Confusion About Shopify Shipping Fees vs. Label Costs

Payments + Shipping & Fulfilment

Topic summary

A merchant purchased 11 shipping labels totaling $86.73 but was billed $146.50 for 19 shipping fees, creating a discrepancy of nearly $60 and 8 additional charges. No labels were voided during this period.

Suspected cause:

  • Carrier weight/dimension adjustments are likely responsible for the extra fees
  • Discrepancies occur when listed product weights don’t match actual packaged weights

Recommended solution:

  • Weigh all products in their shipping packages using a scale
  • Update product weights to reflect accurate packaged dimensions
  • Err slightly higher on weight estimates rather than lower to avoid adjustment fees

Outstanding question:
The merchant seeks a way to view detailed breakdowns showing which specific orders triggered carrier adjustments, but no method has been provided yet.

Summarized with AI on October 25. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
1

Hey everyone,

I’m hoping someone can help me get some clarity on my shipping charges. From August 1st until now, I’ve purchased 11 labels through Shopify, which add up to $86.73 in total. However, my billing statement says I’ve been charged $146.50 for 19 shipping fees.

I didn’t void any labels this month, so I’m confused where the extra fees are coming from. I’m aware that carriers sometimes apply adjustments if weight/dimensions are different, and if that’s the case here, I’d just like to know the specifics and understand how I can avoid these extra charges in the future.

Has anyone else run into this? Is there a way to view a detailed breakdown of which orders had adjustments applied?

Thanks in advance for any insight!

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2

Only guessing but I think you have a significant difference in what your item weight is on your site vs what the actual item weighs in its package. This would cause the carrier to charge Shopify more and Shopify to charge you more, and leave you wondering why your bill is so high. My suggestion is to get a scale and weigh your products in their packages. For instance, a large t-shirt weighs a little less 4 ounces. So you’d put either 4 ounces or .25 lbs as the item weight when creating a product. Try to be precise, but you’re better off being a little over on weight than under.