Multiple FedEx upcharges on Nov/Dec Shipping for heavy/large shipments

[dtexley3]

@berserkerplanet

@Anonymous

I have several instances where I shipped boxes weighing over 9lb in Nov and Dec via FedEx SmartPost and FedEx Home Delivery.  All the labels were printed via eBay labels.  Now that I have received the invoices I have a number of FedEx charges that are almost DOUBLE the eBay cost.  I know the eBay cost is an "estimate" but DOUBLE???  

Shipment of an 18x18x15 box weight 9lb 10z (ie 10lb) Item # 182910185562.  Dimensional weight is 29.27lbs or basically 30lb.  eBay label estimate was $25.11.  Invoice has a FedEx charge of $39.39.  This is the smallest of the differences but both the sale and the shipping charge are in Dec so it's the easiest to give as an example.

The $14 difference is almost all of the profit on this sale!!!!!  It was two items just big enough that I had to use an oversize box.  If I had known the charge was $40 I would have shipped in two smaller boxes and only paid ~$30 at most!

We have to be able to trust that the eBay label amount is at least close to the final price (ie within 10% at most).  In this case it was off by nearly 60%, I have other cases where it approaches 100%.

Is the eBay label calculation that far off for heavier/larger shipments?

[dtexley3]

Here is another.  This one looks like a straight up error.

Shipment on 11/20, 1 item 182906248211, weight of 4lb, box size 12x12x10.  eBay SmartPost label of $10.66.  FedEx line item on invoice weight of 31lb, charge of $52.66  Notice the difference in the eBay and FedEx charge summaries attached.

I'm worried I need to go back and audit every single shipment now on this and I've got hundreds.  It doesn't take many to add up to quite a bit in overcharges.

[dtexley3]

So, I reviewed quite a few of these (until postage.ebay.com stopped responding) and by and large the estimated charged are correct.  However I've highlighted a few below that show differences that show a pattern of bad estimates when purchasing labels.  How can a seller offer combined shipping when issues like this exist? =============================================================Correction to my first post above.  The dimensional weight was 20, not 30 as stated. Estimated Shipping Cost:  $25.11
Orig Wt: 9.625; Orig Dims: 18.0x18.0x15.0 in;  
Base rate: $21.81; Resi: $3.45; Fuel: $1.31; Disc: -$0.76;  Actual Shipping Cost:  $39.39
Bill Wt: 20.0; Bill Dims: 18.0x18.0x15.0 in;  
Base rate: $35.84; Fuel: $2.05; Disc: $1.25; Misc1 Amt: $2.75; ==============================================================Estimated Shipping Cost: $22.10
Orig Wt: 9.75; Orig Dims: 16.0x16.0x11.0 in;
Base rate: $21.81; Fuel: $1.05; Disc: -$0.76;
Actual Shipping Cost: $28.04
Bill Wt: 14.0; Bill Dims: 16.0x16.0x11.0 in;
Base rate: $27.67; Fuel: $1.34; Disc: $0.97; ==============================================================  Estimated Shipping Cost:  $10.00
Orig Wt: 8.6875; Orig Dims: 20.0x12.0x12.0 in;  
Base rate: $10.27; Resi: $3.45; Fuel: $0.48; Disc: -$0.75; Actual Shipping Cost:  $14.21
Bill Wt: 10.0; Bill Dims: 20.0x12.0x12.0 in;  
Base rate: $14.02; Fuel: $0.68; Disc: $0.49; =====================================================================I've found that FedEx Home Delivery is correct almost every time, ex: Estimated Shipping Cost:  $24.79
Orig Wt: 11.75; Orig Dims: 18.0x14.0x12.0 in;  
Base rate: $25.12; Resi: $3.45; Fuel: $1.24; Disc: -$5.02; Actual Shipping Cost:  $24.79
Bill Wt: 19.0; Bill Dims: 18.0x14.0x12.0 in;  
Base rate: $25.12; Resi: $3.45; Fuel: $1.24; Disc: $5.02; ====================================================== 

[dtexley3]

My findings:

1) The issue is with SmartPost only.  I shipped a number of larger shipments via FedEx Home and every one of those is spot on.

2) It's only on items that incur dimensional weight charges and end up over 9lb.  Small heavy items don't have the difference between the estimate and actual.

