First Class shipping is calculating incorrectly for 13-16 ounces on some listings.

[monstertoybox]

I was wondering if anyone else has had a problem with their First Class postage pricing? I seem to have 100’s of listings showing the same cost for First Class / Priority Mail if I use weights of 13-16 ounces, but strangely some of my listings have updated correctly (showing first class at a lower rate). A good example is item #292535266321, because it has a twin #302714884084, which is practically the same listing (just a different character). The first item is showing the same cost for both the First Class and the Priority, the second item is showing (the correct) FC lower than the Priority. These items are both listed at the same weight, same package size. I’m comparing them, but I don’t see where the difference is and why one is calculating correctly and the other is not? I probably have over 100 listings that are showing incorrectly. I’ve reported it to Ebay last week, but not sure when it will be fixed. Has anyone else noticed this?

[nobody*s_perfect]

The ones that show the same prices for FC and Priority are probably  set to show the retail prices.  There is no retail price for FC packages over 13 ounces, so eBay substitutes the Priority Mail postage cost.

[monstertoybox]

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@nobody*s_perfect wrote:

The ones that show the same prices for FC and Priority are probably  set to show the retail prices.  There is no retail price for FC packages over 13 ounces, so eBay substitutes the Priority Mail postage cost.

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I have all my listings set to "Ebay Rates". So it must just be some kind of glitch on these listings. Hopefully Ebay can fix this. Like I said I have over 100 listings doing this, lots of selling history and watchers, so I don't want to end them and relist. 😞

[audioarchive]

Again, no glitch. The postage that customers see is the retail price (the price you would pay if you physically took the package into the post office to mail it). There is no retail price for over 13 to 16 ounces so it would go to 1 lb priority because that is what you would pay if you took a 14 ounce package into the post office.

The only way your customers are going to see first class prices for those weights is if you pass along the discount that you get (the online price) to them.

[monstertoybox]

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@audioarchive wrote:
Again, no glitch. The postage that customers see is the retail price (the price you would pay if you physically took the package into the post office to mail it). There is no retail price for over 13 to 16 ounces so it would go to 1 lb priority because that is what you would pay if you took a 14 ounce package into the post office.

The only way your customers are going to see first class prices for those weights is if you pass along the discount that you get (the online price) to them.

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I do have it set "to pass along the discount" in my account preferences. And like I had mentioned before some of my listings are showing the First Class price (with 16 ounces as the weight).

The two listings I had mentioned in my first post shows exactly why I do believe it is a glitch. They have the exact same package and weight.

Listing one (Item # 292535266321) shipping is showing:

Listing two (Item # 302714884084) shipping is showing:

Again, these two listings are identical (with the exception of the character). So why is one calculating correctly and the other is not?

[monstertoybox]

I also want to mention I've tried revising the listings that are showing the incorrect postal rates (by removing the shipping and then adding it back in, revising it with flat rate and then going back in and doing calculated again, updated the weight to 12oz then back to 16oz), but nothing works. It always goes back to showing the same cost for First Class and Priority. But a few of my listings are actually working correctly (like the one above), so I tried comparing them, but I don't see where the difference is. Hopefully someone will figure it out. I was just hoping it wasn't just me and somebody else could tell me what to do to fix it. So I'll just have to wait for Ebay to help (I've contacted them over FB).

[nobody*s_perfect]

So the question becomes, Why are those listing showing the retail prices, even though you have selected to share the discounted price, and that Site Preference option clearly is working for your other listings?

I wondered if the listings that show retail prices predate your selection of the option to pass along the discount?  Nope -- your two examples started at the same time.  Could it be that the retail site preference got locked in when the first item sold from your multi-item listing? Who knows!  

You could try UN-selecting the site preferences option to "Offer eBay-negotiated discount rates" (what a bunch of **bleep**), then re-select it.

You try ending a listing that is showing retail postage costs, and then relisting it using Sell Similar. That should reset all the shipping preferences to align with your current selections, although you'd lose your "Sold" count. (Watch out for the counter in a relist  or Sell Similar -- it will probably show your original quantity rather than the quantity that remained when you ended the listing.)  You don't want to do that for a huge number of listings, but it would provide some insight into the problem.

[monstertoybox]

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@nobody*s_perfect wrote:

So the question becomes, Why are those listing showing the retail prices, even though you have selected to share the discounted price, and that Site Preference option clearly is working for your other listings?

I wondered if the listings that show retail prices predate your selection of the option to pass along the discount?  Nope -- your two examples started at the same time.  Could it be that the retail site preference got locked in when the first item sold from your multi-item listing? Who knows!  

You could try UN-selecting the site preferences option to "Offer eBay-negotiated discount rates" (what a bunch of **bleep**), then re-select it.

You try ending a listing that is showing retail postage costs, and then relisting it using Sell Similar. That should reset all the shipping preferences to align with your current selections, although you'd lose your "Sold" count. (Watch out for the counter in a relist  or Sell Similar -- it will probably show your original quantity rather than the quantity that remained when you ended the listing.)  You don't want to do that for a huge number of listings, but it would provide some insight into the problem.

