Problem looming: Dealing with dozens of "Item not Received" small dollar Ebay Standard Envelope

[27teamswords]

I have gotten dozens of "Item not received"  that I had to refund amounting to around $79- and most of them are small transactions $1.27, $1.37 etc. Maybe 40 total? This is all because of the Ebay Standard Envelope being SO SLOW and with only about a 50% scan rate. It's really bad people! I advise against it now. I had to take my auctions down and edit them to hopefully slow down the item not received. I feel like I'm getting screwed pretty bad here. And here I was just trying to sell seeds at a low cost to help people out and make a very tiny profit- and lost a substantial portion to refund requests.

And I know the letters are making it there eventually, or already did because not one has come back! and no one is contacting me about the post office asking for postage- Out of around 400!! So the letters are getting delivered. Are some people just ripping me off?? Or lots of them? It doesn't make sense to screw the small guy over $1.27 but maybe that's the game now? Does anyone have real data on how many people knowingly abuse the poor scan quality of Ebay standard Envelope playing the lottery and getting half of their orders for free? I guess I'm not helping by saying it here either maybe so because something can be done about the Ebay standard envelope program to make buyers aware? Or better yet, actually making the post office scan it, every time. It doesn't make sense this letter roulette has been going on for so long.

So the looming problem is: Do I really have to wait 30 days before filing an insurance request, and include screenshots of the conversation and the invoice? It's like Ebay is punishing the little guys here.

Do you know how LONG it will take for me to pull all that together, searching through thousands of messages and invoices!@ One by one? and then screenshot and uploading it! WOW- they make it really hard .

There has GOT to be a better way than just writing off all my tiny profits from hard work or spending half a day filing 40+ insurance claims? Am I missing something here?

Please guide me with how to deal with this situation as to if there is a better solution than having to do what I said.  Thank you!

[tsme35]

I just read the guide lines for Ebay Standard Envelope claims and yes pretty much what you posted. For what I see about the claims, one at a time and for what my time is worth, it wouldn't be worth it for those small amounts. Looks like the claims are easier then what I'd deal with the PO but would be better to just write off as loses on your taxes.

[reallynicestamps]

and most of them are small transactions $1.27, $1.37 etc. Maybe 40 total? This is all because 

Since eBay's fees include a  30c service fee PLUS 12-15% of the entire payment, including sales taxes if any, you have not identified the actual problem.

Your business plan does not leave you enough profit to write off these small claims.

Most sellers of very low cost items are either selling from overseas with subsidized shipping and very low procurement/manufacturing costs  or are sure that each buyer will make multiple purchases.

Bundle your items, if they do not normally already sell in multiple of 10 or more.

Use Cookie Jar Insurance, putting a small amount a penny or a nickel fromeach price aside in a virtual Cookie Jar as self-insurance against unwarranted claims .

If the shipping service you are using is delivering late, that is not an unwarranted claim, but might make your choice of shipping less useful.

Refund promptly and without complaint, writing off these losses against your profits. They are tax deductible.

The minimum wage where I live is 27c per MINUTE.  Are you making more than minimum wage by making insurance claims?

[m60driver]

Perhaps the issue you are encountering is specific to using Ebay Standard Envelope to mail seed packages.

[splendidthreads]

Your time is worth more than you'd recover filing all of those.  Maybe just do the ones that are worth the most. 

Here's my perspective as a seed buyer.  I buy way too many seeds.  When I get them online, I don't expect low prices and free shipping.  If I'm buying a variety, I'll go with the seller whose feedback suggests the seeds he sells will actually grow and the one who offers a shipping discount if I buy a certain number of items. At your prices, after fees and shipping, you'd be better off donating them to a local seed bank. 

Many of the seeds I've ordered online have come in a small plastic baggie in a regular envelope. Even gourd seeds, which are huge.  About half of those arrive with the seeds crushed and/or the envelope torn.  I prefer to pay more for shipping to know that the seeds I'm getting and plan to use soon after will arrive safely.  I'd bet that most other seed buyers feel the same way.  

You explain about the shipping in your listings.  You've planted an idea, and dishonest people will quickly figure out how to get what you sell for free.  I'd take that out of the listings.  

[tobaccocardyahoo]

Your ESE envelopes must be uniform in thickness and meet the USPS requirements for machinable envelopes. Since you are shipping seeds the problem of rigidity is probably not the problem unless you are packing with plastic or cardboard.

If they are not getting scanned and are getting delayed it is probably because they are jamming the machines intended for letters.

