eBay Standard Envelope always gets lost or stolen

[dakevo43]

Okay, so what is the deal with the disproportionate number of" lost" or "not received"  items?  It seems to happen at a much higher rate than any other shipping method and I'm getting really sick of having to refund buyers for something that is not my fault. I'm almost thinking that the postal worker is stealing the trading cards that are in the envelope.

Is it because the ESUS tracking number is garbage?  I can't open a claim with USPS because they want a legit tracking number.  When I spoke with eBay help on the phone they told me to go to a particular website to plug in the eBay shipping number and it tells you the postal service tracking number, which worked, but when you take the postal service tracking number over to USPS.com they don't recognize it!

So frustrated.

[solidguitar1961]

Never had any problems with that service.

[dakevo43]

It also seems to happen more at the Columbus Ohio processing center than anywhere else.

[dhbookds]

you do realize ebay will reimburse you for lost items under that program? 

[dakevo43]

Yeah, but that still leaves some dude running around with a bunch of autograph rookie cards

[simba6]

It lets everyone know what is inside it.  A small box is always better.

[dakevo43]

I'll just leave this here.  @simba6 yeah, I agree with the box reasoning, it just stinks that there is a great, inexpensive envelope option that is evidently like a glowing neon sign to unscrupulous mail carriers.

KSHB 41 Kansas City News: Former Kansas City mail carrier admits to stealing hundreds of sports cards worth nearly $40K.
https://www.kshb.com/news/crime/former-kansas-city-mail-carrier-admits-to-stealing-hundreds-of-sport...

[cardbros_xl]

What makes you say that? I just had one lost (as a buyer) and it went through there.

[cristina_zunino]

I've had the same exact problem. Coins have a much higher rate of being lost aka stolen than trading cards.  Had a card returned card yesterday. I'm forced to reprint label, add 30 cents surcharge, give an extra card for free because usps was at fault, and have to drop it off again. Is there anyway to avoid cards EVER being returned? Very bad business for me when I have to deal with others human error.

[memphis_collector]

Every single order I’ve placed that used eBay standard envelope has gotten lost or stolen. It’s the most frustrating s##t in the world. All have them have been very unique basketball cards that I haven’t been able to find anywhere 😑😤

[lja440]

I'm a mail carrier. I don't even know what these look like.  I do see some envelopes that I notice because you can feel a thicker part and a thin (empty) part and these are printed envelopes but there isn't anything scannable on them.  

I think it is doubtful that a carrier is stealing them. My route pays $66,000 a year, even if I loved sports (fyi I hate sports), I wouldn't risk my job to take them.

With nothing to scan, I think most of these are being delivered but INR is being claimed. Another thing is with the unevenness of the thickness a lot can be damaged in the sorting machines.

[ms.rodriguez*]

I think that they are arriving unscanned and of course , the buyer is claiming that they never got the item.  I would never ship this way.  

[nickscurios2004]

They are not supposed to go through the sorting machines.  My Post Office makes sure to put them with the postcards so that they won't go through the sorting machine.  Before they did that, several had gotten lost by probably getting caught in the sorting machines.  It's all good though because PIP (eBay's insurance company for these) pays you in full for packages claimed as lost 30 days after the creation of the shipping label and immediately if damaged provided you fill out the insurance claim form online.

[nickscurios2004]

I have no problem shipping this way.  The amount of money it saves me from having to pay to ship the other way is exponential relative to the few that have been claimed as "never received".  And all of those "lost" packages have been paid out by PIP, which insures the eBay standard envelope.  My whole eBay business rests on this eBay product.

[cardsforauction]

Sometimes it takes up to a month to receive one of these envelopes in the mail.  I got one football card from a seller and it took 28 days in the mail.  Yes, sometimes the PO never scans the envelope once it is delivered to the buyer.  I have gotten every eBay standard envelope order that I ever purchased.  I must have gotten at least 20 envelopes from maybe 15 different sellers that way.  The only one that I filed the item not received was the 28 day one, but luckily for the seller it arrived 2 days after I filed the case and I then closed the case.  I thought for sure it would not show up but I guess it got lost in the mail or there was a delay.