USPS Parcel Select Ground option

[littlebucky1]

This is the second time this has happened to me.

When listing, I go into the Calculate Shipping Charges to determine the best option for my buyer.  Under USPS, there is an option of Parcel Select Ground.  I chose it along with a second option of Priority Mail.  The buyer chose Parcel Select Ground.  I went out to print shipping label and neither option is available for me to purchase.  Instead it comes up with Media Mail.  ???  

My first experience with Parcel Select Ground, I was able to chose the Priority option.  It cost me a few extra dollars out of my pocket to mail, but at least I could print a label to ship it.

Two questions:

Why does Ebay give a shipping option if it won't be available when I go to ship?

AND what am I suppose to do with this package?

Thank you in advance for the advise.

[nobody*s_perfect · Accepted solution]

eBay has decided to phase out access to Parcel Select Ground labels, even though USPS has made no changes in their services or policies, and it's offered by all other online postage sellers including PayPal, endicia, stamps.com, etc. When it's not offered, the shipping label page usually defaults to the first option on the list which is flat rate envelope, so I'm surprised that in your case it went to Media Mail. eBay also lets sellers choose other USPS options that they don't sell labels for, including Retail Ground, First Class letters and flats (AKA Large envelope).

You can purchase Parcel Select Ground postage through PayPal at

www.PayPal.com/shipnow

But do compare prices before you do that. Buyers choose Parcel Select because it LOOKS a lot cheaper than Priority Mail. But the apparent savings is inflated because the shipping calculator shows the retail price for Priority. For Zones 1 - 4, the USPS online price for Priority Mail is  less than a dollar more than Parcel Select Ground. If you're a TRS you get a 3% discount when purchasing Priority labels through eBay, which often makes it cheaper than Parcel Select.

IMHO Parcel Select ground should only be offered when necessary such as for hazmat or Oversize packages (i.e., length-plus-girth above the Priority limit of 108 inches).

[pjcdn2005]

Although you can send an ebay package with parcel select, you cannot print the label on ebay. For some reason stopped offering that option a while ago.  You can go to paypal.com/shipnow to print a parcel select label  or go to another label site such as pirateship or go to the post office to buy a retail ground label which is the retail version of parcel select.

But check first to see what the Priority Price will be as often the ebay pricing for Priority is very similar to what the buyer was charged for parcel select.

[chapeau-noir]

Parcel Select doesn't really save you anything, anyway, unless your package exceeds priority dimensions (12 x 12 x 12) and encurs the oversize charge, then Parcel Select will be cheaper (at least in my experience).

[kensgiftshop]

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@littlebucky1 wrote:

Why does Ebay give a shipping option if it won't be available when I go to ship?

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It's just like Retail Ground and envelopes, you can offer it to your customers, you just can't buy the shipping labels here.

[grazingrock]

As others have already explained, in such cases you'll have to buy the USPS Parcel Select Shipping somewhere else (have a look at pirateship.com).

However, it also has been mentioned that Parcel Select doesn't offer much of a benefit - THAT seems to be about to change. The USPS's communication for the 2022 rate tables shows price drops for Parcel Select of, in some cases, more than 50% compared to 2021 rates.

Further, Parcel Select is guaranteed to be shipped Ground - so anything which cannot go on a plane will need to use Parcel Select anyway (ORM/D, for example).

[sfry2009]

I ran into the same problem some time ago and was told eBay discontinued sellers being able to print a label for USPS Parcel Select Groun. But then one day when printing another type of label, I saw it was available. So on another listing I changed it to USPS Parcel Select Ground and was able to print a label off using it. I rarely use this option, but do sometimes. But then today I ran into the same problem as some of you. I had listed the sold item to be sent by Parcel Select Ground and when I went to print label this morning, the blue dot was on USPS Media Mail! What??? Glad I didn’t just print it! So then I chose select and compare all options, and saw Parcel Select Ground was not available but USPS ground was - however it was 10.95. My buyer had only paid me through eBay’s calculated shipping 8.55. I had no option but to send it priority mail that was 8.85 with my ebay discount. So I lost .30 cents, but in actuality I lost about $2.10, because the 8.85 is a discounted ebay rate because I chose a Priority Label - I would have had and extra $2.10 in my account for this sale.  Previously I had tried to go to the post office and send USPS Parcel Select Ground as well, but it is not available at the post office - you have to use USPS Ground which is about $2.00 more than what the Parcel Select Ground would have been.  I am sure other sellers are getting burned by choosing the Parcel Select Ground for their shipping choice on eBay. USPS Ground was available to print off a label for today, however it was $2.40 more than the buyer paid me. Hope this helps the community. I didn’t know until I read a few other posts that I could go print labels for Parcel Select Ground at other sites - but it is easier to do it all through eBay. So I’ll be choosing Priority for the most part from now on, and the seller can pay the extra $’s.

