eBay Standard Envelope & Top Loaders
Here's an example of why sellers here often give advice to not use top loaders for trading cards with eBay Standard Envelope. This card was too rigid for sorting machinery and it was spit out of an envelope when it passed through the machines. Now it's loose floating around USPS without a home.
https://www.reddit.com/r/USPS/comments/1mm5f0i/theres_some_sad_warehouse_worker_out_there_found/
If you are going to use a top loader, at least secure it in place inside the envelope so it has a better chance of staying put and not tearing through.
Throwing in some general ESE info in case it helps someone.
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eBay Standard Envelope (ESE) is a metered letter mail shipment so it does not receive traditional tracking scans. The clerk at the PO counter cannot scan it and you can't track it on the USPS website. The envelopes are scanned by sorting machinery at distribution centers along the way and tracking will appear on eBay.
Common reasons ESE labels don't get scanned include:
- Overpacking. Envelopes are too stiff. It's not recommended to use trading card top loaders or cardboard mailers.
- Using ineligible packing material such as a bubble envelope.
- Placement of label. Label should be placed in the upper right corner with approx 1/8"-1/4" clearance from edges. If it's placed too far from the corner (like in the middle of a long envelope) the machinery may not scan it.
- Placing items in the center of the envelope. The center of the envelope needs to be the most flexible part.
- Printer ink is not dark enough, or label color is too bright (stick to white labels if you can).
- Regional issues with sorting machines, volume processing, picky USPS employees, etc.
With ESE, a 'delivered' scan generally occurs at the last sort facility before it gets to the buyer; sometimes the buyer will receive their order a few days after the delivered scan.
If a buyer files a not received claim, you do have insurance coverage and the claims process is outlined on this page.
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Here's an old USPS video that shows what these letter mail envelopes go through. Approximately 8 seconds in you'll see the speed these envelopes zip around the drums.
USPS DMM Section 201.3.12.1
Flexibility Standards for Automation Letters - Machinability
To ensure transport through automated mail processing machines, a mail piece and its contents must bend easily when subjected to a transport belt tension of 40 pounds around an 11-inch-diameter drum.
tobaccocardyahoo
·11 months agoI use rigid toploaders for all my card shipments.
When I used ESE, 15-20% of my shipments were not delivered, not scanned or late in arriving.
Some sellers though they would be unhappy, would accept that performance rate and continue to use ESE.
The amount of time and effort wasted on these low ticket orders (and mine are never lower than $8) is unacceptable to me.
If you use ESE, keep track of how much of your time is spent dealing with delivery issues and consider whether selling items which need ESE to sell is worth your effort.
That 90% scanned estimate @wastingtime101 quotes is to me unacceptable. Ebay's insurance does not pay for the lost time dealing with claims.
Even with the current USPS chaos, GA is on-time and scanned far more frequently, and when there is a problem it usually does not result in an insurance claim or INR claim.
wastingtime101
OP11 months agoFor whatever it's worth, I've heard eBay reps say on numerous occasions (including as recently as last week) that eBay Standard Envelope receives delivery scans 90% of the time.
If your ESE are consistently not getting scanned, first thing to do is evaluate your physical packaging and go from there.
wastingtime101
OP1 year agoGiving this a little visibility bump since it was originally posted over the weekend. Hopefully it helps someone.