eBay Labels: New USPS Rates Coming January 22, 2023

eBay provided an update on upcoming USPS shipping rate increases sellers will have to pay when using its eBay Labels shipping solution.

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The marketplace offers negotiated USPS rates which are less expensive than buying postage at the post office or through its Click-N-Ship program.

In the fall of 2022, USPS announced new rates for 2023, with an average increase on retail prices of 5.5% on USPS Priority Mail and 6.6% on USPS Priority Mail Express services. Additionally, USPS will be raising on average retail rates on USPS First-Class Package Service by 7.8% and USPS Retail Ground prices by 6.4%.

All of these USPS rate adjustments are going into effect on January 22, 2023, when US Postal Service peak rates from the past holiday season will end. Fortunately for sellers, eBay’s negotiated rate increases will be on average less than the retail rate increases customers would pay at the post office.

Impact on eBay Labels

eBay said that most Priority Mail rates for packages up to 10 lbs will not increase when sellers print their shipping labels on eBay. There will be no rate increases in the following weights and zones on eBay Labels:

• Packages up to 2 lbs, zones 1 – 6 
• Packages 2-3 lbs, zones 1 – 5  
• Packages 4-10 lbs, up to zone 4 
• Flat rate Priority Mail, except APO/FPO/DPO  

However, for the following USPS shipping services, prices on eBay Label will increase by an average of:

• Priority Mail Express: 6.6%
• First Class Package: 7.8%
• Priority Mail International: 6%
• Priority Mail Express International: 6%
• First Class Package International Service: 6.5%

These increases mostly match the same increases other Postal Service customers will see.

USPS Regional Rate Boxes for Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express are being discontinued by the Postal Service and that rate will no longer be available on eBay Labels on January 22, 2023.

Some sellers on the eBay community forums have claimed that they are already finding those rates have disappeared on eBay Labels. Therefore sellers should double-check if those rates are still being shown.

Also, sellers may continue to use USPS Priority Mail Regional boxes, but they will be priced based on regular Priority Mail or Priority Mail Express rates.

In addition, USPS is also adjusting some service fees, which will equally apply to labels printed on eBay Labels:

• Signature confirmation is increasing by $0.15 to $3.25
• Nonstandard Length fee (>30”) is decreasing from $15.00 to $7.00 for Parcel Select Ground
• Nonstandard Volume fee (> 2 cu ft) is increasing from $15.00 to $25.00 for Priority Mail & Priority Mail Express

For eBay’s “Standard Envelope” product which is shipped via the U.S. Postal Service, sellers will be paying the following rates beginning on January 22, 2023.

• 1 oz. $0.60 
• 2 oz. $0.84 
• 3 oz. $1.08

And finally, UPS and FedEx rates have already been adjusted on eBay Labels as those rate increases already went into effect.