eBay Warns Sellers of $350 FedEx HazMat Penalty

eBay warned sellers that FedEx will begin charging a $350 fee for each incident of a package shipped through FedEx that contains Dangerous Goods or Hazardous Materials that is determined to be noncompliant by FedEx.

eBay linked to a page on the shipping carrier’s website that has a link to the FedEx Service Guide, which contains information about “hazardous material packages found in the FedEx Ground system not properly prepared in accordance with DOT regulations and FedEx Ground requirement.”

eBay announcement follows:

Beginning June 1, 2019, FedEx will charge a $350 fee for each incident of a package shipped through FedEx that contains Dangerous Goods or Hazardous Materials that is determined to be noncompliant by FedEx.

What is considered a noncompliant package?

A noncompliant package that contains Dangerous Goods or Hazardous Materials include:

• Insufficient or improper packaging
• Improper HazMat labeling or markings
• Undeclared Dangerous Goods (DG)
• Prohibited materials
• Packages abandoned or refused

What does this mean for you?

If FedEx determines that you have shipped a noncompliant package, this fee will be reflected on your monthly eBay invoice in the same way FedEx shipping charges are assessed today.

How to avoid the fee?

Refer to the Dangerous Goods or Hazardous Materials shipping guidelines from FedEx and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to make sure you are compliant with their regulations and shipping requirements. It is your responsibility to ensure packages are properly marked, labeled, packaged, and documented (if necessary), according to their hazardous materials shipping policies.

In addition to FedEx requirements, any shipment you prepare must comply with DOT Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) and any restrictions maintained by your preferred shipping carrier. Please refer to UPS, USPS and eBay’s policy for more information.

As always, thank you for selling on eBay.

SOURCE: eBay Announcement

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/.