Misuse of Priority Mail Supplies Feedback Help

[decorating_is_my_game]

I bought an item with my selling ID that was mailed First Class. The package arrived safely & in a timely manner. The seller has been selling about 1 year and is a TRS with no negs or neutrals with seller feedback of 300 or so.

When I opened the package I found the seller had used 2 free PM padded envelopes to package the items in. I messaged the seller 2 weeks ago and stated that I would not be leaving them feedback for the following reason:

"I was disappointed when I saw a First Class package & when opened I saw that you had used free Priority Mail shipping supplies to cushion my purchase. Free Priority Mail supplies are to be used ONLY in packages being mailed at a Priority Mailing Rate.

This misuse of supplies costs all sellers. If this keeps up, those free PM supplies will no longer be free. They cost the USPS money to produce. BTW, the post office has a habit of randomly opening packages for inspection. If you are caught doing this, you may get a visit from the inspector and/ or lose your ability to use the USPS for shipping purposes."

Silly me, but I was expecting some type of reply to my message. Maybe something along the lines of "I'm sorry, I did not know the rules about PM supplies." Heck, any type of reply acknowledging my message would be better than nothing!

So far no reply. I am now rethinking leaving feedback but I am afraid if I do that they may retaliate using another ID. I have blocked the sellers ID.

I was thinking of leaving this neutral feedback if I do leave it:

"Nice item. Misused free Priority Mail supplies as packing for First Class mail."

Opinions please. TIA.

[secretsquirrelisnowhere]

Contact your postmaster. The USPS can and does put people on restricted mailing privileges for that and misuse of media mail. Personally I would neg them.

[secretsquirrelisnowhere]

You know what I find amusing is that the same sellers stealing from the post office are the ones complaining the most about postal increases. Some things you just can't fix.

[secretsquirrelisnowhere]

You really make me wish that EBay gave buyers a special list like sellers get. Any buyers out there want a blocked seller list?

[a_c_green]

---

@secretsquirrelisnowhere wrote:
Any buyers out there want a blocked seller list?

---

I'm trying to think of how that would even work...

I suppose you could publish your own blacklist on your own web page, and then people would need to consult it before purchasing to see if a seller was on it... but I suspect that people would probably just quietly make their purchase anyway if the seller's only listed offense was wasting free packaging supplies. 

I have some regular sellers I buy from in my buying account who have this annoying habit (and I posted a photo of the supplies I recovered in just a month or two of purchases a few weeks back), but fortunately they usually don't do much to the padded envelopes beyond mashing them in as padding, so once the padded envelopes have aired out flat for a couple of days, they're ready to go back to the post office lobby and into the PM supplies rack.

[secretsquirrelisnowhere]

No what I went is a list like sellers have so I don't have to deal with sellers I don't want to buy from. Like a star beside the item so I don't waste time. I don't want to buy from thieves. There are plenty of honest sellers here that would prefer to deal with.

[itsjustasprain]

Your blocked bidder list is maintained by you but Ebay then blocks those bidders for you because otherwise you wold have no way of stopping them.

But a blocked seller list is totally your responsibility because you are the one whose making the purchasing decisions - so just post a list of your problem sellers next to your computer and have a look at it to doublecheck before making your next purchase so you can avoid buying from a bad seller again by accident.

[mg152]

A big retailer? They aren’t using a few supplies as packing material. They’re using thousands of them and yes I complained but clearly they didn’t care. Are you saying you never complain about anything especially if it’s gonna cost you money eventually?

[mg152]

---

@redlmc wrote:

I only ship via Priority Mail; I do use the envelopes sometimes to wrap my items.  

How do you get the PM tape?  Used to be able to order it, now cannot.  

---

Just call and ask but you have to promise you won’t misuse the tape. I get 4 rolls at a time. I need to call and get more but I dread answering all their questions. It takes forever.

[mg152]

An eBay seller using a padded FRE or 2 for packing is one thing but a large retailer like the W store using thousands a year is something else. The person that got on me for complaining just doesn’t get it. It wasn’t 1 or 2 or even 10 envelopes, they’re misusing thousands and I complained to the retailer not the PO.

[a_c_green]

---

@mg152 wrote:
An eBay seller using a padded FRE or 2 for packing is one thing but a large retailer like the W store

---

What, Walmart?

It wasn’t 1 or 2 or even 10 envelopes, they’re misusing thousands and I complained to the retailer not the PO.

---

Well, I suspect you won't get much traction that way. The post office will be receptive to your complaint, but the retailer will not.

[websilverjewel]

I've recieved Priority Mail bubble wrap envelopes as packaging matieral or turned inside out and used as mailers from some sellers. However, how am I to know if that seller recieved it and is resuing it instead of throwing it away? And when I receive it used and its in great condition, I unfortunately throw it away because I am afraid people will jump to the conclusion that I am misusing supplies (our trash carrier does not offer recycling).