eBay

doglover550 · ‎07-10-2013

Until now anytime I've dropped off a parcel with a bar code the postal clerk has just taken it and scanned it in as originating and that's it. Over the past few days that has changed. Now when they scan it they have to input the weight, the postal code and I think something else. Anyone know what's happening. Are they do spot tests to see if the labels are legit? Is it only in my little corner of the world?

surplusdealdude · ‎07-11-2013

I've never seen it before, but perhaps the PO has been getting sellers who shave a little off the weight to save costs and they're trying to catch people that do that.

Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it we go nowhere. Carl Sagan

nan*55 · ‎07-11-2013

Happens at my PO once in awhile. They do spot checks.

pjcdn2005 · ‎07-11-2013

If they were just spot checking the weight, they could just weigh the parcel and compare that with the weight which is already on the outside of the package.

OP are you noticing this just with the new small packet labels? I've only brought one to the po and didn't notice if they scanned it or had to enter info. They did seem a bit confused about it as they hadn't seen small packet with a bar code before.

doglover550 · ‎07-11-2013

No, this was for Expedited Shipping in Canada and then she tried to do one of the new labels for Small Packet Air to US and then realized that it didn't come up with the same questions for input. I asked if this was something new and she said it was just something they'd been asked to do. It is not a choice, if you want the bar code scanned then the clerk has to input the answers to the questions. They can choose no to the questions but it means the item doesn't get scanned. I too think it is a new system to catch cheaters. I didn't have any scans today, just lettermail.

inuk_the_polar_bear · ‎07-11-2013

There was a thread over on SC dot com last fall about this. Seems there is quite the bit of circumvention of postage down south. Some sellers are cheating on weight and dimensions and dropping off parcels, in such a manner, as to avoid weighing and measureing.

I can get some fairly hefty parcels into the corner box with a label I put on. That goes straight to sorting. The allure of saving a couple bucks per parcel is too much for some people.

tobyshitzu · ‎07-11-2013

They've always been able to catch self printed expedited undercharged labels at the sorting plant automatically wit the cubiscan machine they go through

vintagenorth · ‎07-11-2013

So does a small pkt. airmail item need to be scanned or not? Just took one in and the post office didn't scan it. Just dropped it in the drawer.

inuk_the_polar_bear · ‎07-11-2013

Nothing "needs" to be scanned. They do or do not do it. I have not mailed for several weeks. Last I did there was nothing to scan on Small Packet. I paid and it goes. Looked one heck of a lot like the honour system to me.

I do not cheat, I do not need the potential hassle. Others .......

pjcdn2005 · ‎07-11-2013

No, this was for Expedited Shipping in Canada and then she tried to do one of the new labels for Small Packet Air to US and then realized that it didn't come up with the same questions for input.

Odd...I haven't had anyone do that for expedited parcels although it has probably been a week or so since I sent one that way.

pjcdn2005 · ‎07-11-2013

@inuk_the_polar_bear wrote:
Nothing "needs" to be scanned. They do or do not do it. I have not mailed for several weeks. Last I did there was nothing to scan on Small Packet. I paid and it goes. Looked one heck of a lot like the honour system to me.

I do not cheat, I do not need the potential hassle. Others .......

Small packet does have a scanning code now for CP internal use only. As a seller, I wouldn't worry about whether or not they scan my small pkt parcel as there is no delivery confirmation and the numbers given don't come up when you enter them at the CP site..

doglover550 · ‎07-11-2013

I look forward to hearing if anyone else experiences something similar with any package with a bar code the next time they take one in. I would like to know if it is just something that is being done locally or if it is a new requirement at the post offices.

007steveb16 · ‎07-11-2013

I've been told by my local clerk that this is the new process put in place by Canada Post.

doglover550 · ‎07-11-2013

@007steveb16 wrote:
I've been told by my local clerk that this is the new process put in place by Canada Post.

Thanks!

cumos55 · ‎07-11-2013

The one day handling to meet ...TRS plus.... standing in the US is a difficult thing to maintain.

Sellers pay postage and get tracking from Paypal/eBay... They then let the parcels accumulate ....and .... then deliver a large amount of parcels to the post office... USPS does do pickups

Not quite a one day handling for many parcels.

So if the parcel is scanned when delivered to a USPS outlet, it shows the actual day the parcel was delivered to the post office.

Maybe eBay will start verifying that claim of one day handling.

If Canadian eBay sellers are playing games with measurements and cost of postage... then of course they will be checked for correctness..

femmefan1946 · ‎07-11-2013

I'd go with the spot check theory. The clerks will hit a busy day and forget about doing it, then things will be back to the old normal.

Or just use the box outside if the spot check makes you uncomfortable *

*I get annoyed when the clerk decides he knows more about it than I do, especially the ones at the outlets who are semi-trained. Sigh. But I will say that most of the clerks I deal with are pleasant and if not knowledgeable, teachable.

I still dump most of my parcels into the postbox though.

007steveb16 · ‎07-12-2013

I repeat .....In cases of parcels coming in with printed barcodes the new process is no longer a simple scan of the barcode, more information must be inputted manually by the clerk.

northwestviking · ‎07-13-2013

I confirm that. I shipped 10 items yesterday. The clerk was totally confused - finally entered the zip codes and the system accepted the scans. It took about 10 minutes. I thought we print the labels at home to save time and not to get more troubles!!

pjcdn2005 · ‎07-13-2013

I thought we print the labels at home to save time and not to get more troubles!!

If the packages fit into the mailbox then put them in there rather than going to the post office. The only time I go into the post office to make sure that an item is scanned if is I am sending an expensive item and am using a method with delivery confirmation. Small packet does not have del. conf.