eBay Standard Envelopes & Seller Level

[Bosoxfan5990]

I've been an eBay seller for ~2 years and been a Top Rated Seller since I was first able to qualify for that distinction.

I was on my Seller Hub Overview page last week and scrolled down to my Seller Level, and noticed the "If we evaluated you today" section showed "Above Standard" instead of "Top Rated." The next evaluation period is 10/20.

My "Tracking uploaded on time and validated" section shows under 95% (~92%).

When I look deeper, there are 7 instances of 93 in the last 3 months that had tracking uploaded on time, but no carrier scan.

All 7 are eBay Standard Envelope shipments. 5 of the 7 are 2022 Topps Chrome singles I sold to help recoup my $400 pre-order (2022 TC - the gift that keeps on giving!)
1 instance was shipped with another card and both have the same tracking number; the other card shows delivered.
A couple other instances have positive feedback.

Regardless of the above, I was under the impression that ESE scans no longer counted towards tracking for Top Rated Seller Level, since ESE specifically states no carrier acceptance scan is needed. Plus, there is literally nothing sellers can do to ensure ESEs get a scan.

I spoke with eBay CS the day I noticed this, and they assured me these missed scans would be removed and/or not counted towards my Seller Level before the next evaluation, but they're still showing and it's getting me concerned.

I don't want to stop using ESE shipping as an option, since it helps me move cheap cards. However, how can eBay count ESE scans towards a metric that helps sellers save on fees when they don't require an acceptance scan (their words) and there's literally no way a seller can ensure a scan?

[paparoke]

Originally Posted by Bosoxfan5990

I've been an eBay seller for ~2 years and been a Top Rated Seller since I was first able to qualify for that distinction.

I was on my Seller Hub Overview page last week and scrolled down to my Seller Level, and noticed the "If we evaluated you today" section showed "Above Standard" instead of "Top Rated." The next evaluation period is 10/20.

My "Tracking uploaded on time and validated" section shows under 95% (~92%).

When I look deeper, there are 7 instances of 93 in the last 3 months that had tracking uploaded on time, but no carrier scan.

All 7 are eBay Standard Envelope shipments. 5 of the 7 are 2022 Topps Chrome singles I sold to help recoup my $400 pre-order (2022 TC - the gift that keeps on giving!)
1 instance was shipped with another card and both have the same tracking number; the other card shows delivered.
A couple other instances have positive feedback.

Regardless of the above, I was under the impression that ESE scans no longer counted towards tracking for Top Rated Seller Level, since ESE specifically states no carrier acceptance scan is needed. Plus, there is literally nothing sellers can do to ensure ESEs get a scan.

I spoke with eBay CS the day I noticed this, and they assured me these missed scans would be removed and/or not counted towards my Seller Level before the next evaluation, but they're still showing and it's getting me concerned.

I don't want to stop using ESE shipping as an option, since it helps me move cheap cards. However, how can eBay count ESE scans towards a metric that helps sellers save on fees when they don't require an acceptance scan (their words) and there's literally no way a seller can ensure a scan?

In my experience, the current month reflects all carrier no scans. By the end of the month, Ebay has removed them from the calculation and I was back to 100%. This has been consistent for 6 months now.

[Bosoxfan5990]

That's good news! Potentially something I just didn't notice over the last months, because I've really ramped up my ESE selling recently. I'll keep an eye on it just to be sure they're removed prior to 10/20.

[cms11]

Same happened to me. Did you keep your Top Seller status?

[cms11]

I read about this and "Uploaded on time but no carrier scan" supposedly only refers to packages that *never* get scanned at all (i.e. eBay has no way of knowing if the package shipped).

So by the 20th if the packages have any scan at all the marks against you will be removed.

[jamcas997]

TRS is not worth the chase any longer. I am still a TRS but I try not to let it contorl how I run my sales.

[Bosoxfan5990]

Originally Posted by cms11

I read about this and "Uploaded on time but no carrier scan" supposedly only refers to packages that *never* get scanned at all (i.e. eBay has no way of knowing if the package shipped).

So by the 20th if the packages have any scan at all the marks against you will be removed.

I did keep my TRS status as the defects were removed by the 20th. The bolded above is the issue I was running into with ESEs, but there's no way for a seller to ensure a scan anywhere along the route (unlike First Class BMWT), so eBay is supposed to remove the defects.

I'm back down to 93.85% this month, so I'm hoping to see the same removal of defects this month. I just had never seen this before, so wanted to be proactive with eBay.

[premium1981]

Originally Posted by jamcas997

TRS is not worth the chase any longer.

What chase? I have always been TRS and don't do anything special. Just what I think a good seller should be doing anyways.

[Bosoxfan5990]

Top Rated Plus gives you 10% off FVF and higher placement in searches.

