Share Your Shipping Labels User Stories

[raphael@ebay.com]

Hello Sellers,

As you already know, Shipping is a topic that we're talking a lot about these days at eBay Canada. We've recently hosted a couple of discussions with some Canadian sellers at our eBay offices. I'd like to also draw on anyone who would be willing to share their story with regards to online shipping labels, whether you use the PayPal labels platform, another, or none.

I'd like to know the following:

• How would you describe your experience using online labels?
• What works well for you?
• What are some of your pain or friction points?
• Are there any features you would like to see, or any that you would rather not see?
• Anything else you would like to share.

Many thanks in advance!

[pierrelebel]

"I always felt they (airmail stickers) were redundant.  "

You know that.  I know that.  Most Canadian posters here do know that.

Still, I use them because many buyers do not know that.  They like the idea that the seller shipped by "airmail" as "airmail" must be faster! 

Giving quality fast service is often about perception.

[jt-libra]

---

@pierrelebel wrote:

"I always felt they (airmail stickers) were redundant.  "

You know that.  I know that.  Most Canadian posters here do know that.

Still, I use them because many buyers do not know that.  They like the idea that the seller shipped by "airmail" as "airmail" must be faster! 

Giving quality fast service is often about perception.

---

I'll keep that in mind if I ever get another purchase from the U.S. buyer who asked if parcels from Canada come by plane or by ship!!

[mr.elmwood]

Current postal regs for Canada are one sticker on the front. I confirmed that through an information search and a phone call.

The most recent, previous, reading I had done said one on the front and one on the back.

I go to an actual Corporate PO and they throw stickers on all six sides.

More than one informed employee says "Why do we need stickers" anyway when everything goes air?". The postage determines the service, I know that.

Why distribute something that is not needed? Why offer them, to cut them back, when you are telling me to use something, that is not needed?

Regardless, my main point is, CP does not know how many packets I ship per month because PB and PP will not tell them. My fear becomes that I will get cut back on Labelopes. Those things are like gold to me. I can't get Labelopes at the PO as they claim to not even know what they are.

CP does not know I am spending $800+, per month, on their products.

[pjcdn2005]

I've never used them either. I actually have a few here but didn't really see the point of putting them on. I've never had anyone on the outlet put them on.

[onlineyardsale.cad.usd]

I've always use the stickers and I will continue to use them till it no longer available at Canada Post.

The bright blue stickers are very noticeable to the eye.

[canadianonlinegoods]

Hi Raphael. Sorry to others reading, not too sure if others mentioned this, but I'd like to see a Thermal Label option when printing CP labels in PayPal.

Thanks.

[joetriever]

I've been battling with Canada Post online about the same issue for months.  They tell me small businesses are only entitled to 300 airmail labels every 3 months.  They consider 300 labels a 3 month supply.  Telling CP that I ship that many packages in a month doesn't matter.  I've gone to several different postal outlets and picked up more stickers, explaining CP won't give me enough.  I've also resorted to printing my own on 30 up laser labels using a photo of an airmail sticker I found online lol!  I print black and white but it still looks fine.

[pocomocomputing]

If you are going to pay for label and use your laser, consider buying a self inking rubber stamp with Air Mail. I looked on eBay and found some but from China. Maybe Staples, dollar store, ??? Of course you have to figure out how long a rubber stamp ink will last and if it is cheaper.

[sylviebee]

Just a thought:  I ended with several Venture One accounts by accident.

It's easy to get more than one account and I wonder if it wouldn't be possible to do so by design and process an order for each account.

You might need different business names etc., but it only takes a few minutes to get another account or three.

(I wish I could give you a couple of mine.  I only need one. 

[momcqueen]

I also ended up with more than one Solutions for Small Business account. It had to do with the create account process which seemed to kick the bucket partway through. (I find the CPC website leaves a lot to be desired.) The rubberstamp Airmail is a good idea. If you go that route, be sure to order permanent ink in your stamp pad, otherwise it will be watercolours by the time it reaches your destination. Staples doesn't have the full range of shipping supplies it once did so I get my boxes from a company called uline. Once you become a customer, they bombard your place of business with glossy catalogues. Airmail stickers must be among the offerings. They have a website, and offer super-fast dispatch. Pricey but super fast. 

[atvds1210]

I sell on Ebay.com, and go to ebay.ca to print Canadian destination shipping labels via Paypal.   The address is picked up ok, but the dimensions and weight of the package are not and must be entered manually.  It would be useful for the system to also pick up that info.

[momcqueen]

If this thread is still being monitored by ebay Canada and/or Canada Post, I think it bears mention that some sellers experience a high rate of 'loss' when using Small- or Light Packets including one whose entire shipment of dozens of packages went missing after it was mailed at their local Post Office. 