3) When it happens the difference grows quickly and has a significant financial impact.

If you want to review this yourself, go to the Manage Shipments tab and click on the Label Cost for your SmarPost shipments (if you use them).  It will show you the values eBay used for the calculation and the those used by FedEx.

[Anonymous]

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@dtexley3 wrote:

@berserkerplanet

@Anonymous

I have several instances where I shipped boxes weighing over 9lb in Nov and Dec via FedEx SmartPost and FedEx Home Delivery.  All the labels were printed via eBay labels.  Now that I have received the invoices I have a number of FedEx charges that are almost DOUBLE the eBay cost.  I know the eBay cost is an "estimate" but DOUBLE???  

Shipment of an 18x18x15 box weight 9lb 10z (ie 10lb) Item # 182910185562.  Dimensional weight is 29.27lbs or basically 30lb.  eBay label estimate was $25.11.  Invoice has a FedEx charge of $39.39.  This is the smallest of the differences but both the sale and the shipping charge are in Dec so it's the easiest to give as an example.

The $14 difference is almost all of the profit on this sale!!!!!  It was two items just big enough that I had to use an oversize box.  If I had known the charge was $40 I would have shipped in two smaller boxes and only paid ~$30 at most!

We have to be able to trust that the eBay label amount is at least close to the final price (ie within 10% at most).  In this case it was off by nearly 60%, I have other cases where it approaches 100%.

Is the eBay label calculation that far off for heavier/larger shipments?

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Hi @dtexley3, disputes for potentially overcharged FedEx labels do need to be reviewed and submitted by our Customer Service teams. They can gather all necessary information from you and send it over to FedEx for a possible credit. An update will not be provided by FedEx for the result of this investigation, but if the credit is approved, this will be applied within 2 billing cycles.

[berserkerplanet]

[I'm going to reply to/for everyone - I know you are aware of a lot of these things]

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I have several instances where I shipped boxes weighing over 9lb in Nov and Dec via FedEx SmartPost and FedEx Home Delivery.  All the labels were printed via eBay labels.  Now that I have received the invoices I have a number of FedEx charges that are almost DOUBLE the eBay cost.  I know the eBay cost is an "estimate" but DOUBLE???  

eBay FedEx label amounts are an estimate, but not in the way you are thinking. They are the actual amounts within a few pennies unless you make a mistake, or there are adjustments or changes made after you handoff to FedEx. There is no smoke and mirrors or rocket science here.

Upcharges after label creation are because the shipper forgot something or made an error (wrong dimensions, wrong weight, bad address requiring correction, etc), or can be things that require post shipping charges because eBay labels doesn't handle them (Smartpost non-machinable surcharge for being a cylinder, Ground/Home Delivery Additional Handling surcharge for non-weight or dimension reasons like cylindrical, wrapped in plastic, etc that there is no checkbox for).

There can be upcharges for things like redelivery attempt(s) when buyer evades delivery, package redirections, and a slew of possible International shipment surcharges etc, but those would be mostly pretty rare.

And then there are the upcharge situations due to FedEx completely screwing up and misweighing and/or mismeasuring packages.

Shipment of an 18x18x15 box weight 9lb 10z (ie 10lb) Item # 182910185562.  Dimensional weight is 29.27lbs or basically 30lb.  eBay label estimate was $25.11.  Invoice has a FedEx charge of $39.39.  This is the smallest of the differences but both the sale and the shipping charge are in Dec so it's the easiest to give as an example.

A dimensional weight of 29.27 lbs isn't just basically 30 lb, it IS 30lb - dimensional weight always rounds up to the next full pound.

And be aware that, unless I have made a mistake, the dimensional weight divisor went from the 2017 value of 166, to 139 on 1/1/18. That 30 pound dim weight would be a 35 pound dim weight now as a result (shouldn't have anything to do with the upcharge issue unless someone really screwed up - just mentioning it for your future manual dim weight calculations and to get across how ugly the shipping cost increase for 2018 might be)

L+G = 18 + (18+18+15+15) = 84" < 130"  and is a non-issue for FedEx Ground or Home Delivery (not OS)

If it was Smartpost with those dimensions it would incur a $2.75 non-machinable surcharge which would have been included in the label estimate (you wouldn't have been able to list it with those dimensions as the listing software rejects most SmartPost non-machinable, but you said this was an after purchase combined shipping thing)

There isn't enough information in those numbers to be able to really determine anything more. In addition to the actual dimensions and weight you gave, need to know the service (Smartpost or Ground or Home Delivery), origin and dest zips (or zone), residential or commercial, any handling fee, any insurance, any signature required, etc, the eBay invoice amount, and the billed weight and dimensions to figure out what went wrong.

