eBay Standard Envelope Label picture?
Would anyone happen to have a screen shot of an eBay Standard Envelope shipping label they can share? (with addresses blocked out please). I was asked about this program at the Post Office today and since I have never used it was not able to answer any of the clerk's questions.
I have read some of the eBay Announcement and Help pages on it but am just not connecting with how the tracking piece works?
10 comments
pnwdiecast
·3 years agoAs others have stated, eBay Standard Envelope (ESE) has rudimentary tracking that is scanned by the sorting machines at each USPS facility. It's not great, but it's mostly there for the protection of sellers (that delivery scan is great for your seller metrics). Though these items are shipped through USPS, they're actually tracked through a company called EasyShip. Hence why USPS employees don't recognize them.
For me, I print my labels directly on a white 5x7 envelope. Then I just drop off my items in with regular letters. I've used this method hundreds of times and never had a legitimate issue.
A quick heads up: The "delivered" scan often shows up a day or two before actual delivery, so you may get the occasional buyer asking where their item is. In this case, check the tracking number on https://parcelsapp.com/ as it's tracking is a bit more up to date than eBay's. Hope this helps, ESE is a really good shipping method overall. Yes, it has it's issues, but for lower value cards and coins and a few other things, it's a great shipping option!
hartungcards
·3 years agoAs to how the tracking works - I'd say it works about half of the time. And not very well when it works at all.
mr_lincoln
OP3 years ago@my-cottage-books-and-antiques , @wastingtime101 , @heckofagame
Thanks everyone, now I understand why they had their questions and the bar code used is not for tracking but for automatic processing by the mail piece sorting machines as @wastingtime101 mentioned. Correct me if I am wrong but the implied "tracking" by eBay is misleading since USPS carriers do not scan metered mail at the delivery address ... BUT, USPS and eBay do share tracking a piece through the USPS system from the data from the sorting machines that scan a piece with an eBay Standard Envelope label on it.
I also read the specs on what type of "envelope" these labels can be attached to.
heckofagame
·3 years agoSo, what kind of labels are people using?
my-cottage-books-and-antiques
·3 years ago@heckofagame I use a Zebra LP 2844 printer.
@mr_lincoln I'm not 100% sure, but I think you can just drop this in with first class letters when you send it....no point in taking it to the desk to have it scanned because they don't scan it....In fact, they are unable to scan it because it lacks the barcode necessary for scanning packages. It should be scanned by the machines somewhere along its journey, same as metered mail, as @wastingtime101 said.
mr_lincoln
OP3 years ago@my-cottage-books-and-antiques , @wastingtime101 , @heckofagame
Yes, this type of label with that type of code can simply be dropped in the mail slot. This same type of code you can see on all of your Credit card and other bills that come in the mail. It is simply part of USPS's metered mail service for automating the mail sorting function. The issue at the counter in Post Offices is that the software that supports their hand-held scanners is not programmed to recognize this type of code. Scanners are just that, all they do is scan and the software interprets the codes being read.
This particular code is more sensitive to orientation to the scanner since it is based on different length bars having the same bar width and spacing ... part of the USPS spec on this type of code is NOT having the code skewed in relation to the scanner on the mail sorting machine more than +/- 5 degrees ... otherwise a misread will occur.
mr_lincoln
OP3 years ago(if memory serves) Meant to add to that last post that this type of bar code is meant to be "read" by an optical scanning device while it is in motion moving past a fixed point.
wastingtime101
·3 years agoESE is a metered mail service. Clerks don't scan it - sorting machines do.
Picture on this article from Linn's (link).
More info on this post:
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Shipping/how-do-iI-print-a-shipping-label-for-the-new-postcard-rate/m-p/33490025#M436515
my-cottage-books-and-antiques
·3 years ago@mr_lincoln scroll down on this page (in the comments section) and there's a screen shot of an ESE: https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1051152/ebay-standard-envelope-hard-pass-or-hard-maybe
my-cottage-books-and-antiques
·3 years agoSorry, I thought there was a way to reprint a label, but I don't see any way to do it without paying for a new label....so hopefully someone else will be along to provide a screen shot. I'm pretty sure the label actually says "ebay standard envelope" at the top. And I think (not sure) that it does not have the standard tracking bar....