-USPS-Ground/ba-p/33813207
iamalwaysright
·3 years agoTrue. One thing I would prepare myself for are buyer complaints thinking we downgraded their shipping services. We've heard in the past where a buyer would file a SNAD for a package they received FC when Priority Mail was advertised. And that actually is a valid SNAD as those scenarios involved sellers who were over promising and under delivering.
Granted that this FC-GA shift isn't as much of a significant change on the buyer end, I'll admit when I first heard the term "Ground Advantage" I thought it just sounded like a Walmart or generic version of First Class. I'll bet some avid buyers would be caught off guard when they get packages that don't have that big F on the top left hand corner of their postage label and start to panic or complain. Basically, I wouldn't be surprised if more SNADs a' comin because of this GA hoopla.
nobody*s_perfect
·3 years agoAlternatively, for listings that offer only First Class package shipping, sellers who are concerned about accusations of "downgrading" can get a head start before midnight July 9 by changing all of those listings to Parcel Select Ground so buyers see ground shipping rather than First Class. Before July 9, buyers will see the current postage cost for shipping 1 pound via Parcel Select, which ranges from $6.99 to $9.03, whereas 15.99 ounces via First Class package is $5.85 - $6.78.
iamalwaysright
·3 years agoNeat idea for those who offer the sole service not alongside any non affected ones. Sadly I would not be able to utilize. I use business policies though so it shouldn’t that much of a headache. I’m probably going to use this time to re-audit some of my shipping prices. USPS does it multiple times a year, why shouldn’t I?
stainlessenginecovers
·3 years ago@fern*wood you can 'bulk' edit the 1st Class items fairly quickly: Edit/Domestic Shipping/Change to: clicking 'Ground Advantage' when it shows up (I would assume 1st Class would be gone from the choices).
fern*wood
·3 years agoBulk edit will be a guessing game for me on many items. I can't remember which items were 15 oz versus over a pound unless it shows that to me on the bulk edit form. That's not a feature I've used except maybe once years ago. I guess I'll do the best I can and see what happens.
iamalwaysright
·3 years agoNo, that sounds about right so far. Maybe ebay isn't intending to publicly announce this to try and avoid the site from crashing at 12:01.
wastingtime101
OP3 years agoHey @kyle@ebay - the announcement just posted does not make that clear in the slightest. Anybody reading the announcement will believe Parcel Select is being updated automatically, regardless of other services being offered.
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Announcements/USPS-introduces-the-new-ground-shipping-service-USPS-Ground/ba-p/33813207
Hey @fern*wood - the announcement says you'll have 30 days to make changes to your listings and biz policies.
And @iamalwaysright you asked about return labels yesterday. According to the announcement USPS will accept FC labels for a short period. The length of time is not specified but the info may be floating out there if you want to look into it.
fern*wood
·3 years agoProbably a stupid question, but the announcement says if we have 1st class pkg, they will automatically print as ground advantage. (I know the rates are the same) So, why do we still have to revise within 30 days?
wastingtime101
OP3 years agoBecause that's referring to the labels you're purchasing. It has nothing to do with what's offered on your listings.
At some point if listings still offer FC they'll produce errors when FC is removed on the back end. Anything can happen from buyers not being able to check out to eBay hiding the listings from search if they're not in compliance with currently available shipping options. No idea how eBay will handle it.
eBay deleted the announcement and re-posted it. Here's the new link:
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Announcements/USPS-introduces-the-new-ground-shipping-service-USPS-Ground/ba-p/33836390
iamalwaysright
·3 years agoThanks for the heads up. Whoa, so that means a bunch of us are going to be logged in and revising at 12:01am July 9? This is when Business Policies is a godsend. Who wants to start a pool of when ebay's site would actually be updated to accommodate the change? I got my money on 9am the next morning, jk 😀
Safe to say many of us will be pretty tired come that next Monday. Pages and pages of posts with the words "Ground Advantage" plastered all over the boards by then. Prove me wrong ebay.
norskmediashop
·3 years agoso with a store of nearly two thousand listings and many, not all, set with first class shipping,,,,we have to manually change every single one? Why is the system not automatically rolling it in to replace first class?
