Wow - an eBay first (rant)

jhs5120 · #1 02-11-2014, 03:02 PM

There is an obscure USPS rule that says a piece of mail needs to be at least 3/4" thick in order to qualify for delivery confirmation. (so 99.9% of bubble mailers would not qualify). If a very finicky postal worker sees a bubble mailer with a prepaid label they are within their right to upgrade it to priority (or RTS it).

My old post woman used to give me SO much crap for this. I had to go to the town over to mail out my cards.

EvilKing00 · #2 02-11-2014, 03:09 PM

Thats aweful!

Leon · #3 02-11-2014, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jhs5120

There is an obscure USPS rule that says a piece of mail needs to be at least 3/4" thick in order to qualify for delivery confirmation. (so 99.9% of bubble mailers would not qualify). If a very finicky postal worker sees a bubble mailer with a prepaid label they are within their right to upgrade it to priority (or RTS it).

My old post woman used to give me SO much crap for this. I had to go to the town over to mail out my cards.

That is what a couple of Styrofoam peanuts are for!!

And to the OP, I am guessing it's a mistake somewhere...probably insufficient postage or something. Just see how they respond and you will know...

jhs5120 · #4 02-11-2014, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leon

That is what a couple of Styrofoam peanuts are for!!

You know, she would always suggest that, but I am too stubborn listen. It's a stupid rule. I once dropped off a box of 100 or so small Kraft bubble mailers with ebay labels to her and she sent each and every one of them back!

Buythatcard · #5 02-11-2014, 03:54 PM

As a seller, this happened to me about 3 years ago where the buyer received a postage due on one of my envelopes. It turned out that the envelope was less than 3/4 inches thick and some postal employee decided to convert it to a Priority mail package.

I always insert 1 styrofoam peanut in every bubble envelope that I ship out. This guarantees that it passes the 3/4 inch test. I never had an issue since then and I mail out several thousand packages a year.

thecatspajamas · #6 02-11-2014, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buythatcard

As a seller, this happened to me about 3 years ago where the buyer received a postage due on one of my envelopes. It turned out that the envelope was less than 3/4 inches thick and some postal employee decided to convert it to a Priority mail package.

I always insert 1 styrofoam peanut in every bubble envelope that I ship out. This guarantees that it passes the 3/4 inch test. I never had an issue since then and I mail out several thousand packages a year.

I use photo mailers for all flat items that I send out. The same rule that has the 3/4" thick disclaimer also allows for packages that are packed in a "rigid" manner to be sent with tracking. I have mailed thousands of photos and cards in these things and only once encountered a postal worker who still balked at them being sent 1st Class. They did it consistently, so the buyer in that town simply reminded me whenever he bought something, and I made sure to bulk up the package.

I think it's a ridiculous rule too. I get that they don't want you slapping tracking on something like a letter. That's fine. But if I were a postal employee and had to choose between handling 100 flats that would stack or nest flat against each other vs. 100 bubble mailers puffed up with peanuts in every one, I know which I would choose!

novakjr · #7 02-12-2014, 09:35 AM

yeah. I've been getting a lot of postage due lately. As others have stated. The postage is good enough at the point of mailing, but somewhere along the line someone decided it wasn't. Generally because the mailer isn't thick enough.. Also as others have stated, a simple packing peanut usually solves things.

If anything, just let the seller know. See if they'll offer the postage due in refund. And make sure they know that they can solve the issue in the future by using a peanut or two...

Gradedcardman · #8 02-12-2014, 10:00 AM

I had that happen a few weeks ago. I took a quick picture of the Postage Due stamp, emailed it to the seller and had a paypal refund immediately. The only time that has happened to this point.

steve B · #9 02-12-2014, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thecatspajamas

I use photo mailers for all flat items that I send out. The same rule that has the 3/4" thick disclaimer also allows for packages that are packed in a "rigid" manner to be sent with tracking. I have mailed thousands of photos and cards in these things and only once encountered a postal worker who still balked at them being sent 1st Class. They did it consistently, so the buyer in that town simply reminded me whenever he bought something, and I made sure to bulk up the package.

