Late Shipment Defect due to eBay Standard Envelope Scan Issues (North Carolina to Maine)
Summary: mcgarrettscomicsandcards seeks advice on resolving a denied late shipment defect appeal related to a tracking issue with an order shipped using eBay Standard Envelope (ESE). They argue that the first tracking scan's location makes the late shipment logically impossible. kibble-net suggests either accepting some defects or discontinuing ESE, which mcgarrettscomicsandcards decides to do in favor of bundled listings. bdmh-enterprises adds that ESE defects often resolve automatically unless a buyer complains, but mcgarrettscomicsandcards is concerned due to its potential impact on their 'top rated' status.
I am seeking advice or an escalation regarding a denied late shipment defect appeal (Reference SR # 1-506907419963) that was rejected by an automated system.
The system denied my appeal because tracking for ESUS340882146 did not show a scan until July 6. However, the logistics prove a late shipment is impossible:
My Location: North Carolina
First Tracking Event: Origin Processing in Scarborough, Maine (near the buyer).
It is physically impossible for a package dropped off in North Carolina to magically appear hundreds of miles away in Maine for its first scan without already being inside the USPS network. I dropped this envelope off on June 27 in the exact same batch as another eBay Standard Envelope order, which scanned normally and arrived on time.
It feels incredibly unfair to receive an account defect because an origin sorting machine missed an envelope scan, especially when the geography of the first scan proves the item was well on its way.
Could a community manager please help escalate this clear tracking anomaly for a manual review? Thank you! @devon@ebay @kyle@ebay @valeri@ebay
bdmh-enterprises
·1 month agoMost late shipping "defects" for ESE will be automatically removed within a month unless they are delivered beyond the EDD and the buyer complains. I've never had my late shipment rate go above 1% for more than a few days even if 10+ all fail to get origin scans at once.
Shipping defects can be completely ignored unless you plan to get to 'top rated' status anyhow and even then you have a lot of leeway, especially with ESE.
mcgarrettscomicsandcards
OPJul 13, 2026 at 12:25 PMThanks. The "top rated" status is in play which is how this came up. But we'll see how it comes out. The issue was a little raw because I've had a stellar record up until now. Guess something was gonna happen sooner or later.
kibble-net
·1 month agoThis is going to happen frequently with ESE. You have 2 choices:
(1) Understand that some defects are OK as you don't have to hit 100% on tracking.
(2) Stop using ESE.
It's your business - do whatever is best for you.
mcgarrettscomicsandcards
OPJul 13, 2026 at 12:28 PMMuch appreciated. As a result of this, I have made a business decision to no longer use ESE. I was never a fan of it, but it was going to be very difficult to move individual trading cards without it. Even with it, that lane for my store is not nearly as successful as the others. So I'll be steering away from individual low-value card listings and more towards bundles of cards that justify shipping with reliable tracking.
tobaccocardyahoo
·Jul 13, 2026 at 12:46 PMYou have made a decision that others have felt necessary.
Some sellers pack in a manner which reduces the likelihood of problems with ESE. Others, like myself, pack in a way that provides better protection for the item and has tracking and delivery problems with ESE.