Grossly overcharged for shipping labels

[caserta51]

I was charged $113.29 each for two shipping labels for air pellet rifles. It would have cost roughly $20.00 each if I paid for shipping at the post office.

[caserta51]

Thank you.

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@caserta51 wrote: .... I purchased two shipping labels "assuming" they were for the cheapest ground shipping by default .... I found out the labels they sold me were for Priority Mail ...

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Why would you assume that?  Both of those rifle listings specified Free shipping via Priority Mail.  The label purchase page would have used whatever service and dimensions were entered in the original listing; if you didn't specify the weight or dimensions when you set up the listing, then eBay would have used their own figures which are based on category averages.  The label purchase page shows the weight and dimensions (in case the seller needs to adjust them) as well as showing the label price before you purchase it.

Whether via Priority or Ground Advantage, the packages would have incurred a surcharge for length over 30 inches.

USPS has a system called APV (Automated package verification) which uses special equipment at sorting centers to determine whether online postage was overpaid or underpaid.  If the weight or dimensions used for your label were inaccurate, you will eventually see a credit (or maybe a debit) on your account.

[quicksilverdiecast]

Curious if it was an issue with ebays shopping cart where it does not permit a seller or buyer to get combined shipping? Ebays blocks it and forces buyers to pay shipping on each item purchased. With that being said even if it was blocked still seems way too much...(on the cart issue I have almost 1000 documented transactions with buyers and this issue...NOW the funny part is ebay used to say no combined shipping on multiple international shipping., now amazingly customers order come thru already combined somehow and it is pretty close to what it would be if I had to combine it manually. No idea how but sure does not work right nationally and has not for years. Yes all my settings are correct and been gone over by the scientists numerous times and have written countless it tickets to fix it, as they know when the buyer get a total with outrageous shipping costs like the OP here they run away from buyer (blaming him) and likely to run away from ebay. Bad for sellers, bad for buyers and bad for ebays "buyer experience".

[m*and*l*sales]

How about you take the measurements (length, height, width) and weight, and check for the cost to the specific zip codes, on the official USPS website?  That will tell you exactly what it would have cost at the Post Office window.

That's the only way I know of to find out if you were indeed grossly overcharged.

Shipping is expensive.  A small box to the town next door is often over $5.00!

[caserta51]

If I specified priority mail with my free shipping in my listings, I sure the hell didn't realize it. Why would their system choose priority mail without making it known to me? They should start with the cheapest shipping first.

[monica-sells]

The system chooses nothing. It might recommend something, but how can it possibly know what your item weighs or measures? You had to CHOOSE a class of service when you created the listing.  There is no way the listing would have been accepted if you did not CHOOSE a method/class of service. You were given the option of every carrier and every class/level of shipping available to you and the cost of that service is clearly visible prior to you choosing that service.. You simply did not take the time to follow any instructions or guidelines before you listed. 

The one good point made by @nobody*s_perfect is that IF you overpaid, a refund will be forthcoming. But, since you don't seem to even know the dimensions of your final box, it may be a remote hope.

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@quicksilverdiecast wrote:

Curious if it was an issue with ebays shopping cart where it does not permit a seller or buyer to get combined shipping? ...

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That's not it -- the original poster mentioned that "One went to Alabama and the other to South Carolina".

[caserta51]

Anyway, I've been a member of eBay for around 20 years, mostly buying and not much selling, but I'll never sell on there again. I really don't care if anyone wants to say the problem was my fault or eBay's fault. I'm 73 and yes I screw up sometimes and don't pay close attention to all the details of what I'm doing but all I know is that I lost over $200 that I need and it should have never happened. Something is lacking in eBay's system that should have made the important details more clear to me before I clicked on "Print Label", especially the price I was about to be charged. With all the technology and AI and all that, you would think that their system would have sensed that, compared to the hundreds of air rifle sale that go on regularly, the high price I was about to spend on shipping was a bit unusual and uncommon.

[m*and*l*sales]

You're not that much older than I am.

I don't understand how you ended up paying any amount at all, without knowing the cost.  That part escapes me. 

Maybe you entered something wrong when buying the label.

Seriously, try taking your measurements and weight to the USPS site and see what the shipping there would have been.  That's the only way to know what it should be at the window of the Post Office.  Then if you used a discounted service, it will be less than that amount.

I use Pirate Ship.

[buyselljack2016]

 They never made it clear about any prices or what type of shipping I was buying. Maybe I didn't read all the fine lines and missed something, but I wasn't worried because, as I said before, I trusted their system and was sure it was going to be a reasonable price. It wasn't until after I shipped both air rifles and was looking at my online checking account figures that I noticed the 2 eBay charges for $113.26 each. I was in shock and furious. 

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A bit confused here.

When I hit the page to purchase a label

• it very clearly shows me the "service". (as well as other choices)
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• It very clearly shows me the size and weight selected.
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• It very clearly shows me the cost of the label. EDIT AGAIN shows the cost before I purchase it

To be noted, I use a PC.

ETA: You can go back to the item that you purchased a label for and use the 3 dots next to the item to select  "get another label" (you won't be buying one) to see what service was used, and what size and weight was filled in, and what the cost is showing for a label.

[carlmarxx]

I have shipped  number large  parcels  with USPS before they when to shipping  rate's by Zip code  zones  and after . also before they  did rates before going   package   dim size ,balloon surcharge's  and started charging them .    Yet   both the  other carriers   FedEx  ,UPS  and DHL  always  had  the better ground rates  . The  USPS started  charging  zip code zone rates in 2008  and  Dim  size  surcharge's 2009 I had sold a item packed in a  30x10x10  7  pounds  ,Pacel post  from Ca. to  VA.  $78+  ,  Priority mail  $94+ and  Express was $120+     . where as FedEx ,UPS and DHL  ground  was between $45 - $49  for  ground shipping.   

[caserta51]

Last year, I sent the same 2 air rifles out to 2 different shops for new seals, and the shipping charges were no more than $25 each for the cheapest postage. So these are the prices I had in my head when I purchased the labels on eBay. I assumed the eBay labels would be roughly the same price.  So maybe that's why I didn't look everything over very well before I went through with printing the labels.  You can say all you want that the price and everything else is plain to see, but obviously not plain enough if I never noticed it. The price should have been shown on a big flag saying BUY LABEL FOR $113.29 just before I clicked on Print Label. 

Here are 2 receipts from last year that show return shipping charges from 2 different shops I sent the rifles to for new seals. Return Shipping $20Return Shipping $15

[bdmh-enterprises]

"The price should have been shown on a big flag saying BUY LABEL FOR $113.29 just before I clicked on Print Label."

It literally is...

[buyselljack2016]

@caserta51 

as noted by bdmh-ent, and as I posted........................  the price was shown right next to the purchase shipping label which had to happen before you were offered an option to "print" a shipping label.

Sorry that you missed it.

[caserta51]

You're right but I never noticed that I offered Priority Mail when I included the free shipping. I messed up but I still say they don't make it absolutely clear to you how much it will cost you before you click on Print Label.