eBay shipping calculator WAY OFF when I go to print postage

[vintaglectible]

I found an older thread on this subject but it was closed.

I just sold an item that I had input correct weight and size.  eBay charged buyer approx. $16 for shipping USPS. When I went to print a label without changing any info, it wanted to charge me about $32!! I checked at USPS calculator AND eBay calculator.  Both gave the amount that was charged to buyer.

This has actually happened more than once in last few weeks. On the other items the amount was small enough that I just paid the extra. I talked to eBay support TWICE. The person completely agreed with me that it was calculating cost to print a label WRONG. Told to me check in a FEW WEEKS to see if it's fixed! Also told me to contact buyer to tell them that shipping is going to be more!!! RIGHT!  

As of right now if it happens again I am just going to have to buy my postage at USPS. I will lose any eBay discounts but it seems the only way to pay the correct amount.

There has to be someone else out there having the same issue. This is stressful and right now I'm actually hoping that nothing large sells.

[orangehound]

It would be really helpful if you gave information about the shipping (source & destination zip, weight, dimensions, shipping service).

Without such information, (1) there is no way to determine if the problem is with eBay or with your assumptions; and (2) the only thing I can think of is that you sold the item prior to 6/23 and are trying to ship it after 6/23 (when USPS began dimensional weights on all zones for Priority Mail and Parcel Select).

If #2 is correct, you might be able to save some money by shipping Retail Ground (you go to the post office and buy shipping there).

[scga912]

I haven't had to ship a large box since DimWeight started, but as the other poster pointed out, we'd need more information to determine where the error is.

Is your Ship From address set properly?

What are the box dimensions?

What are the exact charges your buyer paid for shipping? service? and what is the actual cost of the label?

Did you invoice the buyer? or did they just pay?

Usually the group here is pretty good and finding the issue - much, much better than eBay.

[vintaglectible]

Thank you for the helpful reply but as I said I checked everything so it is NOT my assumption. I ran it through eBay shipping calculator and amounts came out correct. When I go to purchase a label it is wrong. eBay support person checked and agreed with me and verified same and said that there is a problem. 

Order was on June 27 and I shipped the next day.

Another item that had same problem was ordered on June 27 and shipped same day.

I also had 2 other orders on 26 & 27 with problems but the amount small enough that I didn't notice until I went back and checked after noticing the larger errors.

[vintaglectible]

My items all had the correct dimensions and weight. My ship address / zip is correct.  

To be clear..... when the buyer makes the purchase eBay figures out how much to charge by from and to locations and by weight and dimensions.  eBay correctly charged the buyer.   When I go to print label, I do not change any info, and it wants to charge me much more.  I check by putting same zips and size and weight into USPS calculator and it comes out to the amount buyer paid. So if I just take item to PO to purchase postage it is correct. If I try to purchase it on eBay, as I have always, it charges the wrong amount.   This has happened on more than one occasion in the past week .

Thanks

[scga912]

I'm looking at the tracks that sold on the 27th.

You choose Retail Ground for your selection.  The charge to me (Zone 5) is $22.09 - which is the 9 lb rate.

However, you cannot buy Retail Ground online.   That has to be purchased at the counter.

Now if you tried to buy the online equivalent of Parcel Select, that's where the problem likely is.

The box is larger than 1 cu ft?  (it looks like it might be)

Thus, Dimensional Weight charges will apply when you try to purchase Parcel Select.

You can purchase non-DimWeight Retail Ground at the post office, but the buyer has to be in Zones 5+.  Zones 1-4 can only be used for Hazardous/LiveAnimals/Special Handling, etc.

If you don't want to share the exact numbers, then I can do no more.  I think you're getting trapped in the DimWeight charges because you are charging Retail Ground and buying a different service.

[orangehound]

If you aren't willing to give more details, I'm not sure what you want or what your question might be, so I'll make some guesses as to what you are asking.

Q.  Is eBay's shipping software calculating postage incorrectly?

A.  I'm not aware of any problems.  Yes, software changed recently, and there was a problem on 6/24 with the Retail Ground calculation, but it got corrected ... I've not seen another problem.  So, it is difficult for any of us to verify that this might be a unique or new problem if we don't have the shipping information to be able to replicate the problem.

