USPS Commercial Plus Rates 2019 / eBay Labels

[beardedbovine]

@Anonymous, I hope it's OK to re-post this question here... it did not get a response in the chat.

With the new USPS rates there is no longer a price difference between Commercial Base and Commercial Plus. Will eBay offer a discount to sellers who qualify for CommPlus that will be a cost-savings over the USPS published rates?

That is was one of the perks of being a TRS and it would be a good way for eBay to regain shipping label business that sellers have taken to 3rd party shipping services.

CommPlus was not eliminated as Base and Plus are both on the DMM. CommPlus and CommBase rates are going to be the same though.

[lintbrush*]

Okay - so this was interesting.

I went to purchase a label today. 2 lbs Zone 1

The new shipping label defaulted to today's date and today's prices, but when changed to Monday, the rate changed.  I didn't pay attention to the price though... just that it was higher.

I switched to the classic page which defaulted to Monday and charged me $6.89.

The new published rate for Comm Base/Plus will be $7.42.  However, because of another thread, I went to "purchase another label" for potential screen shots, and that's when I noticed the actual price that I would've been charged was $7.20 - which is 3% off the published rates.  

So is Brian correct by saying we're getting a discount above the published rate? or is the shipping label platform screwed up with only half of the coding done (as is evidenced by charging different rates today for post-dated label)

[ekmadonna]

I purchased a label tonight for a 4oz first class package and Checked Monday for shipping and the price was the current $2.66.

[beardedbovine]

I believe Brian was accurate when he said we would receive a discount over and above the published Comm Plus rates. I am consistently seeing approx 3% discount on calculated rates for Comm Plus... and an added bonus, I'm also seeing approx 3% discount on Priority flat rates!

Congratulations, eBay, as long as the classic label view remains available you have stolen my Priority Mail business away from Stamps.com. Now if only you would add in postage reporting features like I can get over there...

[beardedbovine]

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@lintbrush* wrote:

I switched to the classic page which defaulted to Monday and charged me $6.89.

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Using a Monday ship date & the classic label view I saw the old rates until about 9pm PT, then it switched over to the new rates.

[berserkerplanet]

Printed a PM PFRE using classic label flow just before midnight that would have been $6.90 at old rates Com Plus rates, but was $7.33 instead of the new 2019 $7.55 Com Base/Com Plus rate.

So it does indeed look like eBay has tossed TRS sellers a (small) bone.

Without some sort of a reference chart to those discounted rates there may be some confusion going forward - USPS clerks may be baffled if postage paid is printed on the labels, we may not be able to puzzle out claimed eBay calculator overcharges when a seller mentions one of those discounted prices that can no longer be looked up in Note123 PM Com Plus rate tables, etc. May have to hand build a reference chart from bits and pieces posted here.

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@beardedbovine wrote:  ... I am consistently seeing approx 3% discount on calculated rates for Comm Plus...  ...

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Thanks for the update, that's very helpful to know. Not sure why you're surprised that flat rates are discounted  along with regular rates.  Are you getting $100 of insurance, too? DMM says you should be.

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@berserkerplanet wrote: ... it does indeed look like eBay has tossed TRS sellers a (small) bone.

Without some sort of a reference chart to those discounted rates there may be some confusion going forward - .... May have to hand build a reference chart from bits and pieces posted here.

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A chart would be vey helpful indeed.  Any TRS can go to any classic label prep page (including "Print another label" for an item already shipped) and methodically change the package weight and the ship-from ZIP Code to generate one for themselves. Meanwhile, I'll start to annotate my printout of the new rates.

[beardedbovine]

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@nobody*s_perfect wrote:

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Not sure why you're surprised that flat rates are discounted  along with regular rates.  Are you getting $100 of insurance, too? DMM says you should be.

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Because the 2018 rates were different for calculated comm base and plus, but the flat rates were the same. eBay's offering an additional discount because comm plus no longer offers extra savings... but there was no extra savings on flat rates in 2018 so I see it as an added bonus.

Yes, $100 insurance.

[nobody*s_perfect]

The prices for the flat rate boxes and envelopes were also discounted for Commercial Plus.

[beardedbovine]

Yes, they were. I was looking at the wrong DMM when I made a comparison. I wasn't paying attention to notice my bookmarked linked to the DMM was updated with the new rates. I need some sleep or some coffee. 

[jennieaa]

I just did a test with first class parcel.

"new" shipping screen and "classic" shipping screen both produced the same rate.

The rate used was the Commercial Rate.

I also checked paypal.   Rate used was the commercial rate.

If eBay is going to offer a better discount, they haven't completed the programming/implementation yet.

Another benefit whittled away.     (I have a store and have seen my $150 shipping supplies benefit whittled away too)

[lintbrush*]

@jennieaa 

 There was only ever one Commercial price tier for First Class Package Service for all sellers.  

[nobody*s_perfect]

The special discount is only for Priority Mail.  eBay is just maintaining the discount that you had before the rates went up.  

There has never been a special TRS discount for First Class packages.  There is no benefit that has been whittled away. USPS merged the Commercial Base and Commercial Plus rates for First Class packages about 3 years ago; that's when the weight limit went up from 13 ounces to 15.999 ounces. Previously the weight limit had been 13 ounces for retail and for Commercial Base, and 15.999 ounces for Commercial Plus.  eBay sellers had ALL been paying the Commercial Base rate for FC packages.  When USPS merged those two categories and set the weight limit on the new merged Commercial rate to match the old Commercial Plus limit, eBay sellers benefited from that increase..

[emerald_door]

Here's a chart with the new rates.  

https://pe.usps.com/resources/PriceChange/January%202019%20-%20Notice123.pdf

[berserkerplanet]

>>Here's a chart with the new rates

Thanks, but I' was referring to a mythical chart containing the new 2019 eBay subsidized TRS faux-Commercial Plus Rates, which eBay might not even have (they may just be programmatically applying a 2.9-3% discount to the ComBase rates for TRS to make up for USPS making ComBase and ComPlus the same starting today).

Someone (not me) is going to have to plug 500 permutations into the eBay calculators and write the results down to generate a chart.

I'm actually not too concerned about it as I'll be losing TRS shortly, and it will likely be quite a while (if ever) before sales crawl back up enough to re-qualify. (regaining Powerseller even less likely)