Why You Might Get Rebilled for a Shipment

🚨 What is ‘rebilling’?

Rebilling happens when the dimensions and/or weight you enter for a parcel at the time of booking don’t match what FedEx/UPS scans when they receive it. 

This can push your parcel into a higher price bracket. In this case, an additional charge (called a rebill) gets applied.  This cost comes straight to TUNL, who may then pass it on to you, the shipper. In addition, TUNL may charge you a R50 admin fee.

Let’s dive into what all of this means. 

📦 How is shipping cost calculated?

Carriers calculate shipping cost based on chargeable weight, which is the higher of: 

• The actual weight (on a scale)

• The volumetric weight (calculated using dimensions of the parcel)

• If your parcel is light but bulky (e.g. a pillow in a big box), you’ll pay more because it takes up more space on the plane.

Here’s an example of how this works for rebilling:

In this example, the dimensions scanned by the carrier changed the chargeable weight. It pushed the parcel into a higher price bracket, and a rebilling charge would be incurred for the difference in rate. 

🤔 Why the difference?

There are a few common reasons:

• Dimensions and/or weight were estimated, not measured with a tape and scale.
• An error was made when measuring dimensions and/or weight.
• An error was made when inputting dimensions and/or weight on the TUNL booking platform.
• A flyer bag wasn’t tightly taped, increasing the measured dimensions of the shipment.

Note that carriers use a laser scanner to take measurements, which is hyper accurate. They also measure your parcel at its widest parts. FedEx/UPS can sometimes scan parcels incorrectly (this is rare but it is possible).

💸 Do I get charged automatically?

No, not yet. We check every case to make sure it’s valid before rebilling you. We only pass on rebills if they’re unavoidable. 

We’ll contact you first with a heads-up so you can:

• Understand what happened

• Improve packing for future shipments

• Share any evidence (e.g. a photo) or additional context if you think FedEx/UPS was wrong

If the rebilling is due to an error in the booking process on your side, we may need to charge the difference, but we’ll always notify you first.

How to avoid rebilling costs

1: Tape down flyer bags to make them as small as possible. An untaped bag looks bigger to scanners, which can push you into a higher cost bracket. 

2: Measure the final package. This is your parcel after it’s fully wrapped, boxed or sealed in a flyer bag. Carriers bill on the final delivered package size

3: Measure at the widest points. Use a tape measure to take the longest length, width, and height, even if your parcel isn’t perfectly square. If it bulges, they will measure at the bulge.

Some more useful resources: 

• 📏 How to measure your parcels correctly 
• 📦 Volumetric weight explained 

🦸‍♀️ Have more questions? We're here to help!

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Keywords: Rebilling | additional charges | TUNL invoices | Rebilling charges

Updated on: 22/09/2025