Shipping to Puerto Rico

[bear1982cam]

What did Ebay do that I now can NOT ship to Puerto Rico??    I can NOT generate a shipping label ( LIKE I HAVE DONE IN THE PAST ) for any addresses in Puerto Rico. Probably ALL the American Territories. I talked to someone at Ebay and just got the run around. I asked him 10 times, what did Ebay change that will not allow me to do this.  He said I have 2 options, buy a shipping label OUTSIDE of Ebay,  (Post Office $$$), OR Cancel their order !!!!  I get screwed every time I turn around by Ebay !!!!!       ANY help would be welcomed  !!

[martin2001]

what exactly does the error message say?

Otherwise, go to pirateship.com to have all your problems resolved.

[lakefor94]

If I have any instance when I cannot print a shipping label thru eBay, I use PirateShip.  Same pricing there.

[fm2000]

Definitely don't cancel the order, it will count against your metrics.

As frustrating as it is, these kind of shipping glitches are not uncommon here (as well as on other venues). Having a backup shipping method like Pirate Ship is crucial. Pirate Ship (and other online postage providers) will give you the same commercial rates eBay offers, you don't have to buy shipping on the USPS site or in person, which both will charge you the higher retail rates.

[buyselljack2016]

@bear1982cam 

What method of shipping are you attempting to use?

Your recent sales do not appear to be items that would be "tracked".

Have you revised your listing shipping methods since the July 9th USPS updates?

[bear1982cam]

I am trying to purchase a shipping label through Ebay like I have many times.  It will not work for anything going to Puerto Rico. It gives me an error message saying it cannot generate the label. I just did one to North Carolina and it worked fine.  Most of my items are not tracked depending on the price. Anything out of the continental US I us tracking numbers. I am not sure about the July 9th USPS updates.  Can you let me know what that is ?    Thanks

[wastingtime101 · Accepted solution]

Hey @bear1982cam - happy to help with this if I can. There are a few different things that can cause issues with labels to Puerto Rico. Can you answer a few questions?

1. Did the buyer enter a city with PR as the state and United States as the country?

2. Did the buyer enter Puerto Rico as the country?

3. What service label are you trying to purchase (USPS Ground Advantage, Priority, eBay Standard Envelope, etc)?

Since you sell a lot of currency which often qualifies for eBay Standard Envelope, if you're getting an error trying to ship to Puerto Rico it's most likely because the buyer entered Puerto Rico as the country. ESE is exclusively a domestic service, and even though Puerto Rico is considered a domestic destination, ESE won't work if buyer entered Puerto Rico as the country.

Options?

- Ship untracked as a USPS letter/flat with some postage stamps. That does open you up to the risk of paying out on an item not received claim since you won't have tracking.

- Ship tracked with USPS Ground Advantage which, yes, will cost more and, no, you can't ask the buyer for more $.

- Discuss with the buyer. If the buyer is amenable, cancel the order citing 'problem with buyer's address' and have the buyer re-purchase with the address correction at checkout, entering PR as the state and United States as the country.

If I missed the mark on this then please answer the questions above so we can offer better guidance.

[bear1982cam]

I just want a label for a #10 envelope. Will Pirate Ship do this ??

[bear1982cam]

For just a #10 envelope ?

[wastingtime101]

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@bear1982cam wrote:

I just want a label for a #10 envelope. Will Pirate Ship do this ??

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If you want to purchase an eBay Standard Envelope label, that's a service exclusive to eBay. You cannot get one from PirateShip or anywhere else. See my post above for more info on how to handle this.

[bear1982cam]

eBay Standard Envelope, yes Puerto Rico as a country

[wastingtime101]

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@wastingtime101 wrote:

- Ship tracked with USPS Ground Advantage which, yes, will cost more and, no, you can't ask the buyer for more $.

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Expanding on this option. If you choose to ship Ground Advantage, you cannot ship in a #10 envelope. Ground Advantage is a package service so your item has to be either very rigid or over 3/4" thick to qualify as a package. Using a larger (or bubble) envelope along with a few pieces of corrugated cardboard would do the trick.

[wastingtime101]

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@bear1982cam wrote:

eBay Standard Envelope, yes Puerto Rico as a country

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OK, so there's no way you'll be able to purchase the label. Look at the options I presented above and figure out what will work best for you.

Personally, if the value was high enough I'd upgrade to a Ground Advantage package. If the value is relatively low, work with the buyer to have them repurchase with PR as the state and United States as the country so you can ship ESE or just stick a few postage stamps on it and ship untracked knowing you may have to pay out if the buyer files a non-receipt claim.

[ms.rodriguez*]

Did you try to edit the address by removing PR as a country?   I doubt that it would void the MBG since everything else will be the same.

[bear1982cam]

I don't think I can edit it. If you know a way let me know.