Has this happen to you as a seller? Ship item USPS First Class , USPS charges you Priority Mail rate

[padsplus]

We sell stickers.  Last December we got a message from USPS and see a shipping charge in paypal  that we underpaid a package.  The package was sent USPS First Class, but USPS said the package should have been shipped Priority Mail.  So, the difference owed is automatically deducted from your paypal account.  Fortunately, we stood in line at the post office and got a receipt that had the tracking number and weight of the package.  So, we were able to dispute the claim and won.  USPS refunded the money taken from our paypal account.  This week, it happened again.  Package was sent USPS First Class; and USPS is claiming it should have been sent Priority Mail.  We are disputing this again.  Sellers beware!  Has this happened to you as a seller?  Did you dispute it?  We got a call from a USPS rep who asked to come over to see how we package and ship our ebay orders; that we possibly may be doing something wrong causing a package to ship Priority Mail instead of First Class.  Has USPS ever come to your place of business?  We would be interested in hearing from you if you have had the same problems as us. Thanks

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@padsplus wrote: ...  We got a call from a USPS rep who asked to come over to see how we package and ship our ebay orders; that we possibly may be doing something wrong causing a package to ship Priority Mail instead of First Class. ...

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I wonder what packaging could possibly cause that.  The only things I can think of would be (1) an item that is thin and flexible enough to be mailed as a flat and hence is not eligible for tracking; or (2) dimensions that are too big to mail as a FC package, but the current limit is a very generous "does not exceed 22 inches in length, or 18 inches in width, or 15 inches in thickness."   Were you charged the 1-pound rate?

I suspect that some of the upcharges in the new APV system are due to packages sticking together and thus the apparent weight is inflated.  

[a_c_green]

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@padsplus wrote:

We got a call from a USPS rep who asked to come over to see how we package and ship our ebay orders; that we possibly may be doing something wrong causing a package to ship Priority Mail instead of First Class.

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I'm going to vote for the theory (above) that your package is qualifying as a Flat instead. It needs to be at least 3/4" thick in any one location to qualify as a First Class Package with tracking. It sounds like possibly something down the line is detecting that it's too thin, and upgrading it to a Priority mailpiece instead because it's showing a tracking number.

It might be interesting to say Yes and have the USPS rep come over. He or she may have some useful knowledge to share with you, and you'll also have a contact name in case of future difficulties. Tell us how it goes. 

[mamabeardsley]

I have had this happen multiple times. In my case, the package is said to be over the first class rate. The USPS then adds the complete cost of an entirely new shipping cost at their supposed weight. They do not credit me the alrady paid amount, either. I don't know how you prove that your postage was correct.

[berserkerplanet]

Like nobody said, details on the packaging (bubble mailer, kraft envelope, etc) and dimensions and weight required to offer any advice about possible failure modes.

From what you said, it sounds like you are violating packing guidelines somehow, but it makes no sense. You seem to definitely be referring to First Class Pkg, and online labels, and not First Class letter mail or First Class Flats (APV, PayPal labels, use of the word pkg, etc)

[berserkerplanet]

>>It needs to be at least 3/4" thick in any one location to qualify as a First Class Package with tracking.

That criterion only automatically makes it a package.

If the mailpiece violates any of the other flat criteria (size, uniformity, flexibility, thickness) it bumps to pkg. (If weight>13oz it bumps to PM)


If none of those apply then you may be right, and I suspect you are as OP said OP sells stickers.

If they are in a PBM, poly or Kraft envelope, maybe sandwiched between slabs of cardboard, the very well could be flat, flexible, uniform more than 1/4" thick and and less than 3/4" thick, in the legal size range, and would be flats. Flats with tracking labels bump to Priority because there is no legitimate First Class category they fit in then.

Also possible they are falling into the letter mail category (less than 1/4" thick and within lettermail size range) - same bump to Priority end result would occur.

[fern*wood]

With some details of how exactly you are packaging and shipping your stickers will help others give you good advice.

@padsplus 

[Anonymous]

Was this under 1 lb?  If it was, then it could be first class.  Over 1 lb, it is

automatically Priority.

[the*dog*ate*my*tablecloth]

It can also happen if the shipper uses any priority material like part of a box as stiffener.

[padsplus]

Appreciate all the responses.  We package using the ebay branded padded envelopes.  Size is 6.5" x 8.75".  Average weight of packages is 8 to 11 ounces. No package we ship is close to 15.99 ounces.  If buyers order multiple items and orders weighs over 15.99 ounces, we ship Priority Mail and use the USPS padded flat rate Priority Mail envelop.  

[myjunqueyourtreasure]

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@a_c_green wrote:

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@padsplus wrote:

We got a call from a USPS rep who asked to come over to see how we package and ship our ebay orders; that we possibly may be doing something wrong causing a package to ship Priority Mail instead of First Class.

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I'm going to vote for the theory (above) that your package is qualifying as a Flat instead. It needs to be at least 3/4" thick in any one location to qualify as a First Class Package with tracking. It sounds like possibly something down the line is detecting that it's too thin, and upgrading it to a Priority mailpiece instead because it's showing a tracking number.

It might be interesting to say Yes and have the USPS rep come over. He or she may have some useful knowledge to share with you, and you'll also have a contact name in case of future difficulties. Tell us how it goes. 

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They wouldn't ever be mistaken for flats.

Not sure but I think most of padsplus stickers come on a roll.

[berserkerplanet]

That's useful, but critical questions are still unanswered:

How thick? Uniform thickness?

1/4" to 3/4" thick, flexible, and uniform (which I expect flat stickers in a PBM would be) is a FCM Flat not a package.

FCM Flats can not have online FCP labels with tracking on them and get bumped to Priority Mail.

Looked at some of your listings and it looks like most everything is in rolls (that don't look like they could/would fit in a small PBM), so maybe the flat angle isn't it.

[myjunqueyourtreasure]

Another possibility could be the stickers you put on the mailer (I'm a customer on another ID) could maybe not adhered fully and curling and sticking to another mailer?

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@padsplus wrote: ....  We package using the ebay branded padded envelopes.  Size is 6.5" x 8.75".  Average weight of packages is 8 to 11 ounces.....  

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If you are mailing stickers in a padded envelope and if the total thickness is not over 3/4 inch, then that piece probably qualifies to be mailed as a flat (AKA Large envelope) rather than as a package.

Your piece can't be mailed as a flat if it :

* is over 3/4 inch thick;

* is rigid; OR

* has "uneven thickness", which USPS defines as a variation in thickness of more than 1/4 inch.

So if you'er mailing a roll of stickers, with a hard core, that's definitely not a flat.  BUT if you're mailing a strip of stickers, then you might have an envelope that's  flexible.  The simple solution would be to add a piece or two of corrugated cardboard (preferably two pieces with the grain going crosswise to each other), which would not only protect the stickers but also would make the envelope ineligible to be mailed as a flat  (even if thickness is still under 3/4 inch) due to rigidity.  Remember pricing now goes in 4-ounce increments, so in most cases the extra weight of the cardboard won't affect the postage price.

[a_c_green]

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@myjunqueyourtreasure wrote:
They wouldn't ever be mistaken for flats.

Not sure but I think most of padsplus stickers come on a roll.

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Oh, okay; I was definitely thinking that we were talking about a flat sheet of stickers, being mailed in a padded envelope with a barcoded FCP label that perhaps wasn't thick enough to qualify. If it's a roll instead, in a padded envelope, in the weight range that the OP describes, than I cannot imagine what the problem may be. I go through dozens of #0 padded envelopes and FCP mailings of lightweight bike parts in a month, and have never had a problem with those.