Quick answer
Sometimes, package carriers may determine that the entered weight and dimensions for a shipping label created on Reverb may have a variance from what they've received and will update the weight and dimensions accordingly. If there is a difference, any additional charges or credits go back to the shipper. When this happens, Reverb will apply any additional label costs to your monthly Reverb statement.
Why did Reverb bill this? How does Reverb know this was accurate?
Shipping Providers audit the weight and dimensions of each shipment against what was originally entered. They use the greater of the actual weight of a package or the dimensional weight, a calculation based on the size of the package. Depending on the entered and audited dimensions either could have been used for the quoted rate and final rate. For more information please see this explanation from UPS.
The only data Reverb has in these situations is what is provided as the audited weight or dimensions from the carrier and the resulting charges. Unfortunately, we are not able to dispute the charges or request additional information. Since UPS and Fedex are able to audit packages in this way, their scales and measuring devices are federally regulated and are themselves audited to ensure accuracy.
While these situations are quite rare, we do make it a point to make sure that any affected orders are noted accordingly on your statement. When purchasing a shipping label, Reverb always suggests that our sellers use tools such as scales and tape measures to ensure that the provided dimensions are accurate.
How can I avoid Shipping Charge Corrections?
Be sure to measure the final shipping box’s external dimensions and do not use the internal box dimensions that are often printed on the bottom of many shipping grade boxes. UPS and Fedex round up to the nearest inch, so if one of your external box dimension is 22 1/4 inches, then round it up to 23 inches to avoid additional charges. Additionally, we recommend avoiding using home scales to weigh your packages.
Double-check that any empty spaces or voids within the shipping box are fully filled with packing material. Any empty space within a shipping box may result in damage or deformation while the package is in transit, which may lead to an increase in the box’s dimensions when the package is measured by the carrier.
We also suggest checking out our Reverb Shipping Guide for more information when shipping out any gear you may have recently sold!
How was the dimensional weight incorrect? I used a shipping/packing service by the shipping carrier.
Many of our sellers like to use UPS and Fedex shipping centers for packaging services. If one of these locations are building custom boxes or packaging for your item, be sure to double check the final weight and dimensions of the box before generating a shipping label. Custom built boxes are more likely to receive an audit, so dimensional accuracy is highly important in these situations.
In addition to custom built boxes, non rectangular or triangular boxes are also prime candidates for audit. If you are unsure on the exact measurement of one of these kinds of boxes, then imagine the package as a rectangular box, and be sure to use the greatest dimensions measurable for length, width, and height to avoid any additional charges.
Example of a Shipping Label Adjustment:
UPS and Fedex primarily charge rates based on Dimensional weight rather than charging based on the actual, physical weight of the package. Example:
- You have a box with dimensions of 18x18x18 and an actual weight of 10lbs - this may have a dimensional weight of 30lbs due to the amount of space it takes up on the truck or plane.
- If UPS were to audit this package and determine that the box is in fact 19x19x19 that could increase the dimensional weight to 40lbs and would incur an additional shipping charge.
- In this case, the audited weight of the box would be reported as 40lbs even if the box’s actual weight is still only 10lbs.