Ebay Freight OVER CHARGE is Ridiculous

[buckandknobby]

Shipped a 49 Lb Box 16X16X16 fedex Via Ebay was like 23-24 dollars,  Got yet Another Ebay Freight upcharge notice Package actual weight was 50.2 lbs and 17x18x17 They More than doubled the freight!!

I will no longer Use Ebay Freight. I will use Fedex.com or UPS.com from now on. 

[simba6]

First off that shipping quote seems too low.    You have to measure with great care. If the sides of the box bulge out you have to measure from the largest part.  If the item shifted and distorted the box that can also cause  to be over size.  By the way, many say Fedex is the worst for that.

[stainlessenginecovers]

I just tried same weight and size, and fedex 'home delivery' said $29, across the country. Sorry to say, something is VERY wrong with UPS and Fedex on this site...either use USPS if buying labels here or try a UPS/Fedex store in person (or your own account, if you have). 

[techvaluesatoz]

I doubt that ebay is responsible for the "ridiculous" "ebay Freight" charge. To my knowledge, ebay does not operate any carrier business of their own, (though a web browser search for "ebay Freight" will come up with a hit, directing you to someone selling shipping service.) All the carriers have thresholds on weight and dimensions that trigger, even for an ounce or .05 lb, a rounding up to next weight increment, which in turn bumps your shipment into a different category/cost category, or even excludes the handling. 

What likely happened was that the carrier used actual weight and measurement in their facility to change the cost they billed to ebay, who in turn billed your account.

I, too, have experienced the FedEx Ground Home Delivery shipping cost escalation at over-50 lb, where the cost for 51 lb was more than 2X the cost of 50 lb. (I have shipped two 27 lb speakers separately via FedEx Home Delivery to stay under 50 lb, but had they been 24 lb each, it is sometimes cheaper to strap together as one 48 lb shipment. )

If your shipment was indeed a residential Home Delivery, you probably could have worked out something with the buyer in advance (or had buyer cancel and reorder) to order with Edit of shipping address to receive at a FedEx Office, a Walgreen's, Dollar General, or other FedEx partner; allowing you to ship from same location via FedEx Ground rate, which serves commercial/institutional addresses, and ship at a lower cost "Ground"rate; even though it would be delivered from same "FedEx Ground" truck that does the residential address Home Delivery. FedEx Ground rate allows heavier packages without the weight penalty, up to a higher weight limit (70 lb, I think). That probably would have been cheapest strategy.

For a sometimes-needed small weight reduction of  a few ounces, to get just at or under 50 lb, you might have been able to remove or trim interior carton flaps, or use lightweight styro panel in-box packing material to replace heavier cardboard or paper. I use a medical weighing scale that I regularly calibrate, and make sure I know exact weight, so I don't get unwelcome charges. 

"It's good to learn from your mistakes. It's better to learn from other people's mistakes." Warren Buffet

[techvaluesatoz]

Addendum: I would expect, if you'd first taken your package to a location like FedEx Office to pay for the shipment, where they weigh on a digital scale, when they weighed it before you shipped to a residential address, they also would have either charged you the huge penalty for being above 50 lb, or they would have refused to ship to the address their system tells them is residential.  (The carriers have to limit the weight for the health of their drivers.) Depending on how busy they were, and the inclination of the person on shift, you might have been given good counsel on cost-saving options. You'd then know it was not ebay to blame for your not knowing the FedEx policies. And, by the way, the same thing could have happened had you or your buyer opted for UPS Ground. 

Also, you'd be "cutting off your nose to spite your face" if by your use of the term "ebay Freight" you meant "ebay Labels", to disavow use of ebay Labels in favor of buying shipping label directly from FedEx or UPS. You will pay more by going directly to the customer counter at UPS, USPS, or FedEx than buying via ebay Labels. I get a decent discount from FedEx with my FedEx account, but ebay Labels rate is way cheaper than my account discount rate. 

[buckandknobby]

I will  use my fedex account from now on, Ebay is refunding me the Extreme overage. 

[buckandknobby]

EXACTLY, 29.00 vs Upcharge of DOUBLE. I have been selling these Briggs and Stratton for years, THis was something new. It has Never happened when I use my own Account. Its something to do w Ebay and Fedex . I will not be using ebay labels any longer, the Price difference isnt much.