Ebay Standard Envelope Shipping USPS

[darkaine]

I had a buyer get a postage due delivery today for almost 5 dollars for a 10 dollar item that weighed  under 2 oz and was in a small envelope that I paid the 2 oz shipping price for. I've shipped over 100 items this way in the past 2 months and not had one come up like this.

Is there anywhere I can go to try and challenge the postage due or am I pretty much just stuck with it?

[martin2001]

The weight is not the only determinant of the shipping cost. If the envelope had something rigid inside and was thicker than 1/4" it would qualify as a package. Postage could easily be around $5+, depending on your and the destination ZIP code.

If your envelope wasn't thicker than 1/4", you would need some kind of proof about that. Maybe the buyer could send some photos of the package with a ruler showing the thickness.  I buy shipping labels online from a private company. They have a link where to challenge these charges. I presume, you used stamps, so there is no such option for you.  Probably, you could call the central USPS number, or go to your local PO and ask the postmaster how to challenge that. You could perhaps take one of your similar envelopes to postmaster and show him/her what have you been mailing all the time without being charged (or rather the buyer) extra

[1786davycrockett]

@darkaine 

What was the item that you shipped?

How flexible was the envelope?

If the envelope can not bend nearly in half, it will be kicked out of the USPS automatic feeding system, and marked "nonmachinable."

[darkaine]

I used the ebay shipping service they offer not stamps and it was under 1/4 of an inch. I've sent at least 30 of the same envelope with the same sized thing inside of it with no issue in the past month plus another 70+ with a slightly thinner holder in it. 

Maybe I'll look into a private shipping type seller in the future because this ebay standard envelope service has been......iffy at best sometimes. 

[darkaine]

Trading cards in a plastic sleeve on a piece of cardboard. Definitely wasn't that flexible but I've sent 30+ envelopes with the exact same configuration the past month and another 70+ with a slightly thinner card holder in it and none of those had issues. 

I guess it just depends on how the post office feeding system feels that day. 

[1786davycrockett]

@darkaine 

"Definitely wasn't that flexible"

Then there's your problem.

The automatic roller systems are high speed (32,000+ envelopes her hour), and the envelopes MUST be flexible to zip around a whole series of fixed-in-place rollers, with a curvature that nearly bends the envelope in half.  

That one ESE must not have been sufficiently flexible, and was kicked out.

[darkaine]

I would agree except when I say i've sent 30+ of the exact same configuration envelope using that service in the last month I mean identical in flexibility, size and weight so it doesn't really make sense. In addition the 70+ other ones were the same envelope with the same rigidity so while I'm glad I didn't get postage due on 100 items it seems there is a consistency problem here.

Oh well just is what it is, thanks for the info I appreciate it!

[buyselljack2016 · Accepted solution]

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@darkaine wrote:

Trading cards in a plastic sleeve on a piece of cardboard. Definitely wasn't that flexible but I've sent 30+ envelopes with the exact same configuration the past month and another 70+ with a slightly thinner card holder in it and none of those had issues. 

I guess it just depends on how the post office feeding system feels that day. 

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and there is also the possibility that it was a decision made at the PO where the ESE was being delivered.

Some sellers in the western US had a Postmaster (or person in charge) that regularly refused the use of the ESE postage items, insisting that they needed an additional payment for a "non-machinable" surcharge. Not as costly as insisting that it is a "package", but still disruptive to the sellers businesses.

[wheatlandsoaps]

According to multiple post offices near me the ESE guidelines by ebay are exactly opposite of the post office rules. They are now refusing to mail any envelopes without a non machinable surcharge. No matter what I do they bend and manipulate the envelope until they locate the coin, and immediately claim it is too rigid, therefore I owe more money. Spent two hours this week at the post office trying to get a clear answer. According to Russell Illinois, and pleasant prairie wis. offices there is no way to send a coin without the surcharge. I have sent hundreds of these with no problems until now. I feel like It's extortion, give us more money or we won't send your envelope (that I already paid for and is within the rules).  Not worth the hassle. Shipping has become too expensive to continue selling on ebay. Just FYI if you complain at the Pleasant Prairie post office be prepared for your stuff to go missing. I will be leaving my geodes up for sale as they go ground advantage (also a ripoff, IMHO) but I am finished selling coins. Also both postmasters told me they would automatically reject any insurance claims involving coins or currency, even though there are clear rules regarding collectibles being OK to mail. Be careful Ebayers!  

[tobaccocardyahoo]

I actually was amazed when coins were included in the categories for ESE. I would think that they would be considered too rigid.

I have decided that this service is too mind boggling for me. My best results in getting scans are in packaging which is too rigid for the service.

I am quite willing to not offer items which are not worth the cost of shipping by Ground Advantage.

[nylvseller]

so how are u supposed to ship a trading card using ebay standard envelope?????

[sub-sonic]

This has started happening to me as well with Trading cards. Over 500 mailed with no issue until this month. I had one arrived to a buyer that had to pay an additional $0.25 and just had another returned to me for the same. The one returned to me was going to an address in my hometown. I would rather Ebay bump up the price a little to cover this issue. 0.88 vs 1.13 is not a huge increase if it corrects the issue with the USPS.

[cardboard-capitalist]

I had my first trading card returned this week.  Paid 0.88 for under 2 oz using ESE.  I have been mailing them in the fairly rigid paperboard mailjackets from eBay shipping supplies store.  Not very flexible and once a toploader goes in there they are even worse.  However, as others have pointed out, no issues until this week.  I am now going to try using a 9.5 x 4.5 security PWE.  I will fold the packing slip and then tape the top loader off to one side so it stays at the extreme right side of the envelope.  The envelope can literally bend in half at the middle if necessary.  But toward the right side, still no bend.  There are many YT videos of sellers doing it this way in large volumes....so will see how it works for me.  However, the Post Office has their own rules which do not necessarily align with what eBay is pitching.  If items are kicked out of the sorting machines, employees do have the option to manually process them.  But with the time it takes, it is probably no surprise that they will start rejecting these more and more if it becomes a bigger problem and time suck for them.  To be honest, I don't really blame the post office, it is more of an Ebay issue promoting something that isn't 100% endorsed by USPS.  It's still a step forward for many, but as it becomes more of an issue, eBay will need to come up with a better solution.

[thecardiconsstore]

I sell sports trading cards and recently faced additional shipping charge issues with three orders in the past two weeks, after hundreds of successful deliveries. All orders were under 2 oz., shipped at the $0.97 rate, and met eBay’s criteria for standard envelopes. In two cases, customers had to pay additional shipping (one paid $4.83 more, the other $0.46), and the third order was returned due to insufficient postage.

Unfortunately, with this rate of issues at USPS, shipping trading cards via ePWE no longer seems viable. The profit margin for cards sold under $20 is too thin to sustain a profitable business unless you can source thousands of cards for under $1 each. With USPS Ground Advantage (~$4.11) becoming the default shipping method and eBay’s rising fees, selling low-priced items isn’t worth it, even assuming a $0 Promote Ad Rate and organic discovery.

Selling low-priced items might make sense as a hobby, where making a few dollars occasionally is acceptable. However, it doesn’t seem feasible to build a viable business on sales of sub-$20 items.

Am I miscalculating, using the wrong methodology, or missing out on proper shipping methods to achieve a sustainable profit margin for low-priced item sales?