Rigid Issue with eBay Standard Envelope

[trstnadie]

Frustrated this morning and USPS is of no help.  I had 33 envelopes returned last night with a note indicating to make sure envelopes are not too rigid in the future and that I owed $6.60 surcharge for nonmachine handling.  Great, so no tracking now.

I am shipping single trading cards using ebays standard envelope service.  I have successfully shipped over 2,000 cards now with no issues so I don't understand why all of a sudden there is an issue.

i have photos here what my setup looks like, so looking for feedback or opinions.  I am hoping this was just a 1 off with an employee who had no idea what he/she was doing.

[trstnadie]

added note i am usually using the 1oz, 53 cent, option for just a single card.  the guy at the post office said if i paid the 71 cents (or whatever it is) everything would be fine...i dont think he understands that i want/need the machineable options.

[deltilogical]

I can't tell exactly from the pictures but it doesn't appear you have the card in a hard sleeve, but in a soft sleeve between 2 pieces of heavy paper. If that insert is actually rigid, that would account for the return. If you are using a hard sleeve, that would automatically make it rigid and nonmachineable. 

I'm a little unclear on the prices, I don't know what ebay charges,   but 1 oz is 58 cents now and I think 71 cents is for a 2nd ounce.  The nonmachineable rate is 88 cents. 

I think 33 returns deserves a meeting with the local postmaster if you still think the envelopes are bendable and under 1 oz.

[zero29zero]

I think maybe you have just run afoul of one of the few overzealous, gung-ho postal sorters in the distribution/sorting centers that show from time to time, most don't care & just send them through

Happens to me once in a while, I can send 100's of coins, 99.9% will shoot through with no problem, now and then one will come back with "this is a package $3.74 postage due" or something like that written on it, no bigger than the others

The guidelines "too rigid", "too lumpy", etc are pretty vague and up to the judgment of whatever employee is doing the sorting at that time

Yours look like a no brainer for for ESE eligibility but like I said looks like some gung ho worker got their hands on your 33 shipments all at once, Ouch

[trstnadie]

you got it.  the card is in a soft card sleeve and then sandwiched between a foldable card saver (they use these EXACT items for those vending machines where you get stickers or tatoos if familiar).  Its about as bendable as the material used in cereal boxes if that helps.  eBays standard envelope requirements states you can use a top loader (hard plastic) but i never use them.

1oz= 53 cents, 2oz= 73 cents, and 3oz=93 cents.

It needs to be machineable to get "eBay Tracking"

Non-machineable means it is manual, and there will be no delivery update.

[safetyfirst5-91]

I simply stick an additional 30 cents stamp on the ESE. that covers the non-machinable fee and the tracking remains intact. USPS does not have 30 cent stamps, I used stamps.com to print sheets of them, You can also use two 15c stamps, which are available.

[zero29zero]

I use ESE quite a bit and am always looking for tips, this sounds interesting but I'm a bit confused

When I have a larger coin or medal that will make the package over 1/4" thick or "too uneven" I use the ebay 5X7 mailers and just put $1.08 in stamps 2Oz=.78 + .30. and send with "non machinable" marking.

I assumed "non machinable" meant it was too thick to go through the sorting machines but I've also heard that the only "tracking" that ESE gets is when it goes through the sorting machines

Just wondering how the non machinable shipments are getting any tracking