I am having a reocurring problem with the eBay Standard Envelope showing "Delivered" when it physically has not been delivered yet. It usually shows up a day or two later.
The issue is that some buyers freak out and think that their "Delivered" envelope has been stolen or went to the wrong place. I've had buyers checking with neighbors or posting on "Nextdoor" about their lost "delivered" envelope. Usually the buyer will then contact me and I explain the unique tracking issues and they happily get their items shortly.
But now some buyers are just going ahead and quickly filing disputes. Last month one buyer got a full refund from my account when they didn't want to wait for it. Maybe it did indeed get lost, but I used to be able to have the buyer wait 30 days for a lost envelope. Now they want refunds quickly.
Here is the latest example: I mailed a postcard 11/23 and yesterday (11/27) the customer filed a dispute of non-delivery, since eBay Standard Envelope tracking showed it was "delivered" at 6 AM on 11/26. I answered the dispute but the buyer can just close it, and receive a full refund after 12/2. Filing insurance claims for only a $10 item seems time-consuming.
I sell about 100 postcards a month, mostly for about $10 with free shipping. I have been using the eBay Standard Envelope for several months but the constant customer concerns on tracking (false "delivered" or lack of tracking) may not be worth the hassle. Up front, every buyer gets an e-mail message from us explaining the nuances of the eBay Standard Envelope, but more and more are not reading it, or ignoring it.
I may just revert to putting stamps on the envelope with no tracking and charging $1 postage and self-insuring. The alternative is to pay about $3.50+ for regular First Class Tracking, which certainly is not worth it for a $10 item. I may lose my power seller discount but at least impatient customers won't be tracking the envelope.
What do others do?
