Carrier adjustments are a frustrating reality of shipping that most ecommerce businesses will have to deal with from time to time. This article can help you understand what adjustments are, why they occur, and offer ways to minimize their impact on your business.
Carrier adjustments are charges by the carrier billed after the ship date if they have processed the shipment and found a difference in the rate that was initially paid versus what should have been charged.
Adjustments most frequently occur when the weight, dimensions, and packaging details on the label do not match your actual package. They also occur for oversize packages or additional handling.
Entering accurate information for each shipment and pulling in weights from a scale using ShipStation Connect will help avoid adjustments related to inaccurate shipment configurations, which are often the highest adjustment amounts.
Other common reasons for adjustments include:
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A package that is an unconventional shape, like a cylinder or tube
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Package dimensions exceed the service or carrier maximum
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Saturday deliveries
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The package is packed in something other than cardboard, such as wrapped in plastic or encased in metal
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The recipient address is incorrect or incomplete
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The label was attached incorrectly, so the barcode could not be scanned
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The package must be returned due to incorrect Harmonization codes or missing IOSS
Automate Shipping Workflows to Avoid Adjustments
You can configure shipping with various automated methods that take the guesswork out of your shipping process. For details on using different types of automation, please review the product defaults, service mapping, and automation rules articles.
When shipping with a ShipStation Carrier, if the carrier that delivers the parcel determines any of these adjustment reasons apply to your parcel, it could result in the carrier issuing a rate adjustment. When this occurs, ShipStation will apply the carrier's adjustment to your ShipStation Balance.
ShipStation will automatically debit the difference between the original label price paid at the time of label creation and the price of the final label from your ShipStation Balance once the carrier has sent us the corrected label fee. Please be aware that adjustments can result in a negative balance if the adjustment is greater than your available funds.
You can view ShipStation Carrier adjustments on your Transaction History page. If an adjustment occurs, it will appear on the Balance tab typically within a few weeks of the original label's ship date.
Transaction History Shows ShipStation Carriers Adjustments Only
Adjustments will only appear in ShipStation for labels created with a ShipStation Carrier. Adjustment charges to Your Carrier accounts will not appear.
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Click Transaction History.
The Transaction History page will open and display your balance history in a grid.
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View your adjustments by reviewing the Type, Credit, and Cost columns of the Balance Tab.
The Type column will describe the type of transaction.
If you owe additional funds for a label, you will see "Adjustment" in the Type column and the amount debited in the Cost column.
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Click on the date to view the transaction details, which will include the adjustment reason and cost.
Below is a list of common adjustments by carrier. For further details about the types of adjustments a carrier may apply, please visit your carrier's website.
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Charge Type |
Available Details |
Services Affected |
|
Handling Charge |
|
DPD Classic Road & DPD Domestic |
|
Non Coms Handling Charge |
|
DPD Domestic |
|
DPD EU Export Return |
A return that charges for parcels that are returned from the following European countries to UK:
|
DPD Classic Road |
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DPD Unsuccessful EU Export |
Returns of parcels if unable to export. For example, if incorrect details are provided such as:
|
DPD Classic Road |
|
Charge Type |
Available Details |
Services Affected |
|
Relabeling |
EvRi Domestic |
|
|
Undelivered / Return to Sender |
EvRi Domestic |
|
|
Light & Large Rate |
Packages with dimensions over 120cm or 245 cm girth or with a weight greater than 15kg Weight. Light & Large Surcharges are based on the surcharge less the cost of the label purchased. |
EvRi Domestic |
|
Proof of Delivery (POD) |
EvRi Domestic |
|
Charge |
Available Details |
Services |
|
Weight Adjustment |
If max weight is exceeded |
GlobalPost Economy Int'l |
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Under/Oversized |
If max size limit is exceeded |
GlobalPost Economy Int'l |
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Unreadable barcode |
Handling and relabeling fee |
GlobalPost Economy Int'l |
|
Handed to EvRi driver |
Handling fee when package is handed directly to EvRi driver, not dropped off |
EvRi services |
|
Charge Type |
Available Details |
Services Affected |
|
Return To Sender |
All Domestic services |
|
|
Booking in Slot for Delivery Point |
All Domestic services |
|
|
Oversize Parcel |
Parcels that are greater than 30 kg and have a combined length & girth greater than 300cm, and must not exceed 150 cm in length. |
Express 24 & Express 48 |
|
Saturday Delivery |
All Domestic services |
|
|
Packaging Repair / Repackage |
All Domestic services |
|
|
Manual Handling |
Items between 110cm and up to 150 cm or with a second largest dimension greater than 70cm will always be processed manually, incurring an additional charge. Items up to 110 cm in length or where the second largest dimension is 70cm or below may need to be processed manually if they are not packaged correctly. See ParcelForce Worldwide's guidelines on packaging and manual handling. |
All Domestic services |
|
Incorrect or incomplete address |
All Domestic services |
|
Charge Type |
Available Details |
Services Affected |
|
Address Change |
All Services |
|
|
Additional Handling |
|
All Services |
|
Large Package Surcharge |
A package is considered a “Large Package” when its length plus girth [girth = (2 x width) + (2 x height)] combined exceeds 300cm, but does not exceed the maximum UPS size of 400cm Large packages are subject to a minimum billable weight of 40kg in addition to the Large Package Surcharge |
All Services |
|
Over Maximum Limits Charge |
Packages with an actual weight of more than 70kg, or that exceed 274cm in length, or exceed a total of 400cm in length and girth combined [girth = (2 x width) + (2 x height)], are not accepted for transportation. If found in the UPS small package system, they are subject to an additional charge Packages exceeding 400cm in length and girth combined are also subject to the Large Package Surcharge |
All Services |
|
Saturday Delivery |
All Services |
|
|
UK Border Fee |
Packages between Northern Ireland and Great Britain |
All Services |
|
Alternative Address |
All Services |