Challenges with Post Office Accepting ESE: Your Experiences and Solutions
Summary: In the discussion, participants shared their experiences with the post office's handling of ESE shipments. bilski850_0 and others encountered rejections due to clerks not recognizing the labels or misinterpreting them as counterfeit. Suggested solutions included using mailboxes instead of handing envelopes to clerks, ensuring compliance with size and rigidity requirements, and educating local postal workers. Despite some issues, several members reported successful shipments by avoiding counter interactions, using proper packaging, and ensuring adherence to postal guidelines.
Many of us in the community have encountered issues with the post office refusing to accept ESE. This has been a hurdle for small business owners and independent sellers alike. What has been your experience with this? How have you navigated these challenges? Are there any strategies or alternatives you’ve found effective to ensure your packages are shipped without issues? Let’s share our experiences and solutions to help each other out.
onefootflipper
·2 weeks ago · EditedMessage erased, leaving forum due to threatening forum member following me around on the internet.
inhawaii
·2 weeks agoI've also had no issues.
div_style
·2 weeks agoI've had no problems with ESEs at any of the 3 post offices I use. I hand them over the counter with other mail.
deakhorse5515
·2 weeks agoYes, my local post office wanted to charge more postage for item. I just took those to another PO and went through no problem. It seems they were targeting the packaging and pulling it out of the bulk mail, seemed a little discriminatory to me, as similar items sent to me came through with just a stamp. Bottom line is I will no longer ship with that label just too many issues.
1786davycrockett
·2 weeks ago@bilski850_0
NEVER hand any ESEs to USPS counter personnel. There have been multiple threads over the years about some post office employees absolutely refusing the ESEs, and several have called the ESEs "phony," "frauds" and "counterfeit."
Some USPS counter employees have insisted that the ESEs require more postage, even though the ESEs are authentic contracted business metered mail through Pitney-Bowes.
Other post offices have booted acceptance of the ESEs up to managers and supervisors, who often just mark them "undeliverable" or drop the ESEs in whatever the "dead letter" department is now called.
I've been mailing ESEs for years, with NO returns and NO buyer complaints -- I just mail the ESEs in the "Metered Letters" slot in the post office lobby (if available), or any USPS "blue" box -- it's as easy as that.
But I also NEVER use top loaders (only penny sleeves or glassine envelopes), and I only use #6 or #10 plain envelopes.
12345jamesstamps
·2 weeks agoWhat the purpose of you using them?
squinkercat59
·2 weeks agoSometimes the post office needs to be educated about the ESEs, as mine did, in a small town, in the beginning. I spoke to the postmaster there and they agreed to research it. I have since mailed a lot of patches that way and have not had a problem. They won't accept coins in the ESEs at my local USPS though.
dbmm-media
·2 weeks agoai slop
christworks
·2 weeks agoNo issues with ESE here. When you say they do not accept them, how you putting the envelope into the hands of USPS?
The clerks at the counter are often not familer with ESE. They just are not at the level where they are privy to side deals between USPS and eBay. If you had an ESE envelope to a clerk, they may indeed refuse to accept it since the bar code on the envelope cannot be scanned by their handheld scanner. They may even think the postage is fake. If this is your issue, the solution is simple: Put ESE in the mailbox. Either the blue mailbox outside the post office or drop it into the box inside. This ensures the envelope bypasses most if not all human contact and ends up in the machine sorter, which is where it goes.
If you are already putting the ESE into the mailbox, then the only way it would be rejected is if it does not follow the ESE size policy. If the ESE is too stiff it cannot go through the sorting machine for processing. This means it will end up being looked at by a human who either a) may fall into the same trap as the counter clerks sometimes do or b) treat it as a flat and ship it Priority Mail, charging your eBay account in the process or worse leaving a note to the buyer they must pay for the additional postage.
ESE works great if you follow the rules. You should not run into many issues. A constant problem indicates the strong possibility it is something on your end, whether the clerk issue I mentioned or not following the size policy.
tobaccocardyahoo
·2 weeks agoIf your ESE shipments appear to violate the rigidity or size requirements for Letters, they will be rejected or subject to a non-machineable surcharge.
bilski850_0
OP2 weeks agomy local post office keeps returning my ESE envelopes
dirk12955
·2 weeks ago · EditedSome months I'll use the ESUS system for USA shipments 300-400 times.
I never get them rejected or returned by the USPS. The only mail I get returned is mail for ebay buyers that are confused about their current address.
Got another one today which makes 4 so far this month.
"Unable to forward, Not deliverable" and that folks is on the buyer, Not the USPS
If the OP has issues with his (Or her) local PO then they need to
address it with the local post master.