Shipping higher then UPS calculator.

[mkbhstore]

I recently sold a couple of items and used the UPS calculator to figure shipping. When I shipped the items thru my UPS WorldShip software both items cost more then the buyer was charged. One item was $5.00 more.  Box size and weight was the same as I entered in the calculator.  How can I keep this from happening again?

Thank you,

Mike

[comics-scifi-collectibles]

I stopped using UPS and Fed EX because the price you are shown when you print the labels is an estimate.  They may tack on more.  

I weigh and measure accurately and I am aware of the home delivery charges so that's not the issue.  

For all oversized or heavy packages I now use USPS Ground Select.   You do have to pay for insurance and pack REAL well as the package is in the mail system for about 10 days.      I also offer Priority on these listings as an option for customers who live close by as it is sometimes less expensive for them.

[zzddxx]

I had the same thing happen to me.  I am thinking of just quitting EBAY.  They make money off of the higher shipping (10%  charged for shipping) and they refuse to fix the calculator.  I'm not sure whether to bring a class action lawsuit or just to walk away.

No matter how you look at it EBAY is being dishonest in its dealings with sellers.  One one hand they promise to provide an online auction platform for a fee, and then they fail to live up to their end of the agreement by refusing to fix the shipping calculator.  The end result is sellers get ambushed with additional shipping fees.

Pretty hard to come up with a reason to continue to do business with EBAY with so many other options now available.

[comics-scifi-collectibles]

I think the problem is that ebay needs to comumicate better with fed ex and ups.   Since they both charge the shipping prices after they examine the packages the error on this one I think is on UPS and Fed Ex end.     They need to provide ebay with more accurate data or stop tacking on extra charges.  

I hope the new USPS system will work better.  Be sure to keep an eye on your paypal accounts as they will now be auto billing for packages that do not have enough postage and crediting for ones that have too much postage paid on them.   I am all for both of these ideas in theory, I just hope that USPS can pull it off.  

[mkbhstore]

I know what you mean. I sold a $31.00 item. The shipping calculator was low by $5.40 plus I just got my invoice from ebay and there is an $1.82 shipping fee. 

[berserkerplanet]

>> $1.82 shipping fee

Are you referring to the 10% FBF on shipping that eBay has charged everyone for the last decade or so? That has nothing to do with nothing in terms of shipping charge issues.

As far as your complaint about overcharges: there are issues with charges for both FedEx and UPS via eBay. You provided no details that might help determine what might have gone wrong.

One thing is you mention Worldship software. You are allowing the eBay calculator to charge your customers amount x (based on eBay UPS rates) and then using your own UPS account to print the labels? Did you consider the possibility that your UPS rates are not the same as those when printing the labels through eBay? Or did you add any extras via Worldship (pickup, more insurance, etc) that would have bumped it up?

I don't use UPS any longer (FedEx instead), and am not familiar with the nitty gritty internal details, but my understanding is that eBay UPS quotes are based on actually shipping through eBay labels or through a linked UPS account with linked eBay discounts. Shipping at the counter (at retail) or through a UPS account without the same discounts will not result in matching charges.

[mkbhstore]

I dont care how long ebay has been adding the 10% fee. When the calculator does not charge enough then ebay adds a fee on top of that it just makes it worse.  Before the auction I compared prices with the ebay calculator and my UPS account. They appeared to be similar.  That is why I used the calculator. I have never printed lables thru ebay. I will see if that makes a difference next time.

[berserkerplanet]

Ok. You don't want help or to understand anything. Just to rant and spread FUD. My mistake.

[philsumm]

The UPS calculator has been broken for quite some and it's on ebay's end. I don't know why you keep questioning this as it's been explained several times..

To anyone that hasn't read the other threads on this issue; Go to the calculator and plug in a zip code. Then check what ebay says the UPS rate is for both retail and with the ebay discounted rate. Ebay has the amounts reversed on some zip codes and shows a HIGHER rate as a "discount". IE $12.53 retail vs discounted rate $15.72. Even if they didn't reverse the numbers, the lower one is still less than what someone with their own UPS account has to pay.

Changing your preferences to charge the "discounted" rate to try and get around the glitch doesn't change a thing.

[berserkerplanet]

Because not every failure is "your" failure mode, and half of them are user error.

That's what this one looked like it might be.

I've seen the glitch in action. Was that what happened here for the OP? We don't know due to lack of info. Yet you continue to insist that anything that goes wrong with UPS amounts is "the" ebay glitch.

The idea is to solve any user error problems thereby educating the users, nail down specifics on the glitches that are not user error, and continue to provide data so that eBay CAN fix it.

[vintagedayscollectibles]

I had a sale that the postage the buyer had to pay, was nearly 30% less than what it really cost, using USPS.  It may have had to do with the newer choices of using Parcel Select or Retail,  they have us choose from now. Or maybe not. But when it was just USPS Ground, there was no way of choosing wrong. I was told by a postal counter employee that Retail was for businesses that could offer a discounted postage. I used Parcel Select and lost nearly 30%. I am sure there is a thread on this but I can't see why it would be too tough for ebay to add lets say...three words or so to their choices, saying what does what.

[vintagedayscollectibles]

Meant to say USPS Parcel Post instead of when I used the words "USPS Ground".

[corvairjudy]

"Be sure to keep an eye on your paypal accounts as they will now be auto billing for packages that do not have enough postage and crediting for ones that have too much postage paid on them. "

The post office lady told me this and really appreciate hearing from you.  Are you SURE they credit you if you put on too much?  She told me she routinely puts too much postage as does several 'sellers' that come in all the time.  I'm so new, I haven't tried this yet.  Maybe I should test it!  thanks, jh

[zzddxx]

An Update To Shipping Higher than the UPS Calculator:

I eventually spoke to a customer serivice supervisor for EBAY.  He said that he couldn't do anything but that he would forward my recorded conversation with him to management.  The supervisor said that he didn't have a mechanism to give me a credit or refund for the overcharge amount.

After about two weeks I called EBAY customer service and asked if EBAY was just hoping that I would go away and forget about the issue, or if management was still processing my request.

The customer service representative (her name was "May") was very helpful.  She said that she would submit a request for a credit to my account for the overcharge.  A few days later it appeared on my EBAY invoice.

I guess the moral of the story is that if you are patient and persistent then EBAY will do the right thing.

Since I started the conversation I thought it was only fair to give EBAY credit for eventually doing the right thing.  

I hope this encourages someone else.  It took a few weeks and multiple phone calls but I got the credit on my monthly invoice to make everything come out right.