eBay standard pwe shipping question

[Stackfan]

So I’ve recently sold about 10 of these, and only one of them was scanned and shows as delivered. The other 9 or show, never showed that the post office ever received them. So now I’m basically at the mercy of the buyer being trust worthy.

Has anyone else had issues with this. Is there any technique or strategy to get these checked in?

I just use a regular pwe , too loaded, and extra layer of paper. I tape on a printed label from my printer. I’ve noticed the QR code at the top corner is often near tape. I wonder if that impacts it.

Anyone else have any luck resolving issues, or basically just gotta take the loss?


Thanks

[ninjacookies]

That's how the PWE game goes.

A large majority never receive a single scan. They aren't and cannot be scanned by USPS employees, and require a special machine to be scanned that isn't a part of USPS' arsenal. It's weird.

I've only had to refund maybe a handful out of a few thousand sold. It is what it is.

You're at the mercy of the buyer not to be an a-hole and exploit the system.

[Stackfan]

Thanks… yeah it seems like it’s very hit or miss if they get scanned. Normally most do get scanned for me. My last batch of 10, mostly all got scanned or delivered, but the one that didn’t they claimed they never got it.

Think I might have made a big mistake shipping out a bunch of 10-20$ cards in PWE.

[JeffG1954]

Originally Posted by Stackfan

Thanks… yeah it seems like it’s very hit or miss if they get scanned. Normally most do get scanned for me. My last batch of 10, mostly all got scanned or delivered, but the one that didn’t they claimed they never got it.

Think I might have made a big mistake shipping out a bunch of 10-20$ cards in PWE.

If you are using the ESE program, you can't lose because you are covered by the PIP insurance for loss or damage.

[Stackfan]

Originally Posted by JeffG1954

If you are using the ESE program, you can't lose because you are covered by the PIP insurance for loss or damage.

What’s PIP insurance?? I had one recently that had an initial scan, buyer opened a case, and eBay refunded him automatically because I didn’t have proof of delivery.

[JeffG1954]

Originally Posted by Stackfan

What’s PIP insurance?? I had one recently that had an initial scan, buyer opened a case, and eBay refunded him automatically because I didn’t have proof of delivery.

https://www.pip-claim.com/PIPClaim/e...reateeBayClaim

[wxguy44]

Yeah, its happened to me. It was more frequent around the holidays, but its been much better over the last 2 months. At this point I just make sure to either drop it into the metered slot at the PO or let my local carrier pick it up at my mailbox.

I'm at the point now where I will eventually block a buyer if they ask for a refund, within reason of course. I tend to try and generate some dialogue to get a feel if they are trying to scam or not. Maybe the ones I block are honest, but id rather cover my bases on someone taking advantage of their local PO not scanning items as delivered.

[90skid]

It's also annoying that it takes ebay many days after the sale has been completed to deduct the .84 cents or whatever from your account. If you sell a first class shipment USPS, it's deducted right away and you are left with your true balance.

If you ship a ton of PWE's and then try to withdrawal our your $$ (or put it towards another purchase which it lets you) you'll find ebay out of nowhere charging you the 84 cents shipping days and days later out of your account. I don't get what takes so long for that when the USPS first class labels cost comes out right away.

[Bosoxfan5990]

Originally Posted by 90skid

It's also annoying that it takes ebay many days after the sale has been completed to deduct the .84 cents or whatever from your account. If you sell a first class shipment USPS, it's deducted right away and you are left with your true balance.

If you ship a ton of PWE's and then try to withdrawal our your $$ (or put it towards another purchase which it lets you) you'll find ebay out of nowhere charging you the 84 cents shipping days and days later out of your account. I don't get what takes so long for that when the USPS first class labels cost comes out right away.

It typically happens on the Wednesday of the following week for me.

[ninjacookies]

PWE's have been a godsend for my super low end sales. $1-5 cards or scrubs and semi-stars that would have otherwise gone unsold because of more-than-the-item's-worth First Class shipping. Literally thousands of them.

I don't think you should be discouraged if you're doing a large volume of PWE sales and this happens occasionally. That's just the kind of game you play with ultra cheap shipping not handled by USPS employees.

However, you may want to think of reserving PWE only for the stuff under $10, especially if you have low volume or extremely spotty sales.

