Seller beware

[Rolling Thunder]

I'm going to attempt to make this not sound ranty but as more of a cautionary tale.

I recently sold a speaker cab in a box that measured 26x26x26" and weighed 50 pounds (I rounded up from 49.8).

I get a message today from Reverb (remember not to shoot the messenger) that UPS is charging me additional money for "dimensional weight".

I gave them quantifiable units of measure (inches & pounds). They have something else.

Okeedokie....

 

[Hot Rats]

Orwellian...... wow.

 

[RyanOh]

They are implying the box was larger than 26x26x26.

 

[Rolling Thunder]

Orwellian...... wow.

To me it sounds like a "because we can" fee. Funny that Reverb is the one telling me this and not UPS.

 

[Rolling Thunder]

They are implying the box was larger than 26x26x26.

Ok. It has the dimensions printed on the side. I'm looking at the circled example of how 10 pounds is actually 30 pounds due to the space it takes on a truck or plane.

 

[Alkali Ike]

Dimensional weight has been a real thing forever. If you ship a 3’ x 3’ x 3’ box of feathers that weighs 10 lbs you’re going to be charged dimensional weight.

I’ve run into this many times myself. :-/

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[Rolling Thunder]

Dimensional weight has been a real thing forever. If you ship a 3’ x 3’ x 3’ box of feathers that weighs 10 lbs you’re going to be charged dimensional weight.

I’ve run into this many times myself. :-/

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Funny I was jokingly thinking how "Big Feather" or "Big Pillow" must be getting fleeced.

Full disclosure: the additional fee is $91.08. So not exactly small peanuts.

 

[klejst]

Anything to make an extra buck...

 

[dbsfgyd1]

Dimensional weight has been a real thing forever. If you ship a 3’ x 3’ x 3’ box of feathers that weighs 10 lbs you’re going to be charged dimensional weight.

I’ve run into this many times myself. :-/

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Just asking, who wanted 10lbs of feathers? LOL!!!

 

[Topkat13]

Life at point blank range. I would get an attorney.

 

[db59]

Geesh... I'll need to go on a diet now.... instantly gained weight depending if I'm standing or in fetal position.

 

[Wasnex]

It seems reasonable for them to charge dimensional weight.

It does not seem reasonable for them to adjust the charge after the fact if you provided accurate information to begin with.

Probably not much you can do about it though.

 

[Alkali Ike]

Life at point blank range. I would get an attorney.

Saul Goodman might be a good candidate. Lol.

I don’t see how the shipper could have a case unless the dimensional weight issue isn’t clearly disclosed. It might be unknown to the majority of “infrequent shippers”, but I bet it’s somewhere in the fine print you signed off on.

“I could be wrong, but I don’t think I am”.

 

[Plain Old Barry]

Ok. It has the dimensions printed on the side. I'm looking at the circled example of how 10 pounds is actually 30 pounds due to the space it takes on a truck or plane.

Bad wording on their part.

Planes care about weight, not just spatial volume.

 

[Lostgallifreyan]

It seems reasonable for them to charge dimensional weight.

It does not seem reasonable for them to adjust the charge after the fact if you provided accurate information to begin with.

Probably not much you can do about it though.

I've heard of this in the UK, the term being 'volumetric weight'. It seems silly but isn't really, there's a basic cost of fuelling and running any kind of vehicle, so the haulier has to consider the loss of income from the likely density in normal conditions, vs the lower density of a large parcel.

Even so, a contract is a contract, no matter how basic and implied it is, so bait-and-switch is bad. Firms like ParcelForce get a bad rep (but not as bad as the infamous 'OOPS') for various problems, but they do declare up front in terms and conditions. They just expect accuracy in measurement.

If what they end up charging doesn't match terms and conditions, OR the correct vitalstatistix of the package, then here we have the Small Claims Court... Just mentioning it is often enough to prompt a reassessment of charges, if the client has the right facts.

 

[Lostgallifreyan]

Geesh... I'll need to go on a diet now.... instantly gained weight depending if I'm standing or in fetal position.

I suspect that's how they'd charge for it if you wanted to lie across three seats of an aircraft. Mind you it's not your weight that bothers them, it's the other paying passengers who aren't sitting in the two extra seats..

 

[BD Jones]

Dimensional weight has been a real thing forever. If you ship a 3’ x 3’ x 3’ box of feathers that weighs 10 lbs you’re going to be charged dimensional weight.

I’ve run into this many times myself. :-/

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This is 100% correct. The issue is that a large box means more smaller boxes cannot fit on the truck or in the shipping container causing the shipper (it isn't just UPS that does this) to use another vehicle or container, causing them more operating costs. It can actually cost more for the company to ship a larger box that is light than a smaller box that is heavy. Weird, but true.

 

[EdO.]

Life at point blank range. I would get an attorney.

To do what? There's nothing to litigate. Dimensional weight charges aren't anything new and like any business they'll charge what the market will bear, enough at least to stay in the black operating expenses wise plus some profit. Business 101.

I've operated a sideline business since 1989 (just recently retired from) shipping over length packages all over the planet. Same issue, too large (or long in my case) packages if it's over something like 42" or 48" (I forget) they hit you for 70 lbs regardless of weight. You pay it or you find another lower cost method to shipping (best of luck on that, I've looked extensively) or you deliver personally...

It seems reasonable for them to charge dimensional weight.

It does not seem reasonable for them to adjust the charge after the fact if you provided accurate information to begin with.

Probably not much you can do about it though.

You can always dispute a charge, there's a method to start the process on their website. Yeah they don't make it particularly easy but if you have facts that support your claim IMO they've always been pretty fair. I've been through it several times, it's doable. PITA but doable.

 

[RyanOh]

Ok. It has the dimensions printed on the side. I'm looking at the circled example of how 10 pounds is actually 30 pounds due to the space it takes on a truck or plane.

Weight becomes irrelevant. You're paying for the overall size of the box, this isn't a new thing. It weighs less than they expected for the overall dimensions, and the dimensional weight is X. Its just a formula.

 

[Wood and Wire]

It costs a fully fuelled truck / aeroplane / ship, X-amount to complete a delivery route.

Filling up most of the cargo compartment with a giant box, containing a single peacock feather, is like hiring an entire venue for a private function, and only inviting a couple of friends, instead of filling the venue to capacity with paying ticket holders.


But yeah, sorry you got walloped by an unexpected penalty / upcharge, and a pretty big one too.