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Seller beware

#41
1) You are correct. Getting an email a month later, and an additional charge of upward of $100, are both ridiculous.

2) Why the heck would ANYONE sell ANYTHING on Reverb with FREE SHIPPING these days????? Especially a speaker csb?????

Come on, man! High shipping costs have been all over the national news, and a topic of conversation almost daily here. Many who used to sell on Reverb all the time have switched to local deals only.

You simply can't throw in shipping these days. Period. Those days are over. Should you have figured on $200 shipping? Maybe not. But you SHOULD have known that shipping a speaker cab was going to be ridiculously expensive.
 
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#44
LBS-bass said:
I’ve bought pillows recently. Both purchases came vacuum packed, squeezed into the smallest box imaginable. There’s a reason for that.
Click to expand...

Slightly off-topic: I bought a Nectar king mattress which arrived in a similar fashion. Weighed a ton but I was able to wrestle it onto the box springs before slicing off the poly overwrap. Thought it would slowly resume it's normal state...nope. That thing re-inflated like pulling the cord on a life raft while pinning me up against the wall in the process.

I'm no good on my own.

Riis
 
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#46
ouch.
I've typically never had issues with UPS. (several decades of great service)
However, I did get some charge backs in the past year or so through a commercial account at work for "audited dimensions".
The box would have had to have been "distorted" to measure a fraction over...



Edit: I remember one shipment was with a box from Home Depot box that was (something like) 16x16x20 and listed the dimensions boldly on the box.
Who's going to think to check - you're just going to enter those dimentions.
I suppose it was a fraction over or something.
Maybe UPS is aware of this, and it's an easy Target...
All the more reason to measure and photograph it!

On the other hand - I never have to worry about weight when I'm shipping a bass....
 
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#48
I don't know anything about reverb policy changes but I have worked in transportation for 30yrs. Dimensional weight has always been a thing. If my truck is filled I can't put anymore work on that driver. Trucks are hard to get, more expensive and fuel is almost $6 where I am. I hope things get better but I would expect higher shipping cost going forward.
 
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#51
I use UPS a LOT for my business. They have used "dimensional weight" for decades. Not a huge deal. I purchase labels through either ShipStation or EasyShip. There are many other software/sites that make it easy (including Reverb). You will get commercial rates if you do this. UPS will check the weight and dimensions of "randomly" selected packages. They call it an "audit." A few times, I have been dinged for under-measuring dimensions. They notify me directly because I have an account with them. I am betting the OP does not and that is why UPS informed them via Reverb.

I generally measure/weigh packages accurately so this is not (no longer) a problem. My ONE GRIPE?

They never notify me that I OVER-measured a package and will get a refund. NEVER! Bastards... :(
 
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#52
Rolling Thunder said:
View attachment 4822007 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....
Click to expand...
They charge me extra shipping cost, even when I pay the difference in the UPS store when I drop it off.
 
#53
Spidey2112 said:
Does the dimensional thing kick in only when transportation is at capacity? Which is probably 24/7, these days, right? Less so, when it's not?
Click to expand...
No because the work is very random and I can't charge different rates to familiar customers based on how busy or slow we are. Almost daily I have to turn down work because my driver won't meet the their deadlines if I add to them or if a truck is full. The idea of Dimensional weight is so the trucker gets paid fairly for a full load. Also larger items need larger vehicle which are more expensive to run. Fuel and wages are more dependent on distance then weight. Dimensional weight is the toughest thing to explain to new employees in the office though. :)
 
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#54
I shipped a box that had fractional dimensions, like 15 1/2”, which I rounded down to 15”. That’s pretty close right? BUSTED! They caught it. Gotta round up to 16, not down to 15.

When I’ve shipped large-ish boxes at USPS, even though the box weighed like 15 lbs, their length + girth rule applied. Measuring with a tape measure determined that I had to pay more than I expected.
 
#55
Alkali Ike said:
I shipped a box that had fractional dimensions, like 15 1/2”, which I rounded down to 15”. That’s pretty close right? BUSTED! They caught it. Gotta round up to 16, not down to 15.

When I’ve shipped large-ish boxes at USPS, even though the box weighed like 15 lbs, their length + girth rule applied. Measuring with a tape measure determined that I had to pay more than I expected.
Click to expand...

You have to round up because physical space does not allow for you to round down. 15.5 does not allow you to place it in a space that’s only 15. That is what freight carriers are concerned with.
 
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#56
Dimensional weight is a thing that I have dealt with several times so I am aware of it anytime I ship. It is a common practice for shippers all over the world. The thing that seems unfair about this case though is that they had the dimensions and weight ahead of the shipment and should have used that information for the original quote. There is no logical reason to come back a month later with an updated amount. Not sure what you can do at this point other than complain to the shipper and/or your states consumer affairs division. Best of luck to you.
 
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#57
I also got slaughtered this week by UPS Ground dimensional weight.

Actual weight, double boxed instrument was 25 lbs. "Dimensional weight" of *103 lbs*

Nearly tripled the cost. It was a trade deal, so I'd committed to ship that day. Arrived fine, but Dear God, I could have flown it there personally for the same coin.
 
#58
two fingers said:
1) You are correct. Getting an email a month later, and an additional charge of upward of $100, are both ridiculous.

2) Why the heck would ANYONE sell ANYTHING on Reverb with FREE SHIPPING these days????? Especially a speaker csb?????

Come on, man! High shipping costs have been all over the national news, and a topic of conversation almost daily here. Many who used to sell on Reverb all the time have switched to local deals only.

You simply can't throw in shipping these days. Period. Those days are over. Should you have figured on $200 shipping? Maybe not. But you SHOULD have known that shipping a speaker cab was going to be ridiculously expensive.
Click to expand...

Yep I stopped selling/shipping stuff a few years ago. Too expensive now. If I sell any gear now it's local sale only.
 
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#59
Another thing to keep in mind is the fact that while you may be buying an 18" cube box sold as such, those dimensions are based on the interior of the box. The actual external size of an 18" cube box maybe 18.5" and that could have an impact on dimensional weigh assessments. I'm just using an 18" cube box as an example but it speaks to how and why people wind up with charges from UPS and FedEx after they have shipped an item. You bought a box that you thought was 18" on each side, didn't measure and got hit with extra costs after the package was delivered.
 
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#60
I took a bass to USPS for shipping recently and they wouldn't accept it. They said the box was too big.

It was a regular size bass box, 52" x 20" x 8". The same size box I've shipped via USPS many times before.

I took it around the corner to the UPS store and they shipped it, no problem.
 

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