[ninjacookies]

PWE doesn't cover against loss/damage if the parcel was never scanned.


Ask me how I know...


Now if the envelope had at least one scan, the process is simple and quick.

[Bosoxfan5990]

Originally Posted by ninjacookies

PWE doesn't cover against loss/damage if the parcel was never scanned.


Ask me how I know...


Now if the envelope had at least one scan, the process is simple and quick.

That's not true. Actually, it says on the page where you print the ESE label that an acceptance scan is not required.

[ninjacookies]

Originally Posted by Bosoxfan5990

That's not true. Actually, it says on the page where you print the ESE label that an acceptance scan is not required.

What exactly is ESE? And how does it differ from PWE?

[JeffG1954]

Originally Posted by ninjacookies

What exactly is ESE? And how does it differ from PWE?

A PWE is where you handwrite the address on a PWE and put a stamp on it....the eBay ESE program is where you print the label out from eBay, it includes sometimes sketchy tracking and insurance....works just like an eBay 1st Class Package shipping label.

[ninjacookies]

Originally Posted by JeffG1954

A PWE is where you handwrite the address on a PWE and put a stamp on it....the eBay ESE program is where you print the label out from eBay, it includes sometimes sketchy tracking and insurance....works just like an eBay 1st Class Package shipping label.

In other words, it's Ebay's PWE postage system. I should have clarified...every PWE reference in this thread is from Ebay's official program (subject of the OP)...not the 'traditional' PWE with old postage stamps.


I doubt Ebay's refunding for ESE's without a single scan. I've tried it....and was not reimbursed. All other claims with scans were refunded to my paypal within 3 days.

I mean, how on earth would they be able to stop sellers from gaming the system by never sending items then claiming they were lost/stolen?

[JeffG1954]

Originally Posted by ninjacookies

PWE doesn't cover against loss/damage if the parcel was never scanned.


Ask me how I know...


Now if the envelope had at least one scan, the process is simple and quick.

From eBay:

In January we introduced the eBay standard envelope through eBay Labels for Trading Cards sellers, with trackable shipping on items below 3 ounces for under $1. We’ve expanded the shipping service to Postcards, Stamps, Coins & Paper Money, giving you a more secure way to ship than with a stamp. With tracking integrated into the label, and with automatic tracking uploaded to the order will help you meet the qualifications for Top Rated Seller.



eBay standard envelope benefits



eBay standard envelope saves you up to 70%* off competitive services and is the lower cost way to ship small, lightweight items.



You also get:

Standard-size envelope convenience
Drop-off convenience at regular USPS locations or in your mailbox with a raised flag for USPS pickup.
Discounted shipping rate not available at retail locations
Integrated tracking automatically uploaded for you and your buyer - acceptance scan not required
Shipping protection plan up to $20 on single items and up to $50 on combined items, in case of loss or damage
Integrated tracking and shipping protection meets requirement for Top Rated Seller eligibility

[gameissued]

Please everybody package it correctly when shipping this way! Simply using a PWE (aka a plain white envelope) is not how you ship these. There are rules and guidelines that need to be followed. Otherwise just a plain PWE and toploader can easily jam up the USPS machines, and eventually it will happen so much that the service will be taken away.

When a small 2.5" x 3.5" card is the only thing in a huge envelope you're just asking for damage. So use a slightly thicker card-stock type of mailer that's around post card size (just large enough for the card, not more bigger). Also, just the top-loader is fine, maybe a sheet of paper as filler. But no need for extra card decoys, cardboard, etc. Can't be too thick.

[auctionjmm]

Originally Posted by gameissued

Please everybody package it correctly when shipping this way! Simply using a PWE (aka a plain white envelope) is not how you ship these. There are rules and guidelines that need to be followed. Otherwise just a plain PWE and toploader can easily jam up the USPS machines, and eventually it will happen so much that the service will be taken away.

When a small 2.5" x 3.5" card is the only thing in a huge envelope you're just asking for damage. So use a slightly thicker card-stock type of mailer that's around post card size (just large enough for the card, not more bigger). Also, just the top-loader is fine, maybe a sheet of paper as filler. But no need for extra card decoys, cardboard, etc. Can't be too thick.