[premium1981]

Originally Posted by Bosoxfan5990

Top Rated Plus gives you 10% off FVF and higher placement in searches.

I am truly baffled by responses of people who say it isn't worth it. Seems comparable to marathon runners choosing to cut a foot off for the fun of it. Just doesn't make sense. Maybe for the occasional lazy seller who just sells something every few days. But anyone who has a half way serious store should be TRS. Anything less is USUALLY just laziness IMO. Yea, yea, yea, I know I will get blasted, but its just one mans opinion.

[jamcas997]

Originally Posted by premium1981

What chase? I have always been TRS and don't do anything special. Just what I think a good seller should be doing anyways.

thats your opinion. I do 2 day ship and 14 day returns now. I am still TRS just not a + . I will not be rushed to ship by ebay or buyers. If I am doing 15 to 20 items a day I may need the extra time as I have a regular job as well. If i only do 2 items then I can hold off sending for an extra day if I choose to do so. I work on my schedule now not ebays.

[Bosoxfan5990]

Originally Posted by premium1981

I am truly baffled by responses of people who say it isn't worth it. Seems comparable to marathon runners choosing to cut a foot off for the fun of it. Just doesn't make sense. Maybe for the occasional lazy seller who just sells something every few days. But anyone who has a half way serious store should be TRS. Anything less is USUALLY just laziness IMO. Yea, yea, yea, I know I will get blasted, but its just one mans opinion.

I'm a bit lucky in that I can offer 1 day handling because I literally live right behind the post office. I have a 9-5 on top of eBay, but the ease of shipping certainly makes it easier to keep my TRS+ status.

[Breesus85]

By the time this years over, being a TRS will have saved me roughly $1100 in final value fees. It’s not nothing, and really adds up when you start pushing out good volume.

[premium1981]

Originally Posted by Breesus85

By the time this years over, being a TRS will have saved me roughly $1100 in final value fees. It’s not nothing, and really adds up when you start pushing out good volume.

I'll have around $4k - $5k in savings by the end of the year. I guess I'm just different, but I could not imagine throwing free money down the toilet just by not wanting to ship today. I'll get up early or stay up late if I have to. Or, even better, if you aren't going to be around for a day or two just turn on your "time away" option. When you factor in the benefits of listing placement as well, the return is probably double what the actual number shows. Direct savings vs indirect added sales.

[premium1981]

On a related note, looks like the ESUS updated this morning. My tracking upload and verified percentage is back up where it should be.

[beauspencer]

You will be hurting yourself if you chase TRS for the fee discount. Your sales outweigh the small fee discount. I think many people assume the 10% fee discount is off the percentage, but it's taken off the $. A 12% fee on a $100 gross sale is $12. Your TRS discount is 10% of $12 (or $1.20).

Do the math to see if your sales outweigh the fee discount. Each seller will be different. Maybe it's worth it to some. For me personally, it's very difficult to balance shipping within 24 hours while also adding inventory to my store. I'd rather not stress over pennies of discounts to buy some time adding inventory that lead to more sales.

[Bosoxfan5990]

Originally Posted by premium1981

On a related note, looks like the ESUS updated this morning. My tracking upload and verified percentage is back up where it should be.

Yes, I saw that too. Although it looks like 4 cards still haven't been cleared from my history. I'll probably have to proactively fight eBay on those ones...

[premium1981]

Originally Posted by beauspencer

You will be hurting yourself if you chase TRS for the fee discount. Your sales outweigh the small fee discount. I think many people assume the 10% fee discount is off the percentage, but it's taken off the $. A 12% fee on a $100 gross sale is $12. Your TRS discount is 10% of $12 (or $1.20).

Do the math to see if your sales outweigh the fee discount. Each seller will be different. Maybe it's worth it to some. For me personally, it's very difficult to balance shipping within 24 hours while also adding inventory to my store. I'd rather not stress over pennies of discounts to buy some time adding inventory that lead to more sales.

Is the time to ship x number of items not the same if you ship today or in 4 days from now? Either way, you still have to put the same amount of time into those shipments.

[beauspencer]

Is the time to ship x number of items not the same if you ship today or in 4 days from now? Either way, you still have to put the same amount of time into those shipments.

It is, but it's all about flexibility. The flexibility allows me to scale faster. I can balance the shipping with listing and not be on a 1-day time crunch, which allows me to list items quicker, leading to more sales. That flexibility to list more items (faster), leading to more sales, outweighs the fee discount.

[premium1981]

Originally Posted by beauspencer

It is, but it's all about flexibility. The flexibility allows me to scale faster. I can balance the shipping with listing and not be on a 1-day time crunch, which allows me to list items quicker, leading to more sales. That flexibility to list more items (faster), leading to more sales, outweighs the fee discount.

