USPS Ebay Deliveries with Postage Due

[sberg]

I've had two Ebay deliveries in the last 10 days with postage due. Yesterday I called the post office to get clarification and thought I'd share what I learned...

These deliveries were very small items shipped as First Class Parcels using Ebay's label system which includes tracking numbers. Ebay does not offer First Class Letter because tracking numbers CANNOT be used with First Class Letters (every label offered by Ebay includes tracking).

These two shipments were less than 1/4" thick and because up to 1/4" is considered "letter" thickness and "letters" cannot use tracking numbers, the package class was changed to Priority Mail at my local post office and they charged postage due for the difference in price ($4.05 to $8.35 retail, I believe... OUCH!). I'm lucky that my regular USPS carrier is understanding and didn't make a big deal about it and gave me my packages the next day. I was told the policy has been on the books for years, but never strictly enforced until the last year or so.

After calling the Post Office and having this explained to me, I realized that many sellers, myself included, may have made this mistake, or may make in the future. Many of you have probably already had this happen and found your own solutions, but for others out there that haven't... 

The solution to avoid this was offered by the postal clerk when he mentioned what he's seen in the past... Simply add a single foam packing peanut to the envelope. This increases the thickness enough that it will be over 1/4" and stay classed as First Class Parcel and be delivered as expected. GENIUS!

So that's my story and I hope at least one seller finds it useful and avoids overpaying for shipping. 

[donsdetour]

" First Class Parcels using Ebay's label system"

Useful information on some of what is going on.

Yet it should be charged to the shippers account not passed on to the person it is delivered to.

Hmm  this stuff is making me question the USPS.

Well that and the seller shipping protection going out on Oct 1st may be a problem coming up.

[shhboom]

You were ripped off by post office employees who didn't know what they were doing. First Class Packages do not have to be at least 1/4" thick. And converting a First Class Package into Priority Mail further demonstrated their incompetence. Try calling the USPS national phone number to complain.

[simba6]

I always stick in a packing peanut or two just in case.  As, many postal workers don't know the current rules.

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@shhboom wrote:

You were ripped off by post office employees who didn't know what they were doing. First Class Packages do not have to be at least 1/4" thick. And converting a First Class Package into Priority Mail further demonstrated their incompetence. Try calling the USPS national phone number to complain.

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 Putting a "package" label on a letter doesn't magically turn it into a package. If a piece falls within the criteria for a letter, then it's a letter. It was upgraded to Priority because of the tracking; USPS cannot just demote it to letter status and ignore the tracking.  Incidents of this upgrade have appeared on these discussion boards for many years.

Indeed, a piece that's under 1/4 inch thick might be a package, for instance if one of the other dimensions was too big to be a letter -- the maximum dimensions for letters are " Not more than 11-1/2 inches long, or more than 6-1/8 inches high, or greater than 1/4-inch thick."  So if you mailed an envelope that was 9 by 12, it couldn't be a letter regardless of thickness. If it also didn't meet the requirements to be mailed as a flat (AKA Large envelope), then it would be considerd a package.

https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/201.htm#ep1042477

[bigdeals.etc]

Yes this is very old news discussed here long ago. It's nice to have a reminder for some people. But to clarify, you were the buyer in these cases?? If so, I would refuse to pay the postage due as I believe refusing due to that doesn't void your MBG... otherwise many sellers would try to pay at little as possible.

What SHOULDVE happened with USPS is that their APV should have caught this and charged automatically to the seller while dropping off the packages to you. That's what APV was designed for.

Lastly, I've also heard that sometimes ONE peanut foam might not be enough. I've heard of some clerks interpret that policy differently and say "it must be UNIFORMLY at least 1/4 thick." Which means a layer of bubble wrap would be better.

[nobody*s_perfect]

Perhaps the APV isn't good with thicknesses. Maybe, like eBay's calculator, it's only interested in packages that bump up to the "dimensional" rate.

[sberg]

Yes, this is the actual "letter" criteria... Sorry I didn't specify the specific maximum "letter" dimensions creating confusion; I presumed one would know that not any dimension constitutes a letter as long as it's less than 1/4". Thank you Nobody's_Perfect for clarifying this point 😀.

[sberg]

Not sure how the APV may have worked in this instance. Isn't it supposed to automatically charge back the sender? I believe in this case it was "caught" by a postal clerk who has made it his mission to specifically find these wrongly labeled packages and collect the funds for the USPS... At least that's my regular carrier's opinion.

[sberg]

No, I was not ripped off... My regular carrier is a softie and did not ask me to pay this as in his opinion it is not my fault. 

That said, I do believe in theory at least, that this is correct practice by the postal clerk given the written USPS policy. Flat packages within the specifications mentioned by Nobody's_Perfect in their earlier post do not qualify for tracking and if tracking is required should be shipped Priority Mail not First Class Parcel. But if a seller is not aware, regardless of how old the info may be, sadly they will make this mistake and ship the package the least expensive way and potentially get dinged for the Priority Mail rate.

[sberg]

That's a very good practice to cover yourself 😊.