eBay standard envelope supports more categories effective November 1, 2023
So it is great the Ebay standard envelope supports more categories...too bad the Post Office doesn't recognize Ebay standard envelopes!!!
The Post Master at the Florence, Colorado Post Office pulls my envelopes and charges me extra to send them. She maintains Ebay does not have an agreement with the postal system to ship a single coin for 63 cents if it is less than one ounce. (Shown in the photo) She calls it Postal Fraud.
Ebay's response is, "well, yeah we have an agreement but can't prove it" so here is a $20 credit for postage.
36 comments
squinkercat59
·2 years agoUpdate. Just got back from the post office. Talked to the OIC, Susan Parker. She was actually very nice, and agreed that there is no reason a patch cannot go through the Standard Envelope, in fact could've been mailed at that rate all along (although you couldn't get tracking or a printed-out label before). She even asked the other clerk working if she would let it through, and agreed. The problem is with one of the other clerks, who was making people pay the extra 40 cents. My husband sells sports cards, and she even made him pay extra one time. If she wants to charge extra again when I bring in a patch, I'm to tell her to call the OIC and she will confirm. So I still don't know what the issue with the coins is, but patches are okay to send through Standard Envelope mailing.
movieman630
·2 years agoWhat is this "ebay standard envelope" I keep hearing about? Does it include tracking? Can a label be printed?
1786davycrockett
·2 years ago@movieman630
Here ya go!
https://www.ebay.com/sellercenter/shipping/choosing-a-carrier-and-service/ebay-standard-envelope
movieman630
·2 years agoWhat does the label look like when it prints? Can I print it on my Zebra with a 4x6 label?
Correct me if I'm wrong but what I getting is that this new label will not count against our stats when it comes to "tracking uploaded on time"?
1786davycrockett
·2 years ago@movieman630
With some slight overlap (which can be trimmed from the lower edge), it fits very nicely on a #6 small white envelope. Your address is in the upper left corner, & the buyer's address is in the right middle area, and the metered mail block is where a stamp normally would have been affixed. There is a bar-code below the buyer's address.
I don't know if the ESE labels can be printed from a Zebra device -- perhaps someone else can answer that one for you. I just generate my ESE labels from my laptop, through my printer.
The first acknowledgement that is recorded when an ESE label has been printed is exactly that -- that a label has been printed. That data is also important for your Dashboard score. After your ESE has arrived at the USPS Distribution Center (NOT your local post office!), the ESE should receive its first USPS acknowledgement notice. This may not occur on the same day that you mail the ESE, since normally the USPS Distribution Centers are located in other towns and other counties -- and sometimes that first USPS acknowledgement is further delayed by shipping over a weekend or holidays.
If there is a delay in recording that initial USPS acknowledgement, you may receive a temporary "ding" on your Dashboard score; but those "dings" generally disappear after a few days.
I've been shipping stamps and trading cards using the ESE for a couple years now, without any complaints from buyers, and with no lost items. Definitely read the instructions CAREFULLY, and try it out for yourself!
movieman630
·2 years agoThanks for that info. I've been frustrated not being able to sell patches with that label for some time. While others were content sending patches with a stamp I didn't want the ding to my stats so I had to send mine First class with tracking at a significant cost. It was impossible to compete with someone selling the same patch as me for $2.00 with free shipping. Now maybe I can start to compete!
1786davycrockett
·2 years ago@movieman630
Just don't make your envelope too thick and too inflexible! Good luck!
squinkercat59
·2 years agoUpdate: I had made a complaint through the USPS site and quickly got this response from the OIC at the Florence post office:
I believe you may be correct that your particular item may not need the non machineable fee. If you would like to come in and bring your mailpiece, we can reevaluate whether it fits the non machineable criteria or not.
So tomorrow I will take a test patch in , in an envelope as was the last one, and see what they say.
wastingtime101
·2 years agoSo this lady will reevaluate a patch because patches are flexible, but will not bend (pun intended) on a coin because coins are not flexible.
