eBay is close to announcing its first Seller Release of 2011, and changes to shipping are on the agenda. eBay is beefing up its label-printing functionality and will add FedEx to the carriers it supports, according to Sanjay Sethi in an interview on eBay Radio this week.
Currently eBay's shipping calculator supports USPS and UPS, and sellers have long complained about the absence of FedEx from its calculated shipping. Sethi said Tuesday that eBay would add Fed Ex "very soon." eBay's Shipping Calculator allows sellers to enter information about their products so that U.S. shoppers visiting a product page can see the exact shipping cost they would pay for that item.
Sethi also said eBay will add bulk label printing in April and would add First Class Mail International to eBay label printing soon after that.
During the holidays, eBay was able to extend its buying season by one day last year by persuading the USPS to give it estimated delivery times and then displaying actual delivery dates instead of the number of days. When seeing "5 business days" in a listing, "the math was too much for some buyers," according to Sethi.
When asked how accurate the delivery dates were, Sethi said "there is definitely room for improvement" and said eBay would make it much more realistic for sellers in 2011.
Despite the veiled criticism of the postal service in the interview, the USPS signed a new, five-year contract with eBay last month to provide online tools and marketing programs to help millions of small businesses. The new Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe said in a press statement,, "Our alliance with eBay continues to strengthen and grow. This new contract builds on the trust the eBay community has invested in us as their leading shipper of choice."
In his interview, eBay's Sethi said that, in October 2010, 45% of items sold on eBay.com had tracking, and by the end of 2010, it was at 61%. "That number had not changed in years," he said. eBay's philosophy is that each seller is a fulfillment service or warehouse, he said, and eBay needs to give sellers the tools they need.
Also of interest to online sellers, ShipRush posted on its blog that the USPS is changing the text "Delivery Confirmation" on shipping labels to say "Tracking Number" instead. The change will happen in the next week or so, and the postal service will display more scans for each package, instead of just one delivery scan.
The USPS has reportedly mandated that its workers scan each package as part of a new policy.
You can find the entire article HERE
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Does the USPS Now Require SCAN Forms for Online Postage?
Some postal employees have been incorrectly telling online sellers that they must use SCAN Forms when dropping off packages with prepaid online postage. SCAN Form (PS Form 5630) is a useful service that allows sellers to prove their packages have entered the mail stream - the SCAN Form contains a master barcode that represents all the packages in a shipment, and a single scan enters all of the associated packages into the USPS database as "Shipment Accepted."
USPS PR Representative Dave Lewin confirmed last week that, while it is preferred, SCAN Form is not required. "The Postal Service does not require a SCAN form," he said. "We do prefer that a SCAN form is used since it is more efficient for shippers and expedites transactions at retail."
SCAN Form is available with most online postage services, including USPS Click-N-Ship, ShipRush, Endicia and Stamps.com. However, SCAN Form is not available in the recently launched Amazon Marketplace Shipping Label program, and the incorrect message that some Amazon.com sellers are receiving at their post office is causing them concern, as documented in this online discussion thread.
Some sellers surmise that the misunderstanding is caused by a supposed memo to postmasters recently that all packages be scanned.
ShipRush Product Manager Rafael Zimberoff said online sellers should be using the SCAN Form, required or not. "All ecommerce sellers should use SCAN forms, without exception. A merchant who uses a system that does not provide SCAN forms is saving pennies to spend dollars lost in lower buyer satisfaction and more complicated customer service."
While sellers who use online postage should use SCAN Forms when possible, since it shows their customers they've mailed their orders, for right now, at least, the post office is not making it mandatory.
You can find the article HERE
USPS PR Representative Dave Lewin confirmed last week that, while it is preferred, SCAN Form is not required. "The Postal Service does not require a SCAN form," he said. "We do prefer that a SCAN form is used since it is more efficient for shippers and expedites transactions at retail."
SCAN Form is available with most online postage services, including USPS Click-N-Ship, ShipRush, Endicia and Stamps.com. However, SCAN Form is not available in the recently launched Amazon Marketplace Shipping Label program, and the incorrect message that some Amazon.com sellers are receiving at their post office is causing them concern, as documented in this online discussion thread.
Some sellers surmise that the misunderstanding is caused by a supposed memo to postmasters recently that all packages be scanned.
ShipRush Product Manager Rafael Zimberoff said online sellers should be using the SCAN Form, required or not. "All ecommerce sellers should use SCAN forms, without exception. A merchant who uses a system that does not provide SCAN forms is saving pennies to spend dollars lost in lower buyer satisfaction and more complicated customer service."
While sellers who use online postage should use SCAN Forms when possible, since it shows their customers they've mailed their orders, for right now, at least, the post office is not making it mandatory.
You can find the article HERE
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Tax time is just around the corner!
Well, it's that time of the year again. Taxes are due and it's time to put the pencil to the paper and get-er-done. The IRS has a special page set up for Online Auction Sellers that has some wonderful links for us.
