Ebay says I underpaid for shipping label?

[skeletonstore]

Does this mean the US post office said I weighed the package wrong?  I can't even see the label on ebay to see what I weighed it as.  I do not think I was off by $1.53 which i guess would be the next zone.  I always weigh the package before printing the label.  I do not even see how this is possible unless someone at the post office was leaning on the scale. Ebay provides no info and contacting them or talking to them is like talking to a brick wall. 

[aeparts1]

The PO charges by the size of the package, not the weight, in most cases. Particularly if it is a package that is over 12".

If you were an inch under in the measurement you entered, there could be an additional charge.

[dhbookds]

Ebay just passes along the info the USPS gives them..........no point in blaming them.........

[inhawaii]

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@skeletonstore wrote:

Does this mean the US post office said I weighed the package wrong?  I can't even see the label on ebay to see what I weighed it as.  I do not think I was off by $1.53 which i guess would be the next zone.  I always weigh the package before printing the label.  I do not even see how this is possible unless someone at the post office was leaning on the scale. Ebay provides no info and contacting them or talking to them is like talking to a brick wall. 

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It is possible.

It's called a mistake, we all make them, myself included.

I get those short postage notices once in a while.

Also, It's not ebay saying you underpaid, it's the USPS saying it.

[iamalwaysright]

Ultimately just for the sake of argument I would take the exact package to your local USPS and ask them what would they charge for (the exact shipping service you used). Also ask for the dimensions and weight.

Compare that to the retail USPS over the counter prices and cross reference to what the commercial pricing would be. 

See if there is a discrepancy and adjust.

[powell-memorabilia]

USPS absolutely charges by weight, unless you are talking about a flat rate item.  Take an 8x6x4 box - there are a number of rates that will be charged, even if still under one pound.  And media mail, I believe, is strictly by weight - box size doesn't really matter.  

[coolections]

Ebay has nothing to do with your cost of shipping. The USPS is the one saying you underweighed it. They can be real picky and even 1 oz can cause the price to go up.

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@aeparts1 wrote:

The PO charges by the size of the package, not the weight, in most cases. Particularly if it is a package that is over 12".

If you were an inch under in the measurement you entered, there could be an additional charge.

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The size of the package will affect the postage cost only if the package has (1) volume over 1 cubic foot (i.e., 1728 cubic inches; (2) length over 22 inches; or (3) you are shipping via cubic rates, but those rates are not available through eBay shipping labels.

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@skeletonstore wrote:

Does this mean the US post office said I weighed the package wrong? .... 

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You might have weighed the package wrong. Or you entered inaccurate measurements (unlikely). Or you put flat-rate postage on a regular box (or vice-versa).   A Zone error is unlikely, since online purchase of the postage label factors-in the ZIP Codes, but it could happen if you shipped from a ZIP Code that doesn't match the "Shipping from" ZIP Code that was used when purchasing the label.

[monica-sells]

Just look at the receipt you received when you dropped off the parcel with the clerk for the acceptance scan...

It will have the weight and the class on it......

As long as it wasn't oversize, you can present that to ebay CS for proof. Been there, done that....

and, yes, it is USPS that informs/charges ebay....ebay does not make the rate determinations....

[johnrj1226]

@aeparts1

For USPS the max length of a package is 108* inches (as I recall), the package cubic size  limited is 1728 cu. in..  length x width x height for  standard  zone rates.  If above 1728 the a cubic rate will apply = much higher price based on the ship to zone.  Yes the package weight does matter also.   The max is 70 lbs.

Have shipped fishing rods in 72" tubes (72" x 4" x 4" = 1142 cu. in. at std Priority Mail rates

https://pe.usps.com/businessmail101?ViewName=MinMax

[skeletonstore]

I don't think the post office has any credibility. They hire the lowest common denominator of society.   I just sandboxed several configurations of dimension ranging from 15 inch down to 10 in in length plus various weights and the price comes out to $9.94,   Ebay charged me exactly $1.53 less.  They actually charged the customer slightly more than $9.94 so I was not off.  I went wayyy below the perceived threshold or tier and it continues to give me the same price.  Ebay calculated wrong.  Didn't they just change their software?  

[dbfolks166mt]

     You are the second person in as many weeks to report USPS unilateral charges coming back through eBay shipping. I am used to seeing those for UPS and FedEx but USPS is a new one. I always drop my packages at the local PO, which fortunately is less than a mile away, and one of the clerks scans, weighs and on occasion measures a package. Any postage shortage shows up at that time.

     Only once during that process was the postage off and that was because I had used a medium flat rate box where I though I had used a Regional Box B. Simply took the package home and repacked in the correct box, used the same label and returned to the PO. 

     I am not sure if there may be something amiss with eBay shipping label process since I don't use eBay to purchase my labels. I purchase labels off of Pirate Ship which has about the same discounted rates as eBay but also offers some shipping classes eBay does not. Ground Advantage Cubic and Priority Mail Cubic being the most useful to me. Since I purchase those labels with a CC I also earn cash back on those purchases. 

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@dbfolks166mt wrote:

     You are the second person in as many weeks to report USPS unilateral charges coming back through eBay shipping. I am used to seeing those for UPS and FedEx but USPS is a new one. ...  I am not sure if there may be something amiss with eBay shipping label process since I don't use eBay to purchase my labels....

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USPS has had an Automated Package Verification (APV) system in place since about 2017: At sorting centers, the equipment checks the package weight and dimensions against what was entered for the label purchase. It also scans barcodes for flat-rate boxes.  Then any underpayment is charged to the sender's account -- and overpayments are credited.

https://link.usps.com/2017/10/05/what-is-apv/

http://pages.ebay.com/sellerinformation/ship-smart/ebay-shipping-partners/avoid-extra-postage-costs....

If there was any systematic issue with eBay's label programming or with USPS, I think we'd be seeing more than two posts in two weeks. To me, this seems to be the APV system working as intended. It occasionally makes errors, especially when two items are accidentally on the scale at once or if two items get stuck together.

[simply-the-best-for-you]

Meh.  I get these from time to time.  Most of the time mine are refunds for an overage.  I never weigh or deal with humans at the PO, so no one checks them.  

The software had an update for Ground Advantage, but the rates did NOT change.  But if the item was 9-12 oz, I recall that the 13oz is a pretty big jump $$ wise, it can easily be a 1oz difference in scales or calibration errors. 

From memory, I don't have one right now, there's a link at the bottom to dispute.