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USPS rejecting correctly packaged eBay standard envelope postage - How do I get my shipping $ back?
I shipped a sports card in my regular way - in a top loader and team bag inside a greeting card. It's no thicker than if you send a gift card inside a greeting card. Less than 1 oz, but I pay the extra 20 cents for 2 oz to cover non-machinable costs. The stamp total is 71 cents.
I had this one returned this week for being "odd-shaped" even though hundreds of others have made it to their destinations without a problem. It just seems that the Palantine, IL distribution center got it wrong - they just must not know about the eBay discount.
So my question is, how do I get my money back for the 71 cents I'm out because of USPS lack of knowledge? This may seem like small potatoes but it's irritating because it impacts my relationship with buyers. I've already sent the seller replacement cards so now I've spent double on shipping. Is there a seller's protection for other people's mistakes like this?
kh-vince
·3 years agoHi everyone,
Due to the age of this thread, it has been closed to further replies. Please feel free to start a new thread if you wish to continue to discuss this topic.
Thank you for understanding.
sweetspotcollectiblez
·3 years agoIt’s a complete USPS ERROR! When standard card shipping in PWE Some envelope’s get returned with postage due because of 2 reason.. 1 the postal working might be new and is not familiar with eBay standard shipping. Or 2 they’re all just a bunch of idiots! Lol sorry! Anyway… I’ve had some issues with this but I emailed and called every post office that returned the envelope! And 99% of the time I got “this is a new postal worker who didn’t know!†So after sending it back out I’ve had no issues! Lastly I have people that work for the post office and their comment is lack of training along with they hire anything and everything right now! So it’s a complete failure on USPS! Thank you USPS for double dipping our pockets for postage!
soh.maryl
·3 years agoOriginal message is nearly 2 years old.
There is some interesting info in your reply though, so you may want to start your own thread.
1786davycrockett
·3 years ago@sweetspotcollectiblez
"the postal working might be new and is not familiar with eBay standard shipping."
There is nothing "special" about the eBay Standard Envelope (ESE) -- it is simply another form of USPS metered mail (similar to utility bills, credit card bills, etc), for which eBay was qualified to participate.
There is NOTHING in the ESE program that requires that USPS employees be specially trained -- eBay is only another vendor (amongst hundreds of thousands of other vendors) who is qualified to use discounted metered mail.
Most of the problems encountered by eBay sellers involve envelopes which are not flexible enough to stream through the USPS high-speed sorting rollers -- an envelope which is too thick will jam up the system, and will be rejected and re-qualified, necessitating higher postage to be collected, either by returning the envelope to the seller, or completing the mail delivery to the buyer, with the envelope marked for postage due for insufficient postage.
Another factor often overlooked by eBay sellers using the ESE program is envelope size -- there are specific measurements for the ESE, so that it may qualify for the USPS metered mail program, which generally necessitates using a standard-size envelope (a #10, or #6-3/4 or #5). Greeting card envelopes may NOT qualify, since they are often too high or too long.
The ESE program was introduced in a faulty manner, making eBay sellers believe that it was a "special" program, introduced and operated through a unique program especially designed just for use by eBay. But it's NOT -- it's just another metered mail program -- nothing more and nothing less. No "special" training is required for USPS employees, and no "special" procedures are required to process the ESE mailings.
It's just metered mail -- as long as we follow the USPS guidelines EXACTLY, the ESE letters will be delivered just the same as other metered mail. It is NOT a "special" program, and should never have been promoted as such.
kh-belma
·3 years agoHi everyone,
Due to the age of this thread, it has been closed to further replies. Please feel free to start a new thread HERE if you wish to continue to discuss this topic.
Thank you for understanding.
buffalocards-coins
·3 years agoI also had some returned for being too rigid. I was using the small thick DVD cardboard mailers which were very rigid/hard so I switched to larger mailers and have had no issues. The larger lighter ones can bend better in the machines. USPS does not recognize e-bay envelopes and has no contract with e-bay. My mailman told me they feel like e-bay is cheating the system by not purchasing first class tracking numbers. To this day I get 4 or 5 packages sent back monthly for postage due even though I paid the correct amount for 1 oz and used a plastic sliding template to make sure they all go through the machines easily. But hundreds do get delivered with no problems. I guess it just depends on the person working.