Ebay standard envelope Item not Received unfair metric punishing sellers
Summary: neonholo argues that the Item Not Received metrics on eBay are unfair to sellers, particularly when using eBay Standard Envelopes, as they can be penalized for issues beyond their control, such as delivery delays or inconsistent tracking. They suggest eBay should revise these metrics to better protect sellers. roccotacodad54 provides a counterpoint, suggesting that responsibility falls on the seller for choosing the carrier, comparing it to hiring a subcontractor who fails to complete a job.
I strongly believe the Item Not Received metrics are not fair or should exist, especially with eBay Standard Envelopes, to sellers or buyers. Hypothetically, once a package is dropped off with the carrier, we trust that the carrier will deliver it within the expected timeframe and provide consistent tracking scans in a perfect world.
The problem occurs when a delivery is delayed or an item is not received for reasons related to carrier processing, delivery delays, or inconsistent tracking. These situations can be outside the seller’s control, yet a seller can still be negatively affected by a high volume of Item Not Received cases.
For example, if a seller ships over 100 envelopes a month and only has two reported as not received, that is an extremely small percentage. It seems overly strict for those instances to negatively affect the seller when the seller has properly shipped the orders and the carrier is responsible for the delivery.
I strongly encourage eBay to review how these metrics are calculated and consider ways to better protect sellers from carrier related delays and delivery issues that are outside the seller’s control. This would create a fairer system for both sellers and buyers.
It is quite frankly very strange how this has not been changed, considering sellers are being penalized for another service’s fault.
roccotacodad54
·1 month agoTry and see it from a different angle. Lets say you pay me (seller) for services rendered (item you bought) and I pay a subcontractor (USPS) to complete the last leg of the job and the sub screws it up.
Who should shoulder the blame? Me of course because hiring that particular sub was my decision........................
neonholo
OP1 month agoI agree with you to a certain extent, but from a business perspective, lower-value trading cards are different. eBay Standard Envelope is often the only practical option. Using more expensive shipping could cost more than the card itself, and most buyers won’t pay $5–$8 in shipping for a low-value card. That could mean barely breaking even or even taking a loss.
For higher-value items, I choose a more secure shipping method. But for lower-value cards, sellers have to use the most affordable option, which is successful the vast majority of the time. My point applies to all carriers because delivery issues can happen with any of them.
Unfortunately, there aren’t other carriers offering 78¢ shipping with tracking. Most sellers in the trading card community would agree with this. The problem isn’t necessarily the shipping option we choose it’s how eBay evaluates and penalizes sellers when something goes wrong.