Shipping Charge Adjustments - USPS
I just got a whole list of Shipping Charge Adjustments both positive and negative for January. It says the "audit" was for Jan/Feb, but there were ZERO in Feb, and 15 for January. Mind you I shipped about 150 packages in January via USPS, so this is about 10% of orders being affected. It doesn't appear that ANY of the adjustments have anything to do with my dimensions or weights being wrong, but AMAZON BUY SHIPPING being wrong on the pricing. let me explain.
The amounts are too small to be dimension or weight issues. ranging from $.13-.21 each. Every single one is being shipped First Class Pkg Rate. As we know the rates go by 4oz increments, so 4oz, 8oz, 12oz, etc. All but one was under 4oz per USPS Scales at the post office, and the one that was, weighed 7.10 and was paid at 8oz rate. I literally have the receipts to prove it. Half are being shipped to Texas from SW Missouri, which you would think would be in the same shipping zone, but Texas is huge, so my guess would be that's probably what the issue is, but there are a few to like MN, and FL that make no sense about the zones being wrong.
I checked a bunch of the orders zip codes on pirate ship to check pricing, and it appears that Amazon Buy Shipping is the issue. Pirate ship shows what the rate SHOULD have been matches the pricing on the audit...
I'm not mad about the charges, because there's enough credits as well to offset ALL of the charges. My issue that I have and im curious as to whether others have the same issue as me, is that the Amazon BUY SHIPPING is spewing out incorrect amounts for the shipping to begin with for what appears an entire month, and we are being charged for it, but Amazon is acting like it's MY FAULT that the amounts they charged us are wrong! I've NEVER in all of my time on Amazon had ANY shipping adjustments that resulted in me being charged additional - always credits. I still Keep EVERY single days Shipping receipts to show weight, shipment date, etc for 6 months anyways. The other thing that really bugs me is that the shipping dates listed on the audit are wildly inaccurate. Most are 2 days wrong, but one is a full 10 days off. I had to look up the order number to find the ship date, to know which receipt it was on because it wasn't anywhere near what it should have been. The package was picked up on Jan 20, delivered on Jan 23, and the audit says it was shipped on jan 30.
IF we wanted to fight these charges, how do you fight them for USPS? Since the billing is all through Amazon, Ive seen plenty of threads about UPS, but none of relevance in regards to USPS. I mean, it was January pricing, and we know that the USPS rates changed in January.. they do every year it seems, so I have no way to verify what the rates SHOULD have been on those dates in January - just what they should be as of today. It's not a lot of money overall, because I ended up with a small amount of credit, but there shouldn't of been any adjustments period if the Buy Shipping was accurate to begin with. My weights and dimensions are always over estimated. My scale is perfectly in sync with my local USPS. I check weights regularly. I ship using the same packaging I've always used. I've shipped THOUSANDS of orders in the past and never had anything like this, and it appears that whatever the issue in January, not a single order in Feb was affected. I guess I just hate being treated like it's somehow MY fault that Amazon had errors in their shipping program and needed to vent. Anyone else have this same experience?
/endrant
Shipping Charge Adjustments - USPS
I just got a whole list of Shipping Charge Adjustments both positive and negative for January. It says the "audit" was for Jan/Feb, but there were ZERO in Feb, and 15 for January. Mind you I shipped about 150 packages in January via USPS, so this is about 10% of orders being affected. It doesn't appear that ANY of the adjustments have anything to do with my dimensions or weights being wrong, but AMAZON BUY SHIPPING being wrong on the pricing. let me explain.
The amounts are too small to be dimension or weight issues. ranging from $.13-.21 each. Every single one is being shipped First Class Pkg Rate. As we know the rates go by 4oz increments, so 4oz, 8oz, 12oz, etc. All but one was under 4oz per USPS Scales at the post office, and the one that was, weighed 7.10 and was paid at 8oz rate. I literally have the receipts to prove it. Half are being shipped to Texas from SW Missouri, which you would think would be in the same shipping zone, but Texas is huge, so my guess would be that's probably what the issue is, but there are a few to like MN, and FL that make no sense about the zones being wrong.
I checked a bunch of the orders zip codes on pirate ship to check pricing, and it appears that Amazon Buy Shipping is the issue. Pirate ship shows what the rate SHOULD have been matches the pricing on the audit...
I'm not mad about the charges, because there's enough credits as well to offset ALL of the charges. My issue that I have and im curious as to whether others have the same issue as me, is that the Amazon BUY SHIPPING is spewing out incorrect amounts for the shipping to begin with for what appears an entire month, and we are being charged for it, but Amazon is acting like it's MY FAULT that the amounts they charged us are wrong! I've NEVER in all of my time on Amazon had ANY shipping adjustments that resulted in me being charged additional - always credits. I still Keep EVERY single days Shipping receipts to show weight, shipment date, etc for 6 months anyways. The other thing that really bugs me is that the shipping dates listed on the audit are wildly inaccurate. Most are 2 days wrong, but one is a full 10 days off. I had to look up the order number to find the ship date, to know which receipt it was on because it wasn't anywhere near what it should have been. The package was picked up on Jan 20, delivered on Jan 23, and the audit says it was shipped on jan 30.
