eBay Standard Envelope Shipping Not Available 9-3-22
eBay sellers report Standard Envelope shipping service is not available when they attempt to print labels, even though the listings meet all the criteria to qualify for this special shipping service.
Previously, sellers had issues with the service in the Collectible Card Games mixed lots category.
Liz Morton ~ Founder
eBay community staff said that issue was fixed in July, but sellers continue to experience problems accessing the service and now it appears to be spreading to other categories as well.
This stamp seller was prevented from using Standard Envelope in the US stamp collections & lots category.
Has anyone else experienced problems with the Ebay standard envelope? I understood it was going to be ok to mail about 12 stamps, 3 postcards, etc. I was just going to print a standard envelope for the sale of 8 stamps and it would only allow me to print a first-class label for 3.86, which is more that the sale.
I just talked with Ebay, and she sent me a list of what standard envelopes can be used for. No mention of it being used for stamps, postcards, etc. Have the categories really dropped those items, and if so, I would think that Ebay would have sent out a general notice. Very confusing at this point.
It looks like some of the coin and paper money categories are also affected.
All of a sudden I'm not able to select the "Ebay Standard Shipping" option for coins and collectibles even though I'm in the right category/price range/shipping weight/size, etc. This has never been an issue before. Is anyone else experiencing this issue at the moment? Just wondering if it's a site issue or something else. Thanks!
I should have looked here first. I just spent 30 minutes on the phone with a rep who tried to convince me that the specific subcategories I had chosen for the one stamp and two different pieces of currency sold were not supported by the Standard Envelope:
https://www.ebay.com/b/US-Revenue-Stamps/690/bn_2310784
https://www.ebay.com/b/Japanese-Paper-Money/48027/bn_16563281
https://www.ebay.com/b/Chinese-Paper-Money/3432/bn_16562291I told her "boulderdash," that the entire Stamps and Coins/Currency categories were supposed to be supported, if the packaging/value met the criteria (which these did). I told her it was an ebay issue, and to put a repair ticket in for it, which she eventually did after some more coaching by me. And she gave me a $20 credit to my account to make up for the lost money on more expensive package shipping with tracking!
Yes, I've been having trouble since yesterday (Sept. 1st). I've had to put my store in vacation mode, thus shuttering it because 75% or so of my sales involve the eBay standard envelope and it's not working in the Coin & Paper Money category right now. An "American" lady on eBay told me that a note from technical service said that it would be fixed BY OCTOBER 25TH! I told her I'll be long out of business on eBay if it should take 7 weeks to fix!
Right now, I have 7 orders to 6 different customers that involve the eBay standard envelope going back to yesterday. I've had to email them to let them know the situation and that they will be going out with a stamp on Tuesday if this should not be fixed. My guess is most will make it & it is cheaper to lose 1 or 2 of the 6 packages than to waste $4 per package on some of these. One order is like $27.98. That one might get a USPS First Class tracking because I'll still profit on it if I pay $4, but I can't pay $4 to ship a coin that sold for $7.99 with free shipping. I paid $4 or thereabout for the coin before the eBay fees LOL!
I had no issues yesterday and today when printing standard envelope labels for coins sold in the Canadian Coins - 25 Cents subcategory. But all other coin categories that I've listed coins under are having issues even though they normally qualify for this shipping option. Not sure why that one category is ok.
I've raised the issue with eBay support several times but as of 11 am Eastern on Sep 3 it's still not resolved. I'm concerned that eBay IT may consider this a minor enough issue -- after all, average selling price is quite low to qualify -- to not get looked at until next week, after Labor Day.
As these sellers point out, the big problem is that Standard Envelope is a shipping option that is exclusive to eBay - you cannot simply print the label through PirateShip or Stamp.com or even go to the Post Office directly.
That means if eBay has a technical issue preventing purchase of a Standard Envelope label, the seller typically must use far more expensive first class mail options.
The seller cannot go back and charge the buyer more for shipping, they just have to eat the extra cost which can quickly burn through any profit margin they may have had on the sale.
My advice for anyone selling items offering Standard Envelope service - bulk edit and change your shipping options to first class now to avoid possibly having to pay extra for shipping until eBay gets this sorted out.
Are you experiencing problems with eBay Standard Envelope? Let us know in the comments below!
