Ebay Standard Envelope & Seller Metric - Late Shipping defects
@devon@ebay
@kyle@ebay
Today I engaged on the thread below where a Seller is having issues with late shipping defects on ESE shipments ... I checked the ESE Help page and was surprised to see that ESE shipments are treated the same as shipment with regular door to door USPS tracking bar codes ...
Ebay standard envelope shipping defects - The eBay Community
Here's what the ESE Help page states ... the link goes to the Seller Performance page:
I'm not sure if I am missing something here but from the OP's post they are being bogged down with shipping defects because of a system that is not "door to door" tracking. ESE is metered mail with codes scanned by mail sorting machines which most local Post Offices do not have. The initial Acceptance scan can never be made at a local Post Office for ESE but regular packages with USPS bar code package tracking can be. At the delivery end the same is true, the last ESE scan is NOT at the Local Post office or the Buyer's residence where as the regular USPS bar code package tracking can be achieved at both.
I think because of the significant differences in the tracking systems between ESE and USPS standard tracking bar codes the Seller Metrics should be more lenient on ESE shipments for Sellers. ESE CAN confirm delivery to a mail sorting machine one stop before the local Post Office the ESE is supposed to be delivered to for distribution to the Buyer. Perhaps eBay would consider THAT scan as the "delivery confirmation" as it relates to Seller metrics ... because that is the last place a scan can be captured.
There might be other adjustments eBay would be willing to consider but I think sellers can be short changed in their Seller Metrics from a system that is not 100% with regard to confirmed delivery to Buyer's address.
redrabbitresale-1
·1 year agoSimplest solution is DON'T offer Ebay Standard Envelopes as an option. The buyer pays a higher price for a USPS Ground Advantage label, but the seller has better protections as you can file a Lost Mail search after 7 days and have the potential to get your money back if they do not find it. Yes you might have to refund but no ding to seller performance.
stampsncoins1966
·1 year agoESE is broken and disfunction, the tracking system doesn’t work 90% of the time. I have been dealing with multiple lost item cases where mail was lost in route to buyers. Made multiple comments the last four years about this broken system, no one pays a sheet to sellers concerns.
wastingtime101
·1 year agoThat seller wants to be TRS, therefore all he has to do is extend his handling time to accommodate late scans from his local sort facility. Then he ships quickly as usual, but has a grace period for that first acceptance scan to come through.
The problem is only occurring when the initial scan is late and the delivery scan is late. Eliminate the problem of the initial scan being late and problem solved.
He uses a no returns policy which means he's probably not interested in TRS+ for his listings, just TRS for his account. You can have an extended handling time and still be TRS.
I don't see a need to revamp seller performance standards for ESE. What about sellers that ship a mix of ESE and other services - how would you handle that - create a whole new complicated system where ESE transactions are rated different from the rest?
One of the reasons ESE was created was to give PWE (plain white envelope with a stamp) sellers the opportunity to achieve TRS and get the seller protections that come with it. There are plenty of us that make ESE work and keep TRS - no reason that seller can't do the same.
mr_lincoln
OP1 year ago@wastingtime101
Yes, I immediately thought of ESE users extending their Handling time but in general they should not have to if eBay were to change their approach to Seller Metrics on ESE shipments. ESE and a regular USPS tracking bar code are completely different systems and therefore should not be treated equally with regard to Seller metrics.
tobaccocardyahoo
·1 year agoAlthough this might be treated as metered mail, that is not relevant.
ESE is Letter Mail and scanned when being sorted through scanners for Letter Mail.
As long as it gets one scan, it is not treated as not shipped on time.
The lack of a delivered scan can cause the loss of an INR claim, but Ebay will usually pay a claim on the insurance which is included in ESE.
All in all, the current policies are probably the best one can get for this abominable service. It is a PITA in many ways.
Mostly because letter mail is not suitable for all of the categories of merch that Ebay allows ESE to be used for.
ittybitnot
·1 year agobut I think sellers can be short changed in their Seller Metrics from a system that is not 100% with regard to confirmed delivery to Buyer's address.
@mr_lincoln
It is my understanding that the problem first is that they are getting the metric dings for "not shipping on time" due to there not being an 'acceptance' scan when shipped. The local Post Office cannot scan these as accepted, or in transit to the next facility. I always was under the impression that a seller would NOT receive such a 'ding' when ESE was used. For all the complaints of late, perhaps that old policy no longer applies, or it only applied to TRS sellers or something. Perhaps it was an original "perk" to get people to use it, and it has now been deprecated. I truly don't remember.
In actuality, nobody really gets a notice of delivery to a buyer's address, only to their Zip Code. The ESE "delivery" scans are given, if at all, at the last sorting facility before the package is transferred to the local Post Office for the actual delivery. Neither the local Post Office, nor the carrier can mark/scan any of these things delivered. eBay, however, seems to accept the 'delivered' notice as proof of delivery, even though the buyer may not actually receive the product for another couple of days.
A seller that uses this is heavily reliant on buyer honesty. I do agree there should be something in place that takes care of the metrics for sellers that use this spotty service.