FedEx Shipping Questions

[mangorunner]

I'm an old eBayer but a rather new *seller* and I'm reading everything I can about shipping.  I have several large and heavy things to ship and am considering using FedEx. A few questions:

1)  If shipping via FedEx, is creating a shipping label DIRECTLY from your FedEx account (rather than through eBay) still the prevailing advice from experienced eBay sellers?

2)  If the seller has FedEx Home Delivery as the listed method for shipping an item, does ebay charge the buyer for the residential surcharge if they have a residential delivery address?

3)  Will I experience crazy-expensive FedEx rates if I use my own packaging materials? 

4)  Does FedEx have any standardized size limits or ranges for the Home Delivery category that will keep self-packaging from incurring surcharges?  The best I can tell from this page: https://pages.ebay.com/help/pay/fedex-services.html

is that the maximum size limit for Home Delivery is 108 inches/165 inches which, if you follow the asterisk, stands for Length / length plus girth (L+2W+2H).  So how do I calculate that?  If my box is 20" x 15" x 12", does that mean that it is 20 / 74 and within limits?  20 + 2(15) + 2(12) = 74.  However, when I use eBay's shipping calculator and calculate a Fedex rate, if I put in the weight only (and no "optional" dimensions) it is much lower than when I add the box dimensions.  I don't get it.  Please see print screens below for shipping a 8 lb box (20" x 15" x 12") from 32224 to 60609 and with the two different rate calculations.

Thanks in advance for your help!

[buyselljack2016]

@mangorunner

I do not use FedEx(I'm in the sticks, not convenient), but something that I have read here is that there is an advantage to having your own account if you have any claims/issues.

My understanding of what I have read on that is that when you print eBay labels, if you have a claim, FedEx does not want to talk to/hear from you.

They consider eBay to be the shipper, and you must go through eBay with any problems of loss/damage/misdelivery.

Possibly someone with more info/FedEx experience can chime in on that:)

[mangorunner]

@berserkerplanet, I appreciate and thank you for all of the detailed information you have taken time to post. 

I posted the denominator/divisor question twice during the most recent Weekly Community Chat (questions are posted here and here), but was overlooked or ignored.  If the moderators choose not to respond to you - and I figure it was a choice, since I asked the question twice - and you still get a goose egg, how do you get authoritative/definitive information from eBay?

I am still hopeful for an authoritative response from @Anonymous.

Thanks, again, to all who have helped me here.

Carol

[frodobagginskennedy]

People can dog FedEx Home and FedEx Smartpost all they want but I use them on about 1/2 of my large heavy shipments and have NEVER had an issue.  Even had them payout on a claim once which was the only claim I ever had to file.

USPS and UPS also use dimensional weight.

I also have NEVER had any billing issues via E Bay with FedEX.  I make sure I always measure accurately and double check what I enter BEFORE I print the label.

Now tht Walgreens accepts FedEx packages up to 55 pounds it is even nicer

[dtexley3]

nm

[berserkerplanet]

►I appreciate and thank you for all of the detailed information you have taken time to post.

Certainly. Glad someone is getting something out of my novellas.

Here is the definitive I got:
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Shipping-Returns/FedEx-Smartpost-Pricing-More-than-Doubled/m-p/2802953...

Additionally, every test I've made indicates that eBay labels is using the better 166 DWD (Dimensional Weight Divisor) for FedEx Ground/Home Delivery, but Smartpost is not and is still using 139. (yet another zone 7 scenario just now verified that is the case)

I also checked FedEx Express Services (Priority Overnight, 2Day, Express Saver, etc) and the eBay labels DWD for those is 139 (I did not ask Trinton about the Express services DWD, but I'm thinking it should be 166 since the estimating calc is coming up with way lower numbers and is using 166 based on my calculations)

The estimating, search, listing, and checkout calculator is also still broken for Smartpost, is not considering dimensional weight at all, and is coming up with amounts far too low when dim weight is a factor.

Finally, I checked on the recent FedEx Ground/Home Delivery glitch - the one where I believe the estimating, search, listing, and checkout calculator was coming up with amounts a few dollars under the actual label cost because it was using the wrong divisor for a period of time - and it appears to really be fixed and no longer a concern.

[chipper01work]

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wrote:

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@mg152 wrote:
FedEx is too confusing for me & unreliable when they deliver my own purchases all over the neighborhood

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I agree they are too confusing. The price you are shown when purchasing your label and the price you end up paying are usually different. They are good about adding fees (such as residential delivery) after the fact. I always purchased my labels through ebay, though, so not sure when you get it at fedex site.

I used to use fedex some, but I prefer UPS. They are usually cheaper, and for me, their nearest drop off is about 25 miles closer. And I've never had them add charges after the fact.

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Everyone has different experiences. I ship about 30 unique packages a year with fedex and have never been charged extra a single time. I work in the shipping dept. of a major corp. and see inside ups trucks all the time. You couldn't pay me to use ups.

[Anonymous]

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wrote:

@berserkerplanet, I appreciate and thank you for all of the detailed information you have taken time to post. 

I posted the denominator/divisor question twice during the most recent Weekly Community Chat (questions are posted here and here), but was overlooked or ignored.  If the moderators choose not to respond to you - and I figure it was a choice, since I asked the question twice - and you still get a goose egg, how do you get authoritative/definitive information from eBay?

I am still hopeful for an authoritative response from @Anonymous.

Thanks, again, to all who have helped me here.

Carol

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Hi @mangorunner, so sorry we missed your question twice  I can confirm that the divisor for Ground/Home Delivery and SmartPost are both 166. I will reply to the weekly chat with this information for the benefit of any who review it in the future.

[Anonymous]

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wrote:

@berserkerplanet, I appreciate and thank you for all of the detailed information you have taken time to post. 

I posted the denominator/divisor question twice during the most recent Weekly Community Chat (questions are posted here and here), but was overlooked or ignored.  If the moderators choose not to respond to you - and I figure it was a choice, since I asked the question twice - and you still get a goose egg, how do you get authoritative/definitive information from eBay?

I am still hopeful for an authoritative response from @Anonymous.

Thanks, again, to all who have helped me here.

Carol

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Hi @mangorunner, so sorry we missed your question twice  I can confirm that the divisor for Ground/Home Delivery and SmartPost are both 166. I will reply to the weekly chat with this information for the benefit of any who review it in the future.