I have recently encountered some very disturbing MISCONCEPTION that is now
post office policy which can (and has) impacted Ebay selling. USPS via "click
and ship" and via paypal, offers discounts for printing shipping labels online.
Somehow, this has been translated to the postal community that they "don't have
to do anything" for online postage as it's been "discounted". While in fact, it
IS TRUE that they don't have to write the label, weigh the postage, collect the
money or any of the other time consuming label generation....WHY DO THEY THINK
THEY HAVE TO DO NOTHING ONCE IT'S IN THE SYSTEM?
Local post offices have now started saying "we won't scan the item here because we don't have to since it's online postage". That in itself is ABSURD as they have done NOTHING to get it into the system and now that it's going into the system it needs to be treated as any other mail in the system. What's worse is that this misconception permeates the system all along the line, and many times the item is NOT SCANNED in the various hubs along the way to destination as the clerks believe "they don't have to do anything for online postage".
Do you realize that means the item could be stolen anywhere along the line and NO ONE WOULD KNOW WHERE because a scan has not been made to see the path? Not scanning an item because the label is online generated is totally ABSURD and an invitation for disaster. What's worse, is that should you call one of these Einsteins and ask why no scan or activity shows in online tracking (because they don't scan as they think they don't have to) their standard answer (99.99% wrong most of the time) is "the item was never brought to the post office".
A scary scary case in point, as it's gotten worse recently, is that I printed 7 EXPRESS MAIL labels in the last week. Express mail is supposed to be there the NEXT DAY. When I brought them to the post office on 3 separate days, I INSISTED the label be scanned and it was easily determined online that they were all to be delivered by 2pm the next day. NOT ONE of the items arrived in the various destination on time. NOT ONE of the items had any scans other than the one I insisted on with my sour postal clerk as "acceptance". NOT ONE of the items got me any response when asking the post office other than "they don't have to do anything about online postage". Are they kidding? I made a big stink about getting back my money as it was not delivered in a timely manner, and, the people I shipped to did the same thing (after yelling at me first).
If you DON'T INSIST upon an acceptance scan when you deliver your package to the post office, you CAN'T PROVE that you brought it there, and worse, they can deliver when they feel like it, IF they feel like it and you can't get your money back, place an insurance claim or even prove you shipped it.
If you think this sounds like a rare occurrence, try shipping something EXPRESS MAIL yourself. See if you get an acceptance scan. See if any tracking online shows up the next day, or even the day after. And, see when it's delivered.
I had three items shipped to me via express mail via online postage generation and NOT ONE GOT THERE BEFORE 3 days. NOT ONE has online tracking. And, each time I called the "brilliant" clerk told me "well it was probably never brought to the post office".
See for yourself. Ship something express mail with online postage. With the holidays coming up, I see a postal feast on items with online label generation, especially if they see insurance on it. YOU WON'T COLLECT, and maybe the item will get there at some point in this millennium.
I don't know if this is a premeditated sham by the postal system or that the requirements for IQ to be a postal clerk has been lowered from 22 to 15, but I do know that the postal system is about to impact on ALL PEOPLE WHO GENERATE POSTAGE ONLINE...and it already has.
You won't be able to prove you shipped, when you shipped or if you shipped. All you'll be able to prove is the billing information of when you generated the label...NOT anything else.
I've already had a disaster happen with them REFUSING to scan a batch of 37 items at the post office which then went into the black hole of ineptitude and was delivered over a THREE WEEK PERIOD. Many of the buyers were told when they called that it was "never shipped and all that was generated was a billing label" and when it did arrive at LAST....some of my wonderful intelligent buyers gave me 8 negatives for the postal ineptitude OF THE POST OFFICE...and ebay does NOT CARE.
USPS is a disaster, but they are a disaster waiting to explode on all of us that sell online.
Talk to your postmaster. Call WASHINGTON DC about this misconception of stupidity. Call your local politician. If something is not done now, we are all in for disaster during the holidays.
Everyone needs to write to EBAY as well as PAYPAL and explain to them why you're going to get all these negs, neutrals, and HOLDS which will impact you as a seller...and it will...because of USPS.
Local post offices have now started saying "we won't scan the item here because we don't have to since it's online postage". That in itself is ABSURD as they have done NOTHING to get it into the system and now that it's going into the system it needs to be treated as any other mail in the system. What's worse is that this misconception permeates the system all along the line, and many times the item is NOT SCANNED in the various hubs along the way to destination as the clerks believe "they don't have to do anything for online postage".
Do you realize that means the item could be stolen anywhere along the line and NO ONE WOULD KNOW WHERE because a scan has not been made to see the path? Not scanning an item because the label is online generated is totally ABSURD and an invitation for disaster. What's worse, is that should you call one of these Einsteins and ask why no scan or activity shows in online tracking (because they don't scan as they think they don't have to) their standard answer (99.99% wrong most of the time) is "the item was never brought to the post office".
A scary scary case in point, as it's gotten worse recently, is that I printed 7 EXPRESS MAIL labels in the last week. Express mail is supposed to be there the NEXT DAY. When I brought them to the post office on 3 separate days, I INSISTED the label be scanned and it was easily determined online that they were all to be delivered by 2pm the next day. NOT ONE of the items arrived in the various destination on time. NOT ONE of the items had any scans other than the one I insisted on with my sour postal clerk as "acceptance". NOT ONE of the items got me any response when asking the post office other than "they don't have to do anything about online postage". Are they kidding? I made a big stink about getting back my money as it was not delivered in a timely manner, and, the people I shipped to did the same thing (after yelling at me first).
If you DON'T INSIST upon an acceptance scan when you deliver your package to the post office, you CAN'T PROVE that you brought it there, and worse, they can deliver when they feel like it, IF they feel like it and you can't get your money back, place an insurance claim or even prove you shipped it.
If you think this sounds like a rare occurrence, try shipping something EXPRESS MAIL yourself. See if you get an acceptance scan. See if any tracking online shows up the next day, or even the day after. And, see when it's delivered.
I had three items shipped to me via express mail via online postage generation and NOT ONE GOT THERE BEFORE 3 days. NOT ONE has online tracking. And, each time I called the "brilliant" clerk told me "well it was probably never brought to the post office".
See for yourself. Ship something express mail with online postage. With the holidays coming up, I see a postal feast on items with online label generation, especially if they see insurance on it. YOU WON'T COLLECT, and maybe the item will get there at some point in this millennium.
I don't know if this is a premeditated sham by the postal system or that the requirements for IQ to be a postal clerk has been lowered from 22 to 15, but I do know that the postal system is about to impact on ALL PEOPLE WHO GENERATE POSTAGE ONLINE...and it already has.
You won't be able to prove you shipped, when you shipped or if you shipped. All you'll be able to prove is the billing information of when you generated the label...NOT anything else.
I've already had a disaster happen with them REFUSING to scan a batch of 37 items at the post office which then went into the black hole of ineptitude and was delivered over a THREE WEEK PERIOD. Many of the buyers were told when they called that it was "never shipped and all that was generated was a billing label" and when it did arrive at LAST....some of my wonderful intelligent buyers gave me 8 negatives for the postal ineptitude OF THE POST OFFICE...and ebay does NOT CARE.
USPS is a disaster, but they are a disaster waiting to explode on all of us that sell online.
Talk to your postmaster. Call WASHINGTON DC about this misconception of stupidity. Call your local politician. If something is not done now, we are all in for disaster during the holidays.
Everyone needs to write to EBAY as well as PAYPAL and explain to them why you're going to get all these negs, neutrals, and HOLDS which will impact you as a seller...and it will...because of USPS.
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