USPS to replace First Class Package, Retail Ground, Parcel Select with Ground Advantage Summer 2023

[wastingtime101]

As USPS implements price & service changes every July (think the first year was August), I expect that's about the time they're planning to roll this out.

https://postalnews.com/blog/2023/02/10/usps-seeks-to-replace-first-class-package-service-with-usps-g...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — As part of its overall strategy to enhance its shipping offerings, the United States Postal Service today filed a procedural filing with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) notifying the commission of the Postal Service’s intention to replace its existing First-Class Package Service category with USPS Ground Advantage. USPS Ground Advantage will feature two-to five day service standards for packages up to 70 pounds.

The filing streamlines and simplifies package shipping options for customers and enhances the Postal Service’s ground product offering with the anticipated summer 2023 launch of its improved ground product — USPS Ground Advantage.

[iamalwaysright]

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@wastingtime101 wrote:

eBay posted an FAQ section at the bottom of this page:

https://www.ebay.com/sellercenter/shipping/choosing-a-carrier-and-service/usps-and-ebay-labels

Some highlights:

Do I need to update the shipping service in my listings and business policies?
In most cases, yes. Listings with the following USPS services will need to be updated to select USPS Ground Advantage

- First-Class Package Service
- Retail Ground
- Parcel Select Ground if offered in addition to First-Class Package Service and/or Retail Ground

These changes can be applied starting July 9. We recommend that you make these updates as soon as possible in order to keep your shipping information up-to-date for buyers.

If my listings and business policies only show Parcel Select Ground as a shipping service, do I need to update to USPS Ground Advantage?
No. If your listings and business policy has Parcel Select Ground as the sole shipping service, the service name will be changed to USPS Ground Advantage starting July 9.

Question for eBay kyle@ebay : If a biz policy or listing offers Parcel Select along with a non-affected service like Priority Mail, will Parcel Select still be automatically updated to Ground Advantage per above FAQ? Is it correct to assume that Parcel Select being the "sole" shipping service means the sole affected service as related to First Class, Parcel Select and Retail Ground? Or does it have to truly be the only service with no other non-affected services (USPS Priority, UPS Ground, FedEx Ground, etc) offered in the same listing/policy?

What services will need to be updated to USPS Ground Advantage in my listings and business policies?
Any listing with one or more of the following services from July 9:

First Class Package Service
Retail Ground Service

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FYI @imapaqrat you were asking about this and there's now updated info so what I posted previously no longer applies. Tagging @iamalwaysright also.

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Thanks for the heads up. Whoa, so that means a bunch of us are going to be logged in and revising at 12:01am July 9? This is when Business Policies is a godsend. Who wants to start a pool of when ebay's site would actually be updated to accommodate the change? I got my money on 9am the next morning, jk 😀

Safe to say many of us will be pretty tired come that next Monday. Pages and pages of posts with the words "Ground Advantage" plastered all over the boards by then. Prove me wrong ebay.

[iamalwaysright]

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@wastingtime101 wrote:

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@nobody*s_perfect wrote:

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Thank you for finding that information, which is buried in a page that most sellers have never seen. eBay really should put something about this in Announcements

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I thought I said this earlier, but I guess I didn't.

I think eBay should not only post an announcement, but they should send a mass email out to sellers since this is a significant change that will require a lot of manual updates. And they should put a pinned post on this board with the FAQ because you know we'll be flooded with posts about it and a pinned post can cut that way down.

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Yes they definitely should, it's not every day USPS gets rid of First Class. It's not even every century. kyle@ebay 

[iamalwaysright]

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@fern*wood wrote:

I'm just now seeing this new information.  Total nightmare, in my opinion, and no one is making this information known except a couple knowledgeable posters on the shipping board!!  shameful

Most of my 1300 listings are 1st class package.  When I first heard about this change, I felt in my heart ebay would muck this up and now it's clearly the case.  We are now only a few days out and to just now hear this.  I see no announcement from ebay with specifics.  Is there nothing in the works to automatically switch 1st class package on our listings to the new terminology?  If they are doing that for parcel select, it seems it should be doable.

If it isn't done automatically, when are we supposed to do this?  Magically revise 1300 listings at midnight on the 9th?  So, since there will be plenty of sellers that know nothing about this, what will happen?   Please tell me I've read this all wrong.

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No, that sounds about right so far. Maybe ebay isn't intending to publicly announce this to try and avoid the site from crashing at 12:01.

[iamalwaysright]

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@wastingtime101 wrote:

So if we look at that as an example, we can make an educated guess that for the time being, listings with calculated First Class will still display calculated FC rates. Since the GA rates under a pound match current FC rates, buyers will be charged an accurate ship cost.

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True. One thing I would prepare myself for are buyer complaints thinking we downgraded their shipping services. We've heard in the past where a buyer would file a SNAD for a package they received FC when Priority Mail was advertised. And that actually is a valid SNAD as those scenarios involved sellers who were over promising and under delivering.

