ebay Standard Envelope

[olympiclinic]

Hey fellow ebay sellers, will we be able to use the "ebay Standard Envelope" to ship other things like Event Ticket Stubs, Sports Patches, Pins, Photographs or Postcards and stuff like that.  Stuff that is just an ounce or so and are inexpensive.   If they will not allow this I will be increasing my minimum shipping charge from $3.50 to $4.00.

[wildpitchsports]

All of my .51 eBay standard envelopes were returned by the post office. for .20 non machinable fee. Apparently no one told the post office that these changes were going into effect. In order for this to actually work they have to start putting real scannable bar codes on them. I have been sending then .71 for one card in a top loader and none have been returned yet but they aren't tracking consistently either. One single normal card in a toploader is well within the realm of what eBay standard envelope was designed for in a PWE 4x6 envelope wrapped in a simple piece of note paper. The post office just doesn't care and is doing what it wants. Apparently it's working in some markets just find and in some, like mine, every time you drop a card in the mailbox you hold your breath. Good news though if your buyer says they never received it you can file a PIP claim on anything under $20. I've gotten a few refunds based on the thieves that know the tracking didn't work on their item so they say they never got it but we all know they did.

[cptcrow663]

I used 6x8" paperboard mailers and have had one issue where a buyer had to pay a fee to their post office to receive their item ($3.49, so probably marked as first class). It ended up being my first negative feedback.

So your results may vary. I would recommend sticking to business class envelopes/PWEs for this service. I think the paperboard mailers are not going to be handled consistently by differing post offices. The system is just too new.

[sk5895]

What about wrapping the card in cardboard and then putting in the PWE?  

[kosmosattik]

There appears to be nothing new from the Postal Service perspective about this shipping method with eBay just piggybacking on an existing system with existing scan/sort machines used for bulk mail by utility companies, etc. for sending out statements and whatnot.  Many have complained that their postal clerks know nothing about this shipping method.  Why would they?  These packages are just ordinary bulk mail; they get tossed in a bulk mail bin for the first distribution center to handle.  About the best you could expect is a clerk happening to notice an obvious violation of bulk mail standards, like a square envelope that would fail aspect ratio standards or something obviously too thick.

You will never get door-to-door scanning at this price which involves a couple of hand scans.  These labels with these scan bars are designed to be read by high speed scan/sort machines at distribution centers, machines that few if any post offices have.  Even when you get a "delivered" tracking entry that is in all likelihood coming from the last distribution center that could be a hundred or more miles from the buyer's local post office.  I see "delivered" entries a couple of hours apart from the last "in transit" entry which bears this out.

I do believe different machines have different sensitivities and different distribution centers have different practices, as you suggest.   Of the dozen or so shipments I've made with this method, all in 6x8 mailers, four did not track past the first distribution center, and that center scanned each three times showing three "in transit" scans within an hour of each other then nothing after that.  The ones that tracked through to "delivered" had only one initial "in transit" scan.

On the one hand, those four problem cases were scannable since I got the three tracking posts.  On the other hand, that machine or machines encountered some kind of problem or they would not have scanned them three times.   But they were passed through anyway and after about 45-50 days they have not been returned nor have the buyers filed complaints.  I suspect that distribution center couldn't figure  out the problem or didn't want to bother and just sent them through the normal first class unscannable channel, like a hand addressed envelope with a stamp without billing for the postage due.  Or did the buyers say "F it" and just paid the extra $3 bucks or whatever?  They sure didn't leave positive feedback.  No negative feedback either.  This method leaves a seller hanging.

About the only good thing I can say about this method is eBay showing "delivered" on those that track through even though in fact there is no guarantee it made it to the buyer's mailbox.  It provides some measure of deterrent to fraudsters.  On the other hand, a shipment may show "delivered"  and the package never did arrive, lost or stolen somewhere between the last distribution center and the buyer's mailbox with more uncertainty that a hand scanned first class package.   Worst case with hand scan is typically delivery to a neighbor in error.

If and when I try this method again, which remains in doubt, I think I'll use a PWE with a cardboard sandwich cut from a cereal box to the size of the envelope with a penny sleeve, not a top loader, taped to the cardboard to get closer to uniform thickness.   Some seem to be reporting good results with the PWE/cardboard method.   I have an unfounded but nagging suspicion that the flanges that wrap around the back of mailers may be giving some sort/scan machines, but not all of them, a problem.