[nobody*s_perfect]

One eBay staff member said that Parcel Select Ground labels would still be available for Top Rated Sellers.  But I don't know if that has been verified. If a seller won't be able to purchase Parcel Select Ground, then IMHO eBay should flag that if the seller selects it when setting up a listing.

Currently Parcel Select Ground is available through the usps.com shipping known as Click N Ship even though Click N Ship charges the retail prices for Priority Mail and First Class packages. What a strange combination.

USPS Retail Ground, the over-the-counter equivalent of Parcel Select Ground, currently costs more than an online label for Priority Mail.  I'll have to sit down and compare the new rates that go into effect on January 9.

[wastingtime101]

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@nobody*s_perfect wrote:

 I'll have to sit down and compare the new rates that go into effect on January 9.

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I think Parcel Select 2+ lb rates are going down while Priority is going up. Depending on the weight and value of the item, Parcel Select might start making sense to use a little more frequently than it does now. A little.

[kds99]

I can verify that as a Top Rated Seller, I was able to successfully choose parcel select for a listing today, and also successfully chose parcel select again to ship the sold item, all on eBay. I don't know much, but I do know this.

[bountifulbetty]

I'm dealing with this exact situation. The buyer selected parcel select ground. But here's an additional question. The default option I'm being given is USPS Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope. My item cannot fit in that size envelope. Can I just print the label and use my own packaging? 

Inquiring mind!

Thanks for all the insight here. My first time checking the community out!

Julia

[nobody*s_perfect]

No, do not purchase the label for the flat rate envelope.  Use the menu to chose regular Priority Mail, i.e., based on weight and distance.

[caracy]

...What I don't understand is, why does ebay even offer retail ground??? NO other retail pricing label is offered because its the "in person, over the counter, at the PO" version of commercial pricing. Parcel Select is the one they should keep and remove retail ground. If you select Priority Mail for shipping, the buyer sees/pays the retail price. The seller pays the commercial price through ebay. Retail ground should be the same way!!! Buyers see/pay the retail ground price and the seller pays the commercial price. Why they have different names is beyond me. Why not just call it Parcel Post again and have the split pricing like everything else! Apparently it even confused ebay.

[nobody*s_perfect]

The shipping calculator in eBay listings can be set up to show either the retail or online ("eBay") price.  The default is retail, but you can change that in your site preferences to "share carrier discounts."

eBay lets sellers set up listings that offer several options that they can't purchase labels for including not only Retail Ground but also First Class letters and flats (AKA Large envelopes).  Apparently eBay has decided that sellers should be allowed to offer these options if they intend to use them, regardless.  

Smaller sellers do sometimes prefer to purchase postage at the Post Office. And some sellers who purchase their postage through eBay prefer to charge buyers the retail price anyway, so they have a built-in handling fee.

I too am baffled as to why USPS decided to use the term "Priority Mail" for both the retail and online versions of that service, yet gave different names when they split Parcel Post into Retail Ground and Parcel Select Ground (after IIRC a couple of other name changes).

[anasazirose]

I went to USPS to compare label costs for a 9.5 lb package measuring 14.25x9.25x9.  The rates on ebay from 15012 to 90210 were $17.83 for Parcel Select Ground, $38.95 for USPS Retail Ground, and $46.30 for USPS Priority. 

On the USPS site , the prices were the same, but there was no option for Parcel Select Ground.