That doesn't really make sense since, but you do you.

[beauspencer]

That doesn't really make sense since, but you do you.

I'm probably not explaining it clearly enough.

For example (numbers pulled out of thin air).

I have 8 hours per day devoted to shipping and listing. With my volume it takes me 6 hours per day to ship all orders within 24 hours. That only gives me 2 hours today (and every day) to list more items (more listings = more sales = more $$$).

But...if I forego the fee discount under TRS+ and extend my handling time to 3 days it allows me flexibility to list MORE items FASTER without hustling each day to ship.

Let's break it down. Using a nice round number of $100,000 in annual ebay sales.

TRS+
Gross Sales = $100,000
12% fees = $12,000
Fee Discount = $1,200
Net = $86,800

Non-TRS+
Gross Sales = $100,000
12% fees = $12,000
Net = $88,000

TRS saves me $1,200 in fees, but I'm not scaling fast enough. Extending my handling time gives me additional time to list items FASTER. Assume for this exercise it's business days and we'll use a round number of 20 business days per month. That is 240 days, in which I have an additional 2 hours of listing, and we'll use 100 per hour as an example for a total of 48,000 listings over the year.

That flexibility has allowed me to add an additional 48,000 listings to eBay in one year, whereas if I was focused on saving $1,200 in fees it would have taken me 2 years to list those additional listings.

Am I spending the same amount of time shipping? Yes, but the flexibility allows me to scale FASTER.

[Eric1285]

Originally Posted by beauspencer

I'm probably not explaining it clearly enough.

For example (numbers pulled out of thin air).

I have 8 hours per day devoted to shipping and listing. With my volume it takes me 6 hours per day to ship all orders within 24 hours. That only gives me 2 hours today (and every day) to list more items (more listings = more sales = more $$$).

But...if I forego the fee discount under TRS+ and extend my handling time to 3 days it allows me flexibility to list MORE items FASTER without hustling each day to ship.

Let's break it down. Using a nice round number of $100,000 in annual ebay sales.

TRS+
Gross Sales = $100,000
12% fees = $12,000
Fee Discount = $1,200
Net = $86,800

Non-TRS+
Gross Sales = $100,000
12% fees = $12,000
Net = $88,000

TRS saves me $1,200 in fees, but I'm not scaling fast enough. Extending my handling time gives me additional time to list items FASTER. Assume for this exercise it's business days and we'll use a round number of 20 business days per month. That is 240 days, in which I have an additional 2 hours of listing, and we'll use 100 per hour as an example for a total of 48,000 listings over the year.

That flexibility has allowed me to add an additional 48,000 listings to eBay in one year, whereas if I was focused on saving $1,200 in fees it would have taken me 2 years to list those additional listings.

Am I spending the same amount of time shipping? Yes, but the flexibility allows me to scale FASTER.

Where did your 2 hours per day under your "flexible" method come from? The only other place where I see you mention having 2 hours per day to list new items is when you are talking about having to spend 6 of 8 hours shipping and only 2 listing...but that's your given time split for when you have to ship within 24 hours...

I read what you wrote 3 times, so I apologize if I'm just too stupid to follow.

[premium1981]

Originally Posted by beauspencer

I'm probably not explaining it clearly enough.

For example (numbers pulled out of thin air).

I have 8 hours per day devoted to shipping and listing. With my volume it takes me 6 hours per day to ship all orders within 24 hours. That only gives me 2 hours today (and every day) to list more items (more listings = more sales = more $$$).

But...if I forego the fee discount under TRS+ and extend my handling time to 3 days it allows me flexibility to list MORE items FASTER without hustling each day to ship.

Let's break it down. Using a nice round number of $100,000 in annual ebay sales.

TRS+
Gross Sales = $100,000
12% fees = $12,000
Fee Discount = $1,200
Net = $86,800

Non-TRS+
Gross Sales = $100,000
12% fees = $12,000
Net = $88,000

TRS saves me $1,200 in fees, but I'm not scaling fast enough. Extending my handling time gives me additional time to list items FASTER. Assume for this exercise it's business days and we'll use a round number of 20 business days per month. That is 240 days, in which I have an additional 2 hours of listing, and we'll use 100 per hour as an example for a total of 48,000 listings over the year.

That flexibility has allowed me to add an additional 48,000 listings to eBay in one year, whereas if I was focused on saving $1,200 in fees it would have taken me 2 years to list those additional listings.

Am I spending the same amount of time shipping? Yes, but the flexibility allows me to scale FASTER.

A) Please don't think I am being critical. I truly do not mean it to come off that way. I just really like helping people if they have overlooked anything, especially others like me who do this for a living.

