Why did my shipping rate nearly double for USPS Ground Advantage?
I sell Pokemon cards and typically ship with eBay standard envelope under $20, but for cards worth more, I have been offering free shipping using USPS Ground Advantage. Typically I would pay about $5. I know USPS just increase their rates by 8% recently, but all of a sudden, my expected shipping cost is $7.90-$9.45. This is way more than 8% and my margins are pretty thin, so if I paid $8 for shipping, I would actually lose money. The image I attached shows the dimensions of a plain white envelope, there is no reason for it to cost almost double than it did before. What is going on here? This is a bit ridiculous imo. Probably just going to move my entire inventory to TCGplayer if this can't be fixed.
7 comments
sanetcg
OP5 months agoSo I found out that this is just due to having shipping policies setup. eBay does not have an option for irregular packaging within policy setup, so it seems like it just defaults to worst case scenario. When I go to buy a label it is about $5.50 like normal. Kinda confusing and annoying, but whatever I guess lol.
bdmh-enterprises
·5 months agoIt's not the irregular option, not adding enough for that. Rather it's eBay's poor way of displaying the price to you in the listing tool. Despite saying "you pay" it is actually showing you the retail rate just like it would show the buyer if they were paying. This display doesn't take any discounts into account when showing you the price.
ryry-jj
·5 months agoWhat happens when you change the depth, the third dimension from 1" to 2"?
kibble-net
·5 months agoIrregular Package checkbox strikes again. Make sure you don't have that checked.
If you want to move to TCGplayer, that's your decision. Either way, hopefully you aren't scalping these cards from Target.
sanetcg
OP5 months agoNot a scalper, just reselling singles. I forgot to mention that I have shipment policies setup and I don't even see an option for irregular package within the policy page. Am I going to have to just remove my policies?
stainlessenginecovers
·5 months ago@sanetcg you have the 'abnormal shape' clicked, which adds $4+ to the cost.
Minimum GA is about $5.
1786davycrockett
·5 months ago@sanetcg
The April 26 increase for USPS Ground Advantage was 8% -- not 7%.
Depending upon the destination ZIP Code, the cost may even have been higher -- the rural increase was passed in September 2024.