Confused about shipping price using dimensional weight. Any guidance?

[luna091513]

Am I missing something about FedEx’s dimensional weight calculation when purchasing labels through eBay?

Here’s what happened: I purchased a label for an item (nearly 4 lb). I carefully measured it using the largest exterior dimensions(29x14x12”) and put that into eBay’s shipping calculator. I paid only $19.72 for FedEx Home Delivery, which felt low but I didn’t think too much of it…until now

I got an email today saying there has been a cost adjustment on the label. On the cost adjustment details, it shows that FedEx had the dimensions as 26x10x10” (not so far off from what I had measured actually) and that the “billable weight by carrier” is 16 pounds. This led to a cost adjustment charge of $32.01 since the total was supposed to be $51.73 (shown below)

I see now, after going to FedEx’s website and manually calculating, that the package should have cost me around $50 to ship based on dimensional weight. This makes sense to me now. However, why did eBay’s calculated shipping not work? Should I really have to eat this extra cost if their calculated shipping didn’t take into account the dimensional weight? And it’s not like I can ask the buyer to cover more of the shipping after the fact because it’s not their fault, either.

Below you can see what I had input for this item when purchasing the label:

4 lb, 29x14x12”, FedEx Home Delivery

I see now my main issue was trusting eBay’s calculator in the first place… is there any recourse?

Thank you for any help or guidance on what to do if this can be rectified!

[wastingtime101 · Accepted solution]

You paid the correct dimensional weight based on your package dimensions.

Go to the eBay shipping calc and enter 29 x 14 x 12 - 4lb

Then enter 29 x 14 x 12 - 30 lb

You will see the same exact rates because the calculator is factoring in the 30 lb dimensional weight.

You said they adjusted the dims to 26 x 10 x 10 which is a dimensional weight of only 16 lbs which would reduce your ship cost, however the screenshot shows you were charged "additional handling" of nearly $30 and that is the real issue. Dimensional weight is not really a factor here.

So the question is why were you charged additional handling. There are many surcharges with UPS and FedEx that are not factored in until the carrier physically reviews the package. That can include irregular packaging, too much tape, exceeding certain dimensions, not using plain rectangular boxes, etc.

Read more in the FedEx Guide - start on page 102:

https://www.fedex.com/content/dam/fedex/us-united-states/services/Service_Guide_2023.pdf

You can find guides for all carriers on eBay Seller Center under "preventing shipping label price adjustments."

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

[luna091513]

@wastingtime101  Thanks so much for this insight!! When I calculated the shipping cost for a 26 x 10 x 10" package using the actual FedEx website, it said it should have cost around $50 to ship from California to Florida.  Contrasting that with eBay's calculator, which showed much less, I'm still confused -- just want to be sure I'm understanding!

I wasn't aware of those additional potential surcharges with FedEx, so thanks so much for sending that resource along. I'm a part-time seller and this was my first time using FedEx on eBay lol. I definitely shouldn't have chosen them for this just because they "appeared" to be the cheapest option!

[wastingtime101]

FedEx is going to show you a different rate on their website because they aren't going to offer you the same discounts you get through eBay labels. The question still remains: why were you charged additional handling?

Did you ship in a polymailer instead of a box @luna091513 ? That could explain the large dimension discrepancy, along with the additional handling charge.

[luna091513]

Ah okay yes that makes sense, I wasn't considering the discount. I did ship in a polymailer, so that likely is what caused the added handling fee since the dimensions were on the lengthier side. I didn't know this ahead of time, but I probably should have. Thanks for your help!

[wastingtime101]

No prob @luna091513 . Glad we could solve it. Next time ship in a box to avoid that near $30 additional handling fee.

[crazydiamond3873]

May I ask a question? I recently ran into a situation where UPS claimed my package was larger than it actually was. When I called eBay, the representative told me I need to calculate the dimensional weight myself and then enter it into their calculator. She also suggested that I should size up the box measurements to avoid underpaying.

I’ve been shipping the same items in the same boxes for years, and this has never happened before. According to her, I’ve been doing it wrong the whole time, and now I might be charged the difference for everything I’ve shipped with their labels for the last two and a half years. That made me pretty upset, and I told her so. Now I’m totally confused about how to use their calculator correctly.