USPS Zone Adjustment Charge

[closetqueen2014]

I have been charged three times recently for "Zone Adjustment Charge" ($1.20 each infraction).  What is a Zone Adjustment Charge?  The explanation is the Zip Code on my eBay Shipping Label does not match the Zip Code where the package was dropped off.

I have been using the same post office for the past 5 years, even though this is not the post office in my zip code.  It is my neighboring post office.  Why?  An 8-minute drive to the closest post office versus a 24-minute drive to the post office for my city.

I go to the closest post office daily and have dropped off over 100 parcels this year.  Since the beginning of this year, I have received three (may be more) "Zone Adjustment" charges. 

I spoke to the manager at the post office I visit daily, and she seemed baffled, but promised an explanation within a few days.  She did not understand why there would be a charge since the post office in my Zip Code is IN THE SAME ZONE as the post office I use on a daily basis.  There should be no charge. 

There is even this blurb from the USPS website:

Please note USPS charges for zones, not by ZIP Code™.

Anyone else experience this random charge?

[12345jamesstamps]

"I spoke to the manager at the post office I visit daily"....."where the package is dropped off"

Maybe have a clerk at the counter at the USPS  checked the package to be shipped might help what is going wrong.

We cannot depend online what is said online.

[buyselljack2016]

@closetqueen2014 

Where I once worked the next town over was in a different "zone". (9 miles between the two post offices)

Does not sound like your issue, but what are the 2 Zips.

Not required, but I always change the "ship from" zip to the actual office that I ship from when I purchase the label if it is not shipping from my actual zip code. (my return addy remains as mine).

You could try that on the next shipment to see if it shows different cost without actually purchasing a label, but it seems like it would happen more often if the "zone" was the thing.

[wastingtime101]

Are the first 3 digits of your ship from zip code on the shipping label the same as the first 3 digits of the post office zip code where you're dropping off @closetqueen2014 ? If they are different, that would explain the issue. If they are the same first 3 digits then you should appeal the charges.

Have you checked the settings on your label purchase page to make sure the ship from zip code is not somehow reverting to an old address?

Next time you purchase a label, first make sure your label options are expanded:

When your shipping options are expanded check the ship from address by clicking the edit button:

[yuzuha]

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@wastingtime101 wrote:

Are the first 3 digits of your ship from zip code on the shipping label the same as the first 3 digits of the post office zip code where you're dropping off @closetqueen2014 ? If they are different, that would explain the issue. If they are the same first 3 digits then you should appeal the charges.

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This right here is the part that matters. As long as the zip codes share the same first 3 digits, there's no extra charge. I routinely drop packages at the post office down the street from where I work (about two miles away from my local post office) and there's no problem because the zip codes share the same first 3 digits

[closetqueen2014]

Interesting about the first three digits of the zip code since the postal manager stated I was in the same zone regardless of which post office I used (my local PO vs my town PO).

The first three digits are NOT the same, so this may explain it.  

What's odd is that this is not happening with every package I ship.  It is very random (3 out of 100 packages were flagged).  I guess I'm very lucky.

[wastingtime101]

That is the reason. Follow the instructions I posted above. You can keep your address as the return address, but you need to edit the ship from address. Use the post office address as the ship from address.

[closetqueen2014]

I have implemented the change!

Thank you for the VERY helpful hint about editing the "Ship From" address (hidden) vs the "Label Return" address.

We'll see if I get any further Zone Adjustment charges and I can't wait to hear the explanation from my local USPS manager.

[wastingtime101]

If you charge buyers calculated shipping you’ll want to change the item location zip code on your listings to match the zip code of the post office to make sure buyers pay accurate rates. You can do that with the bulk edit tool.

[closetqueen2014]

Thanks for the info.  I have applied the change.  I guess I can no longer hand these off to my carrier on those days when I have completed my packing and he just happens to be dropping off mail.  

I'll figure it out.  Thanks!

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@closetqueen2014 wrote: ....  I guess I can no longer hand these off to my carrier on those days when I have completed my packing and he just happens to be dropping off mail.  ...

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Of course you can still do that. As you have seen, the USPS system will automatically charge you for any difference if you have underpaid for the label.  The system will also credit you if you overpay.  So if you sometimes ship from home (via carrier pickup) and sometimes at the PO that's in a significantly different ZIP Code, then IMHO you should just leave your listings as-is and let USPS deal with any necessary adjustments, continuing to issue these occasional adjustments for underpaid labels.  

[closetqueen2014]

Now THIS may explain why I see some significant differences in shipping costs on purchased items from time to time, not all the time, but I've always scratched my head on why the difference.

What a relief.  This has been a very helpful exchange...and so much food for thought.

You'd think after 10-years I'd have this all figured out.  I guess it helped that the first 7 years of doing eBay were in Chicago where 99% of the post office locations share the same first three digits of the Zip Code.  Then I move to the 'burbs and can't use my neighboring post office.

[buyselljack2016]

Strange stuff.

Many first 3 numbers of a zip code can fall into the same zone. I though it was more of a "destination" issue than a ship from as shown in this shot displaying a different Zip Zone 604 vs 605 from elsewhere.

In the second shot coming from a different zone both fall into the same zone, so likely it is more of a destination thing. That would account for the only 3 out of 100 of your outgoings being flagged.

 

There are other zips on these two examples that also come up as different zone. In the future you may need to on occasion decide which "zip" is better to ship from for you $ wise. ($1.20 wise 😂 )  You can look when you go to purchase a label, or you can print out a chart.

Changing the "ship from" to calculate on your listings to determine buyer costs could still be problematic. If you then ship from home rather than from your regular office of choice the charges could be different. You are just in one of those spots.

[wastingtime101]

USPS zones are based on a radius of whatever point USPS uses as the map dot for the first 3 digits of the zip.

So a zip code beginning with 600 and 601 may be in the same zone when shipping to each other, but the destination zone may be a few miles further from one 3-digit zip than the other, resulting in a different rate.

So the answer is it's both the origin and the destination zip that determine zone.

The original poster should use whichever zip code they ship from the most as their "ship from" address - whether it's their own zip or that next-town-over post office's zip.

It gets tricky when you're on the border of a different 3 digit zip prefix and want to ship from both locations, but as nobodys-perfect said above, USPS will catch most differences with APV and charge the seller - in some cases may refund (though I've found the refunds are very rare, even on the occasions I intentionally overpaid as a test to see if USPS APV would refund me).

[buyselljack2016]

Yup, gets tricky.  Did not realize it. Only issue I ever had was when USPS did a zone change, and eBay (or someone) had not gotten updates in place, and the buyer paid less calculated than the label cost. Perhaps it was a Saturday buyer payment with a Monday label purchase, but it was definitely a USPS "zone change" issue, and not a "ship from" a different zip thing.

OK , see what you mean about the "origin".  "Origin" has to be used to determine "destination" distance, but just "a driving across town" (or not driving across town) difference lends to confusion.

Many zips in my area process at the same facility.

Just checked a couple of zips rather equidistant from the regional facility, that in my travels, I could possibly choose to ship from. Some destinations are different zones😣  Guess I will refrain from such.

I commonly ship from a couple of other zips that have a different 3rd digit but have seen no chargeback/credit differences. I could do a 100% comparison, but as stated, have seen no charges, so not an issue.

Never had a back charge but have gotten credits.