Will Fedex charge Additional Handling Surcharge for a 2-lb triangular tube 37" long, 7"x7"x7" ?
Fedex shipping - my own package - a triangular tube.
Will Fedex charge me an Additional Handling Surcharge for a 2-lb triangular tube 37" long, 7"x7"x7" ?
My understanding of the confusing Fedex manuals is that the surcharge is triggered when the length of the tube is more than 50". Mine is only 37"
My tube is triangular in its cross section, 7"x7"x7".
17 comments
simba6
·1 year agoIf you can find a square box, it would remove the risk of being charged extra. Fedex is by far the worst and you have to take every step you can to avoid those fees. I would not risk it. Make a square box out of loose cardboard and put the triangle inside it.
wastingtime101
·1 year agoHi @nice.old.man . Disclaimer: I have not read any of the replies yet.
eBay's shipping calculator factors in all dimensional weight, and all length/size surcharges. As long as your dims are correct, no need to worry about that, unless your package gets skewed/squashed in transit, bulging out some dimensions.
What eBay's shipping calculator does not factor in is package type. Round tubes are subject to cost adjustments after the fact.
Triangular tubes? It's not called out specifically in the FedEx Service Guide, however I do know that through PirateShip they say to mark triangular tubes as "irregular package" for UPS - and FedEx / UPS surcharges are pretty much the same.
So I think you'd probably see a cost adjustment after the fact for additional handling based on nonstandard package type, but not for dimensions unless your package shape/size gets altered in transit.
Page 126 of the FedEx Service Guide discusses nonstandard package surcharges (link).
wastingtime101
·1 year agoHi @nice.old.man . I was able to confirm my above post is correct.
Both FedEx and UPS do apply an "additional handling" surcharge for triangular boxes. If you buy the label through eBay where you cannot account for package type, you will see that cost adjustment after the fact.
Every now and then packages make it through without being audited, but I wouldn't count on luck in this situation. Assume the cost adjustment will be charged as it's supposed to be.
nice.old.man
OP1 year agono, it is NOT suppose to be.
wastingtime101
·1 year agoYes, it is.
Purchasing at FedEx retail is a different process; they enter package type and you're billed the surcharge upfront.
When you purchase the label online through a platform that does not have a way to designate irregular packages (like eBay) the surcharge is billed after the fact as a cost adjustment. Triangular boxes are subject to an additional handling fee surcharge because they are not able to fit easily on automated sorting equipment and generally require additional handling, especially when longer in length.
Go to the FedEx website for a retail quote on 37 x 7 x 7 at 2 lb from 90210 to 10001
You'll get a Ground retail rate of $49.36, but then check the 'irregular packaging' box and the added surcharges gives a rate of $80.86
nice.old.man
OP1 year agoI appreciate the idea of asking a FedEx shipping person how he is charging for the triangle tubes.
So, I went to a local FedEx office. The shipping man there told me that he does not charge anything additional based on the package shape.
In other words, as he explained, it does not matter if the tube has rectangular or triangular cross section.
Ignore other replies as uneducated guesses.
Amen.
slippinjimmy
·1 year ago"a triangular tube" is an oxymoron, it's either a triangle or a tube, the tube surcharges don't usually apply to a triangle. The entire reason for the Triangle package is that it is NOT a "tube".
The problem with tubes is that they have to be manually processed as they will roll around on a conveyor belt becoming difficult or impossible to scan by automated systems.
In the past there has been some controversy related to triangles and the way they should be measured. USPS and probably most other carriers measure them as a cube as shown in the post by @toysaver .
tobaccocardyahoo
·1 year agoA tube longer than 50" may be subject to the surcharge AND dimensional weight. The rules do not exclude each other.
What they actually enforce may differ from what they can charge you.
USPS also has dimensional weight and surcharges for weight. I believe their threshold is lower than that used by FEDEX.
I have some fairly valuable posters in my inventory which are not listed on Ebay and will probably be consigned to a bricks and mortar auctioneer because of the efforts of shipping carriers to discourage mailing tubes.
12345jamesstamps
·1 year agoYou can always expect a surcharge at some point if you use a shipping label.
I agree with candd205......
Go to a FedEx Store to see how it's measured and weighed.
It would be a good future reference and no surprise surcharge later.
candd205
·1 year agoYou could take it in to Fedex before you list it to ask them what the charge will be.
toysaver
·1 year agoIf in doubt ship USPS.
nice.old.man
OP1 year agonot useful
luckythewinner
·1 year agoMy understanding of the confusing Fedex manuals is that the surcharge is triggered when the length of the tube is more than 50"
This page seems to say that dimensional weight always matters:
"We calculate prices using either the dimensional weight (dim weight) or actual weight of the package—whichever is greater."
https://www.fedex.com/en-us/shipping/how-to-estimate-shipping-cost.html#
I have no idea how triangles are measured. Using length of 37" height of 7" and width of 7", their calculator says the dim weight is 14 pounds.
https://page.message.fedex.com/weight_calculator
nice.old.man
OP1 year agoConfusing.
Except the rule which may or may not exist - they start surcharging after the length is above 50"
luckythewinner
·1 year agoYou would probably need to provide us with a link to the manual with that rule.
nice.old.man
OP1 year agocopilot:
FedEx's surcharge policies for tubes exceeding 50 inches in length are outlined in their Additional Shipping Fees guide. This document specifies that tubes longer than 50 inches are subject to an Additional Handling Surcharge. Since your tube is 37 inches, it should not incur this specific surcharge, assuming no other criteria apply
luckythewinner
·1 year agoCopilot is just an AI generated summary based on some data that someone gleaned from somewhere.
You said this in your original post:
"My understanding of the confusing Fedex manuals is that the surcharge is triggered when the length of the tube is more than 50"
Can you give us the link to the confusing Fedex manuals that mention the 50" limit?