eBay

neatstuff4utoo · ‎03-23-2022

Its really going to happen ebay sellers. I saw the written card at my post office yesterday. Any packages over 22" will have a flat 4.00 extra charge. Over 30" will have a 15.00 extra charge. Also a 15.00 charge for a square footage i cant remember the details. I have never seen so many price increases in the last 5 years from them and now this is just rediculous. I will be using UPS and Fed Ex a lot more than in the past. BTW they were talking about this last December. Nothing to do with the gas prices being so high. Also the new fleet will be getting 8mpg. Bad decisions across the board for USPS. a tiny % electric or hybrid 😞

I hope ebay can help mitigate some of this crazy cost for sellers.

glasser · ‎03-24-2022

Totally concur.

UPS and FedEx over long distances is the only way to go for larger heavier items. They can half the cost of USPS and sometimes as little as 33% the cost of USPS.

This is what I say in my listings:

Shipping: US Flat rate $X . Usually use USPS but heavier items going west of the Mississippi will likely be shipped FedEx or UPS.

I moved away from the calculator because buyers often don't know how to switch back and forth and may see an outrageous USPS amount.

Note: I am on the east coast. I put in both USPS and FedEx in my flat rate options. Unlike some of the posters here, I am in an urban area and have several nearby drop of locations for USPS, FedEx, and UPS. Have lived in rural areas before so I feel your pain when it can be a 10+ mile round trip to town.

Are these surcharges on international too. My regular largest packages are international. At current rates I can send a large package less expensively to Japan than California.

jbachman-2012 · ‎03-24-2022

Great 'behind-the-scenes' background info!!!

velvet@ebay · ‎03-24-2022

@mr_lincoln wrote:

velvet@ebay wrote:

@mr_lincoln wrote:

@goodbrakes wrote:

As a part of 2022 rate increases announced by USPS late last year, new fees will take effect for some USPS products and services starting April 3, 2022. Below is an overview of the USPS shipping services  increases.

Non-standard fees

Additional fees will apply when package dimensions exceed USPS sortation specifications and require manual sorting. These fees will apply to Retail Ground, Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express, Parcel Select Ground, and First Class Package Service.

Packages that exceed 22 inches but are not greater than 30 inches in length: Add $4.00 per package

Packages that exceed 30 inches in length: Add $15.00 per package

Packages that exceed 2 cubic feet (3,456 cubic inches): Add $15.00 per package

A maximum of two non-standard fees may be assessed for a package.

Dimensional non-compliance fees

An additional $1.50 fee will apply to packages greater than 1 cubic foot (1,728 cubic inches) or 22 inches in length for Retail Ground, Priority Mail, Priority Mail Express, and Parcel Select Ground when:

Dimensions provided are inaccurate

Dimensions are not provided

Our shipping calculator  will automatically factor in the non-standard fee changes to your shipping quote and the shipping charge a buyer sees.

Smart Ship Tip: Use our DIM weight reference guide  to check package compliance.

While we recognize these fees may impact your shipping costs, remember that when you print your labels on eBay you can save up to 30% with pre-negotiated USPS rates.

tyler@ebay, velvet@ebay

Questions regarding the above specifications ...

1. Will eBay's Calculated shipping automatically adjust for these new rates based on the dimensions / weight supplied by Sellers when they create their listings?

2. Will eBay's label flow automatically adjust for the Seller's cost for these new fees?

3. Will eBay be doing this automatically starting April 3, 2022?

Regards,

Mr. L

Hi @mr_lincoln!

1. Our shipping labels will adjust for these new rates and if a seller happens to include inaccurate weight/dimension during the label purchase process, then those fees will be charged to the sellers original payment method similar to the methodology used to charge short paid postage today. You can view USPS adjustments by checking your shipping label dashboard here.

2. Unless I'm misunderstanding what you meant here or in question 1, they seem similar. The label flow will automatically adjust for these new fees if the label being purchased qualifies for the non-standard or dimensional non-compliance fees. Please let me know if I misunderstood something though.

3. We will be charging these fees as applicable starting on April 3, 2022.

Sorry velvet@ebay I should have been more clear on point #1 and added will Buyer's see the new rates based on the dimensions and weight Sellers put on their listings with the Calculated shipping method.

