Locked
Discussions in this board are limited to the original poster and Community Mentors
eBay standard envelope shipping taking longer than expected
I shipped a trading card on Jan. 29 using ebay standard envelope. The envelope met the measurement requirements, the card was less than 2 oz, and it was an item less than $20. It's shipping from SC to PA. It was estimated to arrive by February 7th, but buyer says it's still not there. I'm trying to help but of course the ebay standard envelope tracking gives very minimal info. January 29 to Feb. 8 seems wildly excessive to me for an item in an envelope to be shipped. Do you expect something is wrong, or are others experiencing long shipment times in similar situations? Thanks for your help.
8 comments
bigabe317
OP2 years agoI'm following up on my question regarding the standard envelope shipping. This was a single trading card I shipped Jan. 29 from South Carolina to a buyer with a Pennsylvania address. A tracking update was provided over the weekend, indicating that the envelope is currently in San Francisco, CA and moving through the network to its destination. In anyone's experience, has a standard envelope shipment gone to the other side of the country and, as a result, taken this long? If I were in the buyer's shoes, I'd be annoyed. I'm not sure what to do, though. Tracking has been provided, so I'm not sure if a lost item claim applies. I used the standard envelope shipping label that was provided with the auto-populated Pennsylvania address - I'm not sure what else, as the seller, I am responsible for in this instance. Thanks for any additional advice.
inceptions
Mentor2 years agoHi @bigabe317
The numbers aren't out yet for 2023, but in 2022, 137 billion + pieces of mail were delivered by USPS. Sometimes a package or envelope is mis-sorted and mis-routed (I shipped a package from the southeast to Alaska that went to Guam first, then Texas, then Los Angeles, and then finally made its way to Alaska) .
As you've just received a recent update, it doesn't sound like the envelope is lost. It may take some time to get the envelope back on track though. Show the buyer the tracking information and let him know that you will keep an eye on it and let him know when you see updates so he is informed of its progress through the system.
bigabe317
OP2 years agoThank you - I appreciate this helpful response!
inceptions
Mentor2 years agoYou're welcome!
inceptions
Mentor2 years agoHi @bigabe317
Feb. 7 was just yesterday and that was an "estimated" date - not a promised date. I wouldn't expect something is wrong at this early stage nor would I call the shipping estimate to be wildly excessive when that is what the carrier tells you to expect. (The card you have listed right now shows an estimated arrival by 2/22).
Ask your buyer if he would be willing to give it another few days and assure him that if it doesn't arrive by Monday (or whatever day you pick) that you will refund.
bigabe317
OP2 years agoThank you - this is helpful!
comics-scifi-collectibles
Mentor2 years ago@bigabe317 This is a SLOW low cost metered mail. See this post by a fellow mentor that has screen shots>
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Ask-a-Mentor/Standard-envelope-shipping/m-p/34239169#M598479
What you need to know about eBay Standard Envelope:
There will be no acceptance scan and no delivery scan, as local clerks can not read eBay's code. Only major USPS sorting hubs have the equipment to read eBay's proprietary scan code. In some cases the letter may never get scanned if it doesn't pass through a hub capable of scanning eBay's ESUS code. And it certainly won't get scanned if it jams the sorting equipment and gets kicked out.
At the delivery end, the last major hub may estimate and issue "delivered" when the item is still hours or days away from the destination, while the item leaves the hub and enters the normal mailstream through smaller distribution centers where it can't be scanned.
Track an ESUS letter here:
https://parcelsapp.com/en/tracking
When a buyer complains that tracking shows "delivered", and nothing has arrived, ask them to wait up to three more days for the letter to continue through local channels. If the letter is more than a week late, it will be time to refund and open a lost item claim here:
https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/shipping-items/setting-shipping-options/ebay-standard-envelope?id=...
bigabe317
OP2 years agoThank you this is helpful!