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UPS Price Discrepancies?


blueedge

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I have UPS shipping set up for my store. In the admin, I have the following settings for the UPS module:

 

UPS Pickup Method - RDP (Daily Pickup)

UPS Packaging - CP (Your Packaging)

UPS Residential Delivery - RES (Residential)

 

In addition, I have added a handling fee to cover the cost of the box.

 

The problem I have been encountering is that sometimes the shipping fee charged by the store's shopping cart doesn't reconcile to what I'm charged by UPS. I can't seem to figure out what causes the problem. (The packages involved are rather small. So, the problem does not involve dimenisional weight.)

 

An example occured this morning. A customer brought two items. The two items plus tare weight totaled 6 pounds generating a $9.46 shipping fee (including the handling fee). However, the actual shipping weight was only 5 pounds but the UPS charge to me was $10.23. How can the charge to the customer for a heavier package, which also includes a handling fee, be less than what UPS charges me if all of the other variables are the same?

 

Other times, the shopping cart shipping fee works fine and I can reconcile the charges. However, as in the case above, I don't understand how the shopping cart is coming up with a fee that it so much less (especially since I charge a handling fee in addition to the UPS charge).

 

What causes the discrepancy? Has anyone else experienced this problem?

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Are you using the UPS XML Rates and Services v1.0 shipping module???

 

B/C This is exactly the prob. I am facing with someones cart right now. except its $4-$5 more not cents like your cart is doing. I dont know how to fix it.

 

Please post, I am interested in solving this prob once & for all.

 

Thank you,

Michael

MRGTec

Michael

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Are you using the UPS XML Rates and Services v1.0 shipping module???

 

I believe so. The shipping module was installed by someone else.

 

Another discrepancy happened today. A one pound package going to 25411 WV had an estimated shipping cost of $6.64. However, the real UPS cost was $8.84. How could the OSC shipping estimator return a cost that was $2 less thatn the actual?

 

Although the problem occurs with heavier packages, it seems that there is always a discrepancy with lightweight packages (one pound or so). In addition, I have noticed that the problem occurs with orders going to "more rural" areas.

 

This may seem like an odd question, but even though the shipping estimator uses a zip code, is it as precise? I mean does it use the entire 5-digit zip code to look up cost or does it use some abveriated version?

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I believe so. The shipping module was installed by someone else.

Wrong. I have an old copy of the osC UPS module here that is no longer in the download and it has the variables you mentioned (and which are named differently in UPS XML):

UPS Pickup Method - RDP (Daily Pickup)
UPS Packaging - CP (Your Packaging)
UPS Residential Delivery - RES (Residential)

You can install UPS XML alongside the old module and then you can check the differences :)

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Thanks for the reply, Jan. Have you experienced any cost discrepancies with the XML version as I discribed earlier?

 

mrgtec, are you using the UPS XML Rates and Services v1.0 shipping module?

 

I would like to avoid the cost discrepancies between the shipping calucator on the site and actual UPS costs. However, I don't want to install the module only to have the same cost discrepancies.

 

Is there anyone who is using the XML version and having cost discrepanies?

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Have you experienced any cost discrepancies with the XML version as I discribed earlier?

I don't personally use the UPS XML so I can't seen any discrepancies. My feeling is that most people are happier with the UPS XML module but I know of at least one person who has nothing good to say about it. Of course the UPS XML module has support for dimensional shipping (ready-to-ship [handy if it is over-sized!], split a product in several packages, packing boxes according to volume and weight) so that might be a factor too why some people prefer it.

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What have been some experiences with UPS XML Rates and Services v1.0 shipping module? Have the shipping module been reliable in providing the correct UPS costs?

 

The UPS shipping module that I am using does not always return the correct UPS cost. The discrepancies seem to be more associated with with orders of small weight (1 pound or two) and those going to "more rural" areas.

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Although the problem occurs with heavier packages, it seems that there is always a discrepancy with lightweight packages (one pound or so). In addition, I have noticed that the problem occurs with orders going to "more rural" areas.

 

As someone who lives in a rural area, I can tell you that UPS charges an additional fee for delivering to a rural address. Their definition is "A Delivery Area Surcharge applies to Air and Ground packages delivered to higher cost-to-serve ZIP Codes. The surcharge is $2.20 per package for residential addresses and $1.40 for commercial addresses." Here's the text page that lists all the zips that fall into this category. http://www.ups.com/media/en/xarea.csv

 

I believe FedEx charges a fee as well.

 

Since it is based on zip code, I would think that UPS should be calculating their own costs right, but you just never know... :rolleyes:

 

Hope this helps...

Deb

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B271, thank you for your post. That must be what it is. The $2.20 surcharge you cite for rural delivery seems to be the difference. I wonder why the module I'm using for UPS shipping does not take that into account?

 

notubes_pete, thanks for your post. I like the UPS shipping module that I'm using (whatever it is). However, if I can't figure how to get it to account for the rural surcharge, I think I will have to change to the XML module version.

 

This is slightly off-topic but still involves UPS shipping. Do any of you use an automated or expedited method of creating UPS shipping labels? I have a UPS online account and current copy and paste shipping address info from OSC into the UPS online label form. I know that there has got to be a better way. Does anyone have any experiences or advice to share?

 

Thanks

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B271, thank you for your post. That must be what it is. The $2.20 surcharge you cite for rural delivery seems to be the difference. I wonder why the module I'm using for UPS shipping does not take that into account?

 

notubes_pete, thanks for your post. I like the UPS shipping module that I'm using (whatever it is). However, if I can't figure how to get it to account for the rural surcharge, I think I will have to change to the XML module version.

 

This is slightly off-topic but still involves UPS shipping. Do any of you use an automated or expedited method of creating UPS shipping labels? I have a UPS online account and current copy and paste shipping address info from OSC into the UPS online label form. I know that there has got to be a better way. Does anyone have any experiences or advice to share?

 

Thanks

 

You can link into the osC db to retrieve the customer ship to information. I deal with UPS every day. ;) and kinda know the ins and out of the software.

Do or Do Not, there is no try.

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You can link into the osC db to retrieve the customer ship to information. I deal with UPS every day. ;) and kinda know the ins and out of the software.

 

Thanks, ctec2001. How do you link the OSC databata to retrieve the shipping info? Is that done through a contribution? If so, which one?

 

Is there anything I need to do on the UPS side to enable this (other than have an UPS online account)?

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Thanks, ctec2001. How do you link the OSC databata to retrieve the shipping info? Is that done through a contribution? If so, which one?

 

Is there anything I need to do on the UPS side to enable this (other than have an UPS online account)?

 

No contribution needed.

 

Are you using UPS Online Or UPS Online Worldship?

 

You will need to to download and install the MySql ODBC Driver. There is one item that needs to be completed in the PHP Admin and that is to add your IP Address of your PC to have access to the the DB. You then create and ODBC connection using the MySql ODBC Driver.

 

Once that is established, you can link to the orders table and pull in the customers info.

Do or Do Not, there is no try.

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  • 1 year later...

Im facing the same problem and I have the same settings:

 

UPS Pickup Method - RDP (Daily Pickup)

UPS Packaging - CP (Your Packaging)

UPS Residential Delivery - RES (Residential)

 

The quote returned for a 2.9 pound item(tare weight included) was 8.43(including handling charge) where as UPS website gave 9.14 as the quote. The destination zip code is not a rural area. This problem has cropped up recently. Ne solutions to this yet??

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