Confirms what Davy and I have been saying that this OIC is ignoring USPS rules and regs.
Even if she accepts that patch envelope from you squinkercat, don't be surprised if future shipments get pulled because she told aharon they are looking for those ESE labels from eBay to pull from the mail stream and reject.
I wish Davy lived in your area. I'd pay money to watch a video of him confronting this OIC. 😂
squinkercat59
·2 years agoIf they continue to pull the envelopes, I will continue to lodge complaints with the USPS until it's resolved. There are always higher-ups. It's no trouble for me to take those particular envelopes to a different nearby post office, either. We will see.
12345jamesstamps
·2 years agoLook at a "meter mail" letter you might have gotten in the mail...which saids .63...is it the width and length as this in this photo? The width seems bigger.
Why are all this companies abiding by "meter mail"? and eBay has some special privilege to do it differently.
aharon-milechai.com
OP2 years agoEbay if you read these ... at least tell the truth and fess up ....
A Senior Business Services Network Specialist from USPS Headquarters has contacted Ebay and informed them coins are non-machinable and subject to a 40 Cent fee above and beyond what is paid for the Ebay postage label and specifically told the Florence Post Office to continue pulling our envelopes and sending them back for postage due.
1786davycrockett
·2 years ago@aharon-milechai.com
"A Senior Business Services Network Specialist from USPS Headquarters has contacted Ebay and informed them coins are non-machinable and subject to a 40 Cent fee above and beyond what is paid for the Ebay postage label and specifically told the Florence Post Office to continue pulling our envelopes and sending them back for postage due."
Download a copy of the 2017 USPS regulations that I had earlier provided to you, and send them to the Senior Business Services Network Specialist with whom you've been dealing.
It's bizarre to conceive that one community's postmaster is willing to violate USPS regulations, while those regulations are honored around the rest of the United States, and that most eBay sellers sending coins inside the ESE are NOT having those issues.
Next step -- your Congressional representative in Washington, D. C.
yuzuha
·2 years agoHere's the irony-- I live in Washington DC. I asked at my local PO, and they told me that it's just fine to send coins in a regular envelope as long as they're attached to a piece of paper/card inside the envelope and aren't just floating around the envelope freely.
1786davycrockett
·2 years ago@yuzuha
@aharon-milechai.com
"Here's the irony-- I live in Washington DC. I asked at my local PO, and they told me that it's just fine to send coins in a regular envelope as long as they're attached to a piece of paper/card inside the envelope and aren't just floating around the envelope freely."
Exactly! And several other eBay sellers on this thread (and other ESE threads) have also demonstrated that they have had NO problems sending coins through the mail with the ESE.
The problem is centralized to the OP's particular post office, where the postmaster is stubbornly refusing to acknowledge USPS regulations. This USPS employee seems to be so set to an old standard, that she simply refuses to accept that the "old ways" have changed; but the postmaster has her blinders on, and would rather ignore the 2017 update, since she personally doesn't agree with the change.
Unfortunately, the OP has become the personalized target of her ignorance.
wastingtime101
·2 years agoNot just the OP. Also the seller that chimed in yesterday with their patch ESE shipment rejected at the same PO.
squinkercat59
·2 years agoI also use the post office in Florence, CO, and was just charged an extra 40 cents to mail a PATCH (under one ounce). Under the extended program, we are supposed to be able to send patches (flat, flexible) under the Standard Envelope prices. Apparently this post office hasn't gotten the memo. I have made a complaint through the USPS site. If nothing is done, I may use the post office in Canon City and see what happens.
aharon-milechai.com
OP2 years agoWe have had no problems with Canon City and sent a few through Penrose. Because of the time and expense we use Canon City if we are going there. Florence PO told us they look for ebay has envelope to pull. Florence PO in their words, "ebay is committing postal fraud".
1786davycrockett
·2 years ago@aharon-milechai.com
"Florence PO in their words, "ebay is committing postal fraud".
If the postmaster at the Florence, CO post office REALLY was concerned about "postal fraud," why hasn't she ever reported eBay to that division of USPS?
