Shipping amount wrong

[how2getstarted]

Lately I have been losing a lot of money on shipping.  Even if I put in dimensions and weight that are correct, I choose retail ground.  And then I get to the post office and find out that the address I am shipping to is too close to be shipped retail ground so it ends up going priority.  I have lost $10-$20 each on about 5 things in the past week.  Is there any resolution to this or am I stuck with choosing priority for everything?  I feel like this will knock out a lot of people on the other coast that don't want to pay for priority.  

[hollys_hobbies73]

Maybe try parcel select instead of retail ground. Have you thought about buying postage online vs going to the post office?

[divwido]

I like Priority Flat Rate boxes.   There's no price debate with them.

[upgradedendmills]

Here in Texas, if the weight goes over a certain amount in state, Priority or Media are the only options. When I ship in state the USPS calculator gives me the correct price within pennies. Could you be having a problem due to large dimension boxes?

[wastingtime101]

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@how2getstarted wrote:

Lately I have been losing a lot of money on shipping.  Even if I put in dimensions and weight that are correct, I choose retail ground.  And then I get to the post office and find out that the address I am shipping to is too close to be shipped retail ground so it ends up going priority.  I have lost $10-$20 each on about 5 things in the past week.  Is there any resolution to this or am I stuck with choosing priority for everything?  I feel like this will knock out a lot of people on the other coast that don't want to pay for priority.  

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The problem is that retail ground is not available to zones 1-4 unless you are shipping something that requires ground transportation, like hazmat.

You have a few options - offer Parcel Select instead, offer Retail Ground with a handling fee to nearby zones (set up a rate table), or stick to Priority Mail, UPS or another service.

[wastingtime101]

Or you can add a hazmat material to the package so it qualifies for retail ground. I've seen people use those little alcohol wipes you find in first aid kits.

[nobody*s_perfect]

As you have seen, Retail Ground is cheaper for large packages (over 1 cubic foot) but can't be used for Zones 1 - 4 unless the package must be mailed via ground (hazmat, live animals, etc.).

The only way to offer Retail Ground rates only to farther buyers, while charging appropriate dimensional weight (via Priority Mail or Parcel Select) to closer buyers, would be to set up specific shipping tables, in your Site Preferences.  These are unfortunately based on states (or parts of states) rather than on ZIP Code-based USPS Zones, but you could figure out an approximation using these handy references:

https://postcalc.usps.com/DomesticZoneChart

https://www.fitshipper.com/freeTools/usps-zone-calculator.html?toZip=&fromZip=90210 (just change the "From" ZIP Code)

http://pe.usps.com/cpim/ftp/manuals/dmm300/notice123.pdf

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@hollys_hobbies73 wrote:

Maybe try parcel select instead of retail ground. Have you thought about buying postage online vs going to the post office?

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The underlying problem here is that Retail Ground costs LESS than Parcel Select for packges over 1 cubic foot.  Starting last June, USPS has applied dimensional rates to all packages over 1 cubic foot (1728 cubic inches) that are mailed via Priority Mail or Parcel Select.

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@divwido wrote:

I like Priority Flat Rate boxes.   There's no price debate with them.

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An item that uses a box over 1 cubic foot clearly is too large to be mailed in any of the USPS flat-rate boxes.

[how2getstarted]

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@upgradedendmills wrote:

Here in Texas, if the weight goes over a certain amount in state, Priority or Media are the only options. When I ship in state the USPS calculator gives me the correct price within pennies. Could you be having a problem due to large dimension boxes?

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Yes, this is the exact problem I am having.  Just started recently, when USPS went through their latest change.  I put the correct weight into eBay, I put the correct dimensions of the box I will be using.  If the package was going to CA (I'm in PA) I think it would be fine because it can go ground.  But it went to VA so it has to go priority and eBay is not accounting for that.  

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@how2getstarted wrote: ....  If the package was going to CA (I'm in PA) I think it would be fine because it can go ground.  But it went to VA so it has to go priority and eBay is not accounting for that.  

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eBay has no way of knowing whether your package is one of the items that USPS says must travel by ground. So it will do as you set up the listing, and offer Retail Ground to everyone.

My suggestion would be a bit more refined than yours: Rather than automatically switching to Priority for Zones 1 - 4, eBay should offer sellers the option to do so, while leaving the default as it is now (i.e., Retail Ground to all zones) just in case the item really is a ground-shipping item.

[coffeebean832]

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@how2getstarted wrote:

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@upgradedendmills wrote:

Here in Texas, if the weight goes over a certain amount in state, Priority or Media are the only options. When I ship in state the USPS calculator gives me the correct price within pennies. Could you be having a problem due to large dimension boxes?

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Yes, this is the exact problem I am having.  Just started recently, when USPS went through their latest change.  I put the correct weight into eBay, I put the correct dimensions of the box I will be using.  If the package was going to CA (I'm in PA) I think it would be fine because it can go ground.  But it went to VA so it has to go priority and eBay is not accounting for that.  

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eBay doesn't know if your item is required to ship ground (hazmat, live animals, etc) so they are going to assume the shipping method you selected is applicable to your order.

You need to account for where your item may ship and set up your shipping accordingly. Two posters- wastingtime and nobody'sperfect- have both offered solutions to your problem. eBay isn't going to build out an expansion of the shipping calculator with an IF/THEN function regarding ground shipments and zones 1-4. They have a way for sellers to account for this- albeit cumbersome to set up- and they will tell sellers to use the rate tables as 2 posters have already suggested.

[coffeebean832]

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@nobody*s_perfect wrote:

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My suggestion would be a bit more refined than yours: Rather than automatically switching to Priority for Zones 1 - 4, eBay should offer sellers the option to do so, while leaving the default as it is now (i.e., Retail Ground to all zones) just in case the item really is a ground-shipping item.

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I agree it's a good suggestion, but if they won't even add regional boxes to the calculator I don't think we have any hope of a feature that recognizes the retail ground nuances- not to mention USPS can change retail ground pricing and requirements next year.

[nobody*s_perfect]

Well OK, maybe I should have used the word "dream" rather than "suggestion..."

[m60driver]

As a shameless reseller who will sell anything that I think I can make me some lunch money, I have learned to only focus on widgets that can go first class or go in either a flat rate box/ envelope or a regional A box.   Anything else, a rare circumstance, and I roll the dice with FedEx SmartPost.  Currently only about 1% of my inventory, current listings and backstock,  might be SmartPost.