IS EBAY STANDARD ENVELOPE A SMART BUSINESS TOOL?

[alanpeg12]

eBay Standard Envelope has to many variables that allows a buyer to exploit it. Such as: "item not received or not delivered." As time goes on, eBay buyers are learning that the tracking is flawed. Good luck in your shipment uploading into the tracking system even though the buyer has received the item. Further, do not use this service for shipments to P.O. BOXES. it will never reflect "delivered." eBay Standard Envelope, is based upon the "Honor System." How "Honest" is your buyer? If a dishonest buyer wants to get an item free; it is becoming common knowledge you can open a case with eBay for item not received and the buyer is forced to make refund if the tracking does not reflect "DELIVERED." Unfortunately, it is is a harsh fact of life not all buyers are honest! This is why USPS tracking was invented. "IF IT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IT PROBABLY IS."

[1786davycrockett]

The dollar maximum for using the eBay Standard Envelope (ESE) tops out at $20.00, so sellers won't be out a lot of money if the buyer decides to file an "item not received" claim. 

However, the ESE is also covered by eBay insurance for "lost" shipments -- so the seller actually recovers most of the loss.

Furthermore, most of the ESEs which I've sent out over the past several years have received final "delivered" tracking -- and NONE of my buyers have ever opened up INR cases against me.

USPS treats the ESE the same as other metered mail.  When sellers begin to understand how metered mail works (and DOESN'T work!), the process provides fewer and fewer headaches.

I'll stick with the ESE, until I'm proven wrong.

[fm2000]

For items of a very small value (and especially items a seller gets for nothing or almost nothing), the ESE is a great tool that makes it possible to sell items that would otherwise not be sellable due to the high cost of shipping today. A buyer can easily steal any item sent via ESE, the ESE tracking is so broken it really is based on the honor system, but most buyers will be honest and over time the low risk vs reward might make it worth it.

(The ESE, unlike just using a plain envelope, also allow TRS sellers to not take a "tracking not uploaded" hit to their metrics that can put their TRS status at risk.)