Obviously, this poses a threat to small business on ebay: if the untraced service we must use due to financial constraints is unreliable. The seller to whom this happened has since contacted Canada Post and received a wholly unsympathetic response. 

I would expect our national postal carrier to do better. As sellers, we don't choose untracked mail lightly. But if we're expected to put our whole faith blindly in Canada Post, they should have some respect for that. Not to mention the highly suspicious nature of an ENTIRE SHIPMENT of dozens and dozens of packages gone missing at once. If this had happened to me, my next move would be to simultaneously contact law enforcement, media, and my Member of Parliament. 

For your reading pleasure http://community.ebay.ca/t5/Seller-Central/I-feel-sick-Canada-Post-whole-bunch-of-missing-item-not-r...

[velvetfinch]

Thank you mjwl2006.  Just to clarify I mailed 31 items out that day.  Almost all were extremely delayed but some ended up showing up.  9 of them have NEVER shown up and I was forced to refund.  Two more items that were sent just over a week later also have not shown up.  1 of them I have had to refund, the other is claiming INR tomorrow if it doesn't show up.  So in total that will be 11 items.  A truly ridiculous number of items that if you read the thread linked, Canada Post does not seem to care about in the slightest.  I am an experienced seller, I have done this for many years, nothing of  this scale has happened before.

[femmefan1946]

Even more disconcerting is that your items do not appear to be in the high value/high fraud categories.

If Canada Post has a local employee who is hoarding mail, surely they should have noticed by now?

I agree that a call to your new MP, the media and the local police would be sensible.

[jt-libra]

I apologize if someone has already posted this, but I'm sure I read somewhere recently that evidence of a police report filed by a seller would negate any poor DSR's and defects on the seller's account.  Does anyone know more about this?

[hlmacdon]

Pain or friction points? No thermal label prints. I realize this an issue with Canada Post as that isn't even offered for non-contract customers, but this needs to get resolved as it simply isn't practical otherwise.

Postage and insured amounts being showed to consumers should be opt in, not default. There are already enough limitations, bugs and ebay policy issues that drive friction between the buyer and seller that we don't need to be adding another. This is standard practice with any shipping platform.

Fix zip code issues with USPS. They should not be truncated, the last 4 digits have a great deal of relevance with the PO box and street level delivery programs in the US. Look at options like google's API, or dial-a-zip for address validation to cut down on unnecessary lost or misdirected shipments.

If you want to look at where you need to be, look at Shipstation and Endicia for a high level and dumbed down shipping management experience for sellers. I know based on your negotiated rates that there is significant margin for ebay in reselling shipping, but with the current platform it is really only suited to very occasional shippers. No thermal prints by itself kills it.

[thebarterersdog]

Shipping for Canadian sellers is a nightmare especially if shipping within Canada. It costs more to ship within Canada than it does for light weight packages to the States.

Shipping to the States is a nightmare because folks from the States want a tracking number. For what I ship, tracking would be a ridiculous cost so most times I lose sales once they find out just how much it costs to give them that tracking #.

The other thing I absolutely hate is being nailed for a fee on shipping. I may be off my shipping by 25 cents and get nailed $5 or more dollars just because I am. Either that or eBay needs to get informed about shipping rates. I still think only those who embellish their listings with $10 or more should be penalized. Restocking and handling costs shouldn't be a penalty if the item is very involved with preparation for shipping to avoid damage which most collectibles are.

Of course, you get that one buyer who wants you to save them money in shipping so you do them a favor and not send it via tracking, thinking it's good business and they scam you. But such is the life on eBay. You do what you have to in order to earn what you can. Shipping is a sore point, but not as much as the point about exposure to buyers, or the lack of... for me.

[momcqueen]

One final thing, if I may:

Whatever Canada Post does, it should be a function that is universaly accessible.

I can't use their Ship-in-a-click or EST or even log into my CPC account because I use a Mac and my default browser is Safari. 

CPC CSRs confirm these tools only support Windows and browsers like Internet Explorer. Nothing else, according to them, is compatible. While I find this incredible, I haven't invested the time to prove otherwise more than about ten times. 

[pocomocomputing]

Did you try Google Chrome for a Mac and or FireFox for for Mac? Apple Safari on a Mac is like Internet Explorer on Windows, always little issues. At least from what I have read in the forums.

[momcqueen]

Thank you. Firefox is my next step. I simply cannot believe the whole postal corporation website and its associated label-printing tool is incompatible with anything not Windows, despite what they told me today.

Does anyone use EST with a system that DOESN'T run on Windows? Until PayPal realizes they have to fix the service options to reflect Tracked Packet now applies to all 32 countries, I've nothing to work with.