USPS Priority Mail burn - dont become a victim

[gino22]

USPS Priority Mail burn - don't become a victim

Disclaimer: not bashing USPS here, as I have no complaints 99% of the time

Here's the situation: had a large, relatively flat package. Generously measured it out at 29x6x28 and 12lbs (more like 11.5lbs but didn't want to be held up at the PO as I had a busy day). Ebay price with my gigantic (30-something percent) discount was around $33. Post office line took an hour - an appointment cancelled here, a task moved to Friday there... patience wearing thin... got it up to the clerk to be scanned, package is measured for what seems like eternity - 30x7x30... no time to challenge it (car is in serious risk of being ticketed).

They charge me a $27 overage(!) and I get out of there just to get on with my life, figuring I can contest the overcharge later.

Looks like that might not be possible.

Here's how we got to a $27 overage:

Post Office rate for my original (and very generous) measurements: ~$55, for an eBay rate of $33 or so.

Post Office rate for the super-super generous measurements: ~$60

$60-$33 = $27 due.

Not sure how I can get out of this one, since there's really no way I can prove my measurements were correct (not without wasting way more than $27 worth of time and energy). What would have been fair is to count what I already paid against the eBay rate for the bigger measurements, but I get that the Post Office can't offer eBay rates. At the end of the day, I got screwed out of $30 for being human and not wanting to waste another couple hours reprinting the label, contacting the buyer, driving to the Post Office, waiting in line, etc. etc. etc. But the nature of the technicality makes it hard for me to get un-screwed (if anyone knows how I can fix this without spending hours in bureaucratic purgatory, I'd be happy to hear your suggestions), and I really should have demanded that the clerk re-measured the package until she got it right.

So if anyone finds themselves in this situation, demand that they get the measurements right or that they prove your measurements were wrong...

More annoyed than anything, since it was a very profitable item, but let me take $30 into a few thrift stores and I'll come out with $300... so annoyed enough to write this rant.

Anyway, you guys have helped me out a lot, so I hope I've saved some of you a lot of money/aggravation

 

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[pgfhgs]

Government enterprise at work!

 

[meanpc]

This is why I NEVER go to the lobby anymore. As long as I have the postwoman pick the packages up under my carport I never have a problem with anything.

 

[gino22]

Now that my brain-fry is down to a simmer, this makes no sense:

The postal value of my original ebay label was ~$55, with ~35% subsidized for a cost to me of $33.

The value of the label the clerk said I needed was ~$60... so, assuming the eBay label is an instrument worth ~$55, shouldn't I have been charged ~$5?

It's not like the label I had on there would have only taken care of $33 worth of postage... so why did they use what I paid thru eBay against the $60, rather than the actual value of the label? Am I losing my mind?

 

[Beachkid23]

Now that my brain-fry is down to a simmer, this makes no sense: The postal value of my original ebay label was ~$55, with ~35% subsidized for a cost to me of $33. The value of the label the clerk said I needed was ~$60... so, assuming the eBay label is an instrument worth ~$55, shouldn't I have been charged ~$5? It's not like the label I had on there would have only taken care of $33 worth of postage... so why did they use what I paid thru eBay against the $60, rather than the actual value of the label? Am I losing my mind?

Don't you print your own labels? Is that what happened you printed it and then they send it needed more label on it? Because I've always printed mine off and I drop it off at the post office. I put it in the bin for the drop-offs and prepaid stuff and leave. But I have a scale at my house too. It says on the box to have your items checked but there's no way I would do that. If the lady doesn't pick them up from my house I just drop them in the box and leave. I would never ask the post office if my price was right. I think I did one time and she said I needed more shipping label on it. I never did that again! And have never had a problem either.

 

[meanpc]

You didn't get the discount anymore because they were screwing you with the over the counter retail rate. So you got screwed twice. You'll never get that back.

If you ever do get a priority package that just barely hits the size threshold, try parcel - it will let you go way bigger before giving the dimensional price.

 

[dumpsterdiver]

Maybe you can void your eBay shipping label??

 

[Paleo_joe]

I think across the board the brick-and-mortar shipping places don't really like online labels.

I usually drop my USPS packages off at a U-Haul / Post Office Franchise place, and they're great - except now they aren't scanning everything in and when I asked them, they gave me some words about how sometimes things don't scan right, etc. etc. etc. They really don't have much incentive to spend anytime dealing with problem packages.

The fedex office always just looks at me when I drop packages off, as in "thanks for using our store without giving us money." Got the same vibe from UPS the other day.

I mean, with the example that started this thread, the online price was ~$22 less than the in-store price. That is $22 that brick-and-mortar store lost, more or less.