Thank you for confirming that eBay will adjust automatically for the new fees ... and please encourage the Shipping Team at eBay to put on their very best negotiating gear and work towards a better deal with USPS for eBay Sellers citing the millions and millions of packages we ship ... we're worth it ...

Best regards,

Mr. L

Thanks for clarifying what I originally missed @mr_lincoln. For the non-standard fees, as long as you input accurate weight and dimensions, calculated shipping will factor in those fees and the buyer will be charged accordingly. Taking that one step further, the eBay Shipping Calculator will also factor in the non-standard fees, so you can use the quote from the calculator as a shipping cost when figuring out flat rate shipping.

Velvet,

mr_lincoln · ‎03-24-2022

velvet@ebay Thank you for the additional information:

" ... For the non-standard fees, as long as you input accurate weight and dimensions, calculated shipping will factor in those fees and the buyer will be charged accordingly. Taking that one step further, the eBay Shipping Calculator will also factor in the non-standard fees, so you can use the quote from the calculator as a shipping cost when figuring out flat rate shipping. "

Regards,

Mr. L

Regards,
Mr. Lincoln - Community Mentor

yuzuha · ‎03-24-2022

@aprilmoviebuf2000 wrote:
@yuzuha wrote:
@heckofagame wrote:
I don't think the USPS is really efficient at larger packages. They take up a lot of space, requiring more trucks. Perhaps this is an attempt to move away from them and reduce costs.
This is exactly why it seems perfectly fair to me-- I don't think they ever intended USPS to be used for a large volume of large, heavy packages. Some of the things I've seen the poor postal carriers delivering around here have been ridiculous.
And I agree with you. I will say, the carrier in my town is pretty happy about this. We live rural, in a teeny tiny farming community. All the carriers here are considered rural carriers who use their own modified vehicles. I have spotted him around town with his little modified sedan packed to the gills with packages during busy seasons. Packages that don't fit stay behind at the PO and get a pick up tag to the recipient. But our PO itself is very small too, and they frankly don't have a lot of room for those large packages.

So I personally don't think USPS has lost it's mind here. Large packages are just not something they are equipped to handle, especially in rural areas (and there are a lot of rural areas in the US). They require more manpower and special handling than a lot of people realize.

Heck, here in DC all our carriers have nice new Dodge Ram USPS vans, but even still they only have so much space in them. A few big packages will take up a big chunk of the space in the van because they aren't UPS or FedEx trucks that are meant to hold large volumes of sizeable packages. I can only imagine how hard it must be in rural areas where they use their own vehicles.

blingfling123 · ‎03-24-2022

The problem is not all the USPS packages, it is all the Amazon packages, the dog food, the huge boxes of diapers, that all get delivered by the USPS along with any other mail.

My mail carrier is carting about 5 to 1 ratio of Amazon packages to USPS packages.

I want to see where the USPS is charging the same increased rates for size to Amazon, but I am not holding my breath.

yuzuha · ‎03-24-2022

That's not an issue here because Amazon does all their own deliveries in this area. But just today I watched my postman haul out two boxes that had to have been at least 2'x2'x2' each and drop them on my neighbor's porch-- it only takes a few of those to eat up most of the real estate even in one of those vans.

tsme35 · ‎03-24-2022

You should have seen my mail lady's happy dance a couple months ago when amazon started delivering their own packages, she used to be pack to the ceiling in her jeep, now barely anything. Told her to get use to that, the cut with the new 1099's and outrageous surcharge will cut even more packages. She'll be fine until they audit her route

She told me ages ago that amazon and UPS pay's pennies compared what we pay

lja440 · ‎03-25-2022

@tsme35 wrote:
I feel for you, my mail lady had the same problem since the virus started, some days she would have to go back to office mid route to refill packages. Being on a rural route she was working long after her paid hours and not pick up my orders until after 4pm.
But since around Dec.-Jan. the river started delivering their own packages which was about 70% of the packages she had. Now instead of coming thru between 3-5pm she's picking up 11am- noon and she doesn't have to figure out where to put my long(not heavy) packages and no double trips.
You said you haven't read the any of the posts on this thread or others, but what the USPS doesn't get, this is a business killer, its on average a 150% increase not the 8-10% yearly rate increase over the last 6-7 years. This surcharge will wipe out 50% of my business and being disable I can't do a 9-5 job, selling on ebay allows me to work around my disability

All price increases hurt, but they can't be helped. Even the most basic things needed for business have increased. It's not just gas prices. Did you know there is a tire shortage?