Q.  You all don't need to replicate it because eBay customer service saw the problem.  If there isn't a problem with the shipping software, why did eBay customer service also see a problem?

A.  They lie.  eBay customer support ALWAYS agrees with customers to get them off the phone ... they are lowly paid, poorly trained, don't know how to operate anything on eBay, and are unable to deal with anything that is off "script".  Thus they are frequently wrong.  I believe their performance gets measured by the number of calls they handle.

[vintaglectible]

Hi Suzzane,

It's not that I don't want to shear numbers it seems irrelevant since I checked against numbers and eBay support checked and agreed with me.

However you are right that I had Retail Ground selected as I have on most items and never had this problem before.

Item 1: 8-9 lbs. 24x14x12 from 02816 to 94533   charged buyer $36.38

I can't check what it was trying to charge me but was something like $64.

I ended up shipping it FedEx.

So are saying saying that something has changed recently and I need to set everything to Parcel Select?

Thanks
Bob

[loveyourimagination49]

Usps changed on June 23.

[vintaglectible]

P.S. I went and selected to Print Label from item mentioned above and this is what I get

USPS Parcel Select Package

- Jul 9

$64.29

[vintaglectible]

Now I'm really confused. So if I had Parcel Select chosen it would have charged buyer $64.29?!!! That's way too much and it would have never sold.   If I had just went to PO and purchased postage it would have been what they did pay... $36.38.   

[scga912]

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@vintaglectible wrote:

Hi Suzzane,

It's not that I don't want to shear numbers it seems irrelevant since I checked against numbers and eBay support checked and agreed with me.

However you are right that I had Retail Ground selected as I have on most items and never had this problem before.

Item 1: 8-9 lbs. 24x14x12 from 02816 to 94533   charged buyer $36.38

I can't check what it was trying to charge me but was something like $64.

I ended up shipping it FedEx.

So are saying saying that something has changed recently and I need to set everything to Parcel Select?

Thanks
Bob

---

That box size would be assessed a DimWeight of 25 lbs when purchasing Priority Mail or Parcel Select.

24x14x12 = 4,032  / 166 = 24.289 lbs - round up to 25 lbs.

25 lbs to Zone 8 would be $64.29 for Parcel Select (online).

The Retail Ground rate for that box at 9 lbs to Zone 8 $36.86 as it wouldn't be assessed DimWeight Charges.

Had you gone to the PO to purchase that label, you would've been charged $36.86

The shipping calculator is working fine. 

[scga912]

The changes to pricing that recently went into affect:

Dimensional Weight now applies to all Zones for BOTH Priority Mail or Parcel Select.

Dimensional Weight doesn't apply to any zones for Retail Ground, however, Retail Ground cannot be used for shipments going to Zones 1-4.  It can be used for Zones 5+.

I changed my shipping on larger items.  I put UPS as the first choice and it was a large difference.  I do not like FedEx.  (UPS can be purchased through PayPal - you need a UPS account and to link it)

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@vintaglectible wrote:

Hi Suzzane,

It's not that I don't want to shear numbers it seems irrelevant ... I had Retail Ground selected as I have on most items and never had this problem before.... Item 1: 8-9 lbs. 24x14x12 from 02816 to 94533   charged buyer $36.38

I can't check what it was trying to charge me but was something like $64....

---

Thank you for finally providing the relevant details so the mystery can be solved. The dimensional weight of your package is (24 x 14 x 12)/166 = 24.28 so it will ship at the 25-pound rate if you ship via Priority Mail or Parcel Select.  

"Now I'm really confused. So if I had Parcel Select chosen it would have charged buyer $64.29?! ....   If I had just went to PO and purchased postage it would have been what they did pay... $36.38.   "

That's right: Due to a policy quirk, the postage at the PO is much cheaper than the online equivalent.  

But $64.29 is the correct price for Parcel Select for that package, ie., 25 pounds to Zone 8, whereas the price for 9 pounds via Retail Ground is $36.38.

[vintaglectible]

Wow.   So when I list an item if I choose Parcel Select it will show an outrageous amount to buyer ... so they will never purchase. If I list it Retail Ground the price will be much better bu then I can't purchase my shipping label on eBay?   Is this correct?  

Thanks