02-17-2023 06:13 AM
Im unable to select the padded flat rate option, ive tried different dimensions to try to trigger it but nothing is working, any advice?
02-17-2023 12:07 PM
@wastingtime101 wrote: ... Could you ask the shipping team what dimensions need to be entered for all the other flat rate box/envelope sizes? If eBay is going to implement these restrictions ....
Don't encourage them!
02-17-2023 12:09 PM
02-17-2023 01:04 PM
I'm having this issue as well, so I did change it to the recommended dimensions and it did bring up the padded flat rate on the one listing I went into. So my question is do I need to go in and change all of my listings manually now and then when the item sells, change the dimensions again since nothing is one inch thick that I send by padded flat rate. Is this just a temporary glitch?
02-17-2023 01:20 PM
@nancyarmstrong22 wrote:1. So my question is do I need to go in and change all of my listings manually now and
2. then when the item sells, change the dimensions again since nothing is one inch thick that I send by padded flat rate.
3. Is this just a temporary glitch?
1. If you look at the live listing and see padded flat rate then it should be fine. I think it's just setting up new listings where you'll run into the issue. Although if you edit old listings I would double-check that padded flat rate didn't disappear from the shipping options before you save changes.
2. When you buy the label you don't have to change dimensions to account for packages thicker than 1". It's flat rate packaging so it doesn't matter whether the padded envelope is 1" or 5" thick when full.
3. It appears to be an intentional design change from what was said above. I anticipate it's going to create a lot of problems. There have been hundreds of sellers having the problem with Small Flat Rate Box since last year. Padded Flat Rate Envelope must be the latest change.
02-17-2023 02:00 PM
The padded flat rate envelope is now showing that one inch is the maximum width, but the actual USPS envelopes do not have that printed on them. Most clothing I put in them are either 3 or 4 inches in width. I hope this will not cause problems with the shipping.
02-17-2023 02:30 PM
@nancyarmstrong22 wrote:The padded flat rate envelope is now showing that one inch is the maximum width, but the actual USPS envelopes do not have that printed on them. Most clothing I put in them are either 3 or 4 inches in width. I hope this will not cause problems with the shipping.
USPS issued one of its more amusing memos about this very topic, pointing out that "There is currently no maximum thickness for a FRE. “Flat” refers to the price, not to the shape.":
https://about.usps.com/postal-bulletin/2016/pb22435/html/updt_002.htm
02-17-2023 02:52 PM - edited 02-17-2023 02:53 PM
Why would eBay start requiring dimensions for flat rate? Anyone have any confidence about them adding cubic rate to the flow? I don’t know how new sellers can figure out what to do. It’s getting hard for me and I’ve shipped thousands of packages.
02-17-2023 03:08 PM
@fern*wood wrote:Why would eBay start requiring dimensions for flat rate? ....
Because the programmers are incompetent?
02-17-2023 03:10 PM - edited 02-17-2023 03:13 PM
Possibly to streamline the choices by actual size packaging that the item would ship in.
eBay added dimension restrictions last year with the "small flat rate" box causing some distress.
This of course is worse because they don't even have it close to correct for how thick that padded FRE can be.
Someone need to ship the "shipping team" a padded flat rate with a grapefruit inside, so that they have an example to go from when writing/coding policy.
02-17-2023 03:19 PM
@buyselljack2016 wrote: ... eBay added dimension restrictions last year with the "small flat rate" box causing some distress.....
And they didn't learn from that.
Please let sellers decide for themselves whether their item will fit in a flat rate box or envelope. Even if the seller has initially entered a dimension that's bigger than the side of the FRB, many items can be adjusted or rearranged to fit. There's no benefit in eBay guessing what dimensions a seller should be able to enter in order to choose a FRB or FRE; that sort of over-specificity is unnecessary and is just asking for trouble and aggravation.
02-17-2023 03:29 PM
02-17-2023 03:38 PM
What a nice collection of links. As I said, they haven't learned a thing.
The dimensions that a seller enters are the dimensions of a box they intend to use, not the dimensions of an item they are shipping, SO there should be some flexibility even with boxes not just envelopes. Requiring sellers to enter any dimensions, but especially requiring smaller than a small FRB (i.e., must enter 8x5x1) in order to get the small FRB as a shipping option is just ludicrous.
02-17-2023 03:39 PM
Are we talking about when "purchasing a label" or "setting up a listing"????
02-17-2023 03:45 PM
Posted prematurely - here's the rest of the list.
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Ask-a-Mentor/Shipping-options-USPS/m-p/33565313
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Ask-a-Mentor/small-flat-rate-box/m-p/33558229
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Ask-a-Mentor/Priority-USPS-Small-Box-Flat-Rate/m-p/33487728
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Ask-a-Mentor/Shipping/m-p/33429067
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Ask-a-Mentor/No-USPS-Small-Flate-Box-shipping-option/m-p/33423523
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Ask-a-Mentor/Small-flat-rate-priority-box/m-p/33390948
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Ask-a-Mentor/Mailing-issues/m-p/33361512
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Ask-a-Mentor/USPS-small-flat-rate-box/m-p/33337859
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Ask-a-Mentor/USPS-Priority-Mail-Flat-Rate-Small-Box/m-p/33329738
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Ask-a-Mentor/USPS-Small-packages/m-p/33326077
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Ask-a-Mentor/flat-rate-shipping/m-p/33325329
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Ask-a-Mentor/shipping-flat-rate/m-p/33324308
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Ask-a-Mentor/Irritating-omissions/m-p/33312135
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Ask-a-Mentor/USPS-Small-Flat-Rate-Box-Missing-in-Action/m-p/33303415
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Ask-a-Mentor/USPS-small-flat-rate-box-option-needed/m-p/33291201
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Ask-a-Mentor/USPS-PRIORITY-MAIL-FLAT-RATE-SMALL-BOX/m-p/33266183
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Ask-a-Mentor/UGH-Why-aren-t-the-issues-being-fixed/m-p/33265691
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Ask-a-Mentor/USPS-flat-rate-shipping/m-p/33265368
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Ask-a-Mentor/NO-more-small-flat-rate-box-options/m-p/33255443
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Ask-a-Mentor/Small-flat-rate-box-option/m-p/33249654
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Ask-a-Mentor/Shipping-USPS-Small-Flat-Rate-Box/m-p/33246031
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Ask-a-Mentor/small-flat-rate-box/m-p/33213263
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/No-Small-FR-box-option-in-the-new-listing-tool/m-p/33184863
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/No-small-flat-rate-box-shipping-option-on-app/m-p/33101187
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Ask-a-Mentor/Shipping-flat-rate/m-p/33087989
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Ask-a-Mentor/Shipping/m-p/33057390
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Shipping/Missing-shipping-option/m-p/33027957
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/Now-this-I-don-t-know-what-to-say/m-p/33023064
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Shipping/eBay-Missing-the-Small-Flat-Rate-Box-Option/m-p/33022714
02-17-2023 03:50 PM
@nobody*s_perfect wrote:What a nice collection of links. As I said, they haven't learned a thing.
Posted by mistake - just put up the rest of the list in a second post. The sheer volume demonstrates that it's causing problems.
I hate to be the jackass that posts lists like this all the time, but simply saying "it's caused a lot of problems" doesn't quite get the message across.
These are just posts on this board - doesn't factor everything you'll see on FB, Twitter, Reddit, and numerous other outlets, not to mention contact to eBay CS.
If there's a reason why this is seen as a necessary change - some kind of problem it's fixing, then that should be communicated along with the steps required to make flat rate options appear on the listing form. Otherwise, well you can see the results for yourself. Sellers are understandably frustrated.