Ebay Standard Envelope Postage Due and Other Issues

[brados2112]

Visited the post office today after my eBay Standard Envelope (ESE) was returned for 20 cents postage due. They informed me it was too think and rigid to go through the sorting machine. My reply was that it is NOT supposed to go through a sorting machine. I hope everyone is aware that cards are going through a machine that bends them when being tracked. Out of the dozen USPS employees I've spoken with, none of them have had any information communicated to them about ESE. I've gotten several different suggestions on how to proceed from here on, none of them acceptable or even close to the same. Ebay, your idea for ESE was great but the implementation was a failure. Can you at least communicate with the USPS to figure out a solution? What problems are everyone else running into? Any solutions?

[gkn29]

You shouldn't be mailing cards in envelopes. They should be sandwiched between cardboard and sent first class, not as flats.

[brados2112]

LOL. Are you aware of the eBay Standard Envelope choice that was rolled out in February? I always place cardboard on both sides of a hard plastic toploader.

[katzrul15]

@brados2112 - Maybe post this on the Shipping board to see who else is running into these issues with the new classification?  I remember seeing some threads over there recently on this, but I do not use this USPS service, so no help to you.  Sorry - always a bermuda triangle of these types of things when first rolled out.  USPS employees always seem to be the last to know!

[cjmust30]

I am having the same issue. I have had 8 returned today. I called Ebay and told them they need to inform the USPS. The rep didn't know what was going on. The packages are also not tracking all the way to the destination. I even called the company that insures the $20 and they said they only care if someone claims not received and then they step in. I had to get waivers from the department that handles my monthly seller evaluation so I don't get dinged on my seller status. Yikes...it looks like a failure program!

[cjmust30]

There is a program that uses a standard envelope that has certain allowances. You are talking about something different.

[johnjefprks]

I have been using it since it started in late Jan. I have probably called merchant support 40 times with different problems, mainly lack of tracking. I have probably shipped over 2000 of them and gotten 4 returned.

The latest one was yesterday and it was a similar situation, they wanted 20 cents more.  I ship them all the same way with 1 to 6 cards. The one they returned only had  1 card in it.  There is no consistency in the post office and most of the postal workers have no idea what an ebay standard envelope is. Ebay keeps telling me it will get better. I am still waiting.

[magic*moonbeams]

I sent ONE item so far with the eBay standard envelope for sports cards (value under $20... I'm still not sure if that is per card or total value of the package....?)

But anywho... The morons at my PO when I dropped that package off, said they could scan it.... it was a newer person at the counter, so I took it back with me, and brought it back next day... another person said, they can't scan it...

I even brought the tracking info print out from eBay showing all the details (just to show, yes there is a tracking number, in case I got some more "we can't" answers the next day... they still had NO clue... but I had to get the thing moving so I took a chance and just told them to ship it...

Luckily, when I checked tracking a week later it WAS scanned and showed delivered...  lucky break, or just how it's supposed to work??? who knows, not me!  but at least somewhere along the line, someone knew what they were doing and scanned it 🙂

But it was a single item, and I put it in a regular check sized white envelope... in a plastic top loader a card goes into, and between 2 pieces of thin/thick (not flimsy thin, but not rigid thick) cardboard...

Maybe that is the difference?  If you put multiple cards, or even 1 single card in a top loader and between 2 pieces of thick carboard, AND in a padded envelope, the PO may find it too thick).

All I know is, I don't sell sports cards AT ALL but for a few doubles from my own collections, but if I do need to, I'm shipping in that check mailer/check size white envelope and taping eBay's label on it.

[jayjaspersgarage]

The ebay Standard Envelope program roll out is one of the worst in ten years.  It is a failure through and through.  I had high hopes but it is clear that the post office did next to nothing to educate its front line counter personnel about the program and ebay must have just figured it would be handled after someone working for DeJoy rubber stamped the idea.  

[sales_sales_sales_sales]

Sadly this shows what the USPS really thinks about ebay. ebay is nothing to them. I Guarandammtee if this was amaBOZOn the USPS would bend over backwards to make sure Bozo was happy. 

If ebay has pull they could have gotten us way better rates through the years, used their pull to make sure our packages didnt sit for weeks during the holidays, & made sure a program they actually got implemented WORKED!

ebay should remind the USPS that when Bozo takes ALL his packages to self delivery that they are going to need ebay sellers to make up the money they will lose ( or maybe the USPS will be better off without Bozo if as some claim they do lose money of his packages).

[gjs_16]

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@johnjefprks wrote:

Ebay keeps telling me it will get better. 

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Hahaha if anything it will get worse.

[farmalljr]

The new standard envelope offering has NOTHING to do with USPS. It's a tracking number on envelopes, that does not track door to door.

While I don't sell trading cards and do not use it, I was hoping for it's expansion into other categories at first. Not after understanding exactly what the program is. Seems this program is too rife with issues to be a good fit for most sellers, other than very large volume sellers. 

I'll just stay with first class package, thank you. Might be more money, but it's a better option for the sellers and offers better service/protection. 

[jklfindings]

While this program looks good on paper.... Anything involving USPS is going to be full of hazards.  I was always taught, "Pack it like it's going to be thrown, kicked, and beaten to a pulp".  Cards in envelopes just sounds like something USPS won't be able to implement without damage. 

[murphy71605]

I know several sellers who have been sending cards in PWEs for years now with very little problems. They will pay the .20 non-machinable rate if they deem it necessary. With ESE to get the tracking the item goes through machines to get read. Using cardboard will only thicken the mailer and that is not what you want. I send cards in a PWE (not the 6x8 cardboard mailer they show us) , sealed toploader and wrapped in a little bit thicker paper stock and that's it. Never even getting close to the 1/4" thickness. These go through rollers and bends and need some flexibility. Any items that are being pulled and charged the extra non-machinable rate will not get tracked. 

[wrong66]

And you actually think eBay can control how the mail moves during the holidays? Seriously?