Buyers and sellers have reported certain problems with eBay Standard Envelope since its launch, so when we saw a post by Shipscript that explained some of its quirks, we thought it was worth sharing with readers, as it sheds some light on tracking issues.
eBay Standard Envelope offers sellers a way to send certain types of ephemera - trading cards, coin and paper money, stamps, and postcards - via USPS Letter mail and get tracking (sort of) at a much lower cost than sending items via USPS First Class Package Service, which is the least expensive service from the Postal Service that offers tracking.
The reason to opt for the eBay service is to receive greater protection in the event of a claim of non-receipt, and to help qualify for eBay's Top Rated Seller program.
You can't use the USPS tracking tool to find items sent eBay Standard Envelope, aseBay explains in the following FAQ:
Why can't I track eBay standard envelope shipments on the USPS website?
eBay standard envelope is an eBay Delivery Service and is tracked by our customers through their eBay accounts. Sellers can find the tracking information in MyeBay or Seller Hub. If your buyer is asking for tracking information, please direct them to their purchase transaction history.
But even with the ability to track items through eBay, there are frequent reports of problems. Enter Shipscript'sinformative post on Monday.
Shipscript is a third-party developer of eBay tools and a frequent poster on the eBay discussion boards who refers to themselves as Ship. (You can visit Shipscript's eBay Tools section of theISDNtek.com website.)
"The only way to scan eBay's proprietary barcode is for it to pass through the scanning machinery at a USPS central sorting facility (hub)," Ship wrote. "If the item is non-machinable, it won't pass through that machinery and can not be scanned."
Ship included screenshots of USPS processing equipment, explaining that "Lumpy or stiff items jam going around the corners and are removed from the sorter (thus, no scan)."
The photo of the processor drives home Ship's next piece of advice in the post: "The only way to deal with a stack of cards is to divide them into smaller stacks that can be curved around a coffee cup after being sandwiched between soft cardboard."
We reached out to Ship, who sent us a link to more information on ParcelsApp.com's page for theEasyship app, where it explained the following:
EasyShip eBay Tracking
ESUS is eBay's standard envelope tracking. They don't get scanned upon delivery, so the delivery date is estimated based on the time they get scanned at the destination post office. Many times it's a few days off. Since the tracking number is proprietary to eBay, USPS won't be able to help with it, so if it doesn't show up you'll have to file a claim through eBay and get a refund.
Ship said envelopes get scanned at sorting centers that have appropriate equipment. "We have also found (via the forums) that the hub scan may show delivered when it reaches the hub closest to the buyer. But actual delivery may be another day (or two) as the package makes its way through a local PO."
That explains confusion on the part of a buyer on this recent threadwho wrote:
"I buy sports cards on eBay and sometimes they get shipped via eBay Standard Envelope service. They provide a tracking # which can only be tracked through eBay. Today I get an email from eBay stating my item has been delivered at 10:30AM. Right away I thought that can't be right, my mail gets delivered after 2PM. I went to check the mailbox and of course it was empty. Outgoing mail hasn't been picked up either, so clearly the mail man has not been here. Luckily the card did show up 4 hours later when the mail man delivered mail. So does eBay just falsely mark the package as delivered because it was expected to be delivered on this day? That's pretty ridiculous."
Similarly,a seller was concernedbecause their orders sent eBay Standard Envelope were not getting a scan. "...with more than 5% never getting a carrier scan it is holding me back from earning a top rated seller badge. Is that what others are seeing when they ship using Ebay Standard Envelope," the seller asked.
Ship makes it clear that how items fit in an envelope is crucial. And clearly it's important for buyers to understand the quirks and limitations of eBay Standard Envelope tracking as well.
