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Do I need to get a proper scan for my ebay listings?

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AnthonyCorona

Well-known member
Oct 6, 2014
9,600
68
Modesto, CA
PWE (Plain White Envelope) shipping is NOT ALLOWED with a card in any type of toploader according to the Post Office BIG BOOK rules. PWE are for regular paper items ONLY that are easily bendable. Their automated machines at large hubs have fairly sharp curves that envelopes fly through at high speeds, where cards in toploaders in PWEs get jammed more often than you'd think.

Sometimes the jam crumples the envelope (if a few envelopes follow right behind the jam) and all smash into the stuck envelope with a toploader!
This greatly increases the chance of the card getting damaged, and some postal employees will just throw the envelope that caused the jam in the garbage (if they know they can get away with it) as the jam shuts the whole machine down an a Postal employee has to manually fix the jam. When they feel a hard. to bend piece of plastic in the envelope it upsets these employees greatly.

A couple of years ago I had an dumb eBay seller (6,000+ feedbacks, 99.9% positive) send a card that cost $50.00 in a SMALL PWE with an eBay printed shipping label and two pieces of cardboard in the PWE too. This is partly the Post Office's fault as the are supposed to RETURN TO SENDER in a case like this. The envelope was almost an inch thick! I received it with the envelope all crumpled up, card slid out of the toploader (no masking tape on top- best to use a small piece which is easily removable) and card was damaged.

The proper option here is to use a white cardboard CD holder shipper.

Card saver 1 homie. Been doing it for a while with no issues. I never send anything thick, just base stock cards


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rsmath

Active member
Nov 8, 2008
6,086
1
PWE (Plain White Envelope) shipping is NOT ALLOWED with a card in any type of toploader according to the Post Office BIG BOOK rules. PWE are for regular paper items ONLY that are easily bendable. Their automated machines at large hubs have fairly sharp curves that

The official USPS mailing manual says items that are too rigid (as defined by some spec in the manual about bendability of the item) says that those items are classified as non-machineable and thus PWE with a card in a toploader is allowed. It just costs you a non-machineable charge in addition to the first class letter postage rate.
 

rsmath

Active member
Nov 8, 2008
6,086
1
they might not also be selling as selling on ebay sucks. People want something for nothing so you have to cut your margins to almost nothing unless it's something really rare. My favorite is buying low-end cards that I know the seller is going to lose money after they pay for postage, ebay fees and paypal fees.
 

Letch77

Well-known member
Jan 28, 2018
1,608
353
Midwest
PWE are for regular paper items ONLY that are easily bendable. Their automated machines at large hubs have fairly sharp curves that envelopes fly through at high speeds, where cards in toploaders in PWEs get jammed more often than you'd think.

Then how do credit/debit/gift cards get processed when they're sent in PWEs?
 

AnthonyCorona

Well-known member
Oct 6, 2014
9,600
68
Modesto, CA
Then how do credit/debit/gift cards get processed when they're sent in PWEs?

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cardcop05

New member
Nov 15, 2018
64
0
NYC
I agree, you can get away with shipping base cards or cheap thin inserts (under a price you can afford to lose without complaining and fighting with the buyer) in Card Savers (things I've never personally used) & PWE's. Just put a very small piece of masking tape on top to keep the card from sliding out.

Credit/debit cards and such are always shipped in LARGE PWE's which have enough give in them that do not affect the angle of the curves in the big automated machines, plus they pay extra postage (they get a bulk discount rate).

For eBay sellers the correct stamp price is .71 cents for shipping anything other than plain paper in a LARGE PWE envelope. If you do this please charge .75 cents postage. I've seen MANY eBay sellers charging $1.95 or $2.00 for a small PWE with a .51 cent stamp. That falls into eBay's Excessive S&H & FEE AVOIDANCE Rules.
 

rsmath

Active member
Nov 8, 2008
6,086
1
For eBay sellers the correct stamp price is .71 cents for shipping anything other than plain paper in a LARGE PWE envelope. If you do this please charge .75 cents postage. I've seen MANY eBay sellers charging $1.95 or $2.00 for a small PWE with a .51 cent stamp. That falls into eBay's Excessive S&H & FEE AVOIDANCE Rules.

the "stamp price" you stated is wrong as of Jan 29th. BTW 75 cents doesn't cover the cost of postage unless you are going to go "grandpa" and send cash to someone to complete the purchase of an auction win.

if you don't like paying $1.95 or $2.00 for a small PWE, don't bid on that auction

I doubt ebay cares about excessive S&H and "fee avoidance" rules being violated because they have the motivation to overlook it because it brings them more revenue to not enforce it.
 
Last edited:

gamecockfanatic

Active member
Jun 17, 2009
945
25
Gamecock Country
I doubt ebay cares about excessive S&H and "fee avoidance" rules being violated because they have the motivation to overlook it because it brings them more revenue to not enforce it.


apparently someone who seems to know everything still doesnt realize that ebay essentially did away with "excessive shipping and fee avoidance" 2 years ago when they started charging final value fees on the entire price INCLUDING shipping....nor does he realize that ebay still teaches sellers to charge for shipping AND HANDLING....
 

AnthonyCorona

Well-known member
Oct 6, 2014
9,600
68
Modesto, CA
apparently someone who seems to know everything still doesnt realize that ebay essentially did away with "excessive shipping and fee avoidance" 2 years ago when they started charging final value fees on the entire price INCLUDING shipping....nor does he realize that ebay still teaches sellers to charge for shipping AND HANDLING....

Just use my name next time


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