Shipping Miscalculations are Killing us

[dvgoldsales]

OK, I'll just use one example I have many.  Buyer paid $6.49   for shipping.   I had listed the item at 4 lbs.  When I actually got it packed it only weighed 3 lbs. but the shipping was $10.49.. Now that is hard to explain.  The box size was 6 x 9 x 11.      Am I going to have to add 5 lbs to every item to make sure I don't loose money.  I know I know eBay does it's best, and I can stand a couple of dollar error, but we're running $4, $5 dollars overruns on everything it seems.  Any body else solved this problem ?????   I ship mostly glass pcs. and they normally fit into standard size boxes.   What is weird is, on this piece,  I had listed the shipping as USPS Priority but am using Ground Advantage and there is still a $4.00 discrepancy.   The listing for USPS Priority Service would have cost me $17.39 and at that point I'm better off to break the glass and take a red mark from the buyer.  I can't keep running into this problem.  What are we to do to solve the problem?????

[toysaver · Accepted solution]

I recommend measuring each and every box and not going by what is listed as the size on the bottom.  A quarter inch can be the $5 difference.   A box that is 11" x 9" x 6" is by the new USPS cubic pricing, a big box.  

USPS Priority Mail Cubic Shipping & Rates | Pitney Bowes 

[nobody*s_perfect]

The postage calculator in eBay listings and on the label prep form is usually very accurate.  What were the ZIP Codes for the package in your example?

One potential source of recurring errors is when the ZIP Codes used for label purchase don't match the ZIP Code used in the listing. Double-check the "Shipping from" information on your label form; this is not the same entry as your return address.

[jerseyboymusic]

A postage scale and tape measure are your best friend when utilizing the Shipping Calculator feature when listing an item. I don't think the teapot you have listed will really cost $5.80 to send it to me in Ohio.

You should have those dimensions in the calculator, if you don't already

[dbfolks166mt]

     Which item was this? Where was the buyer located? I looked at one of your listings and you are not using USPS ground advantage, at least for this item. 

     If I plug the dims and weight for a 3 pound package measuring 6" x 9" x 11" shipping from your location to mine in Virginia I get the following. Even at the discounted rate this is, as you noted, more than the $5.93  I see for the shipping cost when I look at the item

[aeparts1]

As others have mentioned, make sure the dimensions of the box are accurate in your listings. The size of the box is more important than the weight in many cases.

All your shipping charges seem low to me, when shipping to Pennsylvania, so something is amiss.

You can add a handling charge to your listings if you need to.

I make money on just about every item I ship. I use accurate box dimensions & weights, & a small handling charge.

[dbfolks166mt]

     One other thing to check is to make sure you don't have one of the shipping discounts enabled in your account settings. 

[luckythewinner]

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@dvgoldsales wrote:

the shipping was $10.49. Now that is hard to explain.

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I don't see $10.49 as a published rate for any combinations of zones for Ground Advantage.

https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/Notice123.htm

[steady2304]

Using your numbers above (11x9x6 3 lbs) the package would have cost Retail $12.15 USPS Priority or $10.50 USPS Ground Advantage to me in 63129 St Louis from Danville IN.

You might want to go back to the ended listing and click on sell similar to see if you had any errors in the dimensions or weight. Also, are you offering the eBay discounted rate to your customers because that is the only way $6.49 for the buyer to pay would have come up with the calculator. Did you print the label online or did you go to the Post Office to purchase the shipping label.

Looking at your terms of service I see other problems that will probably come to light at some point.

Your Terms of service are mostly unenforceable.

Buyers have a 30 day MBG with eBay so that trumps your 7 day return policy.

Also, if an item is damaged in transit your Insurance TOS are also not going to fly because buyers can just file a INAD claim and get a complete refund including shipping without waiting for any insurance claim to process. 

You will find out that insurance doesn't protect the buyer it is actually for the seller to protect from loss. Buyers have the eBay MBG to protect them. Also, if you want the item returned with insurance you will have to send the return label to your buyer and not expect your buyer to pay for that.

You have some really nice items, but highly breakable.

[dhbookds]

check to be sure you don't have the #weight in the ounce box...........in the listing

[dbfolks166mt]

You will find out that insurance doesn't protect the buyer it is actually for the seller to protect from loss. Buyers have the eBay MBG to protect them. Also, if you want the item returned with insurance you will have to send the return label to your buyer and not expect your buyer to pay for that.

     Actually shipping insurance, at least for USPS, covers both. Either the buyer or the seller can file a damage claim with USPS and it is easier for the buyer to do so since they have the damaged item and the original packing which USPS will probably require the buyer to take to their local post office for validation of the claim. 

     I have received a couple of damaged items, although not from eBay purchases, and simply filed my own claim with USPS. In each case I was required to take the item to the post office, the claims were approved in all but one case and the PO kept both the item and the original packing. The only thing I asked the seller to refund was the cost of the shipping which USPS will not refund you for. 

     Of course using the ebay NAD or CC chargeback is probably the easier path for the buyer to take. 

[stephenmorgan]

The sample you are showing the Seĺlers shipping is calculating shipping based on First Class Mail.

Is eBay still allowing First Class Shipping calculations for packages? Even if the system did allow the First Class selection it should not have been allowed because the weight of three pounds is over the old First Class Package allowance of 15 ounces.

I would guess nothing is entered correctly within the listing details for the shipping.  

[fashunu4eeuh]

@dvgoldsales wrote:

”…Am I going to have to add 5 lbs to every item to make sure I don't loose money.”

No. But to avoid costly under-estimations, it will serve you well to package every item up prior to listing, (leaving it unsealed). As you have 16 items, this is doable. Weigh it, measure it, put the dimensions and weight into the shipping section of the listing form. Use calculated shipping and the transit cost will be exact for every transaction.

[fashunu4eeuh]

@dvgoldsales  wrote:

”What is weird is, on this piece,  I had listed the shipping as USPS Priority but am using Ground Advantage and there is still a $4.00 discrepancy.”

Just an FYI—If the listing states the shipping is for Priority, then the package needs to be sent as such. Sellers cannot downgrade a shipping class from what is outlined in the listing. Upgrading the carrier service is allowed, downgrading is not.

“Sellers must ship items within the handling time stated in their listing, using the shipping service the buyer selected at checkout.”

https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/default/shipping-policy?id=5035

[fern*wood]

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@dvgoldsales wrote:

 Any body else solved this problem ????? 

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No, because the calculator has always worked properly for me, unless I entered something wrong when I listed the item.

Are you passing the shipping discount along to your buyers, but paying retail at the post office?   I wasn't clear as to whether or not you printed your labels online.