Poshmark Ends USPS HAZMAT Fee Protection, Sellers Face Full $50 Charge
Poshmark sellers will soon be responsible for the full $50 USPS hazardous materials noncompliance fee when shipments are flagged, ending protections the marketplace put in place when the new charge launched just three months ago.
The company initially covered the full $50 when USPS introduced the charge July 12, then began charging sellers just $5 while absorbing the remaining $45 starting August 1.
Liz Morton
Poshmark said at the time that the reduced seller fee was subject to change, but sellers were still only responsible for $5 of what can be a particularly expensive USPS penalty. That changes October 19, when the marketplace will stop covering any portion of the fee.
The latest announcement does not explain why Poshmark is ending its $45 contribution. Instead, the company is focusing on how sellers can avoid being charged, particularly when reusing packaging that still has hazardous materials labels or markings from a previous shipment.
darshinivposhmark.com
According to Poshmark, one of the most common reasons packages are being flagged is old HAZMAT markings left on reused boxes, including the black-and-white Limited Quantity diamond commonly found on packaging for beauty products, aerosols, cleaning supplies and other regulated goods.
Sellers are being told to completely remove or cover those markings before shipping, since packages can be treated as containing hazardous materials even when the current contents are not regulated.
USPS introduced the $50 noncompliance fee for commercial packages with missing or mismatched hazardous materials information or markings. It can also apply when actual hazardous goods are not properly declared or prepared for shipment, including common resale items such as perfume, nail polish, aerosols and electronics containing lithium batteries.
Marketplace reactions to the new fee have been mixed. eBay and Etsy did not offer similar protections, while Mercari began splitting the $50 fee with sellers September 1, covering $25 and deducting the other $25 from seller earnings.
Liz Morton
With Poshmark now backing away, how long will Mercari continue covering half the fee?