I had an issue with the front end of my jeep and before I could get it fixed it ruined my front tires. Literally, the ONLY tires my shop could find to replace them were in Mississippi, I'm in Ohio. I did have a set for my minivan sitting at the shop for 2 weeks, it got snowed in (13 inches of snow then freezing rain made a crust, I couldn't even get the driver's door open). The tire shop called, they had a man come in for a tire patch. It wasn't fixable and all his tires were really worn. But there wasn't any in stock or any that size at any of the local shops in the area. He wanted to know if he could use my set and order me more when he could. As my van wasn't going anywhere I said yes. It took 2 more weeks to replace them. Oh and the replacement ones had a price bump of $20 each. Brett ate that cost for me, I bought the shop donuts. Now consider USPS went through 703,000 tires last year. (this is just their vehicles not including POV vehicles.

I don't think that Amazon will deliver in my work area any time soon. and I can't return to reload. As it is I get paid from 7:30 to 3:30, normally I get to the office between 6 and 6:30 and get done between 4 and 5. Occasionally there is something that I can swing by the retail office and pick up if someone has room to drop it off there about 2 hours into my route I swing close to it. But to go back to the delivery office would add around an hour. I would never make it back by dispatch. One of our carriers will strap large packages to the top of his jeep but I don't have the knees to climb up and down mine.

sextons-sweet-deals · ‎03-25-2022

I just read the announcement on seller hub.

Will a cardboard shipping tube that is over 30" L x 3" dia. get hit with this $15.00? That would seem a little extreme if so.

xtreme_enterprises · ‎03-25-2022

@deltilogical wrote:
Sounds like the USPS is applying sound business practice.

In nearly 250 years in existence, USPS finally applied ONE (1) sound business practice.
Well, I guess it's a start. Maybe by the year 17,775 they will get it right.

mr_lincoln · ‎03-25-2022

@xtreme_enterprises Golf club sales will tank ...

Regards,
Mr. Lincoln - Community Mentor

nobody*s_perfect · ‎03-25-2022

@sextons-sweet-deals wrote:
I just read the announcement on seller hub.

Will a cardboard shipping tube that is over 30" L x 3" dia. get hit with this $15.00? That would seem a little extreme if so.

Yes, the $15 surcharge will be applied to any package with a length over 30 inches, regardless of its other dimensions.

tsme35 · ‎03-25-2022

OH I know, been dealing with USPS 6-10% price increase yearly, now twice a year price increase. This is not just a price increase, this is the USPS way of not shipping large packages. The carriers aren't getting a pay raise or mileage fee increase out of the surcharge.

I did work for the PO 15+ years ago and know the deal but being a single dad of 4 kids and no support, just couldn't go years without insurance before I got my own route, not to mention I spend half my check fixing my jeep.

My mail lady went to the classes to drive the new vans that came out, suppose to replace rural vehicles but they only got 2 vans, the rest are waiting on chips. The 2 vans they did get, after 6 months looks like they went to a demo derby, trashed and beat up. She had to replace a transmission this last year, goes thru brake pads every 3 months and heat/cooling problems. The stop and go will tear up any vehicle.

The thing the USPS is doing wrong is their not adapting to the new age, internet sales and packages is the new norm. I mean know I have to adapt because I'm losing have my inventory, just like I had to with small fishing lures, single ones don't sell with the high shipping so now have to either not list or wait until I get a couple to put together.

nobody*s_perfect · ‎03-25-2022

@tsme35 wrote: ... The thing the USPS is doing wrong is their not adapting to the new age, internet sales and packages is the new norm. ...

I suspect that this financial disincentive for large and long packages is a result of adaptations to new circumstances.

Within the past few years, USPS has invested heavily in automating their sorting centers. Back when everything was sorted manually, those long packages weren't such an outlier. The USPS announcement about the new surcharges specifically mentioned that the new "nonstandard" fees "will be assessed on packages that cause the Postal Service to incur manual handling costs when the dimensions of the package exceed sortation requirements."