Carrier adjustments are a frustrating reality of shipping that most shippers will have to deal with from time to time. These adjustments can affect your shipping costs and delivery timelines. 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 billed by the carrier after the parcel has shipped if the carrier finds 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 can also occur for oversized packages, packages that require additional handling, or if the selected service or mail class is not valid for the package.
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 the most common types of adjustments.
Other possible 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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The package triggers dimensional weight pricing but no dimensions were entered prior to purchase
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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
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Residential or out-of-area deliveries
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Fuel surcharges or Peak surcharges
Automate Shipping Workflows to Avoid Adjustments
You can configure shipments with various automated methods to 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.
How you view ShipStation Carrier adjustments currently differs depending on whether your account is US-based or based in any other ShipStation home country. Keep in mind that no matter which country your account in based in, the adjustments you see will only be for ShipStation Carrier shipments.
For US accounts to view adjustment reports:
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Click the Actions menu
next to the USPS option. Choose View Reports.
This will open a new tab in your browser to the account reports screen.
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Click the Balances option.
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Change the report type to Transactions if not selected already.
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Find the date of the transaction to view any corresponding adjustments.
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Click on the Adjustment ID link to see the adjustment details.
For accounts not based in the US, adjustment will appear on the Balance tab of the Transaction History page, typically within a few weeks of the original label's ship date.
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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.
If you feel an adjustment has been applied to your account incorrectly, contact ShipStation support and provide the following information about the shipment and adjustment transaction:
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Tracking number
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Charge amount
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Dispute Information (including adjustment reason and package dimensions)
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Proof against the adjustment. This can include photo evidence and invoices.
We've listed many of the common adjustment reasons and details for various ShipStation Carriers below. While this is not an exhaustive list of all carriers or potential adjustment reasons, it covers many of the most common adjustment reasons to help guide you in your shipping workflows.
For more details about the types of adjustments a carrier may apply, please visit the carriers' websites.
DPD from ShipStation is available to UK and Germany-based ShipStation accounts.
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Charge Type |
Services Affected |
Available Details |
|---|---|---|
|
Handling Charge |
DPD Classic Road & DPD Domestic |
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Non Coms Handling Charge |
DPD Domestic |
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DPD EU Export Return |
DPD Classic Road |
A return that charges for parcels that are returned from the following European countries to UK:
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DPD Unsuccessful EU Export |
DPD Classic Road |
Returns of parcels if unable to export. For example, if incorrect details are provided such as:
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Evri from ShipStation is available to UK-based ShipStation accounts.
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Charge Type |
Services Affected |
Available Details |
|---|---|---|
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Relabeling |
EvRi Domestic |
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Undelivered / Return to Sender |
EvRi Domestic |
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Light & Large Rate |
EvRi Domestic |
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. |
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Proof of Delivery (POD) |
EvRi Domestic |
GlobalPost from ShipStation is available to US, Canada, Australia, and UK-based ShipStation accounts.
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Charge |
Services |
Available Details |
|---|---|---|
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Weight Adjustment |
GlobalPost Economy Int'l |
If max weight is exceeded |
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Under/Oversized |
GlobalPost Economy Int'l |
If max size limit is exceeded |
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Unreadable barcode |
GlobalPost Economy Int'l |
Handling and relabeling fee |
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Handed to EvRi driver |
EvRi services |
Handling fee when package is handed directly to EvRi driver, not dropped off |
ParcelForce from ShipStation is available to UK-based ShipStation accounts.
|
Charge Type |
Services Affected |
Available Details |
|---|---|---|
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Return To Sender |
All Domestic services |
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Booking in Slot for Delivery Point |
All Domestic services |
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Oversize Parcel |
Express 24 & Express 48 |
Parcels that are greater than 30 kg and have a combined length & girth greater than 300cm, and must not exceed 150 cm in length. |
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Saturday Delivery |
All Domestic services |
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Packaging Repair / Repackage |
All Domestic services |
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Manual Handling |
All Domestic services |
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. |
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Incorrect or incomplete address |
All Domestic services |
Sendle from ShipStation is available to Canada and Australia-based ShipStation accounts.
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Charge Type |
Services Affected |
Available Details |
|---|---|---|
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Incorrect Size Declared |
All Services |
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Oversized Penalty |
All Services |
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Package Type |
All Services |
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Underdeclared |
All Services |
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Incorrect Size Declared |
All Services |
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Oversized Penalty |
All Services |
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Package Type |
All Services |
UPS from ShipStation is available to US, Canada, and UK-based ShipStation accounts.
|
Charge Type |
Services Affected |
Available Details |
|---|---|---|
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Address Change |
All Services |
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Additional Handling |
All Services |
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Large Package Surcharge |
All Services |
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 |
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Over Maximum Limits Charge |
All Services |
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 |
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Saturday Delivery |
All Services |
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UK Border Fee |
All Services |
Packages between Northern Ireland and Great Britain |
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Alternative Address |
All Services |