How does ebay standard envelope tracking actually work?

[bkerea66]

So I have been a bit frustrated of late regarding the unreliability of tracking for ebay standard envelope and would like the communities input on how this is supposed to work.  Ebay touts this as a great thing but I have numerous examples of items being delivered that never show up as delivered in the tracking.  This creates potential scamming opportunities for dishonest buyers as they can easily claim something wasn't received (even though it was) by simply monitoring the tracking that is never updated by eBay or the PO.  They can then file a INR claim which the buyer can't defend.  Of course this goes back to the long standing policy at eBay that the buyer is always protected even though the seller had nothing to do with the item being lost.

I have found nothing on eBay's website that explains the agreement they have with the PO to do this tracking.  I've talked to my local post office folks and they report that their system does not provide the tracking.  If you try to input the eBay tracking number into the PO system you'll see this is true.  If you ask customer service where the item is they can't tell you either.  My observation is that the items are scanned in some way at the main post office (not the local one) and that info is sent to eBay somehow for posting on the seller page.  It might be scanned again at the main destination PO but I'm not sure.  I've seen some comments that indicate this to be true and that that is the final "delivered" scan even though the item hasn't yet been delivered by the mail carrier.  The only other option seems to be that the mail carrier scans it before delivering it and that info is again forwarded to eBay somehow.

Does anyone know for sure how this tracking works and a general question....what is eBay doing to ensure that an item being "tracked" can be found??

P.S. I am aware of the insurance but again....to the buyer's benefit...not mine as I'm out the value of the item. 

[buyselljack2016]

@bkerea66 

It is just "metered" mail.

Gets "processing scans" along the way.

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P.S. I am aware of the insurance but again....to the buyer's benefit...not mine as I'm out the value of the item. 

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If not delivered, you have to refund the buyer.

If it gets a "processing scan" anywhere along the way you are covered by eBay. You claim the "insurance" with eBay, and you are NOT out the value of the item.

If no "processing scan" at all........................  then you are at a loss................  such is selling on eBay 🙃

[coolections]

It says right there when you go to use it that it is NOT the same as regular tracking and has less updates. If you want the regular tracking you have to buy it and not use the envelope. For the most part it works great and since there are very few scammers you should not have much to worry about. I've used it this year around 50 times and have not had a single scammer even though around 18 or so never showed delivered.

[dirk12955]

I don't pay any attention to the tracking history of these type items,   Or any items for that matter.

All I know is if I mail 1,000 stamp orders with the ebay system, that 999 of them will get delivered without issue.

The only important thing is that the customer receives what he paid for.  

[spark-chaser1]

You re seeing it from the seller's perspective. With these standard envelopes, the buyer's STATE postal DC marks these " out for delivery", which then are scanned as " delivered" when the local PO, not the recipient, takes possession. 

From there, no more scans... So if the local PO loses the item, the carrier decides to keep it, or any number of things outside of the actual delivery, the buyer loses.  After all, it was " delivered",  for all intents and purposes as far as the seller and the Bay are concerned, right?

It ain't always the seller who gets the short end of the stick.😉

[dirk12955]

As I said,   No matter what the tracking says,  99.9%  of my orders get delivered to the buyer.    Some months I'll  ship 400-500 orders with this system.

If a buyer asks me what's up with the tracking,  I tell them that there's a delay between when the USPS Says

 it's delivered, and when it actually Is  delivered.    They usually respond back,  "Oh, OK"

Even if a buyer takes the INR step and files,   I know that they almost always will get the 

item before I'm forced to refund.

I wise man once told me,   "It ain't a problem,  till it's a problem"

I just can't see the point in following orders from here to there and worrying about what might happen and hardly ever does.  

[a_c_green · Accepted solution]

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@bkerea66 wrote:

Does anyone know for sure how this tracking works and a general question....what is eBay doing to ensure that an item being "tracked" can be found??

