Shipping Rate discrepancies

[ericsells75]

Ok,  I'm new and I see a lot of shipping threads. But..I have a question that I haven't seen answered. 

I have two issues:

Issue 1 - I have two puzzles for sale. Exact same dimensions, exact same weight. On the search summary page it shows the shipping as 20.66 for one item and 18.52 for the other. Both using my postal code. So that's the first part that's confusing. 

Issue 2 - When I click into either listing to look at the details the shipping tab there shows 28.88 for both, again to my postal code.

So why the difference between the two on the summary page. And then why the huge jump on the details page?

[reallynicestamps]

My first thought/ WAG was-- different services.

I don't have the Canada Post parcel rates handy, but to the USA a 500 gram shipment would be $11.14 if by LetterPost, $12.19 by Small Packet and $20.10 by Tracked Packet.

And it is possible that both Sellers chose Tracked Packet as his first option when giving the buyer a choice in shipping services (and costs).

Here is the Canada Post rates page:

https://www.canadapost.ca/cpotools/apps/far/business/findARate?execution=e1s1

[ericsells75]

Nope same service, Expedited parcel and only to Canada.

[pjcdn2005]

With my postal code in Alberta, both puzzle listings show shipping of $24.64 on the search page and $26.84 when I click on each listings. I'm not sure why they are different.  Do you have a $2 handling charge?  

I have no idea why you are seeing what you are...especially that you are seeing a $28 charge to your own city and I'm seeing a lower rate.

[ericsells75]

No - no handling charge

[pjcdn2005]

tyler@ebay 

Why would I be seeing one price on the search page for the op's shipping cost and another when I click on the actual listing.   They are seeing two different prices as well though the difference between the search page shipping cost and the listing page is quite a bit different. 

I see different shipping costs on the search and listing page of all the their listings that I checked but here are the 2 that I referred to in a previous post.

Item: 193502268666

Item: 193502266734

[tyler@ebay]

Hi @pjcdn2005 - let me see what I can find out. Thanks for the example!

[ericsells75]

Yes please let me know as soon as you can. I looked at my other listings more closely and am seeing $5-10 higher prices on the listing page so I really feel like this is affecting sales.  

[esclyons]

i am seeing the same, your prices jump much higher when i click on your items, as opposed to seeing them in regular format.. very weird.. i am going to check some of my own..

[ericsells75]

You know what it almost seems like is happening is on my items for sale summary it's showing my rate with Canada Post with the small business discount and on the detail screen it shows without the discount. It's not exact but it's close.

I'd really like to figure this out because honestly I think it's affecting sales. Someone see a 39.99 item and then sees 32 for shipping...I know I wouldn't buy it. 

[reallynicestamps]

If your shipment is under 500grams and 2cm thick you can ship it LetterPost.

It will not be trackable, but the post office is pretty good at its job and "losses in the mail" are rare.

Although the demographic you sell into can be ... difficult.

You could look into Flat Rate Shipping.

Letter Post is always Flat Rate.

And Free Shipping.

You will be putting some of your shipping and packaging costs into your asking price.

Which is cheapest?

A $30 item with $30 shipping?

A $60 item with Free Shipping?

 A $45 item with $15 shipping?

A $55 item with $5 shipping?

Of course, with bulky Parcel rates, you are also looking a destination as a factor, as well as weight and thickness.

Pick a few zipcodes and see how much it will cost to ship to each.

Then average it out.
What you lose on the coconuts, you make back on the roundabouts.

Shipping is the hardest part of selling mail order.

Keep records and as long as your shipping costs are by the end of the month lower than the shipping you charged, it's fine.

[ericsells75]

Thanks @reallynicestamps but that isn’t actually the issue I am having. The issue is eBay showing two very different shipping amounts.

[ericsells75]

Just as a follow up - because who knows how long a solution will take I found that adding a 30% discount to match my small business discount in shipping preferences bought the shipping costs down to the same as the summary screen. Not exact but close enough. 

Just very frustrating - there has to be a better reason/solution than this...

[tyler@ebay]

Hi @ericsells75 - still waiting for more information from my shipping experts, but while I do I had a thought. 

Did you revise these items soon after listing them? Say within the first 24 hours?

Thanks!

[ericsells75]

Possibly but I didn't revise all of them and they ALL have the issue not just the examples given. ALL of my listings have this issue. In the meantime because I am positive it's affecting sales I put a 30% discount in my shipping preferences to bring them closer together. 

[ericsells75]

Any update?

[ericsells75]

Still hoping for an update. Honestly I've gone and mucked with a ton of my settings and nothing seems to fix it. Adding discount made it closer for some but not others. I've set up flat fee on a few items to get around this as well so original examples might not be valid. 

Item 193500923705 has the issue still even with a discount. What's odd is it only appears to be Canadian shipping. If I fake my address to US 90210 then  there is no discrepancy. 

tyler@ebay 

[tyler@ebay]

Hi @ericsells75 - I have heard back on this -  it's still being investigated, but no formal answer as yet. 

The initial supposition is that there's a Canada Post fuel surcharge that isn't updating in the search results page, but is updating properly on the View Item Page. 

Thanks for the additional example!

[ericsells75]

tyler@ebay thanks for the reply. I appreciate that you are still looking at it. 

I've done random searches on other Canadian sellers and have yet to find the issue with any of them so perhaps my setting are off but I've tried setting everything I could and back again. 

I'm not sure I agree with a Fuel Surcharge issue. I mean a package from Ontario to Vancouver via CP has a fuel surcharge of .49 on Canada Post website. My discrepancies are as high as $10 on some items. 

But in case it wasn't clear I wanted to reiterate - it doesn't happen when estimating shipping to the US. If the summary says 10.51 the detail also says 10.51. It only happens when shipping within Canada (which is where I am) 

If gets to a point where someone needs more detail let me know, I've been looking at this a lot.

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[ericsells75]

tyler@ebay Weekly check in. Any update? Going on 3 weeks now with not even a hint of a resolution.