Buyer received my empty package.

[inhawaii]

Item shipped First Class Mail in a #2 ebay padded envelope arrived opened and empty with a USPS sticked  indicating  "this package was unsealed".

For those of you familiar with a ebay padded envelope, the are pretty secure when they are sealed. 

A) There was a mishap and the package was accidentally opened and the contents fell out?

-or-

B) A US postal worker decided to help himself to a $25 shirt. A early xmas present?

The customer has been fully refunded.

Another example of "just part of doing business" like getting scammed.

Have a great weekend everyone.

[wastingtime101]

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@dbfolks166mt wrote:

Regardless of how good the adhesive is on any package or envelope everything I ship is wrapped both length wise and width wise with duct tape.

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Seriously? USPS can and will reject packages wrapped with duct tape. It has a tendency to come unstuck and gets caught up in the sorting machines, creating all sorts of issues.

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@bigdeals.etc wrote:

USPS states that nothing can be used to secure the flat rate package other than the package itself. I’m sure many have done it and luckily passed. But the package can easily get denied and charged additional fees.

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That was true in the past, but hasn't been for years now. USPS removed all references to not being able to add tape to flat rates in their DMM several years ago. I haven't had a problem adding tape to a flat rate envelope seal since the change.

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@stuff4divas wrote:

the ebay padded envelopes have double seals, the 2nd in case of a return, were both strips still there?

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eBay removed the double seal years ago. They also removed the easy-open perforation from the polymailers. Quality goes downhill once or twice a year now. The padded envelopes used to be great, but now they're super thin and see-through like the USPS padded flat rates. The boxes have gotten thinner and more flimsy.

[stuff4divas]

@wastingtime101 

oh, i still have the double sealed ones, bought more recently than 'years' ago

[wastingtime101]

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@stuff4divas wrote:

oh, i still have the double sealed ones, bought more recently than 'years' ago

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All the ones I've purchased since early/mid-2019 (2 years ago) had a single seal.

[stuff4divas]

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@wastingtime101 wrote:

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@stuff4divas wrote:

oh, i still have the double sealed ones, bought more recently than 'years' ago

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All the ones I've purchased since early/mid-2019 (2 years ago) had a single seal.

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OK, not me

[wastingtime101]

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@stuff4divas wrote:

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@wastingtime101 wrote:

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@stuff4divas wrote:

oh, i still have the double sealed ones, bought more recently than 'years' ago

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All the ones I've purchased since early/mid-2019 (2 years ago) had a single seal.

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OK, not me

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I'm betting you got the tail end of the double strip inventory - perhaps in a size they had overstocked. The double seal was removed with the Spring 2019 release.

[bigdeals.etc]

@wastingtime101 is this 100% true in all cases or is it YMMV?

I’m wondering what can we get away with here… are we allowed to wrap tape around the entire package? Many times especially during the cold months, the adhesives on the flat rate boxes suck. I think the cold solidifies the glue more so that it doesn’t really adhere when you press the cardboard flap down.

It would really help a lot if I’m allowed to secure the box using clear tape all the way around. I’ve seen some of these boxes pop open when people toss them in the USPS outgoing bins at their docks.

[stuff4divas]

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@wastingtime101 wrote:

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@stuff4divas wrote:

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@wastingtime101 wrote:

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@stuff4divas wrote:

oh, i still have the double sealed ones, bought more recently than 'years' ago

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All the ones I've purchased since early/mid-2019 (2 years ago) had a single seal.

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OK, not me

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I'm betting you got the tail end of the double strip inventory - perhaps in a size they had overstocked. The double seal was removed with the Spring 2019 release.

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I was thinking the same thing bc sometimes u look what is in stock and go back and it's not there any more or there are things in stock that weren't b4. I still have some of the snowflake ones 😁

 Unfortunately, my sales are waaay less than what our store code allows us to buy in shipping supplies. I've resorted to buying just the tape 😬

[inhawaii]

These things usually seal  very well. On occasion i've had to open one, it's not easy, i mean it takes some effort. Not like it's going to open on it's own.

It was a first class package so no insurance. Only PM has auto $50 insurance right?

I was thinking about adding a strip of packing tape to the flap, but this has only happened to me once out of 1,000+ padded envelopes. so i'm not sure it warrants taking any preventative measures at all?