2) I do not think your example of flexibility actually changes anything in real life. I think its just how you like to do things (which is fine). I cannot wrap my head around it taking you another year to list the same amount of items just because you are shipping today versus shipping 3 days from now. Its still the same amount of work being done. Its the same amount of shipping and the same amount of listing. Just shuffled around.

C) BUT....Let me play along with those numbers for a second. How much do you average on each card sold after fees and shipping? I'll say $.50 per just to use an easy number. In your example you save $1,200 in fees by being a TRS. That means you are selling 2,400 extra cards just to get back to the same place if you aren't getting that savings. Think about how many listings that is to sell 2,400 more cards. What is your sell through rate? 1% or so? That might require 50,000-100,000 listings to make that amount of sales? I do not know, just throwing numbers out there since I don't your business numbers. My point is, you are doing a lot of listing, selling, and packaging that is getting you nowhere when compared to the place you would be with the simply getting the discount.

5th) You state that the extra listings you are doing is getting you more sales. As stated above, I don't think you are actually getting more listed, just moving the time around. BUT. Even if you take away some of those. Your store is going to appear higher in searches when you are a TRS. You will make more sales by playing by ebay rules and getting into the higher algorithm categories. It make a huge difference. With what you specialize in, your boost in sales would most likely be even higher than others getting the boost. Because you will have a lot more competition on a common 1987 Topps card that someone else would have with a random lower number modern parallel.

I won't keep harping, I just want to make sure you understand what you are giving up for what appears to be no real reason at all. If there was anything like this that I didn't understand I would greatly appreciate someone changing my mind. I support my family with my business and want to be the best I can be. I was once stubborn with the standard envelope system due to the early on issues it was having. But I finally listening, swallowed my pride, and took the plunge. It was the best thing I ever did. Those telling me to do it was right, and I was wrong. Simple as that. No matter what you choose to do or not do, best of luck and continued success.

[nam812]

Originally Posted by beauspencer

I'm probably not explaining it clearly enough.

For example (numbers pulled out of thin air).

I have 8 hours per day devoted to shipping and listing. With my volume it takes me 6 hours per day to ship all orders within 24 hours. That only gives me 2 hours today (and every day) to list more items (more listings = more sales = more $$$).

But...if I forego the fee discount under TRS+ and extend my handling time to 3 days it allows me flexibility to list MORE items FASTER without hustling each day to ship.

Let's break it down. Using a nice round number of $100,000 in annual ebay sales.

TRS+
Gross Sales = $100,000
12% fees = $12,000
Fee Discount = $1,200
Net = $86,800

Non-TRS+
Gross Sales = $100,000
12% fees = $12,000
Net = $88,000

TRS saves me $1,200 in fees, but I'm not scaling fast enough. Extending my handling time gives me additional time to list items FASTER. Assume for this exercise it's business days and we'll use a round number of 20 business days per month. That is 240 days, in which I have an additional 2 hours of listing, and we'll use 100 per hour as an example for a total of 48,000 listings over the year.

That flexibility has allowed me to add an additional 48,000 listings to eBay in one year, whereas if I was focused on saving $1,200 in fees it would have taken me 2 years to list those additional listings.

Am I spending the same amount of time shipping? Yes, but the flexibility allows me to scale FASTER.

You gave a 6 hours of mailing and 2 hours of listing breakdown of your usual 8 hour day, but you didn't say what the new breakdown would be if you forego the 1 day handling, and you didnt say how much money the extra listing time would add to your sales.

Mailing is a necessity and listing is optional, those are just facts. So our constant is 6 hours of mailing needed everyday.

If the new "screw the TRS" daily breakdown is 5 hours mailing and 3 hours listing, 1 hours of mailing is left for the next day, so if we assume that if your sales stay consistent, the next day's 6 hour mailing necessity (of which you are now choosing to only dedicate 5 hours to) is actually 7 hours of mailing (6 hours needed every new day and 1 hour from yesterday).

Now the day after that, since you are only dedicating 5 hours to mailing and there is now 7 hours of mailing to be done, 2 hours will carry over and 8 hours are needed but you are only dedicating 5 hours, so 3 hours will carry over.

Do you see where this is going?

The fact is that if your sales stay consistent you will always be playing catch up. Adding more days to your handling time does not make the orders you have to mail go away, it just defers them to your future days.

If what you are doing makes sense in your head then that's great, but you falling behind and you are losing $1,200 per year (in your $100,000 scenario).

I understand that you would only need to make and extra $3.30 per day (sales do happen on weekends even if you are not actively working) in sales to make up the $1,200, but what can not be disputed is that you are falling behind with your mailings.

If for some reason you are working faster in the new 5 hours to get all 6 hours of mailings completed and not falling behind, then there is no reason to lose the TRS.

[Bosoxfan5990]

I'm glad this thread has turned into a healthy discussion about the benefits of TRS+. Don't usually see that on BO.