I think it's a ridiculous rule too. I get that they don't want you slapping tracking on something like a letter. That's fine. But if I were a postal employee and had to choose between handling 100 flats that would stack or nest flat against each other vs. 100 bubble mailers puffed up with peanuts in every one, I know which I would choose!

According to my local PO, the two issues are unrelated. Ridgid or 1/4 thick and up is a package, (or a flat if it's only sort of ridgid like most photo mailers) And tracking starts at 3/4 thickness for stuff that's not priority or express mail. Fortunately the one package I had sent back for postage due was going to a government official and he was very understanding of the extra day to repack it in a thicker package.

And the supervisor was interested in figuring out who had written up the rejection, because they wanted extra postage based on a rate that was nearly a year obsolete!

Steve B

D. Bergin · #10 02-12-2014, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steve B

According to my local PO, the two issues are unrelated. Ridgid or 1/4 thick and up is a package, (or a flat if it's only sort of ridgid like most photo mailers) And tracking starts at 3/4 thickness for stuff that's not priority or express mail. Fortunately the one package I had sent back for postage due was going to a government official and he was very understanding of the extra day to repack it in a thicker package.

And the supervisor was interested in figuring out who had written up the rejection, because they wanted extra postage based on a rate that was nearly a year obsolete!

Steve B

Yup. The packing peanut should be unnecessary as long as the flat is rigid.

ooo-ribay · #11 02-12-2014, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jhs5120

You know, she would always suggest that, but I am too stubborn listen. It's a stupid rule. I once dropped off a box of 100 or so small Kraft bubble mailers with ebay labels to her and she sent each and every one of them back!

99% of postal workers are cool.....except for the 1% who are not. I used to have to deal with a woman my wife and I dubbed "creepy lady." This woman would give me the third degree whenever I tried to use Media Mail. "What's in there? Are you sure? Are you sure?" Just mail it, lady.

Exhibitman · #12 02-12-2014, 01:08 PM

Per the USPS:

Dimension Minimum/Maximum
Height 6-1/8 inches (15.557 cm)/12 inches (30.480 cm)
Length 11-1/2 inches (29.210 cm)/15 inches (38.100 cm)
Thickness 1/4 inch (0.635 cm)/3/4 inch (1.905 cm)

As long as you fall within the min-max parameters on one of these three dimensions, your item is a large envelope. However: "Large envelopes that are rigid, nonrectangular, or not uniformly thick pay package prices." Hence the peanut solution.

So, a slabbed card in a bubble mailer should be just fine as a package rate shipment due to it being a rigid large envelope.

I haven't had any reclassification issues with outgoing mail because everything I sell goes out is at least 1/4" thick and rigid--either a slabbed card in proper wrappings or a raw card between two pieces of corrugated or equivalent, or one of those rigid cardboard mailers--so it gets the package rate. FWIW, I've found that eBay's mail label system is convenient and offers decent discounts from retail postage on packages. Plus it integrates the tracking data for us lazy people.

I would rather spend a tad more to ship with rigid packaging than use a packing peanut or other lumpy item to create sufficient bulk to qualify for the package designation because I have had a number of items arrive with new creases in them when the seller put the card in a card saver or top loader with nothing more next to a packing peanut and the nimrods at the USPS squashed the package during normal handling.

darwinbulldog · #13 02-12-2014, 01:16 PM

I made a joke about this when it happened to me, and everyone just criticized me for it.

http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=154453

bnorth · #14 02-12-2014, 01:51 PM

I have never received anything bought off ebay with postage due. Unfortunately when ebay was new I sold over 150 89&90 Topps DoubleHeader cards in a week that all arrived with $.10 postage due. It was my fault and as soon as the first buyer contacted me about it I emailed everyone and apologized for my mistake.

Only one person out of over 150 did not accept my apology and offer to send them something free to cover my mistake. The one buyer that did not just say forget about it no problem called me a scammer and every other name in the book over $.10. I ended up sending the guy a few oddball Advil Nolan Ryan cards and he finally quit sending be harassing emails.
I really miss the early days of ebay.

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