IF we wanted to fight these charges, how do you fight them for USPS? Since the billing is all through Amazon, Ive seen plenty of threads about UPS, but none of relevance in regards to USPS. I mean, it was January pricing, and we know that the USPS rates changed in January.. they do every year it seems, so I have no way to verify what the rates SHOULD have been on those dates in January - just what they should be as of today. It's not a lot of money overall, because I ended up with a small amount of credit, but there shouldn't of been any adjustments period if the Buy Shipping was accurate to begin with. My weights and dimensions are always over estimated. My scale is perfectly in sync with my local USPS. I check weights regularly. I ship using the same packaging I've always used. I've shipped THOUSANDS of orders in the past and never had anything like this, and it appears that whatever the issue in January, not a single order in Feb was affected. I guess I just hate being treated like it's somehow MY fault that Amazon had errors in their shipping program and needed to vent. Anyone else have this same experience?
/endrant
51 replies
Seller_hBPJ5yuLwjaaJ
You found one of the other conversations already, but I find it helps to cross-link them so people can migrate the conversation to fewer threads.
Are all of your column 1 values set to "Base Rate"? I'm interested if there are other values for the column and if "Base Rate" means what you've described with the rate charged just being wrong instead of the dimensions having anything to do with the adjustment.
As for the dates being wrong, one of my adjustments is for and order from JUNE 30, 2022 and the "ship_date" column shows "1/9/2023".
Seller_hBPJ5yuLwjaaJ
Also, there's a bit of a pattern in mine where all of them are in the middle of the country.
The pattern could be something to do with the distance from SC, but everything in my small sample is between the west coast and Mississippi River, but nothing along the coastal states.
AZ, NV, IL, IL, NV, UT, AZ, TX, IL, ND, KS, KS, IL
Seller_b9MTK4QOrYHu2
if less then than 1k forget your going to go insane example this one transaction, it is donate to UPS they are struggling sto they must steal off us cause we can not fight it. we have no help just bots
Transaction date: 4/5/2023
The shipping services purchased for the package did not match the carrier-reported charge for shipping the package:
Customer Entered Dimensions: 41 X 19 X 19 IN
Weight: 800 OZ
Carrier Audited Dimensions: 99.0 X 23.0 X 55.0 IN
Weight: 440 LB
Print Label
$1.25
Fuel Surcharge
-$220.16
Over Max Size Surcharge
-$1,150.00
Shipping Charge Correction Corrected Charge
-$154.00
Rural Commercial Delivery Surcharge
-$3.70
Large Package Surcharge
-$165.00
Amount already paid:
$58.23
Total Charge from Carrier
-$1,691.61
Transaction Total
Seller_hBPJ5yuLwjaaJ
Seller_r9wMm8LrE5iKj
Were you also charged $1 per audited package?
Seller_C9TzOxTwGSFUQ
all this over at most, based on the numbers you gave, $3. .........maybe amazon is not for you. These are the same Ahats that charge the SELLER a refund fee. For a refund we had no part in.
Seller_kPYn2eaKfbniK
this is why i had to stop selling FBM for the most part. one product that i was selling was 5oz and would be put in a 10x6 bubble mailer. ive had hundred of dollars in adjustments for the same thing, with different amounts from a few cents all the way to 8$. this is all for the same product. ive talked to amazon they say its USPS. ive talked to USPS and they are next to useless. ive started selling mainly FBA for this reason.
Seller_nqHBkkxawmpmz
Yes - 10 "adjustments" that netted $0. All were between .16 and .29. It's the RETURNS that are going to hurt. Orders sent in polymailers (clothing) being returned in television sized boxes. It's under $2, but over a million transactions - that adds up to a windfall for the shipper. How do we contest this?
Seller_1itE8clKhWHJk
I also had a bunch of odd surcharges charged to my Shippo account in February for labels I purchased in December. Most were for 10 or 11 cents, which made no sense. Shippo refunded all of them back to my credit card in March, and I haven't seen any since.
I've used only Shippo and Pirate Ship for six years, and this was a first. I've never seen any odd surcharges on Pirate Ship.
Seller_4K7eqIN4GuF2E
Just got the email this morning (for January shipments).
Outgoing was $0.00 adjustment.
Returns - Amazon "customers" love to slap a First Class Mail label on a Priority Mail package - which results in us being charged. So far not enough to file for arbitration and tie up about $1700 for 3-months or more (and Amazon knows that which is why this do this underhanded nonsense to 3P sellers - would not be surprised if they are also doing it in some way to FBA sellers - and charging us fees in addition to the extra postage charges).
Amazon tells us to give returners proper instructions. They received a First Class Mail package so it should be obvious - but we point it out anyway on their deaf ears and blind eyes.
If something like this happens on eBay we are notified immediately with instruction on how to appeal to the Post Office. With Amazon its deliberately too late.
