eBay calculated wrong shipping

[inquiringmindswanttoknow]

I am totally beside myself.  Ebay shipping matrix is way off, and has been for the past 2 weeks or so.

I use calculated shipping, with box dimensions and weight provided.

Ebay charges my buyer the calculated shipping, and then when I go to print the shipping label it is charging me anywhere from $2.00 to $12.00 more than my buyer paid for the shipping charges.

I do have a $1 or $2 handling fee to cover a portion of my expenses and insurance, as well, so there is something very wrong here.

I thought maybe I had somehow put in incorrect information, but in checking , found everything was entered correctly.

Have been in corrospondece via phone with eBay regarding this problen 3 different times in the past 24 hours and have gotten different responses each time.

Today its "EBay does not have anything to do with the amount quoted for shipping."

Wants me to deal with FedEx and/or USPS

Anyone else experiencing this at this time?  I refuse to ask my customers to pay extra shipping, as they purchased according to what they were quoted for shipping charges.  This is not their problem.

Help... I am going broke!!

[fern*wood]

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@sybl wrote:

We sell antique items which require extra packing.  Many are fragile and I strongly believe that insurance is necessary.  I have to estimate well-over the actual weight to even get close to the shipping cost.  I do not understand why Ebay's shipping figures are so "off".  They don't take into account how far the item has to travel either.  Evidently, Ebay doesn't figure in insurance either.  We have lost $10+ many times.  It used to be that you contacted the buyer and gave actual cost of shipping and insurance before they paid.  I do not want to pre-pack items because, if they don't sell, I will have to unpack them and put them into a mall or such.  Ebay needs to specify that their shipping is an "Estimate".  Very frustrated.

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I can't imagine why you would have this problem with calculated shipping which adjusts to the location of the buyer.   If I enter the correct weights and dimensions of my shipping box, then I've never had the amounts be wrong.  

When you do your listing do you allow for the larger dimensions for the shipping box?

[couldabeenworse]

I have to estimate well-over the actual weight to even get close to the shipping cost.

No, you don't.  With USPS at least, you only need to input the correct weight and dimensions, and the shipping will be correct, assuming your ZIP is also correct.  If you wish to charge the buyer for extras like insurance, you'll need to add a handling fee.  It's a bit more complicated with UPS and FedEx, as they have additional fees for home delivery and other real or imagined stuff.

It used to be that you contacted the buyer and gave actual cost of shipping and insurance before they paid.

The 1900s are not coming back; we all need to adjust to the 21st Century.  Buyers are not expected to commit to purchases without being able to discern exactly how much their total bill will be.

Ebay needs to specify that their shipping is an "Estimate". 

It isn't.  The shipping charge shown in the listing shows how much the buyer is charged for shipping.  It does not necessarily reflect how much the seller is paying,

[sybl]

Our mail services are good, but they are not perfect.  If an item is expensive extra insurance is needed.  Priority Mail give you $50 and then you need to purchase more.  I would hate to mail an expensive, breakable piece, have it broken, and the buyer is out or maybe I am.  Guess I could say that they are out of luck if they don't pay for insurance.

[couldabeenworse]

Guess I could say that they are out of luck if they don't pay for insurance.

No, you can't.

[missjen831]

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@sybl wrote:

Guess I could say that they are out of luck if they don't pay for insurance.

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Sure you could. And we would tell you the same thing-sorry you are out of luck—when the buyer files an SNAD against you and eBay rules in the buyers favor and makes you refund them and you ask what your recourse is.

[sybl]

I do the packing free.  I have a garage full of differently sized boxes.  Our items are antiques and each is unique and sizes and fragility vary.  I do not want to box an item and then have it not sell.  I would then need to unbox it and take it to another venue.  It would just be much simpler for me if I could notify  people when the item sells.  I liked the old way of determining postage.  Guess I could go ahead and box and not seal the box.  Then I would know the size and weight precisely.  Downsizing will be more difficult though because I will need to find a place to store packaged, fragile items.

[couldabeenworse]

Guess I could go ahead and box and not seal the box.

That might be overshooting it.  I spent an hour one day, weighing different size boxes filled only with packing.  I quickly discovered that I could come up with a good average weight for each size range, which I rounded up and added to the weight of the actual item and input that to the calculator.  It usually was exact, and was never short by more than a pound. 

The dimensional issue was still a pain in the butt, so my next move was to standardize boxes to only a few sizes.  The money spent on new boxes was more than made up for by the savings from shipping shortages.  AND it took up less than 10% of the storage space in the eBay room.

[fern*wood]

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@sybl wrote:

I do the packing free.  I have a garage full of differently sized boxes.  Our items are antiques and each is unique and sizes and fragility vary.  I do not want to box an item and then have it not sell.  I would then need to unbox it and take it to another venue.  It would just be much simpler for me if I could notify  people when the item sells.  I liked the old way of determining postage.  Guess I could go ahead and box and not seal the box.  Then I would know the size and weight precisely.  Downsizing will be more difficult though because I will need to find a place to store packaged, fragile items.

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I also do my own packing and have a room full of boxes, but I don't pack my items before they sell.  I do make sure I use correct information when I list.  Sometimes I put an item in a box to make sure it is big enough and then I enter those dimensions.    Later, I hope to find the box when it sells but that's another story.    I have no trouble weighing my item and box and then adding in some for packing. 