This sounds like a nightmare in terms of changing things, we don't use the business policy stuff that's just a mess and too complicated, so not sure what to do. What happens to the first class ship option if we don't change anything? Maybe Im over thinking it just trying to understand, its reading like every single listing has to be manually changed and that's daunting to think of having to sit here and do.
nobody*s_perfect
·3 years agoIt's just a change in the name of the service. Prices for packages up to 15.99 ounces aren't changing. IMHO it's premature to expect that listings will not automatically adjust to the new name for the service formerly known as First Class packages. There has been no indication from eBay that sellers will have to change anything manually.
norskmediashop
·3 years agoThank you, the information I read in ebay basically said sellers will have to make the change. Im trying to find where I read that, as I lost it now.
nobody*s_perfect
·3 years agoeBay's Announcement 5 days ago just said, " USPS Ground Advantage, available July 9, 2023, will combine three existing USPS® services (First-Class Package, Parcel Select Ground and Retail Ground) into one service. More information to follow soon. "
hunchojack_34
·3 years agoOf course raising rates 200% over the last couple years wasn't good enough for USPS. Sure they won't be raising rates right now under this system, but I'm sure sending anything for less than $5 will be a thing of the past this coming winter.
tori_729
·3 years agoWill we now have to measure "first class" under a pound shipments and put in dimensions? I never know how to do that with packages...
If DIM rates apply to things under a pound, that's gonna suck for some larger packages that are still under the pound.
nobody*s_perfect
·3 years agoUSPS applies dimensional rate only to packages that are over 1 cubic foot, i.e., 1728 cubic inches, and there is a surcharge for package length over 22 inches. Below those thresholds, you can enter just a rough estimate of the dimensions.
How can you not know how to enter package dimensions? Length, width, thickness. In inches, to the nearest inch, with no fractions or decimals. If it's an envelope, just estimate the thickness; as long as it's under the thresholds for surcharges, an estimate is OK.
tori_729
·3 years agoPackages specifically, I guess I can just put 1" if there's not much depth. It's just always confusing to me which part to include in which particularly the depth if it seems to cut into the length. Maybe I'm overthinking it.
I've never entered dimensions for packages under a pound because it's not required. It's just extra work that I haven't generally done.
nobody*s_perfect
·3 years agoYou're definitely overthinking it.
deserdog
·3 years agoI think this will be a good thing. Here is the shipping history of my last 5 packages:
CA to MO Parcel Select Ground 3 days
CA to AL Parcel Select Ground 3 days
CA to LA Parcel Select Ground 3 days
CA to WY First Class Parcel 3 days
CA to CT Parcel Select Ground 3 days
And when ground advantage rolls out, it will include insurance. 9 times out of 10 if a buyer is given an option of priority of parcel select ground, they choose parcel select ground.
atlasesattic
·3 years agoI usually use parcel select ground when weight hits 1 pound, it is much cheaper then priority at a pound, and if I'm paying shipping it is much cheaper for me to ship, I hope it won't be more expensive now.
steady2304
·3 years agoThe best thing I see here is that it will be a lot easier for sellers who combine shipments without 1st Class Package mucking up the combined shipping conversion. It's about time.
imapaqrat
·3 years agoSorry . . . too many replies (now at 4 pages) to read through it all.
Is this change going to affect our eBay Shipping Policies that include the old shipping types? Will I be required to manually change my eBay Shipping Policies?
Thanks,
ImaPaqRat
wastingtime101
OP3 years agoHey @imapaqrat. Most sellers will not have to update their biz policies based on service. The exception to that rule:
When a seller offers more than 1 of the 3 affected services (First Class, Retail Ground, Parcel Select) within the same business policy, they will have to update the policy and remove services so only 1 of the 3 is offered.
But if your biz policies offer only 1 of those services within a policy then eBay will automatically convert to Ground Advantage.
If you're interested in the longer explanation I can dig up those posts, but to keep it short and to the point, above info is bottom lining it for you.
That applies to services offered.
But if you're asking about rates, then obviously sellers using flat rates or free ship (instead of calculated) should evaluate the new price charts and make any necessary adjustments just as they would for any service or price change.