Ebay Standard Envelope Postage Due and Other Issues

[brados2112]

Visited the post office today after my eBay Standard Envelope (ESE) was returned for 20 cents postage due. They informed me it was too think and rigid to go through the sorting machine. My reply was that it is NOT supposed to go through a sorting machine. I hope everyone is aware that cards are going through a machine that bends them when being tracked. Out of the dozen USPS employees I've spoken with, none of them have had any information communicated to them about ESE. I've gotten several different suggestions on how to proceed from here on, none of them acceptable or even close to the same. Ebay, your idea for ESE was great but the implementation was a failure. Can you at least communicate with the USPS to figure out a solution? What problems are everyone else running into? Any solutions?

[brados2112]

Yes, eBay markets itself as the #1 Sportscard Selling Platform in the World but customer service and reps are... clueless about it.

I was pretty excited about this at the start but it is a failure. It could be fixed if proper and complete communication was utilized but I guess that's expecting too much in this current world we live in. Seems to be the preferred path in everything we do now.

Hate to go back to regular First Class but looks like the only alternative.

[wildpitchsports]

And then people **bleep** they have to pay $4 a card shipping

[wildpitchsports]

Yes I had to stop using .51 eBay standard envelopes and ship everything, even one card in a top loader, using .71 eBay standard envelope. That stopped the returns but the tracking is still not working at least 50-60% of the time. The buyers know this now and are filing item not received cases even though you mailed it with tracking. We need to file PIP claims for every single instance of a buyer stating that they did not receive an item that we shipped using eBay standard envelope and the tracking was never uploaded, scanned or anything at any point in the delivery. I have someone right now trying to scam me out of two cards even though they BOTH say delievered on 4/19/21!! This program is a failure. USPS has no idea what is happening or what eBay standard envelope even is - they are treating it like regular mail. Funny though, when I sent one card in an envelope with a REAL stamp I had ZERO returns. Imagine that.

[no-plain-white-envelopes]

We are reporting this on the blowout forum  on blowouts website.

I have sent over 1000 of these one returned bad address and one the tracking and item number never uploaded and buyer from China had it sent to 3rd party site. refunded him his $1.95.

This has been a great program for me to get rid of stuff I otherwise would be dumping at shows for a dollar or less. I tried to do free shipping on items after the first item or buy 10 and get free shipping , but buyers just were not buying any longer like that. I fought long and hard to keep shipping everything in BBL Mailers , but the Standard Envelope has been 30 to 40% of my sales .

I will not ship more than 5 cards in a standard envelope due to rigidness and will take the hit with tracking in a bbl mailer  as I know I am still making good money on the quantity.  

[indcolts18287-2]

stop it. They travel just fine in PWE’s and out of the hundreds I’ve sent that way NONE have arrived damaged. As long as they’re placed in top loaders, secured with painters tape, then a team bag. You’re being quite dramatic. 

[dogchow747]

I bought a coin (low dollar) it was graded and in a slab (plastic holder) that was sent regular mail.

I paid $3 to pick it up because the postage was insufficient. (first class. about 4.15)

I got it and the slab was super smashed.

$6 coin, but it was graded and I felt the seller just made a error.

I was pretty **bleep** when I got it but calmed down and realized it wasn't the sellers fault.

I also paid $1.50 shipping for a couple of other coins in a different sale. Shipping via regular mail, the package arrived and it had first class postage of $4.30 on the envelope.

Tracking is starting to be required, cheap shipping seems to be going away fast.

[jack-falstaff]

eBay Standard Envelope, I feel, has become the red headed step child of eBay.  A problem with it is that it is simply a negotiated rate between the post office and eBay.   eBay reps can't trouble shoot it as their training is for what they have control over (Can you print the label, what can the standard envelope be used for etc...).  eBay agents have no idea about USPS operations.

Your standard USPS person deals with a whole lot more than just eBay, so its unlikely they would know either.

This is not a big money maker for eBay, so its not likely to get any further update.  The money is for $10k cards... which don't go ESE....

[impala6_9]

I see this is a couple years old, but just had this happen to me today, so looking for answers.

I shipped a card in a toploader that just came back to me today after 3 weeks. Envelope was well within the 1/4” thickness per my gauge, and weighed .8 oz on my scale. Tried to contact eBay, but they directed me to USPS. *eyerolls*

[crazystuff4sale]

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@impala6_9 wrote:

I see this is a couple years old, but just had this happen to me today, so looking for answers.

I shipped a card in a toploader that just came back to me today after 3 weeks. Envelope was well within the 1/4” thickness per my gauge, and weighed .8 oz on my scale. Tried to contact eBay, but they directed me to USPS. *eyerolls*

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It's probably not flexible enough. It needs to go through the high speed sorting machines just like any other letter. You can look up USPS specs for lettermail.

[nobody*s_perfect]

It was probably too rigid to qualify for eBay's "Standard envelope" rate.

[thelongball]

I have been sending cards this way for over 20 years. The key is that it must be a regulat envelope wiyth the card in a top loader. Yes it goes thru the machine and I've only had 1 damaged. About a year ago eBay sent out a sample to my home and it arrived to me fine. It was sent out the same way I send mine. I use a business size 9 x 5 inches. I wouldn't use anything smaller as the envelope has to be able to bend in a 45 degree angle. The bending happens on either side of the top loader.  The ones that will have issues are the ones sent in a stiff cardboard envelope or putting cardboard over the card. If you talk to someone at the post office, yes they know nothing and typically they are going to charge you ground rate. I was sending cards out this way long before EUS came out. I would just use a FirstClass stamp. EUS tracking isn't the same as ground tracking as its not scanned by the carrier. It gets a acceptance scan when you drop it off (proof for eBay that you sent it). Then it gets scanned by the receiving post office when they get it. NOT on the delivery day. It's usually delivered within 2 days of that which is dependent on the carrier. Most times same day.  Stop all the nay saying as it works fine if you do it right. Weigh it and be sure its under one ounce to use first class rate. If its 2 ounces pay for such. I can send up to 5 days using 2 ounces. Must use top loader though not the penny sleeve or lip holder as that card will get ruined. Honestly, I've sent thousands of cards like this since the late 70's. I appreciate the tracking now as before when I used stamps there was no proof.   So the only sang I had then was the liars that said they didn't get it. So yes I had to refund a couple a year. I have to believe they were lying as in my whole life I've never had a bill mailed to me that didn't get here. Funny thing is I never got a negative from anyone I refunded. Another reason I think they stretched the truth a bit.  The post office has been delivering letters for several hundred years and they have it down. Its boxes that they rough up. 

[kh-gary]

Hi everyone,

Due to the age of this thread, it has been closed to further replies. Please feel free to start a new thread HERE if you wish to continue to discuss this topic.

Thank you for understanding.