  Is the eBay label calculation that far off for heavier/larger shipments? 

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No. Either you made a booboo, or FedEx screwed up, or there is a new and possibly not seen before eBay calculator problem. That is why we need to analyze the exact shipment numbers, figure out where the discrepancy is, and then point fingers   (and get the ball rolling on getting credited if not user error - once you know exactly what the problem is it's easier to talk to eBay or FedEx with confidence. )

[dtexley3]

Hi Trinton,

I have 2 issues listed above that are now a bit intermixed.

Post #2 is straight up an error by FedEx.  I shipped a 4lb box, they had some sort of issue and claim it weighed 31lbs.  So for this one I need to call CS, correct?

The rest are errors in how the SmartPost label is being handled, either by eBay or by FedEx.  It's obvious that eBay is not applying the dimensional rate to the label cost and FedEx is.  I don't know which is correct.  If FedEx is correct then I took a bath on shipping several times because eBay significantly undercharged me when the labels were printed.   If FedEx made an error then it's another CS call.

Just want to make sure I'm understanding your response since we have two separate-but-related issues here.

[berserkerplanet]

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Shipment on 11/20, 1 item 182906248211, weight of 4lb, box size 12x12x10.  eBay SmartPost label of $10.66.  FedEx line item on invoice weight of 31lb, charge of $52.66  Notice the difference in the eBay and FedEx charge summaries attached.

I'm worried I need to go back and audit every single shipment now on this and I've got hundreds.  It doesn't take many to add up to quite a bit in overcharges.

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The package dimensions (the ones you entered and the slightly increased ones FedEx reported) are totally irrelevant here - Smartpost did not consider dimensional weight in 2017 and will not use it until shipments made starting 1/22/18

That is a straight up FedEx "thumb on the scale" error and needs to be credited.

[dtexley3]

Hi berserkerplanet,

All the shipping was done in 2017 and except for the one noted as FedEx Home Delivery, they were SmartPost.

This is the shipping detail that shows when you click the label cost on the item from post #1 and your post.  It was a SmartPost shipment in November of 2017.

(eBay) Estimated Shipping Cost:  $25.11
Orig Wt: 9.625; Orig Dims: 18.0x18.0x15.0 in;  
Base rate: $21.81; Resi: $3.45; Fuel: $1.31; Disc: -$0.76;  (FedEx) Actual Shipping Cost:  $39.39
Bill Wt: 20.0; Bill Dims: 18.0x18.0x15.0 in;  
Base rate: $35.84; Fuel: $2.05; Disc: $1.25; Misc1 Amt: $2.75; The shipment was a box 18x18x15 with two items (just under 5lb each) and packing materials that weighed essentially 10 lbs.  Shipping zip is 97404 and residential destination zip is  15227.   The FedEx lines above match the invoice information.  When I went to the shipping transaction and hit print another label I was able to verify that eBay included the $2.75 in the 25.11, the 2018 cost is slightly higher but shows the $2.75 non-machinable surcharge.  I did not add or remove any services from the default settings.  

[kensgiftshop]

I used FedEx one time and was charged around $15 when I printed the label, then on my next Ebay invoice, there were a couple other charges that come out to around $17.

I could have shipped the item by UPS for around $18, but it cost me around $32 with FedEx.

Haven't used FedEx since.

[Anonymous]

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@dtexley3 wrote:

Hi berserkerplanet,

All the shipping was done in 2017 and except for the one noted as FedEx Home Delivery, they were SmartPost.

This is the shipping detail that shows when you click the label cost on the item from post #1 and your post.  It was a SmartPost shipment in November of 2017.

