eBay shipping calculator Way Off on international shipping.

[johnfduda]

I ship my international sales by taking them to the post office and sending them to the buyers address.

Today I have a sale to ship to the UK via 1st Class Parcel International. The item is small and light. The buyer was charged $6.34 to ship to his UK address. Both eBay and PayPal list his address in the UK. So there's no US address involved in the shipping. I thought this was rather inexpensive so went to usps,com where the price is $14.50. My item sold for $9.95 so if I ship this item I will loose the item plus I'll have to pay ebay/PayPal $3.18 in fees.

I did some checking on various charges for shipping

1st Class Int        eBay  $6.34         usps.com $14.50     1st Class Parcel to US  $4.65

Priority Mail Int  eBay$46.10          usps.com $56.15

According to usps.com a 1 oz package via 1st Class International is charged the same $14.50 so weight is not a factor.

I will not ship this item to take a loss,; yet I don't want to disappoint the buyer and take any hits to my selling account...... So what are my options? And what will be done to resolve this issue?

[nobody*s_perfect]

$6.34 is the postage cost to ship an International First Class flat (AKA Large envelope).  Your shipping calculator was set up incorrectly, with "Large envelope" chosen in the menu for "Package type."  Thus, the buyer is charged only the postage for a flat, not for a package, even if you choose "First Class package" in the menu for Service.

[johnfduda]

The shipping is set to "Large Envelope" with dimensions of 12" x 8" x 4". I wouldn't call that a flat and don't think the post office would either. I have sold many of this item perhaps as many as 50 over many years. I have shipped many of them in plain white envelopes and never shipped one in a flat rate envelope or the famous flat envelope.

[corvettestainless]

Set for 'package'... any type of 'letter' (which is same as 'large envelope and will be the lower, wrong shipping amount)

Dimensions get overridden by the 'type' of package. 

Never pick any 'envelope or letter' always pick 'package' 

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@johnfduda wrote:

The shipping is set to "Large Envelope" with dimensions of 12" x 8" x 4". I wouldn't call that a flat and don't think the post office would either ....

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 The USPS definition of a "flat" includes a maximum thickness of 3/4 inch.  So those dimensions you gave are for a package, not a flat (AKA Large envelope).

https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/101.htm#ep1002686

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@corvettestainless wrote:. ... any type of 'letter' (which is same as 'large envelope ...

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USPS has separate definitions for letter, flat, and package.  

USPS avoids using the term 'Large envelope" because it's confusing; an envelope could be a letter, or a flat, or a package depending on factors like weight, dimensions, and flexibility.  Usually the term Large envelope refers to a flat rather than a letter.  Those 3 choices in the shipping calculator will yield different prices.

[corvettestainless]

USPS might avoid using it, but the ebay listing page does not... which is all that matters.

So when putting in the information under 'Package Weight and Dimensions" on the listing (required when using Calculated or GS for international) for a new item (or edit all existing)-  always pick 'Package (or thick envelope)' [exactly as it shows] in the drop down menu; Never use 'Letter' or 'Large Envelope'

So, as I stated.… Always use 'Package'. 

[johnfduda]

I took the item to the post office, actually I took two items as I have this exact same item in two types of packaging. They showed me a cardboard gauge with a (about) 3/4" hole in it. All flat envelopes must go thru that gauge. Mine doesn't.

Here's the problem as I see it. If the listing I select large envelope then there should be no dimensions choice. Why? Or if I do select dimensions it should reject that info.

I can't believe this has never happened to me before. I've gone thru at least one package of Tyvek envelopes from Uline, they come in a 100 pack. And I can't believe I never sold an envelope item that went overseas. I have had multiple items that I ship in those envelopes one I had maybe 300 of.

Anyway I thank you for so many responses. Now I have to bite the bullet. I'm not going to take a loss and give away the item to make a sale.

[corvettestainless]

Not sure what you mean by 'you're not biting the bullet' but if you have a customer that paid for shipping and you had an error, it's really only right that you follow through with the sale. It's expected of you per ebay as well. 

[johnfduda]

An update on this issue:

My buyer decided to buy the last item available on this listing. I shipped both items for the correct pricing of a multi inch thick envelope as the listing originally described. Both items were shipped together.

How some ever. I still have issues with this problem.

1. The problem shows on both a 1st Class Parcel International and Priority Mail International shipment as shown in my original post. If I ship 3 pounds The post office will charge $39.00 for !st Cl Parcel and $66.10 for Priority Mail Internalional. Three pounds of documents will not fit thru the 3/4 inch gauge they have at my post office.

2. From my experience here at eBay I doubt there are many listings sold that are of documents. I do remember a seller selling historical documents from the design stage of old Univac computer equipment. But I don't know if even these qualified for the document rate at the US post office. So in my opinion the default should not be to assuming all Large Envelopes contain documents.

3. This problem needs to be fixed where it affects an eBay seller. In the listing when it's created. When a seller selects "Large Envelope" and enters a dimension larger than 3/4 inch on the smallest dimension the package will not ship for the price eBay will charge the buyer. I call on trinton@ebay to recommend this be reprogrammed so that sellers in the future not be caught in this trap. We can't continue to allow known issues to affect listings for the next years, even decades. Last evening long after I had learned where my problem was; I started to recollect that I had heard of this issue before. And i felt that it was long ago.

I thank those of you who helped me here yesterday and I thank Trinton in advance for his assistance.