If your shipping box is over 1 cubic foot it is very important to get those dimensions in your listing so the calculator can figure the correct postage.  You don't have to have it correct to the inch unless you are that close to the cut off.  If you think it will be over 12x12x12, then just add enough to cover yourself. 

  Then include handling to cover the insurance if you want to add some---you are responsible if it breaks, not the buyer.

[the.gift.shoppe]

Just used this today, Fed Ex Ground way off. 10 lb, 32x12x11 package in my own packaging from 18702 to 92673. Charged buyer 12.20 for shipping, charged me 32.12 for shipping. How is it so way off? The problem I also find is, I can't even seem to go to the fedex site and get a more closely reliable rate. Quote told me it was going to be 65. Unfortunately, even with the high price, it was still the "cheapest option" so "don't use FedEx Ground" doesn't really seem to be an option. Honestly, I wouldn't mind if it was off by a few dollars, but more than double the cost is a kick in the shorts.

[dtexley3]

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@the.gift.shoppe wrote:

Just used this today, Fed Ex Ground way off. 10 lb, 32x12x11 package in my own packaging from 18702 to 92673. Charged buyer 12.20 for shipping, charged me 32.12 for shipping. How is it so way off? The problem I also find is, I can't even seem to go to the fedex site and get a more closely reliable rate. Quote told me it was going to be 65. Unfortunately, even with the high price, it was still the "cheapest option" so "don't use FedEx Ground" doesn't really seem to be an option. Honestly, I wouldn't mind if it was off by a few dollars, but more than double the cost is a kick in the shorts.

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Are you sure you had the dimensions right in the listing?  I've not had issues with FedEx Ground in since early summer.  You might try using Sell Similar on the listing just to check the dimensions.   There is a "large package" fee on $18 but I don't think you box would hit that.  There have been complaints that eBay is not charging the large package surcharge with FedEx.

@berserkerplanet  paging the resident expert. 

[berserkerplanet]

>>10 lb, 32x12x11 package in my own packaging from 18702 to 92673

That pkg ships at an eBay FedEx dimensional weight = 32x12x11/166 = 26lb (or a 32x12x11/139 = 31 lb dim weight at FedEx.com)

Base rate for 26 lb to zone 8 = $34.71 add $3.60 for residential surcharge and $2.97 Fuel Surcharge for a total of $41.28

and for 31 lb = $40.17 add $3.60 for residential surcharge and $3.39 Fuel surcharge for a total of $47.16

The first is the eBay online amount without discounts applied. the second is what you would see at FedEx.com (unless your eBay discounts apply because your eBay and FedEx accounts are linked.)


That first number $41.28 becomes $31.97 through eBay after an approx 25% eBay discount.

When you go to the FedEx site you don't get the better 166 dimensional weight divisor or the deep eBay discounts, and you see a quote of $47.16 (without linked eBay discounts you pay the straight list rates)

You may have been looking at retail prices at FedEx.com as the retail rate for that pkg to zone 8 is $66.19

There are no additional handling, oversize, large pkg, or delivery area surcharges for the dimensions and destination zipcode you stated.

So there is nothing mysterious with any of that.


Why was your buyer was charged $12.20? Is it the TH skateboard?

Offhand, I'd say you didn't have the correct dimensions in the listing, and the buyer was charged based on the 10 lb actual weight instead of the correct 26 lb dimensional weight. Problem is I can't make the numbers for the skateboard work out as low as $12.20. I'm in California (95825), and that sold skateboard listing shows $19.24 shipping to me (that amount should be the same your buyer in 92673 saw)

As dtexley3 asked, what dimensions did you have in the actual listing? That is the next important piece of info.

[king-of-caps]

EBAY CHARGED MY BUYER $16.20 FOR SHIPPING & WHEN I CHECKED MY EBAY INVOICE, I WAS CHARGED $30.08 FROM FEDEX.

[berserkerplanet]

Provide usable details and we can try to determine why.

[oldschooldeuce]

I have been told by FedEx customer service that it is the fault of ebays shipping calculator.  I have been overcharged nearly $1,100 in shipping fees in the last two months, and I have spent countless hours on the phone with both ebay and FedEx, and have gotten nothing but a runaround.  To date, I have been refunded less than $200 after 25+ phone calls.  

[berserkerplanet]

>>I have been told by FedEx customer service that it is the fault of ebays shipping calculator

That's the same old garbage you'd get from eBay CS ("pass the blame"), There is nothing wrong with eBay calculator for either USPS or FedEx shipping. Issues are either user error or FedEx error.


If you provide shipment details we can try to see what happened.
Pick one of the shipments that went so sideways and provide the following info:
Actual package Weight
Actual accurate package Dimensions
Origin zip code
Destination zip code
Destination commercial or residential?
Date of the shipment? (to select correct fuel surcharge)
Service used (Ground/Home Delivery/SmartPost)
Amounts of any other addons like Signature Reqd, insurance, handling fee, etc
Anything non-standard about the package? Not boxed, is a long cylinder, in a crate, etc.
Dropped off at FedEx location or scheduled pickup?
What was estimated shipping amount at label creation time?
What was the exact charge and the charged weight and dimensions on the eBay invoice?
Were there additional charges on the eBay invoice? If so, what and how much?
How much exactly was the buyer charged?

Then an accurate determination of what the charges should have been and an educated guess about why it may have been overcharged made, and if actually overcharged possibly some advice on how to pursue a credit can be offered.