Calculated shipping wrong AGAIN

[antlang_47]

Help. I had a large item listed, proper dimensions - 20 lbs, 5 f long 15 in wide. Buyer a nd i were in a conversation, i asked him to wait, because i suspected i would have a problem with shipping with UPS . He bought it anyway, shipping was suspiciously low. I checked UPS on their site..estimate was double what buyer paid. I will lose money if i go through with it. How did ebay get the cost so wrong? And how do i avoid these issues...happened to me once before i got stuck with extra 110 dollars shipping lost money on transaction.

[lakefor94]

You have to have the shipping figured out before hand including the correct carrier. You are missing one of the shipping dimensions in your post.

I never have an issue with eBay calculated shipping, always right on the money and I ship a lot of large items.

Jfyi, items that big with the shipping cost approaching equal to the selling price are risky business and are better off sold locally for cash.

If the buyer opens a Item Not As Described return case, you are on the hook for the shipping when refunding and if you want the item back before refunding,  you have to pay the return shipping as well.

[wastingtime101]

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@antlang_47 wrote:

Help. I had a large item listed, proper dimensions - 20 lbs, 5 f long 15 in wide.

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As Lake said, you need to know the ins and outs of any shipping service you're offering upfront before listing an item for sale. That includes understanding eBay's UPS and FedEx rates do not include nonstandard surcharges and those surcharges are billed after the fact as a cost adjustment. When it comes to UPS and FedEx, eBay's calculator will give you a rate for a label purchased through eBay (not direct from the carrier) based on your entered package weight and dimensions, but excluding those nonstandard surcharges.

You said 60x15 but we're missing the last dimension. Also, is that 60x15 the size of the toboggan or the size of the outer package?

Let's assume it's the size of the toboggan and the outer package dimensions are 66x19x14. That makes package Length + Girth a total of 132"

That rules out USPS because their max L+G is 130"

A package that size can ship UPS whose max is 165" L+G. If you buy a label through eBay you will see cost adjustments after UPS processes your package for all of the nonstandard surcharges.

For a package that size you will face, at minimum, surcharges for "large package" which is any package exceeding 130" L+G. I don't know if there's an eBay discount on that surcharge, but the regular UPS published surcharge is $190-235.

On top of that you will face an "additional handling" surcharge because L+G exceeds 105". Another $22-29

All of that is based on my guessing package dimensions, but you can determine for yourself how much of this info might apply based on your actual package dimensions. If your package is just a few inches smaller than my guess you'd avoid the "large package" surcharge from UPS, but probably still face the "additional handling" surcharge, billed after the item ships.

If you plan to ship UPS I strongly suggest reviewing these pages:

eBay's guide for avoiding surcharges

https://www.ebay.com/sellercenter/shipping/preparing-your-shipment/packaging-and-measuring

which links to UPS, FedEx and USPS guides. Here's the UPS guide, start at page 126

https://www.ups.com/assets/resources/webcontent/en_US/retail_rates.pdf

Sometimes Local Pickup Only is the best option for oversized items.

[antlang_47]

Sorry for forgetting the height its 11 inches, so the assumption above is good. So if i use the UPS estimator, i get a quote of $180 to ship. And from what i gather i can still expect to pay a surcharge. 

Update, the buyer and i talked further, he is willing to pay the extra shipping, any advice how to make that work would help. 

It seems i would need to cancel, re-list and charge a flat rate of 180? And argue with ebay about the ad fee.  

I did say on my listing local pick up preferred, but he is across the country, and apparently collects these.

Thanks for the help!

[dryophelia]

@antlang_47 

You might not know the full shipping costs until the item is delivered. 

I don’t think you can ask for more money after they have already paid. 

How structurally sound is the packaging (cardboard box) going to be to get that item safely across the country? The portion where kids would sit will need to have something (styrofoam blocks?) equal to the height of the curl at the front in order not to be crushed by heavy boxes in transit. The curl should also be packed tight with the styrofoam.