Did Priority Pricing Change? Something is Wrong

[ChicagoTonyV]

Hello Friends. I’ve noticed over the last day or two that Priority shipping pricing, at least for me, has gone haywire. It used to be that Priority was just about right in line with Parcel Select. Maybe a dollar or two more at most.

For my last few listings, Priority pricing is WAY bigger than the economy shipping options. I’m looking right now at an item that weighs 2 pounds and measures 15″ x 15″ x 8″. My price to ship to New York via Parcel Select is $8.15. My price to ship there via Priority is $21.38. WTH?

Anyone else noticed something similar?

All My Best!

ChicagoTonyV

[Jay]

I dont know the answer, but hi Tony!

[Sharyn]

I notice that parcel and priority are out of whack ONLY when the item is particularly long or heavy. I think that your package might come in the long category. Just my guess.

[MDC Galleries & Fine Art]

Think you just discovered “DIM Weight”. It is not so much the weight as it is the size. 15x15x8= 1,800 cubic inches. The USPS regular Rates usually apply to packages around 1,725 +/- cubic inches [somewhere around there]. After that there starts to be a “added costs” that applies to extra cubic inches and the actual weight.

Goggle Dimensional weight and you will get tons of stuff about it. We also have had several discussions here Ryanne, myself and others over the past several years about it. That is one reason USPS stopped making Box “C” size which Ryanne and I and others also horded tons of them before they quit making them.

12 x 12 x 12 is about the cut off point and the largest priority box USPS furnishes now. For you quickly, is there room enough for you to trim your box down enough to have it fall under the dim weight size? If so do it. If not then other carriers are a better bet.

Go to our SL friend at http://www.flippertools.com. his site is a great and useful tool that will allow you to select the proper size box for your item and also will show you the best carriers to use for the best price. Then box your item accordingly.

I like Ryanne and others can do my shipping wieghts by memory except when it starts getting close to the DIM Weight. Length is not the issue so much as the LxWxd. But also there is a cut off of Girth + Length and if over 108″ [I think] USPS won’t even take it. UPS even makes a beaded chain they will give you to use to measure with. It has a “Large Bead” on the chain that represents where their Dim. Weight kicks in. All Carriers have it, but each carriers numbers are different. Then if the girth plus the longest length is longer than the whole chain, then they won’t take it. The USPS web site has all of the correct dimensions for you. But 15x15x8 = 1,800 cubic inches is probably your problem.

So, hit Google, read about DIM Weights, Max. sizes for USPS and certainly use the “Flipper Tool site.

Mike at MDC Galleries in Atlanta

• This reply was modified 9 years ago by MDC Galleries & Fine Art.

[imjosh]

Mike, glad you like the FlipperTools site. I’ve been meaning to do something like this for a while and your comment reminded me. So, here is a flowchart for the various dimension based surcharges. I need to double-double check that everything is correct, but I think it’s there or close:

Anyone see a mistake? Let me know!

[Ryanne]

yep, if it’s over 12″, it’s “oversized” and therefore priced much higher, as mike says DIM weight (dimensional weight).

[sonia]

I love this chart!!!
Are you going to be posting it on a website somewhere, imjosh?

[Author]

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