Today, the postal rates through Shopify shipping were twice as high as usual. Even though we were shipping in our usual small CD size bubble mailers–and that pkg is saved as our default, the rates were calculated as some sort of cubic rate. The rate was $3-4 more than usual. I knew that there were going to be holiday surcharges, but this is something different. Did this happen to anyone else? Do other shops avoid Shopify shipping? –it had been working fine.
Hello there @curiousmusic!
You’re definitely not alone. Lots of merchants are seeing the same Shopify Shipping label issues right now, and it’s usually due to a temporary hiccup with Shopify Shipping or the carrier connection (USPS, UPS, DHL, etc.).
However, if it keeps happening, you can try to reach out to Shopify Support so they can check if it’s a known issue and help get it fixed as quickly as possible.
Hope this helps!
Yes, this has been happening to other Shopify sellers too, especially around the holidays.
Shopify Shipping sometimes switches small mailers to USPS cubic rates if dimensions or weight get rounded up, even when your default package hasn’t changed. That’s why you’re seeing a sudden $3–$4 increase.
Quick things to do:
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Double-check saved package size and weight
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Make sure no product or shipping profile is overriding it
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Compare rates with Pirate Ship or USPS, many shops use those to avoid surprises
You’re not doing anything wrong, it’s a Shopify/USPS pricing quirk that pops up during peak times.