Etsy Warns Sellers about FedEx Surcharges Coming Monday

If you ship using FedEx, be aware of some fee changes for overweight and oversized packages that take effect next week.

Etsy issued a warning to sellers about higher surcharge fees FedEx will implement on September 3rd and how they will surge during the peak holiday shopping season.

Etsy outlined the fee changes on this page and  explained, “If you buy a FedEx Shipping Label on Etsy and are charged a Ground Unauthorized Package Surcharge, Additional Handling Surcharge, or Oversize Charge by FedEx, you’ll see the surcharge on your Etsy bill.”

Some of the charges for overweight and oversize packages are hefty – for example, the Ground Unauthorized Package Charge will increase from $300 a package to $675 – and during the peak holiday season, FedEx will add an additional $150 surcharge on top of the $675.

On its website, FedEx had this to say about the changes to the Additional Handling and Ground Unauthorized surcharges: “FedEx continues to experience strong demand for transportation of larger and heavier packages. This increase reflects our commitment to continually invest in our business and responsibly manage capacity through our network to maintain outstanding service for these larger packages.”

Ina Steiner

Ina Steiner is co-founder and Editor of EcommerceBytes and has been reporting on ecommerce since 1999. She's a widely cited authority on marketplace selling and is author of "Turn eBay Data Into Dollars" (McGraw-Hill 2006). Her blog was featured in the book, "Blogging Heroes" (Wiley 2008). She is a member of the Online News Association (Sep 2005 - present) and Investigative Reporters and Editors (Mar 2006 - present). Follow her on Twitter at @ecommercebytes and send news tips to ina@ecommercebytes.com. See disclosure at EcommerceBytes.com/disclosure/.