eBay

ads.ink · ‎12-03-2019

I'm becoming concerned that USPS is going to start stealing money from sellers using this Adjusted Label Auto deduction method

Recently I received 2 cost adjustments

I have been selling on ebay for more years then I can count

I have NEVER had a piece of paper approx 10"x14" weigh 1 pound 1 ounce when packaged

Even if I had used 3 pieces of cardboard (almost always I use just 2) to ship this, the total weight of that board is 11 ounces

polyvinyl mailer 1.6 ounces

Paper 0 ounces

12.6 ounces is not 17 ounces and 12.6 ounces is on the very high side of weight for an item that size, as I almost always use just 2 pieces of cardboard

my scale is correct as I have had just the 2 adjustments, and the weight falls in line with my years and years of shipping experience

any ideas on how to cover myself in the future so I can dispute these incorrect shipping adjustments?

I don't even have proof that Usps mailed this item priority

I have been using flat rate boxes lately, I can just see cost adjustments being made because Usps claims they were shipped priority not flat rate priority and that is a lot of money.

How do they get away with claiming the item was 17 ounces?

No dimensions were put in, but even when i put in dimensions charges did not change

Any suggestions on covering on my butt in the future?

a_c_green · ‎12-03-2019

@ads.ink wrote:
any ideas on how to cover myself in the future so I can dispute these incorrect shipping adjustments?

Get an Acceptance scan with a receipt for at least a few packages going forward, so that you can compare the weight determined by USPS with the weight shown on your home scale.

@ads.ink wrote:
I don't even have proof that USPS mailed this item priority

Look up the tracking number on the usps.com site. There is a section near the bottom of the tracking history page for your package with the subtitle of "Product Information." Click the Down Arrow to the right of that subtitle to expand the section, and it will show how it recognized the Shipping method. You should expect to see "Priority Mail®" shown for your item.

@ads.ink wrote:
I have been using flat rate boxes lately, I can just see cost adjustments being made because Usps claims they were shipped priority not flat rate priority and that is a lot of money.

That's not likely to happen, assuming you did select Flat Rate postage when printing your label (as well as the correct size: Small, Medium or Large Flat Rate, corresponding to the Flat Rate box that you used). Your label should have "Flat Rate" indicated near the upper left corner, and its tracking number indicates the postage method that was used as part of its record. Flat Rate boxes must have Flat Rate postage paid, and conversely, Flat Rate postage can only be applied to Flat Rate packaging.

@ads.ink wrote:
How do they get away with claiming the item was 17 ounces?
No dimensions were put in, but even when i put in dimensions charges did not change
Any suggestions on covering on my butt in the future?

Package dimensions are separate from the declared package weight; one will not affect the other. It sounds like you just have a pretty big disagreement between your own scale's calibration and those at the USPS. Weigh several of your own packages at home, then see what the USPS determines for them when you're dropping them off.

pjcdn2005 · ‎12-03-2019

You shipped it as a first class package? Is it possible that it didn't meet the minimum thickness package requirements? If it was less than 1/4" they might not consider it a package but since it had tracking and couldn't be considered a 'flat', they charged you for Priority which starts at 16+ oz. I'm not that familiar with that rule but I'm sure someone else will know more about it.

a_c_green · ‎12-03-2019

@pjcdn2005 wrote:
You shipped it as a first class package? Is it possible that it didn't meet the minimum thickness package requirements? If it was less than 1/4" they might not consider it a package but since it had tracking and couldn't be considered a 'flat', they charged you for Priority which starts at 16+ oz. I'm not that familiar with that rule but I'm sure someone else will know more about it.

That does sound like a possibility, although if they upgrade the package to Priority because it doesn't qualify for First Class Package, I don't think they're going to bill it in the 1-2 pound range as well, unless it's genuinely more than 16 ounces in weight. (I'm not positive on that.) You can indeed buy Priority Mail for a package that's less than 16.0 ounces, although I would just do First Class Package for that if it qualifies.

nobody*s_perfect · ‎12-03-2019

@pjcdn2005 wrote:
You shipped it as a first class package? Is it possible that it didn't meet the minimum thickness package requirements? If it was less than 1/4" they might not consider it a package ....

