Saved only 2% by using eBay shipping today

[adamcartwright]

Has there been a change with Ground Advantage shipping costs over the past 24 hours?

I have always saved about 30% over USPS counter rates by purchasing postage through eBay.

On my last sale, my buyer paid $9.50, and I paid $9.26 -- a savings of only 2%. 

The package weight and dimensions for my postage label were identical to those stated in the listing. 

Has this happened to anyone else? 

[wastingtime101]

There has not been a change.

Was this a package exactly 1 lb shipping Ground Adv to zone 8?

If so, to many zip codes you'll pay $8.79 with discounted eBay rates but to low volume / rural zips you'll pay the commercial rate of $9.26, and your buyer paid the retail rate of $9.50

There is a lesser discount to some zips and that exactly 1 lb rate doesn't have much of a discount to begin with.

Always do what you can to keep it 15.999 oz or less - trim a box flap or whatever you need to do to get rid of the .001 oz that causes a higher rate.

Yes, USPS has a different rate for 1 lb vs 13-15.999 oz in their online rates. Don't know why. I think it's ridiculous.

[ebooksdiva]

The United States Postal Service (USPS) has temporary rate increases for some shipping products during the holiday season: 

• Priority Mail and USPS Ground Advantage: 
  • Zones 1-4: Packages weighing 0-3 lbs increase by $0.30, 4-10 lbs increase by $0.45, 11-25 lbs increase by $0.75, and 26-70 lbs increase by $3.00 
  • Zones 5-9: Packages weighing 0-3 lbs increase by $0.70, 4-10 lbs increase by $1.25, 11-25 lbs increase by $2.75, and 26-70 lbs increase by $7.00 
• Priority Mail Express Flat Rate services: Increase by $1.55 

These temporary rate increases are in place from October 6 to January 19, 2024. The USPS does this to maintain service quality and accommodate the increase in shipping volume. 

You can find shipping prices in the USPS online Postal Store or at any Post Office location. 

[adamcartwright]

@wastingtime101 

Thank you.  Yes, the postage charged and purchased was for a 1# package, Ground Advantage to Zone 8.

I didn't know it was possible to distinguish between 1# and, say, 15.9 oz. when purchasing postage. 

When I purchase postage through eBay I have to round up to the ounce, so how is that possible?

[stainlessenginecovers]

---

@wastingtime101 wrote:

....

Always do what you can to keep it 15.999 oz or less - trim a box flap or whatever you need to do to get rid of the .001 oz that causes a higher rate.

Yes, USPS has a different rate for 1 lb vs 13-15.999 oz in their online rates. Don't know why. I think it's ridiculous.

---

@wastingtime101 From everything I see, if it's 15.1 oz you are supposed to go UP to the next, 16 oz, which is 1 lb.

The 'dimension' you can go down, but not for weight as well as there is nowhere to put 15.999- it's either 15oz or 16oz which is 1 lb (which it moves it to that when purchasing labels on ebay)

[buyselljack2016]

As the cost is the same, for a 15.9 oz package I enter 15 oz on eBay.

[adamcartwright]

@buyselljack2016 

Ahhhh... thanks.

[buyselljack2016]

And to add when doing this there has been no APV chargeback.

Credit for the 15 oz goes to others. Has been suggested in the past.

Won't name names as I don't want to leave anyone out that has made the suggestion.

It reflects back to the wastingtime reference to the 15.99 being a different rate than the 16 oz.

Time was  ............   on eBay we could enter 16 oz in the ounce space to print a label at that 13-15.99 rate. 

Label would print at 15.9

ETA:    PS allows the entry of 15.99 and gives the 13-15.99 label cost (just did that within the past hour)

[wastingtime101]

---

@buyselljack2016 wrote:

As the cost is the same, for a 15.9 oz package I enter 15 oz on eBay.

---

^^ That's the answer @adamcartwright because eBay does not offer the option to enter decimals on weight - only on dimensions.

For a 13-15.999 oz package (entered as 15 oz) you'd be looking at:

$6.66 deeper discount / $7.50 commercial pricing lesser discount / $9.50 retail

Compared to the extra .001 oz up to a full 16 oz / 1lb you faced:

$8.79 deeper discount / $9.26 commercial pricing lesser discount / $9.50 retail

See the big difference, even for the lesser discounted rural zip?

That extra pricing for the stupid .001 oz is online-exclusive. Retail rate is the same for 13-16 oz.

[adamcartwright]

Thank you both very much. 

@wastingtime101  @buyselljack2016