Buyer wants me to reduce size of package to trigger lower shipping

[appletondad]

I am selling a very light item (a plastic blow mold decoration), but it's tall, so it's pushing the shipping up pretty significantly across all shippers, even at the slowest rate.

I have buyers telling me that if I reduce the size of the package - or just leave it off - the shipping will drop to something far more reasonable. Apparently, "everyone does this on Mercari" -  I believe that trying to pull a fast one on the USPS, or FedEx or UPS is not just wrong but can result in charges on the back end if you get caught.

Just wondering if this is a common practice? Listing items with small dimensions on here or another site and shipping more cheaply with impunity?  

[nobody*s_perfect]

USPS has special equipment at their sorting centers which weighs and measures packages, then charges the sender's account for the difference if the postage was underpaid.  They are so fed up with cheaters, they recently introduced an additional surcharge of $1.50 for any package that is underpaid due to omitting or misrepresenting the package dimensions.

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Announcements/USPS-rate-changes-effective-April-3-2022/ba-p/32787641

[1tuna · Accepted solution]

you need to ship the way you feel like it

I would never ever let a buyer induce me to change shipping

tell the buyer that Mercari is a a fine place to shop if they want to go there

plenty of sellers here have great tips on shipping

[appletondad]

if the item is pushing 35 inches tall - what's the cheapest way to ship something like that?  These buyers keep saying, "Mercari doesn't require dimensions so everything ships for $10" (or something that cheap. Too good to be true in my opinion.  

[yuzuha]

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@appletondad wrote:

I have buyers telling me that if I reduce the size of the package - or just leave it off - the shipping will drop to something far more reasonable. Apparently, "everyone does this on Mercari" -  I believe that trying to pull a fast one on the USPS, or FedEx or UPS is not just wrong but can result in charges on the back end if you get caught.

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Yep, everyone does do that on Mercari. Doesn't make it right or a good idea, though.