[evelyb30]

Old habit for me - tape anything and everything.  Never trust the adhesive on eBay or USPS-supplied boxes.  It's OK for holding the package shut long enough to tape it shut good, but don't trust it.  I tape over the adhesive, X and or H the tape , and tape the adhesive labels to those envelopes (and boxes and...) just in case.  

[wastingtime101]

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@inhawaii wrote:

so i'm not sure it warrants taking any preventative measures at all?

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I'd say no. Most likely it got caught and ripped open on a sorting machine or the corner of a large box or something. The air-pop theory is also sound, but only if you had the tee in a plastic bag inside the mailer and the bag had air in it. The mailers themselves are not air tight so air can generally escape easily unless it was fully stuffed and you had the flap pulled down super tight and reinforced with tape or something.

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Assuming you're talking about the side-loaders since the top loading boxes don't come with adhesive, @bigdeals.etc . As long as it's clear tape, I haven't had issues with the post office rejecting or up-charging reinforced flat rate envelopes or boxes. I put strips across the entire box flaps. I don't have a USPS link to reference. I just know that the language was removed from the DMM years ago and I haven't had problems with taping flat rates since then. I'd bet @nobody*s_perfect could offer some additional info on this topic.

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I have the opposite problem, @stuff4divas. I could easily use 4x what my store gives me each quarter in shipping supplies (more if they carried a wider array of box sizes). I spend a fortune on packing materials. Correction: my buyers spend a fortune on my packing materials.

[stuff4divas]

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@wastingtime101 wrote:I have the opposite problem, @stuff4divas. I could easily use 4x what my store gives me each quarter in shipping supplies (more if they carried a wider array of box sizes). I spend a fortune on packing materials. Correction: my buyers spend a fortune on my packing materials.

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That's AWESOME! Keep up the great job you are doing, altho I bet real hectic every day! 

[wastingtime101]

Thanks stuff4divas!

I found the USPS link with the tape info, @bigdeals.etc.

[jayjaspersgarage]

"the ebay padded envelopes have double seals"

Does this ebay envelope look like it has double seals?

People need to stop assuming they know everything about ebay.  Not every single ebay shipping bag is the same.  Ebay is constantly changing vendors for these types of products.  My ebay poly bags have two closure strips but not all padded envelopes are the same.   The ones with the stupid "Shop like nobody else" slogan that went away in less than a year have two strips on the larger size.

I do like the double strip type of bag because we can use both of them to ensure the thing won't get opened by a thief and then reclosed with the second strip.

Yep, it's Monday and I happen to be doing a photo shoot at the moment.

[dbfolks166mt]

     I have had several USPS boxes that the seal was insufficient to close the package. Most of the priority mail boxes do not even have a sealant strip on them. There are different types of duct tape. I use something called flexfix, picture below. There is no way the tape can be removed without destroying the box. I have been doing this for over 10 years and have never had a package returned or rejected and I drop everything in person to have it weighed, checked and obtain a receipt. What you cannot do is obscure the identifier on the box, i.e. Small flat rate box, regional box A.....

From the USPS site. 

Sealing

Tape the opening of your box and reinforce all seams with 2-inch-wide tape. Use clear or brown packaging tape, reinforced packing tape, or paper tape. Do not use cord, string, twine, masking, or cellophane tape. Place a strip of clear packaging tape over your label to prevent the address from smearing.

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@bigdeals.etc wrote: ...

@dbfolks166mt  FYI, make sure you don’t use duct tape or any other foreign adhesives when you ship any type of flat rate. USPS states that nothing can be used to secure the flat rate package other than the package itself. I’m sure many have done it and luckily passed. But the package can easily get denied and charged additional fees.

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Duct tape is prohibited for all USPS packages (not just flat rate) because as noted above, it gets torn and stuck in machinery.

Many years ago, USPS did have a rule that prohibited tape on flat rate envelopes, mostly because users were reconfiguring them into odd shapes. I became skilled at slipping a piece of tape inside the flap to ensure that it stayed shut.

But the rules have loosened since then. In addition to the page linked above, there is an official Notice about tape which has an amusing Q&A:

https://about.usps.com/postal-bulletin/2016/pb22435/html/updt_002.htm