Huge discrepancy- "calculated" vs shipping label

[Former_Member]

Customer orders 8 bars of soap. Calculated shipping algorithm correctly figures out that these will fit into a 5x5x5 box and weigh 2 pounds. Charges customer $14.95 for Priority.

I plug exactly the same info into the shipping label form- 5x5x5 box, 2 lbs- and get charged $5 and change.

I can certainly go ahead and refund the difference, as I have been all along, but why in the world are the two calculators coming up with completely different results on exactly the same info?

[vintageNCtreasures]

What weight do you have for 1 bar of soap?

What kind of handling or packing fee do you have attached to the profile for these?

I added to cart several of your items and getting high cost even for first class.

These are the items:
Neroli Rose Soap with Cedarwood and Patchouli (Black Rose)
FC $4.09.
Priority $7.23.

I add this 2nd item:
Comes up:
FC $6.11.
Prirority $8.23.

3 bars is coming up $8.40 FC or $9.23 Priority.

These are to my zip of 28086 which is not that far from GA.

$8.23 is VERY high for FC...even for 15 oz package almost double the $4.40 etsy rate for FC).

These rates kind of tell me several things:

#1: you have too much weight PER bar.

#2 which I think is more likely .........you have a fairly high packing fee on your shipping profile which is PER item.

I know the weight isn't over 16 oz, because it is still showing up FC on my cart page.

If you are using Etsy postage rates, once an order gets over 16 oz. FC is no longer an option (or 13 oz for retail rates).

IF you have a handling fee attached to your FC and Priority profiles then it gets ADDED per item.

Someone buys 8 different items, that is 8 handling fees added.

If you have package preferences set and a fee on that, then the handling fee is PER order.

[Former_Member]

Hello Pat, thank you for the reply =)

I have my weights per bar accurate, and before I added package preferences (for the different bubble mailers and boxes that I have available), I noticed that the handling fee was being charged per item. I looked up how to change that and thought that adding the separate mailer/box options as package preferences was supposed to fix it. How exactly do I make sure that the handling fee is only being charged per order and not per item? I had the same exact problem with my shipping prices going way up with each additional item before calculated shipping. I can't figure out what I am doing wrong.

[Former_Member]

I think I just figured it out! I looked at the package preference directions again, and noticed that 'the package fee is in addition to the handling fee'. I thought they were the same thing. So I set all the package fees to 0 and in the profile is the handling fee. Hopefully it is working correctly now. Your reply, Pat, made all the difference!

[Former_Member]

Bath Cat - if you want to take the handling fee off of each item you go into your profiles - that is were you added it and that is where you can take it out.


Then you can add just one handling fee to the box in Package Preferences if you want to.

I still got $12.95 I think it was for 5 bars. Is that what you want?

[Former_Member]

Well it was $12.55 for 5 bars
$8.40 for 4
Those 2 were Priority
For 3 bars it was $6.29 FC
$4.59 for 2 bars FC
$3.01 for 1 bar FC

It still looks like you are overcharging what you want to be charging.

[vintageNCtreasures]

I just put 3 bars and got $7.40 for FC and $8.23 for Priority. No better than it was earlier.

Added 4 and it came up only Priority for $9.44.

But for 4 bars of soap that I assume weigh a little over 1 lb, $9.44 is high to me in NC since you're only in GA.

I put in a GA zip code on usps and for a 1 lb. 1 oz to 2 lb box cost was only $5.44.

It's coming up almost $4.00 more.

I think that handling fee on the shipping profiles are still there.

To get the handling fee to show up only once it needs to be on your package preferences section *only*.

[Former_Member]

Okay, I had it backwards. I had put $0.00 on all the package fees and $1.00 as the handling fee. Once I reversed those as suggested...NOW I think it's working properly.
Thank you Pat and Kathy, for spending the time to look at my listings and talk to me =)

[Former_Member]

Much better! Just be aware that getting the calculator to fit what you want it to fit into which box you want it to fit into is not doing the best job it could right now. But it is calculating much lower shipping for you now. Hurray!

[Former_Member]

Just so you know what it is calculating for me now zip 02816

1 - $3.01
2 - 3.59
3 - 4.29
4 - 5.40
5 to 8 bars $8.55
9 - 10.11

Hope that helps. Looks good.

[Former_Member]

Yes thank you so much! I noticed that the 'boxing' part wasn't working quite right yet either, but I figured deal with one problem at a time =) Sounds like there's nothing I can do about the other one yet anyway.

[Former_Member]

That box problem isn't on your end. You've done it right. It's up to Etsy to fix the calculator on their end now.

[Former_Member]

I figured as much =) Do y'all check the Etsy common package sizes as well?

[Former_Member]

Some do and some don't.

Personally I only use a particular set of boxes - some are flat and regional rate, some are Priority USPS boxes, and some I have to buy myself. I have the etsy common boxes unchecked and I have all 11 of the boxes I use listed in Package Preferences. That way I know the calculator will only select from the boxes I have and use.

Others do it differently and I will let them chime in how they have it set up.

[MissMagpiesShoppe]

Bath Cat.............what an awesome name!

I have the Etsy common package sizes UNCHECKED.

I only use the Package Preferences section with my own boxes listed, I mainly use USPS Priority Mail and their flat rate boxes.