I have learned, regardless of the vendor, it is going to be cheaper to do it at home because the clerks at the counter naturally will always figure it to their benefit. In the above case, looking at undiscounted prices, the PO figured it at $5 more than ebay did.

 

[jerseyben]

Here is the problem...

Only you measured the package.

How do we know you did not make a mistake when measuring? Isn't it possible that the PO was correct in their measurement?

 

[DeepseekerADS]

Is there not the possibility that the postal service considers this package in a "generic" range of sizing? I'd think USPS is not at all interested in an inch, but in an overall classification, in this case 30x7x30...

 

[boogeyman]

Remember you're working with Govt. Service personnel who are just waiting for the pension to come around, using equipment & facilities made by the lowest bidder. I always take a tape measure, pen & a small roll of 2" clear packing tape, a big Sharpie with me. Size disputes are settled on the spot, and no extra charges for taping etc.

Can anyone solve this mystery for me? Why does it take a letter going from Newport Beach Ca to L A 9 days and a second letter same day same box same time 3 days to Salt Lake Ut? If you can answer this, I'll put you up for supervisor of the post office! Apparently it's a mystery even the head honcho of the P.O. can't answer....

 

[gino22]

Don't you print your own labels? Is that what happened you printed it and then they send it needed more label on it? Because I've always printed mine off and I drop it off at the post office. I put it in the bin for the drop-offs and prepaid stuff and leave. But I have a scale at my house too. It says on the box to have your items checked but there's no way I would do that. If the lady doesn't pick them up from my house I just drop them in the box and leave. I would never ask the post office if my price was right. I think I did one time and she said I needed more shipping label on it. I never did that again! And have never had a problem either.

I weighed/measured the package and printed the label at home. Unfortunately my post office does not have a proper drop-off area - you are just supposed to throw your packages on the counter to be scanned God-knows-when. I am aware of at-home pickup but sell most of my items BIN and often cannot be home at a convenient time within a few days of things selling. Easier to go to the post office, as much as it sucks, because it's usually not THAT bad... yesterday was an exception.

The only way to have the package scanned in front of my eyes without being late on delivery was by running it past the clerk - she felt she had to measure it.


To everyone saying my measurements could have been wrong, it might have been put in a different weight category, etc - all possibilities, but not the problem.

Let's say for the sake of argument my measurements were wrong. Would have been a $5 difference if I remeasured at home and discovered I was off. But because this happened inside the post office, their math says $27 owed since they're taking the low eBay price I PAID for the label (which shouldn't change the fact that it's a label VALUED at $55) against the full lobby price to come up with what I owe.

So here were my options:

- Leave it in the "drop area" and hope it doesn't get stolen/forgotten/damaged/etc

- Ask for carrier pickup and probably miss it due to more pressing issues (hectic freelance work schedule)

- Have clerk scan it and put it in back so I know it's in the postal system

I chose the last one but was too worn down to argue the difference in price, figured I could contest it later. Not the case. Should have stood my ground and argued my measurements. Honestly, given the amount of time I'd already wasted I don't know why I didn't. Not thinking clearly.

So, the moral is: don't be as stupid as me in the same situation...

 

[Fletch88]

I bought a $496 Money Order at post office Monday. I swiped my card and the clerk said it didn't go through. She gave me a code number and said call my bank and come back later. I stepped outside and looked at my bank account online and saw where the $$$ did in fact come out of my account. I spent 4 hours Tuesday trying to get it resolved, but never did. I'm still trying to get it back as of today! I had to go to my credit union and get a bank check to mail instead.

 

[meanpc]

Do you have a reasonably secure area at your home for USPS to pickup the package? I have a table underneath my carport that I always stack my packages on. I very rarely see the post-woman when she picks up. I've shipped about 800 packages in this fashion. I know not every dwelling is suitable for this type of pickup though.

 

[deserdog]

I had a problem that related to your problem. I had an item all packed and had a label printed out. Took it to the post office and I discovered it was shipping at a lb. heavier. So the clerk looked up the commercial base rate, and I paid the difference. I did have the receipt that showed how much I paid. I did not have to pay the difference from commercial base rate compared to the retail rate.

As far as the measurements being off, when I used 29" x 6" x 28" I get an online price of $60.47 to zone 8. If I use 30" x 7" x 30", I get $72.73. Commercial base rate will be lower in each case though.

Either size package is well into dimensional weight. But parcel for the larger package is retail $38.21, so your Ebay rate still would have been cheaper.

Keep in mind I do not know what zone you had to ship to.