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Thank you for your help, but I think I'm going to see what they come back with because I have so many. I would hate to lose the sales history and watchers and most of all it would be awful to have to end and start all those listings again. 😞

[berserkerplanet]

You might try removing the FCP option from one of them, save it, then revise again and put the option back to see if that kicks it into retrieving the correct settings. (the more thorough procedure below probably better)

Many of these types of shipping related issues require "whack with a wrench" to fix - site settings are not getting incorporated and need to be forced to integrate into the listings. Often requires a revision to the particular section of the listing (shipping, payments, etc) to take effect.

1. change your site setting to NOT "pass discounts to buyers" for USPS
         (should only affect new listings not live ones unless they are revised)
2. revise the shipping section of one of the affected listings - removing FCP option would do the trick but adding or modifying a handling fee might suffice
3. save the revised listing
4. change the global setting back to pass discounts to buyers.
5. revise the test listing again and put FCP option back

when you save the changes it should pull the site settings in again and hopefully set it right.

If that works, you can repeat the procedure using the bulk editor for the rest: change setting, bulk edit shipping options, reset setting, bulk edit options back again.

[monstertoybox]

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@berserkerplanet wrote:

You might try removing the FCP option from one of them, save it, then revise again and put the option back to see if that kicks it into retrieving the correct settings. (the more thorough procedure below probably better)

Many of these types of shipping related issues require "whack with a wrench" to fix - site settings are not getting incorporated and need to be forced to integrate into the listings. Often requires a revision to the particular section of the listing (shipping, payments, etc) to take effect.

1. change your site setting to NOT "pass discounts to buyers" for USPS
         (should only affect new listings not live ones unless they are revised)
2. revise the shipping section of one of the affected listings - removing FCP option would do the trick but adding or modifying a handling fee might suffice
3. save the revised listing
4. change the global setting back to pass discounts to buyers.
5. revise the test listing again and put FCP option back

when you save the changes it should pull the site settings in again and hopefully set it right.

If that works, you can repeat the procedure using the bulk editor for the rest: change setting, bulk edit shipping options, reset setting, bulk edit options back again.

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Thank you so much for the help. I spent the day going through all my listings and revising, some actually updated, but about 30 of them are being very stubborn. I tried all different types of revising and no matter what as soon as I put in 13-16oz it goes back to the incorrect shipping price. Ebay is working on it, so hopefully this will be fixed soon. Thanks again.

[castlemagicmemories]

 but about 30 of them are being very stubborn. 

So they are acting like difficult people, LOL?  Hope you can get them to be more "cooperative"!

[berserkerplanet]

You a re most welcome.

However, my point was that the listings may have the wrong "setting" for "pass discounts to buyers" stuck in them, and you may have to knock it loose and get the listings to retrieve a fresh copy of the setting via a cycle of toggling the setting and revising. Revising alone doesn't do the trick, and toggling the setting alone doesn't work either.

(I'm guessing, but I suspect there is a "change" flag in the database that the listing flow checks when listing revisions are made to see if site setting changes need to be applied to the listing. If you just revise, without toggling the site setting, the revised listing uses whatever (incorrect) setting it already has. If you toggle the site setting, the listing "refreshes" the listing setting to reflect the changes. That's my theory, and I'm sticking to it. 🙂

All guesswork, however. (it was a workaround for a similar FedEx issue last year).

Try my suggestion (if you haven't already) on one of the 30 stubborn ones and see.

[castlemagicmemories]

You could try UN-selecting the site preferences option to "Offer eBay-negotiated discount rates" (what a bunch of **bleep**), then re-select it.

I've got things to work by doing just that.

[monstertoybox]

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@berserkerplanet wrote:
You a re most welcome.

However, my point was that the listings may have the wrong "setting" for "pass discounts to buyers" stuck in them, and you may have to knock it loose and get the listings to retrieve a fresh copy of the setting via a cycle of toggling the setting and revising. Revising alone doesn't do the trick, and toggling the setting alone doesn't work either.

(I'm guessing, but I suspect there is a "change" flag in the database that the listing flow checks when listing revisions are made to see if site setting changes need to be applied to the listing. If you just revise, without toggling the site setting, the revised listing uses whatever (incorrect) setting it already has. If you toggle the site setting, the listing "refreshes" the listing setting to reflect the changes. That's my theory, and I'm sticking to it. 🙂

All guesswork, however. (it was a workaround for a similar FedEx issue last year).

Try my suggestion (if you haven't already) on one of the 30 stubborn ones and see.

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Thank you so much, I tried (on two different listings (at two separate times) of the 30) to remove the carrier discounts, revise the listing (removing FC on one and using flat rate on the other), go back turn on the discounts, then go back and add in calculated FC and still it's showing the wrong shipping price. Ugh, but thanks for the suggestions. I know sometimes these things do work and I'm willing to try (as long as I don't have to end and relist), but unfortunately they seem to be straight up donkey (stubborn a**).

[berserkerplanet]

Thanks for trying - now we know it doesn't work. And I'm out of ideas at the moment (other than wooden stakes).

The prices I looked at on item 302714884084 are retail (as nobody*s_perfect said), and all signs point to it being an incorrect setting "stuck" in the listing, which unfortunately, there probably is no eBay fix for - they will tell you to end and relist I believe.