The physical requirements of an ESE are defined and many sellers have not truly understood what they mean and that they are the difference between successful delivery and what you are experiencing.

The only potential improvement will be that which you can do to meet the requirements.

Neither Ebay nor USPS is running a scam.

The truth of the matter is that ESE looks too good to be true, and is not.

Seems like most of the stamp sellers who use it and some of the card sellers who use it are having decent luck.

[gamersbaystore]

There's several problems here, one being ebay's junk delivery estimates, the fact many buyers aren't honest, and the fact ebay standard envelope is not reliable and never scans properly.

A lot of the problems you're facing could be avoided had ebay not lied to your customers with garbage estimated delivery dates. ebay refuses to do anything about it, despite years of sellers complaining about it.

An employee at my local post office stated that ESE packages are not being processed properly due to a lack of proper training, which also doesn't help your situation.

This is a serious problem if you're getting tons of INR's too, ebay will eventually put all sorts of limits on your selling abilities if you have too many of them.

The biggest problem with all of this is ebay's incompetence.

[1786davycrockett]

@27teamswords 

"and with only about a 50% scan rate."

Your problem regarding the "scan rate" may be solved by mailing your ESEs in the "Metered Mail" slot in the lobby of your post office.  USPS considers the ESE to be simply another form of contracted business metered mail, which is handled more efficiently and quicker by using the mail slot designed specifically for that type of mail.

Because the ESE is "metered mail," it can not be "scanned" by the USPS hand-scanners at the local post offices -- it MUST receive a "metered mail" affirmation at the USPS Distribution Centers at another location.

Handling the ESEs to a USPS counter employee or a USPS delivery carrier is no guarantee that the ESEs will be treated as "metered mail;" nor will mailing the ESEs in the USPS "blue-boxes" or a residential mailbox or a business mail system.

Once the batches of  "metered mail" are received at the USPS Distribution Centers, they are automatically fed into the high speed sorting machines, where they receive their initial "affirmation scan."  This initial "scan" is critical for purposes of making insurance claims, as it is confirmation that an attempt was actually made to send the ESE.

There may be a delay in receiving that first "scan," particularly if the ESE was mailed on a Friday, or just before a holiday, as the scan will not be made until several days later.

Similarly, the "Delivered" scan is made when the ESE arrives at the post office matching the ZIP Code of the residential address -- and NOT the residence itself.  The actual delivery to the buyer's home address may take several additional days, so you might need to suggest to your buyers that they be just a bit more patient, and wait a few days longer.

And the OP has not mentioned what form of reinforcement might be used inside the ESEs.  If it is not sufficiently flexible, it will be rejected from the USPS sorting machines as "nonmachinable," and labeled for "Postage Due."

Admittedly, when eBay introduced the ESE, it is highly probable that eBay did not fully comprehend the potential issues involved with "metered mail."  While they have subtly added some additional specifics (particularly about envelope rigidity), there is still plenty of "wiggle room" needed to make sure that the ESE experience works for a larger percentage of ESE users, and not just for those of us who have not (fortunately!) encountered any problems.

Good luck in the future.

[27teamswords]

This wouldn't make sense because hundreds of people are getting them just fine and I send them well within the ESE rules. And I make them ALL the same. So explain that how two identical envelopes one disappears and one doesn't

[27teamswords]

One of your points wouldn't make sense because hundreds of people are getting my seeds just fine and I send them well within the ESE rules. And I make them ALL the same. So explain that how two identical envelopes one disappears and one doesn't. over and over. Makes ZERO sense.

[27teamswords]

One of your points wouldn't make sense because hundreds of people are getting my seeds just fine and I send them well within the ESE rules. And I make them ALL the same. So explain that how two identical envelopes one disappears and one doesn't. over and over. Makes ZERO sense.

But thank you for the post!

[reallynicestamps]

...hundreds of people are getting my seeds just fine...

two identical envelopes one disappears and one doesn't. over and over.

The retail "failed transaction " rate is one percent including shoptheft and shrinkage.

If one percent or less of your shipments is disappearing, that's retail average or less.

Cookie Jar Insurance.

Refund and move on.

[kds99]

When did eBay start to allow seeds to be shipped with ESE?

[solidguitar1961]

a couple of months ago , seeds , patches and a couple other categories were added.

[solidguitar1961]

My experience with ESE is that it is a total crap shoot with regards to being scanned.

My observation from the community board is that certain categories have higher levels of buyers being dishonest about receiving the items