eBay and Etsy Sellers Question Surprise USPS Ground Advantage Rate Drops
eBay and Etsy sellers are reporting seemingly unannounced rate drop for some USPS Ground Advantage packages, leaving them wondering if the discounts are real or the result of a glitch.
The significantly lower rates appear to be applying to shipments in the 3-5 lb range, with rates for these packages coming up lower than 1-2 lb parcels using the same dimensions.
Sellers in the eBay community forum discussing the issue were skeptical that the lower rates are real, with some raising concerns that they could receive rate adjustments if they use the labels they've printed today at the steeply discounted prices.
stainlessenginecovers
At first I thought- winner winner chicken dinner!!
Then I thought, "If I print it- will it have a problem at USPS and get returned or want more $$ from my customer (both bad)
In case you haven't noticed:
When buying/printing a label (at least as of today) using USPS (don't know about the others) Ground Advantage is way off. Going from West Coast to East Coast a Ground Advantage label will cost
- 1 lb 10 oz- $11
- 2 lbs 10oz-$8
- 3 lbs 10oz $10
So 2 and 3 lbs + is far less than it's ever been as well as less than 1 lb.
Same. I aborted my label printing session until I know what is going on. I have been aware for about 24 hours now so odd ebay hasn't fixed it or issued statement.
One seller said eBay support informed them it was an error.
I spoke with a rep on the phone earlier who confirmed this indeed bugged. Wait until later or tomorrow to print your labels, after it gets fixed.
But another says they are seeing the same pricing dynamics through PirateShip, indicating it is not exclusively an eBay issue.
Pirateship currently is also calculating some very low Ground Advantage Commercial values for shipping to Zone 8 for 3lbs (like half of what it should cost)
Etsy sellers are also reporting they are seeing the same issue today as well, further confirming it does not appear to be a platform specific problem.
Etsy Community Shipping
Is anyone seeing their USPS rates that seem unusually low? My cost is usually $7 - $13, and today I am shipping a package that is actually heavier than I usually ship, and Etsy is giving me a cost of $5.86..... don't want my customer to have to pay for her package because I didn't put enough postage on her order.
And another Etsy seller also said they were seeing the same lower rates in PirateShip as well, suggesting if there is a technical issue it may be on the USPS side.
I almost exclusively use PirateShip and today noticed the cost of the USPS label I printed was lower than what was quoted a day ago when it was ordered. Perhaps it's an issue with the USPS site that PirateShip and Etsy tap into, I don't know, but I don't think it's an Etsy issue.
While it's certainly possible there could be a technical issue in play, it's also possible that these platforms are seeing deeper discounts targeting certain size/weight/zone ranges as a result of their negotiated agreements with USPS and those discounts are being passed on to users.
Online sellers were similarly perplexed at random USPS Ground Advantage rate changes announced in May that were only supposed to be in effect for a three-week period.
Liz Morton
In an announcement posted to sellers at that time, eBay advised the temporary rate update would run from May 18-June 7 and would decrease prices for 3-5 lb packages shipping to zones 1-8.
USPS® Rate Update
USPS has announced a temporary price update for some Ground Advantage shipments effective May 18th, 2026 to June 7th, 2026. These changes apply to USPS Ground Advantage rates when you purchase labels through eBay Labels.
Rate update highlights:
Overall, this update lowers costs for many 2–5 lb shipments, though changes vary by weight and zone.
- 2 lb packages: Rates increasing for Zones 1 and 5–8 by up to $0.87, and decreasing for Zones 2–4 by up to $0.12
- 3–5 lb packages: Rates decreasing for Zones 1–8 by up to $1.39
That temporary period ended 2 weeks ago, but it's interesting that what sellers are reporting today seems to effect some of the same weight ranges - though the discounts appear to be even steeper now.
USPS has come under fire for significantly ratcheting up shipping rates as it looks for solutions to ongoing financial woes, with a controversial 8% "transportation-related time-limited price change" added in April ahead of regular annual changes planned for July 12, 2026.
Notably, USPS is lowering the dimensional weight (DIM weight) divisor from 166 to 139 as part of the July update, making larger lightweight items more expensive to ship.
Liz Morton
The July changes suggest USPS is increasingly focused on either generating more revenue from larger packages or discouraging shippers from using USPS for those shipments, with a new rule that will also go into effect July 12, requiring accurate length, width, and height on all manifested parcels shipped via Parcel Select, USPS Ground Advantage, Priority Mail, and Priority Mail Express - and punitive non-compliance fees coming in 2027.
Liz Morton
Along those same lines, it’s possible USPS could be testing or refining rate pricing to incentivize higher shipment volume within specific size, weight, or zone ranges - and that the surprise three-week “temporary price update” was an early trial run.
If so, USPS could have potentially locked similar discounts into negotiated service agreements ahead of the July rate changes, but it's also still possible there could be a glitch or technical issue in play here as well.
Requests for comment sent to USPS, eBay, and Etsy have not received a response as of time of publishing.
Stay tuned for updates in this developing story and let us know in the comments below if you are seeing deeper discounts on 3-5 lb USPS Ground Advantage labels purchased through eBay, Etsy, PirateShip, or other providers.
