Why do I owe funds?

[20thcenturybuysell]

I just got an email from eBay that I owed them money. When I look in transaction details for the negative amount in my account that I'm being charged for, it says "UPS Shipping Label Fee". 

I printed a shipping label via eBay - I measured the box and weighed everything correctly, I even went over what it weighed to be sure. I paid based on all the criteria, so I really don't understand why I'm being charged more than I even paid in the first place.

It doesn't seem fair to be charged again for shipping. Especially since I've shipped a couple of other items that I under-charged for when shipping and I didn't complain. But this seems wrong. 

[dbfolks166mt · Accepted solution]

     You are not the first person to experience this problem with UPS shipping. The cost for a UPS shipping label when purchased through eBay is only an estimate, which is one reason I avoid using UPS, and may not reflect the actual cost. Once the package is shipped UPS is free to unilaterally charge any additional amount which is taken from your account. There have been a number of horror stories about EXCESSIVE unilateral charges from UPS for shipping items using the eBay label generation process. 

     If you want to continue to use UPS suggest you consider taking the item to a UPS store and getting the correct shipping cost and tracking information and then upload it into eBay manually. 

[20thcenturybuysell]

That is super helpful, thanks for the explanation. Looks like I won't be using UPS anymore - at least via eBay - I'll be going to the UPS store and uploading it manually from now on!

[bbravo65]

...UPS later will re-route the package to USPS to deliver after charging eBay's sellers twice...

[toysaver]

The Post Office is even easier...

[jas_eastbay]

Sellers are not billed by eBay for UPS shipping fees until after the delivery of the shipment.  This could be the only UPS shipping fee you received.  

Or are you saying you received a subsequent adjustment or an amount different than what you expected?

[20thcenturybuysell]

I created a label for UPS Ground shipping via eBay - I measured and weighed out the packaging and even rounded up just in case (as per their suggestions).

Then a few days after my customer received their product, eBay sent me a noticed that I owed them and the reasoning was "UPS Shipping Label Fee". So I already paid for the label, printed it out at home, dropped it off at the UPS store, customer received it, but a few days later I'm being charged an even larger amount.

Someone else explained why this happened and gave me a helpful tip on what I should do moving forward. 

[pjcdn2005]

The other poster may have been correct. However, as @jas_eastbay asked, it’s not clear if you were actually charged more than what you were originally quoted.  You gave the impression that you were charged when you printed the label and then again later on.  But eBay does not charge you for ups labels immediately so if the quote when you printed the label was $10 and you were now just charged $10, you didn’t overpay as that is the only time you were billed.  But if the charge you just received was  $15 rather than $10 then yes,  they have added on a surcharge for some reason.

[20thcenturybuysell]

I see, well, regardles the system is confusing. The UPS label was $12, I got a notice from them for $18 after they already sent me my payout. So now I don't know if I paid $18 more or just $6 more. $6 more, I can tolerate. But $18 would be insane. 

This is one of the first things I sold on eBay, so I don't quite understand the intricacies of how things work yet.

[aeparts1]

When you printed the label, you paid nothing. The figure you saw was an estimate of the cost based on the size information you entered. UPS does not charge eBay until the UPS shipping label is used, & the item is delivered. Then, UPS bills eBay, then eBay bills you. You were charged nothing when you printed the label. This is UPS's way of doing business, not eBay's.  We have a commercial UPS shipping account, they do not bill us when the label is printed, they bill us when the item & shipped & delivered. Sometimes there is a 2 week delay for us to be billed for a shipment.

Also, the shipping charge is based more on the size of the package, not the weight. Make sure you round up all the measurements of the box to get an accurate shipping charge. Don't try & shave off  1/2" or 1/4", round up.

[lepke1979]

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@20thcenturybuysell wrote:

I see, well, regardles the system is confusing. The UPS label was $12, I got a notice from them for $18 after they already sent me my payout. So now I don't know if I paid $18 more or just $6 more. $6 more, I can tolerate. But $18 would be insane. 

This is one of the first things I sold on eBay, so I don't quite understand the intricacies of how things work yet.

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I guess verify your payout wasn't $12 less than it should have been originally. But the UPS/FedEx labels are quotes of what the label will be. USPS on the other hand will bill you immediately and charge you more later if they deem it necessary.

But it sounds like now that the package was delivered, UPS billed eBay, and then eBay billed you. In short, you never actually paid for the label until now. The amount was probably $6 higher because I think the eBay shipping software just bases the amount on package weight and excludes dimensional pricing.

Or just doesn't calculate it correctly altogether. Which seems weird to me if they're getting the amounts from UPS, but who knows. Could also be what the label costs excluding the fuel or residential delivery fees the companies might charge.