Parcel Select why doesn't it tell you there's a surcharge when you pay for shipping?

[clothedinglory]

So I packed up a teddy bear in a large box, measured the length + girth and it came to 104" total, way under the 130" allowed for Parcel Select according to the USPS website.  The total of my shipping was around $18.00 from LA to Dallas. It wold have been around $45 if I had shipped it PM.

However, just to be sure, I took it to the post office clerk.  Big mistake, according to my daughter as the clerk informed me the box was too big and he would have to charge me a $22. 00 surcharge!  He then  told me I could go home and cut the box down and it would be fine.  I didn't opt for that as it wasn't worth the extra hassle. Soo I relucantly paid the extra $22.

So, what I don't understand is why the eBay shipping system accepted all my measurements, plus weight, and yet there was no message telling me there was a surcharge!  Cost for Parcel Selet showed $18.00 which I paid.

My daughter told me that she never takes a package up to the counter and that I should not have either. She said she has sent plenty of packages Parcel Post—in boxes bigger than mine—and they've never been sent back, nor has she (or buyer) ever been stuck  for extra postage.

Is she correct?  Did I blow it by taking it up to the counter?  I just don't understand why we don't get told about this "surcharge" when we calculate the shipping!

[partial*eclipse]

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lemarcheaupuces wrote: .... 104" is very close to 108".

I don't think that's the issue here.  The Oversize rate to Zone 6 would have been $123.  

The prices in question (~$20 and ~$40)  seem to be the regular rate vs the balloon rate.  Most likely the package dimensions weren't entered accurately on the label prep page.

[clothedinglory]

Yep. That's exactly the price I paid.  And 6 lbs was the weight.  I did enter the correct dimenions on eBay shipping page.  It was the PO that wanted to add the surcharge.  Never taking it ot the counter again!

[partial*eclipse]

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@clothedinglory wrote:

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 ....  Plus it fit into the PS guidelines on the USPS web site.....

The maximum for Parcel Select is 130 inches.  But for packages with a length-plus-girth over 108 inches there's an "Oversize" rate, and for 84+ to 108 inches, there's the Balloon rate which is apparently what your package was upgraded to at the PO.

[clothedinglory]

That's great.  Hope eBay reads these comments/suggestions! 🙂

[lemarcheaupuces]

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@clothedinglory wrote:

I already stated the measurements.  And origin (LA) and destination  (Dallas).

Weight was not the issue (it was very light) according to the clerk.  It was the size of the box even though as I already stated, my daughter has shipped PS boxes bigger than that and it was fine.  Plus it fit into the PS guidelines on the USPS web site.

I think she is right. I should have just put it in the bin and not gone up to the counter.  Lesson learned.

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have you tried the USPS website?

i just did D to LA 44X15X15 large box. (comes to 104)

you said very light so i did 19 pounds.

parcel select says usps ground is $41.18 (no discount through ebay i believe)

priority would have been $88... but ebay offers a discount on that.

your teller is wrong.

there is an extra charge if too large and TOO light.

it happened to me.

you did say in your OP that your daughter always drops off boxes and never goes to the counter.

she perhaps never got caught.

but the recipients might have had to pay extra.

[lemarcheaupuces]

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@partial*eclipse wrote:

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@clothedinglory wrote:

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 ....  Plus it fit into the PS guidelines on the USPS web site.....

The maximum for Parcel Select is 130 inches.  But for packages with a length-plus-girth over 108 inches there's an "Oversize" rate, and for 84+ to 108 inches, there's the Balloon rate which is apparently what your package was upgraded to at the PO.

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i think it has to do with the weight.

i checked on the USPS website.

104 for a weight of 19 pounds.

says $41.18.

[lemarcheaupuces]

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@clothedinglory wrote:

Yep. That's exactly the price I paid.  And 6 lbs was the weight.  I did enter the correct dimenions on eBay shipping page.  It was the PO that wanted to add the surcharge.  Never taking it ot the counter again!

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i don't believe it is a PO issue.

i get a price of $41.18 Parcel D to LA... 104 meas. 19 pounds (didn't know the weight).

so if you entered all infos properly on ebay, it is an ebay issue.

i would call ebay.

[partial*eclipse]

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lemarcheaupuces wrote: ... parcel select says usps ground is $41.18 (no discount through ebay i believe)...

... there is an extra charge if too large and TOO light....

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The balloon rate is the same as the 20-pound rate.  So if your package is over 20 pounds you still pay the weight-based rate.  Under 20 pounds means you pay the 20-pound rate.