This is from eBay. Not sure anyone should be following gameissued's rules and guidelines instead. PWE has worked fine for the thousands I've sent.

A plain, number 10 envelope works just fine, but it’s not required. You can use any envelope that fits the following specifications:

No smaller than 3.5” x 5”
No larger than 6.125” x 11.5”
No heavier than 3 oz.
No plastic, strings or closures
Recipient address is parallel to envelope’s longest side.
Uniform thickness not greater than .25”

[JeffG1954]

Originally Posted by auctionjmm

This is from eBay. Not sure anyone should be following gameissued's rules and guidelines instead. PWE has worked fine for the thousands I've sent.

A plain, number 10 envelope works just fine, but it’s not required. You can use any envelope that fits the following specifications:

No smaller than 3.5” x 5”
No larger than 6.125” x 11.5”
No heavier than 3 oz.
No plastic, strings or closures
Recipient address is parallel to envelope’s longest side.
Uniform thickness not greater than .25”

Agreed.....There are probably 8 to 10 eBay sellers here on Blowout that use the ESE program extensively.....maybe 100,000 envelopes shipped between just those 8 to 10 sellers.....they will all agree that the advise given by gameissued is wrong....a plain white envelope with proper protection is the way to go.

[Bosoxfan5990]

Originally Posted by JeffG1954

Agreed.....There are probably 8 to 10 eBay sellers here on Blowout that use the ESE program extensively.....maybe 100,000 envelopes shipped between just those 8 to 10 sellers.....they will all agree that the advise given by gameissued is wrong....a plain white envelope with proper protection is the way to go.

I’ve made 3.4K sales on eBay, probably 3K of those ESE. Less than 10 ESEs (under 0.3%) have had issues, and I’ve gotten reimbursed for all refunds.

I use a 6 3/4 security envelope, a thin piece of cardboard, and no more than 2 toploaders in my ESE shipments.

[gameissued]

Yes, just looked at the guidelines and I stand corrected! Seems they updated since the original eBay post. Anyways, if you ever received a thick card in a toploader and cheap pwe no. 10 envelope you'll realize that's a very poor way to ship regardless of what it says. Makes the card very prone to getting caught up in the sorting process.

Logic should also play a role. Generally, the less space, the better. So a 3x4 toploader in a 4x9.5 envelope really isn't a good mix. I would suggest an "armalope" mailer made for this type of mailing or similar cardstock and size.

Originally Posted by auctionjmm

This is from eBay. Not sure anyone should be following gameissued's rules and guidelines instead. PWE has worked fine for the thousands I've sent.

A plain, number 10 envelope works just fine, but it’s not required. You can use any envelope that fits the following specifications:

No smaller than 3.5” x 5”
No larger than 6.125” x 11.5”
No heavier than 3 oz.
No plastic, strings or closures
Recipient address is parallel to envelope’s longest side.
Uniform thickness not greater than .25”

[Diver757]

Just a quick observation. I had recently run out of #10 Kraft envelopes and had to use regular white #10’s on a few cards until I could get more. I noticed the white #10’s were not scanned almost 75% of the time. My Kraft #10’s came in and I went back to using them and they have all scanned at my local PO and at the destination. Like I said just an observation. I think I’ll make sure to not run out of #10 browns.

[JeffG1954]

Originally Posted by Diver757

Just a quick observation. I had recently run out of #10 Kraft envelopes and had to use regular white #10’s on a few cards until I could get more. I noticed the white #10’s were not scanned almost 75% of the time. My Kraft #10’s came in and I went back to using them and they have all scanned at my local PO and at the destination. Like I said just an observation. I think I’ll make sure to not run out of #10 browns.

Everybody that does any volume of these has a method that works well for them. I just use a standard security envelope unless I have 4+ cards going out....with 4 to 8 cards I use a #10 and 2 semi-rigids placed end to end so that they cover the entire length of the envelope. I don't see the value in using a #10 for a single, or up to 3, card(s), but if it works for you that is great.

[Mahomescards777]

I will personally go to the post office and let them sacan it to be sure it atleast shows it was scan.

[mc1]

Originally Posted by Mahomescards777

I will personally go to the post office and let them sacan it to be sure it atleast shows it was scan.

With the ESE program? Good luck with that!