[comics-scifi-collectibles]

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@sk5895 wrote:

What about wrapping the card in cardboard and then putting in the PWE?  

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@sk5895   It needs to remain flexible to go through the sorting equipment.  

In the last weekly chat with eBay staff, an experienced card seller talked about how to protect your cards with several layers of paper or cereal box cardboard.   

Here's a link to the chat:

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Weekly-Chat-with-eBay-Staff/Community-Chat-April-28-1-00-pm-PT-eBay-st...

[shipscript]

@kosmosattik 

I have my suspicions about the mailer flanges as well, and have wondered whether the folded edges can be too stiff.

I've recently sent coins in #10 Plain White Envelopes (PWE) with cereal box cardboard cut to the size of the envelope and the coin sleeve taped inside the cardboard. I had my post office bless them before mailing with a first class stamp. They arrived without issue.  Another good source of even more flexible cardboard is an overnight mail envelope from any of the carriers. The purpose of the cardboard is to smooth out the bumps in the envelope that might snag in the high speed sorters.

As I've mentioned in other posts, the test of adequate flexibility is whether the envelope can be curled part way around my coffee cup.

[fortland2014]

Can I send black & white photos that are no larger than a post card by using EBay Standard Envelope mailing.

[davidims123]

I wish but alas you cannot! Snapshots and polaroids small pictures should definitely be eligible since a postcard is literally the same  thing especially because of real picture postcards.

[keystoneiss]

I'm happy they finally opened it up a little to include Stamps.  However, there are a lot of things that should qualify for Standard Envelope.  I see NO REASON eBay should limit anything that USPS would accept for this class. I sell a lot of things including antique train tickets and other low dollar smalls that would be perfectly fine for this mailing class.  I mean really...  If USPS would accept it per their weight and dimensions regs, why can't we use it?  I'd like to hear a LOGICAL reason, preferably form eBay...?

[highfive99]

I have been using Standard envelope since it went into operation a few months ago and have great variances depending on the actual packaging I use.  The hard cardboard mailers, purchased through EBay supplier here, I have never had a problem with.  Adds to the weight, thus adds to the cost, as they cost me $0.35 each but they go through the USPS system without fail.  I charge the buyer $1.49 shipping to cover envelope, shipping cost via Standard envelope of $0.93, and Ebays fees.  Break even for me.  I started a few weeks ago to try PWE.  Cards shipped in a top loader in PWE were mailed on March 5th and first scan by USPS was March 16th.  Other Standard envelope cards shipped in the cardboard envelope were delivered 4 days after shipping as deposited at the same time.  Seems the USPS has a ugly duckling approach to the PWE top loader.  

Aalso, had a buyer claim they never received their card with the last scan stated it was at their local processing center in Oakland.  Filed a claim, that EBay sided on the behalf of the buyer even though I fulfilled my sellers mailing obligation so if that continues, which I now have 2 more buyers filing claims, PWE will be stopped, buyers will have to pay more, I will make less and fewer cards may be sold.  

when EBay rolled this out, they specifically stated a PWE with a top loader is sufficient, however, the actions of the USPS is disputing that assertion.

so in conclusion, Standard envelope with cardboard mailer for all my cheaper cards at $1.49 to buyer instead of 0.99 in a PWE and top loader has proven to be the better, if costlier option to be effective to both EBay and buyers.

[shipscript]

@highfive99 

When I use a PWE to send an item, I include a piece of thin flexible cardboard, like cereal box or like card-stock used in overnight envelopes. The cardboard is cut to nearly the same size as the envelope and it mitigates any bumpy edges on the enclosed item. When shipping something shaped like a coin, I tape it between two pieces of cardboard the size of the envelope. The cardboard is tested to make sure it will still curl around my coffee cup.

Postal Sorting

[twostarfla]

Hi, I have used the 5"x7" and the 6"x8"  mailers and have sent approx 100 shipments with the Standard envelope service with no problems. Just drop in the mail. They do not show up on USPS SCAN forms and the local Post Office can't do acceptance scans like First Class packages. This is probably the best service that eBay has created, just hoping that they will expand categories soon. If you sell coins, stamps, postcards, or trading cards this will save you and your customers $$$.

Scott

[hankdog7]

I too wish Ebay would expand what can be put into standard envelopes.  I have lots of paper goods that would sell easier if shipping was not so much.  

[kh-vince]

Hi everyone,

Due to the age of this thread, it has been closed to further replies. Please feel free to start a new thread if you wish to continue to discuss this topic.

Thank you for understanding.