@dqdistribution wrote:
I brought this up before. I think hey do it for delivery time window that first class gives and will ship.
Also, by listing it under a lb. eBay generated return labels will be first class and not priority, I'm not sure if this is a trick people are able to get away with paying less on return shipping.
I purchased something from someone that had first class and it was around 2 lbs.
It arrived via UPS ground, and the eBay return label was First Class. 🤔
Nothing to do with delivery window since First Class is generally slower than Priority.
Not about the return labels in most cases. A "first class package return service" label can be used on items up to 70 lb so take that out of the equation.
Your situation where First Class was advertised but the seller shipped UPS Ground was a violation of policy. Sellers are supposed to ship using the advertised service or better. What you described is a downgrade.
This is what I wrote on the discussion you started about the topic:
Weight (and category) is what affects return labels, not the service(s) of shipping advertised to the buyer.
Most likely the seller is keeping things simple and/or is lazy. I've done it myself.
I have an entire product category to which I apply a free shipping first class business policy even though a small portion of those items have to ship priority due to weight. Cost of shipping is factored in to item pricing, and since shipping is with the same carrier only upgraded, it doesn't matter that it shows first class on the listing.
The weight on my listings is accurate as that affects what's charged to my international buyers.
Beyond that, this method will keep things simplified for me when USPS changes over to Ground Advantage in July (link in my signature). Because those listings already advertise FC, they will automatically switch over to GA. If I had them listed with Priority, I'd have to change them manually if I wanted to offer GA instead.
