eBay Will Finally Support USPS Cubic Rates With January 21 Postage Update
UPDATE 1-21-24
eBay sellers are confused as cubic rates go into effect as many expected these rates would be a separate option they would have to select when purchasing shipping labels.
The late announcement regarding shipping indicated that :
Great news! Cubic services are now available for USPS Ground Advantage and Priority Mail effective January 21, 2024.
Smart Ship Tip: Cubic pricing is based on the size of the package instead of the weight; this means it’s even more important to include accurate weights and dimensions for your package so that eBay Labels can display the lowest rate for you.
However did not see anything on Ebay to access it.
Does anyone know how?
But there is no way (yet) to choose Cubic when setting up a listing or a shipping policy.
I haven't messed around with shipping anything yet since it was supposed to change today. However the way it works on pirateship is they will give you priority mail and ground advantage choices if that is cheaper than cubic and then if cubic is cheaper you only have priority cubic or ground Advantage cubic to choose from. So maybe you could experiment and try smaller dimensions at a heavier weight to see if that will suddenly show the cubic as a choice?
However, it appears that eBay is automatically showing cubic rates, if they are cheaper than non-cubic, without disclosing on the label purchasing screen the rates are cubic - it is not a separate option and the seller will only be able to identify if the shipment is using cubic rate by looking at the label after printing.
From the eBay Seller Center help page FAQ:
How can I receive USPS cubic rates for my eBay shipments?
Simply enter accurate weight and dimensions for your package when printing your eBay shipping labels. eBay will automatically offer the best rate, and apply cubic pricing for Priority Mail and Ground Advantage if the cubic rate is better than non-cubic rates.How will I know whether I was charged cubic pricing or non-cubic pricing for my shipping label?
If you were charged for cubic pricing, you will see the cubic price tier above the USPS zone indicated on the top section of the label—remember, you will be charged the lower of cubic or non-cubic pricing for packages that qualify for cubic pricing.
This may explain why some sellers are seeing rates not changing for Priority or Ground Advantage even if they change the weight from 1 lbs to 19 lbs if the dimensions stay the same.
Presumably, eBay is automatically applying the cubic rate if it is cheaper, it just does not note cubic anywhere on the shipping page, as in these examples:
eBay put out an announcement today providing sellers with details of USPS rate changes slated for January 21, 2024 and good news sellers - cubic rates will finally be available for labels purchased through eBay!
USPS has announced rate changes that will go into effect on January, 21, 2024. Here are the changes on eBay Labels:
Priority Mail:
Most rates are decreasing, with savings up to $4.54 for packages up to 20 lbs. depending on the package weight and zone.Priority Mail Flat Rate:
Postage will increase between $0.37 and $0.56 per shipment.Ground Advantage:
Packages under one pound will increase an average of 5.4%. Packages over one pound remain mostly unchanged.Media Mail:
Postage will increase up to $0.21 per shipment.eBay Standard Envelope is increasing $0.01 across all three weights:
1 oz. $0.64
2 oz. $0.88
3 oz. $1.12Great news! Cubic services are now available for USPS Ground Advantage and Priority Mail effective January 21, 2024.
Smart Ship Tip: Cubic pricing is based on the size of the package instead of the weight; this means it’s even more important to include accurate weights and dimensions for your package so that eBay Labels can display the lowest rate for you.
Read the USPS announcement for full details, updated fees and surcharges.
As always, thank you for selling on eBay.
Sellers had hoped cubic rates would be added to eBay in January 2023 when regional rate options were discontinued.
At that time, eBay had said they were working to negotiate cubic rates and it was "on the roadmap" for 2023.
Liz Morton
It will also be interesting to see once the new rates go live if eBay incorporates any of the price adjustments for Ground Advantage and Priority Mail they had previously "inadvertently" applied on January 8th before backtracking and reverting back to the old rates.
Liz Morton
Are you looking forward to being able to purchase USPS Cubic rate labels through eBay? Let us know in the comments below!
