Featured For anyone using FedEx - Double check your box dimensions because FedEx is increasing the numbers

I am fed up & am seriously considering changing to UPS after 20+ years of using FedEx. I am very obsessive about getting the weight & the dimensions of my boxes correct before shipping as I do not want any surprises after the fact for me or my buyers. I just had the 4th package in a row where the dimensions on the box were changed by SOMEONE at FedEx. This of course led to an increase in the shipping cost. I know in 3 of the 4 cases the measurements were clearly printed on the bottoms of the boxes.

I print my labels out through eBay & even though I had receipts from the FedEx office where I drop off my packages they would not appeal those extra charges because they were "under $10.00".

I don't know how the boxes are being measured but obviously, they are using a different method than I do which is to use a measuring tape & then read it CORRECTLY.

I do wonder how many other users are having the same thing happen to them & am going to be spreading the word to as many people as I can that they might want to check to see if they are being ripped off by yet another big corporation. It may only be a few dollars here & there but if you do it to enough people it can eventually add up to potentially millions of dollars.

This is why I opted to post this in the public area where the bots abound. I started to post it in the general discussion portion of the forum which is limited to members of the forum but decided maybe this would get out to more people.

I did call FedEx & let them know in no uncertain terms that what they were doing was wrong & it was going to cause them to lose customers. I can just imagine how many businesses that ship hundreds of packages every day are getting ripped off. When they get their monthly invoice there is no way anyone is going to go back & double-check the box sizes. The invoice just gets paid as a matter of course.

So if you have been hit with extra charges after the fact by eBay you may want to go to the FedEx website & put in the package tracking number. You then have to scroll down to get the details of the package which will show the weight & the dimensions that were charged for because FedEx labels are not charged for until they are scanned into the system.

As I said earlier, I drop my packages off at my local FedEx Office & I always get a receipt with the weight printed on the receipt. I am going to inquire with them if they are entering dimensions when this receipt is generated. If they are they are going to incur my wrath because no one has ever looked at the bottom of the box or brought out a measuring tape.

 

Some on etsy have said exactly what you said. Seems this is happening to many.

 

If you want to copy & paste this onto the Etsy chat boards feel free.

I figure the more people it reaches the better.

 

I have had similar experiences, and a couple of costly ones, too. I only use them if they're cheaper than USPS which is out of the norm for stuff I sell. Not that I'm enamored with USPS either, but FedEx has gotten increasingly greedy over the years.

Their process is highly automated and they electronically measure and weigh packages as they move through their system.

I hate FedEx...alright, I said it.

 

I hate ALL the shipping options we have. Theyve all gotten absurd.

 

here....I've had luck with UPS.

 

The vast majority of my packages go USPS & I have had very few issues over the years. However, I do have some stuff that is heavy &/or oversized before it is even packed up so I like to be able to offer several different options so that somebody on the West Coast could get cheaper shipping using FedEx but somebody 2 states away would prefer to use USPS Priority or Ground Advantage.

eBay got me about a year or so ago for something like $10.00 extra & since it was before I was getting the receipts I had nothing to prove my point. Since then I had not had any issues but to have 4 in a row was just a bridge too far for me.

I blasted them on their FB page earlier today also.

My next step is to write to the e-commerce bytes newsletter folks.

I need to look into how I can change my shipping options on my 340 listings to see if I can do it all at once or if I will have to do each listing separately.

 

UPS is out of the question for me after they refused a claim on a $1000 item that they damaged

Your printed box dimensions may be interior

 

You can do this on the desktop site, but there is a caveat in step 7 below.

From the Seller Hub, go to your Active listings, then:

1. Click the Edit drop down menu
2. Click edit all (your total listing number)
3. Click the checkbox in upper left above all of your listings (this should select all of them)
4. Click the Bulk Edit drop down menu
5. Under Delivery, select Domestic Shipping
6. Then select the Change to radio button
7. Next, under Ship in the United States 1, change the shipping service (for my listings that have a mix of free shipping, flat rate, and based on location, I can change the shipper, but, I have to choose the shipping cost option below it...AND, I only can choose free shipping, or flat rate. If all of your listings are buyer pays shipping by location, it may be different, but I fear you will get the same options as me).

 

@sabre - I did try it but the options confused me totally so I abandoned it for now.

The one thing I did notice is that you could not choose a UPS delivery & a USPS Ground Advantage.

I fear I am going to be stuck with FedEx for any listings that are already posted because this is not the time of year to be spending hours revising listings. I need to get new listings up & running.