Increasing USPS Tracking Deadends

[dotyprints]

Anybody else seeing a notable increase in the number of USPS related Tracking Freezes? So far, no claims of 'undelivered' from Buyers, but isn't it just a matter of time before someone tries to get something for nothing?

Reminds me of eBay Standard Envelope tracking... which I received my first (actually two) 'insufficient postage' returns on... which is something new about the USPS again...

I actually went to my local PO and talked with the supervisor there about the return postage matter... he said the returns came from the Processing & Distribution Office... not from the local neighborhood PO... he said that mailers that do not bend enough to go through the machinery get sent back with $0.40 due for 'Non-Machine Readable' status... So watch out for the rigidity of your mailings!

[wastingtime101 · Accepted solution]

Hey @dotyprints - you can sometimes find more tracking info on parcelsapp.com/en for ESE shipments than you can find on eBay.

ESE is a metered mail shipment so it gets scanned when it goes through sorting machinery at distribution centers. It cannot be hand scanned by the post office, so when you see a delivered scan, that's usually occurring a day or two before the buyer actually receives their item.

I wouldn't worry about a lack of scans if your buyers aren't filing claims.

And if your buyers do file non-receipt claims, ESE includes insurance. How to file:

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/shipping-items/setting-shipping-options/ebay-standard-envelope?id=...

Rigidity is a frequent issue, and some distro centers and post offices are more strict than others. USPS isn't clear about the guidelines on rigidity. All they offer is these envelopes can't be "too rigid" without specifically defining what that means.

If you see an increase in postage due, come back here for packing tips and/or tips on how to escalate the issue with USPS if your envelopes are in compliance.