Holy sticker shock Batman! 14oz 1st class package cost buyer $7.85!

[Retro Treasures WV]

I was just shipping a toy which had a cost to me of $5.08 1st class at 14oz. I noticed the customer was charged $7.785. Whoah!!

They would have paid less if I put Parcel post shipping on the listing. That is nuts.

[MyCottage]

1st class packages are now zoned, like Priority is.

[Retro Treasures WV]

Yeah but this was to New Hampshire, not across the country.

[Amatino]

I had the same thing happen too. One item cost me $5 and the buyer was charged $9. One item cost me just over $3 and the buyer was charged more than $9. I’ve noticed this on several first class items. Generally, if the difference between what the buyer paid and what I pay is more than $10, I refund the buyer the difference less FVF, but it feels a bit odd to keep double the shipping, even if it is only an extra $5. (I use calculated shipping throughout.)

[So Cal Joe]

I just shipped one First Class yesterday. The buyer paid for 13 oz. I wanted to add more packing material, so I checked the price for 14 oz., and my cost was the same. Weird..

[junque redux]

There are 4 pricing tiers for 1st class package now, with each tier zoned 1-9. I found this table helpful (this are the commercial rates). So 13 & up is the same price.

https://shippingeasy.com/blog/usps-2019-shipping-rate-changes-flat-rate-priority-first-class-w-tables/

[So Cal Joe]

Cool chart… Thanks

[Retro Treasures WV]

Just had another one charged $7.85 for a 14 oz first class package. My cost was $5.12
Why is ebay charging the buyer so much?
I’ll be honest, I no longer have any desire to try and call ebay to get issues fixed…

[Julie B]

I had one two days ago that was over $9 to ship from GA to CA. Flat rate priority is cheaper! I’d already started listing new items as calculated instead of free shipping. After seeing the $9+ rate I’m now changing my shipping for all of my listings.

[Retro Treasures WV]

There is something wrong with eBay. 1st class does NOT actually cost this much even with the new zoning rates.

[So Cal Joe]

First Class above 13 oz is not available to the public. It’s only available to commercial shippers, so who can say what the rate is.

When we first were allowed to ship first class above 13 oz, the was a pretty big discrepancy between our cost and what the buyers were being charged. For a 15.99 oz package, our cost was like $3.60 and the buyer paid over $6. After a while and a couple of rate adjustments our cost was raised and the gap decreased.

I wouldn’t be surprised if this situation repeats itself.

In the meantime, enjoy the margins.. or refund them. I’m sure they won’t last.

[Retro Treasures WV]

It is really starting to bother me that my eBay customers are in many cases paying $20 for shipping when the same item would be under $7 on Poshmark. Why hasn’t ebay negotiated a good deal with a carrier…or have they and they are pocketing the savings.

[Margana]

First Class Package rates for 14+ ounces are commercial-only, but they’re still published by the Post Office:

https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/Notice123.htm#_c104

They max out at $5.53, so charging more than that for First Class shipping is definitely an eBay bug.

For what it’s worth, I’ve had over 70 First Class orders since the rates changed and so far no one has been overcharged.

[Retro Treasures WV]

I talked to the post master at my local post office about this issue and had them check their system what the price should be. They confirmed that 5.53 price as well.

[So Cal Joe]

The commercial rate is what we are charged by the Post Office to mail the package.

The retail rate is what we charge the customer. The difference (profit) helps to defer expenses and fees associated with shipping.

It’s been this way for quite a while now.

[So Cal Joe]

If anyone wants to ship an item on Ebay for cost (no shipping discount) there is a setting in on Ebay in which you can automatically do this. Changing this setting reduce the shipping expenses for your buyers.

You will still be charged a Final value fee for shipping and your other shipping and packing costs will not disappear.

Good Luck.

[Retro Treasures WV]

That’s not the issue here. Ebay is supposed to charge the normal walk-up rates and then we get the discount difference. Here, ebay is overcharging customers above and beyond the retail rates for 1st class shipping.

On the classic shipping screen you get three numbers: What the buyer paid, what undiscounted shipping is, and what your discounted rate is. If you do not change the weight or size from what the calculated shipping was based on, the 1st two numbers should be the same. That is not the case here.

[So Cal Joe]

Where do you find the normal walk up (retail) rates for first class packages 14 to 16 oz in weight? If you go to USPS.com and check shipping rates, there is no option for first class at 14 to 16 oz.

Are your buyers being charged a higher shipping rate after the purchase? Is this rate higher than the rate on the listing?

With zone shipping, you are going to see the rate in your listing to your zone, but the customer sees the rate to their zone.

Thanks

[Retro Treasures WV]

This was posted farther up the thread:

USPS 2019 Shipping Rate Changes: Flat Rate, Priority, First Class, w/Tables

When I dropped my packages off at the post office I had a conversation with the post master and they checked their system.

[So Cal Joe]

Those are the commercial (not retail or walk up) rates.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 3 months ago by So Cal Joe.

[Margana]

Oh, okay, I think I get it now. I do use the option to pass along my shipping discount to customers, so my customers are charged commercial rates, and it works fine. If you don’t have that option turned on, then your customers are supposed to be charged USPS retail rates. Except there *is* no retail rate for First Class packages over 13 ounces, so eBay is apparently charging people retail Priority rates instead. $7.85 is the retail price for 1 lb Priority Mail to zone 4.

This obviously should be fixed, but as a workaround in the meantime, I’d suggest turning on the option to charge your customers the commercial rate, under Manage Shipping Settings -> Carrier specific discounts. Then if you want to mark up shipping, just add a handling fee.

[Author]

Posts