Online Auction Sellers Tax Center | |
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Thursday, February 3, 2011
Flat Rate — Quick Reference
Some people have been noting issue when mailing with the new USPS Flat Rate Materials. All of the prices for flat rate can be found in my previous blog. This is a quick reference directly from the USPS Website. You can take this to your post office if needed for clarification. The main issues that are floating around is that you may not add tape to your Flat Rate Packages. This simply is not true.
Here is the wording directly from the USPS Website:
When sealing a Flat Rate Box or Flat Rate Envelope, the container flaps must be able to close within the normal folds. Tape may be applied to the flaps and seams to reinforce the container; provided the design of the container is not enlarged by opening the sides and the container is not reconstructed in any way.
Flat Rate — Quick Reference
Available for Domestic and International
EXPRESS MAIL
Flat Rate Envelope
12-1/2" x 9-1/2"
Legal Flat Rate Envelope
15" x 9-1/2"
PRIORITY MAIL
Flat Rate Envelope
12-1/2" x 9-1/2"
Legal Flat Rate Envelope
15" x 9-1/2"
Padded Flat Rate Envelope
12-1/2" x 9-1/2"
Gift Card Flat Rate Envelope
10" x 7"
Small Flat Rate Envelope
10" x 6"
Window Flat Rate Envelope
10" x 5"
Small Flat Rate Box
8-5/8" x 5-3/8" x 1-5/8"
Medium Flat Rate Boxes
13-5/8" x 11-7/8" x 3-3/8"
11" x 8-1/2" x 5-1/2"
Large Flat Rate Box
12" x 12" x 5-1/2"
APO/FPO/DPO
Large Flat Rate Box
12" x 12" x 5-1/2"
Large Video Box (Flat Rate pricing for international only)
9-1/4" x 6-1/4" x 2"
DVD Box (Flat Rate pricing for international only)
7-9/16" x 5-7/16" x 1-3/8
Note: Flat Rate prices are available when material is sent in a USPS-produced Flat Rate Envelope or Box. When sealing a Flat Rate Box or Flat Rate Envelope, the container flaps must be able to close within the normal folds. Tape may be applied to the flaps and seams to reinforce the container; provided the design of the container is not enlarged by opening the sides and the container is not reconstructed in any way.
Weight restrictions for domestic Express Mail and Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelopes and Boxes are 70 pounds.
Weight restrictions for Priority Mail International are 4 pounds for the Flat Rate Envelopes, Small Flat Rate Box, and DVD Box and Large Video Box; 20 pounds for the Medium Flat Rate Boxes and the Large Flat Rate Box.
Weight restrictions for Express Mail Flat Rate International vary by country and are noted in the Individual Country Listings. However, the maximum weight limit for any Express Mail International shipment is 70 pounds.
You may order free packaging supplies at usps.com/shop and find out more information about Priority Mail at prioritymail.com.
You can find this reference HERE
Here is the wording directly from the USPS Website:
When sealing a Flat Rate Box or Flat Rate Envelope, the container flaps must be able to close within the normal folds. Tape may be applied to the flaps and seams to reinforce the container; provided the design of the container is not enlarged by opening the sides and the container is not reconstructed in any way.
Flat Rate — Quick Reference
Available for Domestic and International
EXPRESS MAIL
Flat Rate Envelope
12-1/2" x 9-1/2"
Legal Flat Rate Envelope
15" x 9-1/2"
PRIORITY MAIL
Flat Rate Envelope
12-1/2" x 9-1/2"
Legal Flat Rate Envelope
15" x 9-1/2"
Padded Flat Rate Envelope
12-1/2" x 9-1/2"
Gift Card Flat Rate Envelope
10" x 7"
Small Flat Rate Envelope
10" x 6"
Window Flat Rate Envelope
10" x 5"
Small Flat Rate Box
8-5/8" x 5-3/8" x 1-5/8"
Medium Flat Rate Boxes
13-5/8" x 11-7/8" x 3-3/8"
11" x 8-1/2" x 5-1/2"
Large Flat Rate Box
12" x 12" x 5-1/2"
APO/FPO/DPO
Large Flat Rate Box
12" x 12" x 5-1/2"
Large Video Box (Flat Rate pricing for international only)
9-1/4" x 6-1/4" x 2"
DVD Box (Flat Rate pricing for international only)
7-9/16" x 5-7/16" x 1-3/8
Note: Flat Rate prices are available when material is sent in a USPS-produced Flat Rate Envelope or Box. When sealing a Flat Rate Box or Flat Rate Envelope, the container flaps must be able to close within the normal folds. Tape may be applied to the flaps and seams to reinforce the container; provided the design of the container is not enlarged by opening the sides and the container is not reconstructed in any way.
Weight restrictions for domestic Express Mail and Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelopes and Boxes are 70 pounds.
Weight restrictions for Priority Mail International are 4 pounds for the Flat Rate Envelopes, Small Flat Rate Box, and DVD Box and Large Video Box; 20 pounds for the Medium Flat Rate Boxes and the Large Flat Rate Box.
Weight restrictions for Express Mail Flat Rate International vary by country and are noted in the Individual Country Listings. However, the maximum weight limit for any Express Mail International shipment is 70 pounds.
You may order free packaging supplies at usps.com/shop and find out more information about Priority Mail at prioritymail.com.
You can find this reference HERE
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