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It's not "tracking" in the same sense as that of packages with actual barcodes on the label (e.g. Ground Advantage, Priority Mail, etc.). eBay Standard Envelopes get a routing code printed on the label when they enter the mailstream, which is used to expedite the sorting process at sort facilities along the way. Whenever a sorting machine reads the routing code, that triggers an update that eBay can report.

However, because the routing codes of eSE mailings cannot be read by USPS carrier tracking scanners, they have no actual Accepted or Delivered scans. The closest you'll get will be a routing scan reported  by a sort machine when the eSE is sent to or arrives at the post office handling the final delivery, which eBay will interpret as Delivered that day.

If the buyer files an Item Not Received dispute on an eSE mailing, you will need to refund in full, then apply to eBay for reimbursement. I think the claim limit on that is $20.

[spark-chaser1]

You've had good luck, then.  It all boils down to the final few stops, tracking or no. As you correctly state, it doesn't pay to focus on tracking and I don't personally  do so until the EDD comes and goes,followed by  a couple weeks wait-and-see,  and then I tend to  worry.

I usually make bulk purchases of banknotes that exceed the use of the SE... but for one- off purchases I tend to get them.  And I seem to have bad luck with them... And in the few cases where the shipment goes AWOL, it seems to be solely down to the seller's discretion to refund, as eBay sees " delivered" and the PO doesn't know where it is but " thinks" it was delivered😉

[cardxcraft]

Yes, ESE works.  As long as you follow the guidelines you'll have no problems.  Read the best practices for the service and if you have questions, definitely post them.  

In parting, the most important aspect in the process is the envelope you're using.  I have a 100%  acceptance and delivery scan rate; I know the process very well.  

[bkerea66]

I appreciate your comments.  My issue is usually associated with items that are "in transit".  They are arrived at the "origin" and been scanned into the system but then...nothing.  

[spark-chaser1]

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@bkerea66 wrote:

I appreciate your comments.  My issue is usually associated with items that are "in transit".  They are arrived at the "origin" and been scanned into the system but then...nothing.  

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Yep!

State DC.... "Arrived"

State DC..." Out for delivery"

Local PO...." DELIVERED" ( or substitute" in transit")

then:

Beuller...

Beuller...

Beuller...

👋

[cardxcraft]

Sorry, I mis-read...

[theteamsetguy]

@dirk12955 ,

I think one of the biggest issues especially with sellers of trading cards using Ebay's standard envelope is not packing properly. The envelope has to be able go thru the letter sorting machines. The tracking is done via the bar code placed on the envelope by the sorting machines.

The envelope has to be bendable and thin enough to go thru the letter sorting machines. I think the sellers having the most problems are the ones using card holders that are too rigid because they are too concerned about damage to the card making them non machinable. When that happens the envelope doesn't get scanned.

[cardxcraft]

This is exsctly what's happening.  When I first stsrted using ESE, I had the same problems: non-scans, postage due, a few INR's, and envelopes uprated to first class. 

My metrics improved to what they are today when I found the right quality of envelope and label printer.  Now I have a group of envelopes that I know will meet ESE specifications while offering the maximum protection possible.

I just need to get a handle on my sales conversion rate...

[onefootflipper1]

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@theteamsetguy wrote:

@dirk12955 ,

I think one of the biggest issues especially with sellers of trading cards using Ebay's standard envelope is not packing properly. The envelope has to be able go thru the letter sorting machines. The tracking is done via the bar code placed on the envelope by the sorting machines.

The envelope has to be bendable and thin enough to go thru the letter sorting machines. I think the sellers having the most problems are the ones using card holders that are too rigid because they are too concerned about damage to the card making them non machinable. When that happens the envelope doesn't get scanned.

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Most are overpacking fearing damage which is covered by the insurance and instead getting their envelope shredded in the first sort machine before it ever picks up a scan.

I would suggest anyone shipping standard envelope to watch my video on the subject and just copy what I do, my standard envelope shipping problems round down to zero.

https://youtu.be/f9SPX370_IE