Tracking

[ramoo-cheap]

So i started shipping small items around 1 to 2 oz. the shipping cost me $1.50 to $2.00 to ship through Stamps.com. (I offer free shipping) WELL, because stamp.com doesn't offer a tracking number for these small items, I get penalized (Ebay doesn't call it penalized) from EBAY for not uploading tracking??? And they will not work with me on this. It has taken me down from being a Top Rated Seller and I don't know what to do other than ship through Ebay and pay $3.87 for shipping the same items. Any suggestions? 

[buyselljack2016]

@ramoo-cheap 

Correct.............  you are not penalized ..... you just don't get the status of top rated.

Nothing there to work with you on. It is what it is. There is a standard to be met.

What some do when they wish to ship without tracking is to have another account for such items, so that they do not affect the perks of the account that does use tracking.

[southern*sweet*tea]

If you want to keep TRS, then yes, you have to use tracking. It 's one of the requirements.

I have a separate account where I sell small booklets and paper items. I ship most items "free" in a plain envelope with a stamp - no tracking.  Not an issue, my account is above standard with 16.67% uploaded tracking, 100% on time. 

That said, with no delivery confirmation, if there is ever an item not received issue, I will have to immediately refund in full. I'm okay with that.

[nobody*s_perfect]

USPS has 3 categories for First Class mail: letters, flats (AKA Large envelopes), and packages.  eBay only sells labels for packages, probably because the USPS doesn't include tracking with the other 2 categories. Apparently through stamps.com you can also purchase postage for flats.

But the 3 categories have very specific definitions and they don't overlap.  Your piece is either a flat or a package; it can't be both.  If you want to meet eBay's Top Rated Seller requirements, then you have to make sure that your item is eligible to be mailed as a package, and purchase that postage.  IIRC the prices are the same through stamps.com and through eBay.

To be eligible to be mailed as a flat, the piece must be no more than 3/4 inch thick, flexible and literally flat which USPS defines as a variation in thickness of no more than 1/4 inch.  Most properly packaged items won't be eligible to be mailed as a flat.

[martin2001]

If you decide to continue mailing without the tracking number, I would presume that you use stamps that you can buy on ebay with up to 40% OFF sometimes (even 50% if you spend more time searching). So your $1 letter postage costs you only 50-60c. I have been doing this for years. I also take a picture of the envelope before I mail it, just in case they don't get it I can send the photo which makes my claim, that I mailed it, more convincing (doesn't happen often, but when it does, the photo comes handy as it is the only 'proof' of mailing, so to speak.)

[soh.maryl]

Taking a picture of the envelope before mailing it, or even taking a picture of yourself dropping it into the mailbox will mean nothing to eBay if the buyer opens an item not received claim.  

If the buyer (or eBay) accepts your picture as proof, I'm sorry, but they are just clueless.

[aproudparent2010]

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@martin2001 wrote:

If you decide to continue mailing without the tracking number, I would presume that you use stamps that you can buy on ebay with up to 40% OFF sometimes (even 50% if you spend more time searching). So your $1 letter postage costs you only 50-60c. I have been doing this for years. I also take a picture of the envelope before I mail it, just in case they don't get it I can send the photo which makes my claim, that I mailed it, more convincing (doesn't happen often, but when it does, the photo comes handy as it is the only 'proof' of mailing, so to speak.)

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Doesn't matter...eBay needs proof of delivery not proof of mailing