Simple answer: Because she knows she's lying.
The postmaster of the Florence, CO post office apparently disagrees vehemently with the official 2017 USPS change in regulating the shipment of coins via First Class Mail, and is taking it out on her customers.
Someday, some customer with bigger legal chops is going to invite her to explain her actions in front of a judge.
In the meantime, use other post offices, and urge your friends and neighbors to do the same -- each post office is regularly monitored by the amount of mail which they process. If volumes seriously drop off, the USPS higher-ups will want to find out why -- and sometimes that results in changes in management.
Good luck.
12345jamesstamps
·2 years agoAnd the question is....who came first...the post office or eBay?
The envelope looks too wide. I live in San Francisco a major city...and my post office will not ever take that for .63 cents.
It's not how long it is...it's how wide it is it got returned.
Its like playing Russian Roulette...will it get delivered or returned.
worldcoinauctions
·2 years agoI've shipped hundreds of these. I put the coin, in a 2x2, in a small ziplock bag, staple it to the packing slip, and fold that to fit in the envelope. I put the coin so it is not on the side by the postage (seems to help) and I mail them. I've put up to 2 coins in side by side, 3 with additional postage, 4 or more I send ground advantage.
I had a few come back before I started putting the coin away from the postage, in all cases I reprinted the same label (no need to buy a new one, it wasn't used) and mailed it again in a fresh envelope. All went through.
Mail it outside the post office to minimize the postmaster's chances of interacting with it!
1786davycrockett
·2 years ago@aharon-milechai.com
"She maintains Ebay does not have an agreement with the postal system to ship a single coin for 63 cents if it is less than one ounce. (Shown in the photo) She calls it Postal Fraud."
The "agreement" between eBay and USPS is printed in the top right corner of the envelope in your photo: it proves that USPS has a legitimate contract with USPS for metered mail -- just as hundreds of thousands of other American businesses have similar metered-mail contracts with USPS.
Sounds like you're going to have to take this up with your postmaster's district supervisor, and not just the postmaster's supervisor.
If that doesn't work, go another step further -- eventually, somebody in your postal district will admit that eBay has a legitimate contract to ship via metered-mail.
Good luck.
aharon-milechai.com
OP2 years ago>> "The "agreement" between eBay and USPS is printed in the top right corner of the envelope in your photo: it proves that USPS has a legitimate contract with USPS for metered mail -- just as hundreds of thousands of other American businesses have similar metered-mail contracts with USPS."
You nailed it .... 100% -- You are correct the Local Postmaster doesn't know what the agreement QR code generated by ebay to pay the post office means or says .... this code isn't generated by a whim .... or anyone could make a counterfeit code.
lacemaker3
·2 years ago@aharon-milechai.com, I did read your previous post.
Coins are allowed with eBay Standard Envelope, but the envelope has to meet the requirements for machinable mail.
https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/shipping-items/setting-shipping-options/ebay-standard-envelope?id=5308#section4
Are you positive that your envelope met the USPS standards for machinable mail?
https://pe.usps.com/text/qsg300/q201.htm
ESE envelopes have to be machinable, i.e. processed by machine. The tracking gets updated automatically as the envelope gets scanned while it goes through the machines. They don't get scanned manually. If the envelope is too rigid or stiff, too thick (> 1/4 inch) or not a uniform thickness the whole length, then it might get processed by hand., and would not get scanned.
Here's more information from the USPS about what items need in order meet the requirements for machinable mail. Coins are allowed, as long as they don't make the thickness of the envelope uneven, or make it too stiff or rigid.
https://faq.usps.com/s/article/What-is-the-Non-Machinable-Surcharge-for-First-Class-Mail
There is no point in arguing with the postmaster about this. They are not going to have a debate with you, they are going to enforce the rules as they understand them. You will need to make sure that your envelopes meet the standards for machinable mail.
wastingtime101
·2 years agoThe OP is using plain white envelopes, non-rigid. They're in compliance. It's their new-ish postmaster that's in the wrong.