(eBay) Estimated Shipping Cost: $25.11
Orig Wt: 9.625; Orig Dims: 18.0x18.0x15.0 in; 
Base rate: $21.81; Resi: $3.45; Fuel: $1.31; Disc: -$0.76;

(FedEx) Actual Shipping Cost: $39.39
Bill Wt: 20.0; Bill Dims: 18.0x18.0x15.0 in; 
Base rate: $35.84; Fuel: $2.05; Disc: $1.25; Misc1 Amt: $2.75;

The shipment was a box 18x18x15 with two items (just under 5lb each) and packing materials that weighed essentially 10 lbs.  Shipping zip is 97404 and residential destination zip is 15227.   The FedEx lines above match the invoice information.  When I went to the shipping transaction and hit print another label I was able to verify that eBay included the $2.75 in the 25.11, the 2018 cost is slightly higher but shows the $2.75 non-machinable surcharge.  I did not add or remove any services from the default settings.

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Hi @dtexley3, eBay has negotiated lower rates with FedEx for our sellers. You can see more details on this by visiting one of my past posts here. I know that you have a couple of issues with some of these FedEx labels and the estimated charge vs. the invoiced charge and our Customer Service team will be happy to review this once you reach out to them.

[berserkerplanet]

Correction to my first post above.  The dimensional weight was 20, not 30 as stated.

No, you had it right the first time. The dimensional weight is 18x18x15/166 = 29.28lb = 30lb  

Estimated Shipping Cost:  $25.11
Orig Wt: 9.625; Orig Dims: 18.0x18.0x15.0 in;  
Base rate: $21.81; Resi: $3.45; Fuel: $1.31; Disc: -$0.76;============================================================= Actual Shipping Cost:  $39.39
Bill Wt: 20.0; Bill Dims: 18.0x18.0x15.0 in;  
Base rate: $35.84; Fuel: $2.05; Disc: $1.25; Misc1 Amt: $2.75;

That 20lb Bill Wt is a FedEx "thumb on the scale" error. Your actual charge should be $25.11+$2.75 = $27.86 The $2.75 Misc1 Amt is correct and is the Smartpost non-machinable surcharge for 2nd pkg dimension > 17". It should have been added by the eBay label calculator on the original estimated charge. It always is when I create labels, so we have another issue here on how you got it to not do so since you manually entered the package data for that combined shipment.  

Estimated Shipping Cost: $22.10
Orig Wt: 9.75; Orig Dims: 16.0x16.0x11.0 in;
Base rate: $21.81; Fuel: $1.05; Disc: -$0.76;
Actual Shipping Cost: $28.04
Bill Wt: 14.0; Bill Dims: 16.0x16.0x11.0 in;
Base rate: $27.67; Fuel: $1.34; Disc: $0.97;

That 14lb Bill Wt is a FedEx "thumb on the scale" error.
 

Estimated Shipping Cost:  $10.00
Orig Wt: 8.6875; Orig Dims: 20.0x12.0x12.0 in;  
Base rate: $10.27; Resi: $3.45; Fuel: $0.48; Disc: -$0.75; Actual Shipping Cost:  $14.21
Bill Wt: 10.0; Bill Dims: 20.0x12.0x12.0 in;  
Base rate: $14.02; Fuel: $0.68; Disc: $0.49;

Something is really wrong here. The estimated shows a $3.45 residential surcharge which is a FedEx Ground surcharge (SmartPost does not have a Residential surcharge), but the billed section did not show it, and the estimated total didn't include it. I checked the tracking and it is a Smartpost shipment (and a tracking number that begins with 9261 is Smartpost).
 

As you pointed out and we discussed before, Smartpost takes a big jump after 9lbs, and that's what happened here - FedEx weighed it at something over 9lb which rounds up to the 10lb billed weight. You entered it as 8lb 11oz in the label creation flow, and either it was 6 oz heavier than that, or FedEx put their thumb on the scale again.

 I've found that FedEx Home Delivery is correct almost every time, ex:

Estimated Shipping Cost:  $24.79
Orig Wt: 11.75; Orig Dims: 18.0x14.0x12.0 in;  
Base rate: $25.12; Resi: $3.45; Fuel: $1.24; Disc: -$5.02; Actual Shipping Cost:  $24.79
Bill Wt: 19.0; Bill Dims: 18.0x14.0x12.0 in;  
Base rate: $25.12; Resi: $3.45; Fuel: $1.24; Disc: $5.02;

Why is the Orig weight 11.75lb while the Bill Wt is 19lb, but the base rates and totals are the same?

