eBay

brittanie@ebay · ‎04-28-2021

Hi everyone!

Thanks for joining us for the Weekly Chat. This week we’re joined by the eBay standard envelope team. They are here to address any questions you may have about this shipping option and the recent expansion to additional categories.

You can read more about the program itself here, here and here.

We are also aware that USPS First Class Package is not showing up as a shipping option in the listing flow for some members in the mobile app and desktop. This is urgently being worked on and we anticipate a quick resolution.

To post your question, click Reply in the lower right corner of this post, type your question, and hit submit between 1-2 PM Pacific Time. The format of our chat mirrors the format of our Community Discussion Boards, where each post will appear in the thread chronologically. We’ll review each question as it comes in, and will quote the original question in our reply. This quote and the reply will appear later in the thread, so just keep scrolling down to see our answers.

The chat thread will remain open until 2 PM PT, at which point the thread will be closed from additional responses. After that time, the team will continue to work on responding to any queries that might still be unanswered.

**Please note that while off-topic questions will not be removed, they will be answered after the chat closes, to allow priority to remain on the topic for this week's chat. Thanks!

Brittanie,
Community Team

my-cottage-books-and-antiques · ‎04-28-2021

I see the label shows the actual price paid. On most labels, ebay provides an option to include or exclude the price paid. Is that true of Standard Envelopes as well?

star.fighter · ‎04-28-2021

Thanks! I figured out that it says 'out for delivery' because it goes to the local postman/woman... and once on their truck, it's up to them -- they have no scanning. but, it does say 'out for delivery'!! that's great. however, i don't know how that would play out if something happens and the carrier doesn't actually get it to the mailbox??

sloppygoose · ‎04-28-2021

Only the machines can track these so there will never show departure or delivery to the house. When it says delivered in the tracking, it has been "delivered" to your local post office and then out to you the next day or 2.

I am not 100% but adding "fragile", "do not bend" etc. makes it non-machinable and thus not acceptable for the standard delivery.

my-cottage-books-and-antiques · ‎04-28-2021

star.fighter

Are you using standard #10 envelopes?

gwzcomps · ‎04-28-2021

My question is how can we trust eBay to run this standard envelope thing when they can barely run their own site?

sloppygoose · ‎04-28-2021

Only one issue with that so far and ebay sided with me on it and did not provide a refund. so...

jreeves2017 · ‎04-28-2021

How do I get subscribers to my newsletter?

if I check the box that says "add a link to subscribe to my newsletter", it simply ads a link that says "Contact Seller".

That's no help.

Any ideas?

Jennifer

my-cottage-books-and-antiques · ‎04-28-2021

A standard type "photo mailer" made of thin but stiff cardboard, as long as it is within the dimension requirements...that also works, right?

_____
Edit: A reply to your post can be found here

amy@shipping · ‎04-28-2021

@kinisonfan805 wrote:

Hi, I print my shipping labels with a thermal printer. when printing 1st class postage the label prints fine. When printing an Ebay Standard Envelope label, it prints a lot of the label slightly blurred and hard to read. The address is legible but some of the smaller details are not so legible. I contacted the printer company, Rollo, and they think that maybe the file created to print might me the issue. I use multiple Rollo printers and it is the same on all of the printers. Any ideas or suggestions to get these to print better. Thank You in advance, JD ~

@kinisonfan805 Thanks for the feedback - we do suggest working with Rollo, and trying the 4" x 6" label format may alleviate the issue. We also offer a pdf and png format, one of those options may print more clearly on your printer. Here is a screenshot of the label printing preferences:

jen@selling · ‎04-28-2021

@my-cottage-books-and-antiques wrote:

When creating a listing with a Standard Envelope, do I use "Flat" or "Calculated"?

If I use Flat, can I set a price higher than the Standard Envelope price? In other words, a 3 oz envelope....could I put in $1.00 rather than 91 cents?

Good question, @@my-cottage-books-and-antiques.

You can use either but let's outline the things to consider. 💡

Flat rate

If you've prepacked items for 1 listing and know the weights are 1oz, 2oz or 3oz, then you can charge the rates $0.51, $0.71, and $0.91 respectively. You are also able to charge something slightly different like $0.50, $0.75, or $1.00 instead of exactly the cost of the service if you need to do that (e.g. "handling" costs like packaging). This isn't a policy violation.

Calculated

If you end up with a single or combined order that may squeak over the 3oz weight, you will be unable to use eBay standard envelope. You will have to purchase a First Class Package service and the cost will be more than $0.91.

The consideration here for you/a seller is similar to choosing between flat rate priority mail and priority mail or including free shipping in your listing. You know your business best. Try out both and see what works.

If you see a consensus, let us know! We're still in early stages of seeing how this service is used by sellers.

Thanks for the question!🌻

nate@shipping · ‎04-28-2021

@tolu31209 wrote:

I'm really excited to see I can add the Standard Envelope as a shipping option for my post card and trade token listings. A few questions:

1) On the listing form I can select standard env. as an option, but it doesn't show up at all in the shipping calculator. I know it's supposed to be $1 or less, but how do I know for sure if the shipping calculator doesn't show it?

2) if I were to select Standard Envelope as the only shipping option, is it flat rate or calculated?

3) Does my shipping envelope have to be standard sized, as are the examples on your template, or any size between the minimum and maximum?

Thanks! Will await your answers 🙂

Hi @tolu31209 , thanks for sharing the excitement! We are excited too.

1) eBay standard envelope is not yet shown in the shipping calculator. Look for that to come down the line at some point. In the meantime, the rates are fairly straightforward: 1oz = $0.51, 2oz = $0.71, 3oz = $0.91. Those rates are valid to any buyer in the domestic US.

2) You can select Flat or Calculated shipping. With Flat, you set the price. With Calculated, the weight you enter on the listing would drive what the buyer sees (same rates as above).

3) Any size between the min & max works, however do consider the aspect ratio of the envelope (length divided by height) should be between 1.3 and 2.5.

Hope that helps!

~Nate

hankandjim2007 · ‎04-28-2021

I like this program for the most part, it should have been implemented years ago when free shipping was forced on sellers. I remember bringing this up at the time and the response was that we should be selling higher priced items.

Some issues I am finding, many have been brought up today:

1. Tracking issues. I have shipped out several hundred since this program began. I have had to file about 20 claims. Luckily the company has paid almost right away, but how long will they do this before changing their fees?

2. Puerto Rico. I have had to block buyers from PR. I sold a few cards for about $5.00 or so with free shipping figuring I could use the standard envelope. It was blocked and I had to pay about $4.00 for the package. There has to be a way to charge them 1st class package since they are classified as an international location.

3. Multiple purchases. I wish there could be a way to uncombine multiple purchases. I had a situation where someone bought a few cards for about $10.00 each. Since they paid together it has to go out as 1 package. Now my shipping cost is about $4.00 plus insurance. If I could seperate them into individual packages my cost would have been about half.

pokemoncatches · ‎04-28-2021

It's very problematic when running hundreds of these labels that the charges hit after the fact, and are not unique by transaction ID, but rather product ID. What is the logic here? Some of my listings can have a quantity of 100 for the same product. How does this allow for proper accounting and tracking? I've already received credits for overcharges there isn't much trust here. There needs to be accountability within the reporting. There are sellers here trying to run a business not a garage sale. These details matter.