Regional Rates Overriding Other Methods

[AnnieHowes]

I've been experimenting with the CS for little bit now and just recently added the flat rate options. I only have CS enabled for some of my listings, and the weights and measurements are accurate.

I use regional rate A boxes quite often so I added that as one of my package preferences today and went to test if it worked. It seems that regional rate is overriding the flat rate padded option.

Hers is a link to the product I'm testing: https://www.etsy.com/listing/62707472/liquid-resin-luxe-doming-epoxy-resin

This product fits into a flat rate padded mailer, and weighs 26.5 ounces.

Tested to zip codes 85379 and 23455 (AZ and VA, shipping from AZ)

If I have Regional rate turned off it will charge $6.10

When I add the regional rate A box it tries to charge $10.72 for both locations.

I was under the impression it would charge the cheapest amount available to the customer. Any help would be appreciated!

[Former_Member]

Well that is a puzzler. I use regional box A boxes all the time as well. I have all my boxes listed in package preferences and it only selects box A if it is the cheapest rate.


For the padded mailer - what height dimension have you put in? And what height dimension to you have on the item?

[Former_Member]

I want to add you might want to contact support on this one. I really don't know why it is doing this. Etsy admin does not answer questions here anymore - most of the time we can help, but some problems you need to write to support about.

https://www.etsy.com/help/contact?ref=help_contact

[vintageNCtreasures]

Annie, Maybe Kathy will post since she uses the A boxes a lot.

If you have both the A box and flat rate padded but it's putting items in the A box, I'm guessing it has to do with the dimensions you have for the padded envelope or item dimensions or both.

What is your dimension for the padded mailer?

If you do not have a height entered or only have 1" on that mailer and you have a bigger height for your items, that is why reg. Priority or A box Priority is showing up. The calculator can not put it in there.


On the rate for $10.72 for the A Box, that seems kind of high to some zip codes for a 2 lb or more package.

I'm in NC and I can mail an regional A box from around $5.44 to $9.97.

Since we can't tell what type of Priority is showing on the add to cart page, it could be regular Priority and not the A box rates.

If reg. Prioirty is less, then that's the cost shown but it will only show up Priority to the buyer.

It would show up on your order page, if reg. Priority or a Flat rate box or regional box A or a FR padded envelope.

[vintageNCtreasures]

i see we were typing at the same time again Kathy.......at least we both had the same idea, maybe the problem has to do with the height of the mailer and/or item if it is not putting them in the mailer.

[Former_Member]

Hey Pat, lol we do that a lot!

So I looked - $6.10 for the padded mailer is Retail price, so I guess she has retail prices set, which is why the box A is more for her.

The weird thing is it seems to use the mailer when she doesn't have box A in package preferences - why would it allow it if she didn't have the right dimensions?

I actually just tried adding a padded mailer to my package preferences with a 4 inch height. Then I tested and it never picked that cheaper option that I could tell. I would never use it for my items, but I have dimensions it would fit into. But the calculator never chose it, so that's weird.

[Former_Member]

Pat - do you use the flat rate mailers?

[AnnieHowes]

Thanks for the replies.

The way I have it set up right now it will charge $6.10 no matter what I have in the cart (hat has the CS profile applied) unless it is under 13 oz. I have Etsy common package sizes unchecked, and only 2 package preference sizes.

I did this to try to provide a standard flat rate for all purchases unless first class applied.

The dimensions I have for the padded mailer are 12.5 x 9.5 x 2 (it was 3 previously I made it smaller)

The item dimensions are 6 x 4 x 2. I can fit two of them with packing material into a padded mailer.

I think I will contact support. It's not a large problem because it's doing what I want right now but I would like to be able to add more accurate options in the future :)

[Former_Member]

Annie, we had someone else who had trouble with a flat rate envelope. When she put her item height at 3 inches the calculator put it in her flat rate envelope (she had 4 inches as the height of the envelope). But when she changed the item height to 2 inches - it no longer used the flat rate envelope.

Last I heard Etsy was still investigating this. So I think your best option is to contact Etsy support and report this. They got back to this other seller pretty fast. It is the only way to get this envelope issue resolved.

Good luck.

[vintageNCtreasures]

Kathy, I don't use flat rate mailers with CS.

I do use them but I put same shipping cost to everyone and also put that same cost in the each additional item box incase the item would get purchased with a CS item.

I only use them for fabric and I don't want CS putting something in a mailer that is breakable and with some of my items and I'm pretty sure it could happen.

If I'd use a 9x12 flat rate envelope and put 2", 3" or 4" for the height, it's pretty much the same size as 2 of the reg. Priority boxes.

It looks like if you have an item height of 2" and you can fit 2 in a padded FRE, you'd have to have at least a 4" height, not 2" or 3" because it wouldn't be enough for the CS to fit 2 items.

I remember the other member and it didn't make sense with her items either.

Since she hasn't followed up, support probably hasn't figured out why the calculator is doing this.

[AnnieHowes]

It would be helpful if I knew how their system was trying to package the box. 6x4x2 fits side by side into 12x9x2 but it wont stack. Does that make sense.

It seems like it's trying to package the boxes / envelopes in odd ways that I might not lol.

[Former_Member]

Annie, they say they use a 3 dimensional model I think it was to determine fit. It mostly works very well.

For instance I have an item with dimensions 5.5x3.75x2.5. The calculator will now put 8 of those in a medium flat rate box that measures. 11x8.5x5.5. At first that didn't work but admin worked on it and now it does. That is the perfect number of those items that fit in that box.

It doesn't always work like that though. That is why I suggest you write directly to Etsy. The fact that it won't fit an item into the cheaper envelope option is a problem. Only they can explain that one.

[CkshopperVintage]

I'm the one with the Flat Rate Envelope issue.

Yes, I contacted Support last week on this issue and they couldn't figure out why it was happening either. They stated they were going to keep checking on it and let me know. Well, that was over a week ago and I have not heard back. I emailed them this morning to inquire on an update but did not hear from them today.

The work-around I had to do was what Kathy mentions above in that when I changed the height of my item dimension to 3", it would calculate correctly for the regular size Flat Rate Envelope which I have set in my preferences at 4" in height. Odd thing is, I don't have the issue with Legal Flat Rate envelope when I use dimensions for my item that will fit into that envelope.

You might try using 3" for your FRE, Annie, and see what happens.

I will keep everyone posted when, or if, I hear back from Support.

[Former_Member]

Just bumping this up for Craft aka ByGoneDays

Seems like a similar problem