Granted that this FC-GA shift isn't as much of a significant change on the buyer end, I'll admit when I first heard the term "Ground Advantage" I thought it just sounded like a Walmart or generic version of First Class. I'll bet some avid buyers would be caught off guard when they get packages that don't have that big F on the top left hand corner of their postage label and start to panic or complain. Basically, I wouldn't be surprised if more SNADs a' comin because of this GA hoopla.

[kyle@ebay]

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@iamalwaysright wrote:

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@wastingtime101 wrote:

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@nobody*s_perfect wrote:

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Thank you for finding that information, which is buried in a page that most sellers have never seen. eBay really should put something about this in Announcements

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I thought I said this earlier, but I guess I didn't.

I think eBay should not only post an announcement, but they should send a mass email out to sellers since this is a significant change that will require a lot of manual updates. And they should put a pinned post on this board with the FAQ because you know we'll be flooded with posts about it and a pinned post can cut that way down.

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Yes they definitely should, it's not every day USPS gets rid of First Class. It's not even every century. kyle@ebay 

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Hey @iamalwaysright , @wastingtime101 , and @nobody*s_perfect we appreciate your suggestions!  We did release an announcement just a short while ago, which can be found here:  https://community.ebay.com/t5/Announcements/USPS-introduces-the-new-ground-shipping-service-USPS-Gro... (this will also show in your Seller Hub!)

We anticipate a widespread announcement to go out soon as well!

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@iamalwaysright wrote: .... One thing I would prepare myself for are buyer complaints thinking we downgraded their shipping services. ... Basically, I wouldn't be surprised if more SNADs a' comin because of this GA hoopla.

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Alternatively, for listings that offer only First Class package shipping, sellers who are concerned about accusations of "downgrading" can get a head start before midnight July 9 by changing all of those listings to Parcel Select Ground so buyers see ground shipping rather than First Class.  Before July 9, buyers will see the current postage cost for shipping 1 pound via Parcel Select, which ranges from $6.99 to $9.03, whereas 15.99 ounces via First Class package is $5.85 - $6.78.

[norskmediashop]

This doesnt make sense still, why do we have to update hundreds or thousands of listings manually that are currently first class?? why is it not changing over automatically like parcel is? This is still going to be a major mess and not going to work.

[iamalwaysright]

Neat idea for those who offer the sole service not alongside any non affected ones. Sadly I would not be able to utilize. I use business policies though so it shouldn’t that much of a headache. I’m probably going to use this time to re-audit some of my shipping prices. USPS does it multiple times a year, why shouldn’t I?

[nymiss2]

Maybe I am missing something (and Ebay too).   Why do we have to CHANGE anything.  Ebay could simply "translate" FCP shipping to Ground on the shipping page (if calculated) where buyer select their shipping option.  Only new listings should have to be set up with the new shipping terms.  Or is this just too simple?????

[decadesgoneb4]

I went into my listings and selected a few to 'bulk edit'

the shipping policy doesn't seem to be a field that can be modified

what am I missing? 

[buyselljack2016]

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@decadesgoneb4 wrote:

I went into my listings and selected a few to 'bulk edit'

the shipping policy doesn't seem to be a field that can be modified

what am I missing? 

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`As this happens on July 9 my understanding is that it is not yet available.  Can not edit to something that does not exist. you will have 30 days to do so when it becomes available.

[stainlessenginecovers]

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@decadesgoneb4 wrote:

I went into my listings and selected a few to 'bulk edit'

the shipping policy doesn't seem to be a field that can be modified

what am I missing? 

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It can be 'edited' easily. I'm not sure what you are doing wrong, but if I wanted to 'bulk' edit 100 of my items, I would 

click them

Edit

Domestic Shipping

'Change to' 

and then the 'drop down shows which will allow you to choose' "Expedited Shipping" "Economy shipping" etc. and with EACH of these I could choose various types of shipping from UPS Ground to USPS Priority Express to Fedex etc etc.

What is it you are not seeing? 

[wastingtime101]

If you use biz policies then you need to update your policies, not your listings. Manage and edit them on this page, but as Jack said, you won't be able to update the new service until it becomes available on July 9 @decadesgoneb4 .

[2010byandsel100]

Oh, I thought it would be modifiable over on the right within the column like BIN & offers.

Now I see that there is a drop down list on the left under 'bulk edit'

thanks for that (don't use bulk edit that often)

[norskmediashop]

yes but if you bulk edit to the new service once available, its going to delete any other options you have active such as expedited etc. we already tried this with a few changing from priority to parcel select, and while it changed it to the parcel select it deleted the priority option, giving customers only one option, so bulk editing is not going to work unless your content with just one shipping option being available. Normally we like three being available to the customer. I don't know what were going to do next month, ebay is throwing sellers under the bus, there is no reason it cant automatically switch over like the current parcel select will be.