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Exceeding shipping dimensions
Hi - relatively new to selling on here. Have just received an order for two items, one of which exceeds the size limit I thought I had put in place. This order has to be posted at small parcel rate, and not as a large letter. There is quite a difference in the prices between the two rates. When I have checked my shipping settings, it will not let me change it from weight band. What have I done wrong, and what do I do about the under payment for postage?
Any advise/help gratefully received. Thank you
Any advise/help gratefully received. Thank you
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I don't believe you can change from a weight band to a cost band (perhaps because they are live in the system) - I think you have to create new bands and then disable or delete the original bands. @Lawrence would know for certain, of course.
Over time, I've only rarely ran into issues with the sizes and weights of parts in the catalog. The big things you can do are:
1. Check your dashboard - is the "some items are missing size or dimensions" note showing on the right? A part like that in an order can certainly cause this kind of skews - click that and see what those items are, then weigh and measure them, submitting them into the catalog. If that was teh cause, that will also be the fix. :-)
2. You may have underestimated padding you need to add in setting up your bands - when I say padding, I mean for accommodating your packaging, any inner polybags, etc., inside your max dimensions or mix/max weight for a postal type. For me, for weights under X oz, I pad a half ounce to accommodate my packing materials and inner polybags; so if a customer buys 3 ounces of parts that fall within that rates max dimensions, they actually pay the 3.5 oz shipping cost to account for the materials. For buys that hit near say 16 oz, I increase that padding to 1 oz, so they pay a 17 oz rate, as heavier packing materials are needed. And so on.
Just some things to consider - good luck with your new store!!! :-)
Many of us have done this at some point. Until you get used to it, shipping options can be awkward at times.
I can't give you an accurate figure - people use differing packaging methods but it's a good idea to establish your average package overs. This is the weight above the item weights after packing and labelling. Also, make sure your dimensions leave room for the packaging itself.
What you (OP) talk of, I have done a couple of times. It can eat the profit of a few orders in an instant, but bare with it and take it on the chin. Excellent customer service will pay you back ten fold.