There's no discount for Parcel Select because it is already the online discounted service.  The retail equivalent is called Retail Ground; both of them used to be known as Parcel Post.

[partial*eclipse]

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@lemarcheaupuces wrote:

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@partial*eclipse wrote:

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@clothedinglory wrote:

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 ....  Plus it fit into the PS guidelines on the USPS web site.....

The maximum for Parcel Select is 130 inches.  But for packages with a length-plus-girth over 108 inches there's an "Oversize" rate, and for 84+ to 108 inches, there's the Balloon rate which is apparently what your package was upgraded to at the PO.

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i think it has to do with the weight.

i checked on the USPS website.

104 for a weight of 19 pounds.

says $41.18.

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It's not the weight, it's the dimensions.  Packages with a length-plus-girth of 84+ to 108 inches would pay the "balloon" rate, i.e., the 20-pound rate, for any package up to 20 pounds. So  104 inches to Zone 6 means $41.18 for any weight up to 20 pounds.  That's why  I mentioned this cost  in post #8.

[rolenboy01]

Just another reason why many of us do not deal in large items, just imagine if the buyer wants to return this item OUCH.

[mr_lincoln]

@partial*eclipse

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@partial*eclipse wrote:

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@mr_lincoln wrote:

@clothedinglory  Actually you have made a really good point with the extreme deficiency with eBay's shipping calculator ...  I set up a listing with a size of 51" x 6" x 5" ... that fails all USPS girth+length package sizes comming in at a whopping total of 163" ...

1. eBay should block shipping methods AT THE TIME OF LISTING that fail the spec...

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@mr_lincoln

The length-plus-girth of a package that is 51 x 6 x 5 is 51 + (6 + 5 + 6 + 5) = 73 inches.  Not Balloon rate, not dimensional weight (volume is 51 x 6 x 5 = 1530 cubic inches).

The USPS shipping calculator in your images is working perfectly.   If you enter package dimensions that actually DO exceed the limits for the chosen service, you  get little dashes instead of prices.

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My understanding of girth is it is the distance around the two largest dimensions on a package even if one winds up being the length. 

[partial*eclipse]

Girth is the distance around the two shortest sides, i.e. the ones that are not the length.  USPS uses the confusing term "thickest" in case you're shipping something non-rectangular like a guitar case. This page has illustrations and examples:

https://pe.usps.com/text/qsg300/q201e.htm

[mr_lincoln]

@partial*eclipse

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@partial*eclipse wrote:

Girth is the distance around the two shortest sides, i.e. the ones that are not the length.  USPS uses the confusing term "thickest" in case you're shipping something non-rectangular like a guitar case. This page has illustrations and examples:

https://pe.usps.com/text/qsg300/q201e.htm

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Thank you for that ... yes, I would agree that the terminology is lacking ... "thickest" to my way of thinking is the two largest dimensions.  Sooo,  at the end of the day, "Mr. Lincoln, you should know better."  So now I do, again, thank you.

[sam9876]

"I already stated the measurements."

No, you didn't.

"And origin (LA) and destination  (Dallas)."

What are the zip codes?

[lemarcheaupuces]

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@partial*eclipse wrote:

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lemarcheaupuces wrote: ... parcel select says usps ground is $41.18 (no discount through ebay i believe)...

... there is an extra charge if too large and TOO light....

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The balloon rate is the same as the 20-pound rate.  So if your package is over 20 pounds you still pay the weight-based rate.  Under 20 pounds means you pay the 20-pound rate.

There's no discount for Parcel Select because it is already the online discounted service.  The retail equivalent is called Retail Ground; both of them used to be known as Parcel Post.

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thank you for the lesson...

the OP says he paid $18.

then was charged an extra $22 at the PO.

i have no clue what balloon rate is or isn't.

so call it what you want.

i go by prices i got on the USPS website.

104" (total), 19 pounds (seems the OPs package was lighter), Dallas to LA;

$41.18 economy.

$80 something for priority.

i say NO discount because the USPS website does not reflect the Ebay shipping discounts.

i usually get one (ebay) when paying for priority.

i don't get one for select (never questioned the reason).

usually with my discount  4 Priority is a better deal than Select.

seems to me that $41.18 (usps site) is close to what the OP ended up paying.

it should have been about the same price through ebay labels.

i just don't understand what could have gone wrong when generating a label on ebay.

so balloon rate or not, call it what ever you want...

something went wrong when creating the label and

just telling the OP it is not a PO issue...