eBay has a new shipping option exclusively for sellers of inexpensive trading cards, as we’ve reported. This week, eBay told Linn’s Stamp News that the eBay Standard Envelope option would also be available to sellers in the Stamps category, though it did not say when.
Offering tracking for under a dollar is a feat, and Linn’s explores how it works.
Tracking is not available via the Postal Service’s tracking program, the publication wrote. “It seems that the tracking is based on the Intelligent Mail barcode system that appears above the recipient’s address.”
Check out Bill McAllister’s scoop on Linns.com for more information and to see an image of an envelope an eBay seller used to ship a baseball card purchased by a Linn’s editor earlier this month.
Ebay got USPS to provide free tracking for ePackets coming from China in 2010. Some of those packages ship for as little as 0.48, less than the cost of a 1st Class Stamp for American citizens. Why did it take either entity 11 years to do something for American sellers?
@Shanna
I can think of 2 reasons right off the top of my head:
1 – Ebay continuing to take care of China as that was and still is the future of Ebay, especially when discussing things with Devin Wenig!!! All he could think about was how could Ebay help the poor uneducated Chinese people the most while continuing to cause US Sellers to pay for it. Remember the Universal Postal Union is the group that set Chinas International Postage rates in line with what Ghana would pay to ship something to the US as they were still considered a 3rd world country when it came to their economy.
2 – USPS needed somebody to make up the difference that they were losing on each of those E-packets since they were charged with not losing money. Even though the rules changed in July I never did see any kind of announcement from DeJoy that they had raised Chinas mailing prices to at least what we had to pay to return anything.
It is really going to be interesting to see how long Ebays relationship with China will last now that they are forcing Mangled Payments down their throats as they are with us. I cannot imagine the Chinese government will accept the late or slow payments that Ebay has shown can and will happen to Sellers so they can have a couple of extra days interest on the approximately $250 million of daily sales. It may not sound like a lot of money, but you better believe it adds up and Ebay knows every trick in the book when it comes to excuses to keep your money in their pockets.
The eBay Standard Envelope may encounter some resistance from stamp collectors who prefer to receive purchases in stamped envelopes. In my experience, smaller envelopes are less likely to be damaged in the mail. I ship color slides in non-machinable envelopes to protect cardboard mounts. Using the same packaging for stamps has been loss-free so far. Which is better, lose one or two tracked mailings every year or lose no mailings in rigid envelopes without tracking? The other area of resistance would be cost. Stamp dealers now pay less than 50% of face for stamps and resell to collectors at below face value. Why is the US Postal Service unable to sell books of First-Class tracking labels and charge 20 cents additional postage when used?
Another reason for avoiding eBay labels how difficult it is to total and reconcile Managed Payments fee and sales amounts. Only net amounts are totaled.