Ebay Standard Envelope Not Tracking

[theoriginallacksportsventures]

I sold a card with Ebay Standard Envelope.  Item never arrived for buyer and shows it has been out for delivery for a couple of weeks.  I refunded him the money and went to file a claim with USPS but the tracking number provided to me does not register on the USPS site and can't move forward with the claim to get reimbursed.  Anyone else have this issue and what do I do?

[comics-scifi-collectibles · Accepted solution]

@theoriginallacksportsventures  

I have been hearing the same complaint from other sellers that are very experienced with the quirks of this shipping method. I suspect that since metered mail is low priority that it is getting less attention as the backlog from the fires and winter storms is clearing. You can only track this type metered mail with this tool> https://parcelsapp.com/en/tracking

Here's my general advice for using ESD>

The eBay Standard Envelope for select items $20 or under is a metered mail system. ONLY the sorting equipment can read the code.

There's no reason for you to take a loss if the tracking never shows delivery or if it's damaged in shipment then you file an insurance claim.

The most common reason for not having an envelope scanned is because it was not flexible enough to go through the sorting equipment and was considered non machinable. I know of a high volume card seller who said they put three sheets of white paper around the card in a plain white envelope to protect it while it goes through the sorting equipment then it stays flexible and is not damaged.

This post by a fellow Mentor has some screen shots and more information, including how to file an insurance claim, that you will find helpful>

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Ask-a-Mentor/Standard-envelope-shipping/m-p/34239169#M598479