There is no minimum thickness for a First Class package. With 2 pieces of cardboard in it, the envelope would be too rigid to mail as a flat.

kymba · ‎12-03-2019

They just charged me over $30, the reason they gave was my box was 10" bigger on one side and 5" bigger on the other. I have been selling on ebay for ages and I have never made that big of a mistake! lol

gilbert112101 · ‎12-03-2019

I am also concerned that Ebay is removing the amount of money for these adjustments from my PayPal account without my permission. USPS recently filed a claim for underpayment that I disagree with completely, but before I could even file a dispute with them, Ebay had already gotten the money from PayPal. What if next time USPS decides it is a $50 underpayment, or $500 dollars? I contacted an Ebay help person, who obviously didn't think that this is a concern. However, having had my SSN stolen two years ago, I am NOT okay with anyone being able to take money from my PayPal account without at least requiring my approval first! So I have disabled the link between Ebay and Paypal, and ended all of my listings. My trust in Ebay, and to some degree Paypal, has been shattered, and I can make more money at a Yard Sale without having to deal with the USPS nonsense. Heck, they lost two of my packaged in just the last 3 months, so in my opinion, they own ME!

kymba · ‎12-04-2019

They just charged me $30 for a box that they said was 15" larger. Should I take a photo of all my boxes with a tape measure now? Ridiculous.

1tuna · ‎12-04-2019

.general reply.

a 1st class package does indeed have a thickness requirement of 3/4 of an inch thick

small bubble mailers suuch as 000 or 00 can be quickly increased in thickness with the inclusion of a ball of paper or peanut.there is a gage for this at the post office,if your mail drops thru it is too thin for a package

Germantown proud Germantown strong
up the whiskey hickon
moving right along
19144

1tuna · ‎12-04-2019

I also wanted to add that since ebay shipping has changed the input when opened to 15 ounces that I have now gotten a refund from USPS.I use flat rate 1st class shipping of $5

up until a month ago when you when to print a label the ounces were always pre filled at 1 ounce.a few times I hit the print button before I input the higher figure

well that has changed and it easier to print it for over weight now,if you forget to input a lower number it automatically starts out at 15 ounces.I ship 5-6 ounces normally and got $1.80 back the other night form the USPS

Germantown proud Germantown strong
up the whiskey hickon
moving right along
19144

nobody*s_perfect · ‎12-04-2019

@1tuna wrote:
.general reply.

a 1st class package does indeed have a thickness requirement of 3/4 of an inch thick ...

No, there is no minimum thickness for a FC package. The template with a 3/4 inch slot is to test whether a piece is thin enough to be mailed as a flat; not whether it's thick enough to be mailed as a package.

If a piece is over 3/4 inch thick, it must be shipped as a package. But pieces less than 3/4 inch must also be mailed as packages if they do not meet the criteria for being mailed as a letter or flat, such as a piece that's under 3/4 inch thick but too thick or too heavy to be mailed as a letter, and too rigid to be mailed as a flat.

A bubble mailer could be mailed as a flat if it's flexible and under 3/4 inch, which is why a seller would add either stiffener or an item that increases the thickness.

1tuna · ‎12-04-2019

I guess I do not understand what a flat is,maybe its cheaper for someone but I have been using 1st class shipping for 20 years and have heard many times that packages need to be thick enough.I used to sell plenty of small parts and used the small mailers.I now use a 5 inch cube box for my 1st class shipping.Is there a cost saving with a flat classification?

vintaevixen ftl

Germantown proud Germantown strong
up the whiskey hickon
moving right along
19144

ads.ink · ‎12-04-2019

I made a package up the same as the one usps claims was 17 ounces (never ever ever have I ever had something weigh 17 ounces in all the years I have been doing this.

USPS weighed it, my scale said 12.8 theirs said 13 ounces

For my scale to be off 4 ounces my 5 ounce packages would say 1 ounce which they do not.

I've decided to start scanning my packages that are flat rate, there is a part on the box with box measurements so I put my label near it and scan it, so can now prove that a certain size box was used if ever usps decides to try to take more money from me

Of course that only works for flat rate boxes

I checked out product information on usps web site it says first class

so I paid for priority yet usps says it went first class