Something is not right.

[berserkerplanet]

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@dtexley3 wrote:

My findings:

1) The issue is with SmartPost only.  I shipped a number of larger shipments via FedEx Home and every one of those is spot on.

2) It's only on items that incur dimensional weight charges and end up over 9lb.  Small heavy items don't have the difference between the estimate and actual.

3) When it happens the difference grows quickly and has a significant financial impact.

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There are no Smartpost dimensional weight charges. Smartpost DOES NOT use dimensional weight, and never has. (although it will starting 1.22.18)

[berserkerplanet]

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@dtexley3 wrote:

Hi berserkerplanet,

All the shipping was done in 2017 and except for the one noted as FedEx Home Delivery, they were SmartPost.

This is the shipping detail that shows when you click the label cost on the item from post #1 and your post.  It was a SmartPost shipment in November of 2017.

(eBay) Estimated Shipping Cost: $25.11
Tracking #: 9261299998825466278048
Orig Wt: 9.625; Orig Dims: 18.0x18.0x15.0 in; 
Base rate: $21.81; Resi: $3.45; Fuel: $1.31; Disc: -$0.76;

(FedEx) Actual Shipping Cost: $39.39
Tracking #: 9261299998825466278048
Bill Wt: 20.0; Bill Dims: 18.0x18.0x15.0 in; 
Base rate: $35.84; Fuel: $2.05; Disc: $1.25; Misc1 Amt: $2.75;

The shipment was a box 18x18x15 with two items (just under 5lb each) and packing materials that weighed essentially 10 lbs.  Shipping zip is 97404 and residential destination zip is 15227.   The FedEx lines above match the invoice information.  When I went to the shipping transaction and hit print another label I was able to verify that eBay included the $2.75 in the 25.11, the 2018 cost is slightly higher but shows the $2.75 non-machinable surcharge.  I did not add or remove any services from the default settings.

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The $3.45 Resi charge is wrong and does not apply to a Smartpost shipment (it's FedEx Home Delivery surcharge), and the at eBay estimate does not show the non-machinable surcharge. Either something is really messed up, or those estimated shipping costs don't/can't show the correct surcharges and are fudging them with a bogus added resi charge and and an adjusted discount to add the $2.75 non-machinable in

You have multiple issues here: looks like thumb on the scale by FedEx and the numbers you are posting from the eBay labels summary for estimated charges are really messed up. If you had copies of the original label page estimates it would help to clear up some of these questions.

I'm going to follow this with another post after I look at my numbers - I think there is may be something very wrong with the numbers that shipping label page is showing us. Need to cross reference with invoices.

Some of the estimated stuff you posted are things I've never seen so I'm at a loss.

[berserkerplanet]

Estimated Shipping Cost:  $24.79
Orig Wt: 11.75; Orig Dims: 18.0x14.0x12.0 in;  
Base rate: $25.12; Resi: $3.45; Fuel: $1.24; Disc: -$5.02; Actual Shipping Cost:  $24.79
Bill Wt: 19.0; Bill Dims: 18.0x14.0x12.0 in;  
Base rate: $25.12; Resi: $3.45; Fuel: $1.24; Disc: $5.02;

Why is the Orig weight 11.75lb while the Bill Wt is 19lb, but the base rates and totals are the same?   Something is not right.

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Ignore my comment above - that one is a FedEx Home Delivery shipment and dimensional weight does apply.

Billable weight = Dimensional weigh = 18x14x12/166 = 18.22lb = 19lb which matches. That shipment was billed exactly correctly.

I checked over what few FedEx shipments I have that eBay still shows data for - they are all right on and there are no discrepancies or any weirdness like the incorrect residential  surcharge and missing non-machinable surcharge on yours.

(I don't have any non-machinables so can't verify what the eBay shipping labels pages we are looking at would show. All I know is that the last time I had a Smartpost non-machinable pkg the actual eBay FedEx label page showed it at label creation time, my eBay invoice showed it correctly, and I was charged exactly the amount shown at label creation time).