OP should keep filing complaints at the link I provided until this postmaster stops erroneously flagging these envelopes.
lacemaker3
·2 years ago@wastingtime101, that is not necessarily true.
A plain white envelope may not be suitable for a coin, according to the last link I posted from the USPS, see below. A thin cardboard envelope or insert may be needed to make the envelope more consistent along it's length (and more effective).
https://faq.usps.com/s/article/What-is-the-Non-Machinable-Surcharge-for-First-Class-Mail
wastingtime101
·2 years agoDid you file the complaint I suggested 3 weeks ago? If there hasn't been improvement, file another complaint.
https://usps.my.site.com/emailus/s/postal-facility-inquiry
Someone higher up than your postmaster will look into it and will educate your postmaster on the service. That URL is the best path for reporting local/regional ESE issues.
aharon-milechai.com
OP2 years ago> Someone higher up than your postmaster will look into it and will educate your postmaster on the service.
> That URL is the best path for reporting local/regional ESE issues.
From the link you gave us -- we got an email ... that said you are 100% wrong ... no coins. Her name is Susan Parker OIC Florence Post.
1786davycrockett
·2 years ago@aharon-milechai.com
Show your postmaster this memo from USPS Customer Support, updated January 2017, PS-328 (201.3.10) (From the USPS.com Postal Explorer), particularly this section:
"When any envelope contains loose coins, tokens or similar small flat odd-shaped items that are not affixed to a component within or if the inclusion of such items results in the mailpiece not being streamlined, the mailpiece does not qualify for automation letter prices. It may be mailed, but is subject to the nonmachinable surcharge for First-Class Mail letters or the nonmachinable prices for USPS Marketing Mail letters."
So, if your coins are NOT loose, but are tightly secured inside the envelope, you are in compliance with USPS regulations regarding the mailing of coins via USPS First Class mail.
So eat THAT, Susan Parker, OIC Florence Post.
aharon-milechai.com
OP2 years agoThe coins I ship are not loose. My envelopes meet the requirements.
However, after half an hour on the phone with Susan at the Florence Post Office who said she had no idea why I was able to mail coins with no issues for better than 18 months.
She then said a Senior Business Services Network Specialist from USPS Headquarters has contacted Ebay and informed them coins are non-machinable and subject to a 40 Cent fee above and beyond what is paid for the Ebay postage label and specifically told the Florence Post Office to continue pulling our envelopes and sending them back for postage due.
wastingtime101
·2 years agoMy condolences that this one very wrong USPS employee is wreaking such havoc on your business.
12345jamesstamps
·2 years ago"My envelopes meet the requirements"....by who? ebay. Does eBay run the USPS?
wastingtime101
·2 years agoThey are USPS requirements @12345jamesstamps . eBay has a contract with USPS for use of metered mail service (ESE) and the requirements for package size, thickness, etc come from USPS. eBay posts USPS requirements on the ESE pages; they don't make up their own.
12345jamesstamps
·2 years ago"They don't make up their own"....Not saying that.
The million dollar question is how do you get this "ebay contract" out to 633,108 USPS employees so there are no returns, postage due and so on....and to every little town where a post office might have a hand full of employees working there?
When eBay has and does makes changes...us sellers do not get personal emails...correct? We have to read what is going on lately and daily.
When you have all these other companies sending "meter mail" envelopes and then out pops something new by a different company what does an USPS employee do when they are busy working?
I talked to a few of the clerks at my San Francisco post office...I visit the post office almost daily...and they have no idea what I am talking about...eBay contract. Not saying it doesn't exist....other than in writing and on paper.
wastingtime101
·2 years agoSo it's just the officer in charge AKA the temporary postmaster that's been rejecting your envelopes that's sending the reply? Geez. The complaint is supposed to go over her head.
Follow davy's tip above showing USPS policy that coins can be shipped FCM as long as they are secured and not loose.
https://pe.usps.com/text/csr/ps-328.htm