w~~_7.JPG "pjcdn2005"){kind=avatar}
Yes, you've got it!
The TRS evaluation is retroactive, beginning with the end of the previous month and going back 3 months (as 'pj' and 'recped' pointed out), so your current month's (May, in this instance) figures are irrelevant until the time of the next evaluation (20th of June). Then May's figures are bundled in with April and March. This means that if you happen to have a low month, you've still got time to catch up before the next evaluation. It's really not a bad system.
"My goal is not necessarily to take the USA by storm; I want that seal because I'm certain more than half of my CANADIAN buyers are unaware about the differences between ebay.ca and ebay.com and as such I want to appear as a top-rated seller on both sites regardless."
I still do think you're chasing a distinction of dubious value, and paying dearly for it. In fact, you may be throwing away a good portion of your profits and losing potential customers besides (due to shipping costs that look high in comparison to other sellers' shipping). My view is that a potential buyer is going to be far more concerned about the posted shipping cost than about the TRS Plus seal (or lack thereof).
I took a hard look at this problem when the U.S. TRS Plus was introduced, and here's how I evaluated it as a purely business equation: Is the tracking I'd have to pay on 90% of my U.S. parcels likely to get me an equivalent or better return in sales? My response was a definite no. If I have to pay an extra ca. $10 on every parcel I send to the U.S. in one year, I'll have spent an additional $1300 to $1500 per year. Over 5 years, I estimate I've saved at least $6,500, and I've yet to have an INR (fingers still crossed). 
Over all that time, I've never had a Light/Small Packet go astray, and the overwhelming majority are delivered within the time estimated by Canada Post. I also started offering free shipping on selected items, and the cost of that to me has been far less than the cost of all those CYA tracked parcels would have been. And free shipping makes for happy buyers, who are less likely to grumble about slow delivery -- the "gift horse" principle.
I know the subject of tracking is hotly debated on these boards, and I sometimes think all sellers may feel obliged to use it at some point when it becomes the norm with the majority of big retailers on eBay. However, I do believe tracking is over-rated and misunderstood by many sellers as providing them with iron-clad protection. At the moment at least we still have a choice that entails very little risk.
I think of it this way: tracking does nothing to speed delivery, nor does it guarantee an INR cannot be filed. It provides some assurance to the seller that an item is delivered, and when, but it doesn't benefit the buyer, and many buyers resent having to pay for it. So some sellers (like me and you) feel obliged to "subsidize" when using tracking. Still, I only use it selectively and strategically (for example, for rather expensive items in the weeks prior to Christmas) -- everything else goes by Light or Small Packet.
I'm not trying to dissuade you from doing something if it's been proven to work in your interest, but I think eBay wants sellers to look at the US TRS Plus from an emotional viewpoint, i.e. as some sort of badge of honour that must be obtained -- or else. Yet eBay hasn't provided any proof (that I know of) that the seal will make any difference in sales, placement, or otherwise.
I suspect most buyers couldn't care less -- they're looking for the best item at the best price. They may check a seller's FB history and percentages to see that they're reputable, but does a Canadian buyer really bypass an item if a Canadian seller doesn't show that seal on .com? I don't when I'm buying. Again, to play devil's advocate, this may be something you hope to be true, but are there any data from eBay (or your buyers) to justify that belief and the associated cost of required tracking for 90% of your shipments to the U.S.?
Actually I think we Canadian sellers already have an advantage on .com if a buyer sees that we're in the same country (I've noticed seller location is shown on search results on .com, even without filtering for location). Wouldn't you rather buy from a Canadian, especially if price/shipping were equal to or better than US sellers, with or without a TRS seal? I do a fair amount of buying on .com, and I always look for Canadian sellers first.
You could try a month-long experiment with free shipping (even if you roll some of the cost to you into your item prices) and see if that boosts your sales. Even a few extra sales will cover all the shipping costs. With higher volume, you can absorb the very occasional defect, but your buyers may be happier anyway. Just something to consider.
By the way, one positive point: DSRs for shipping cost no longer count toward your seller evaluation (I think this was introduced one of the 2014 Seller Updates, or possibly fall of 2013), so when you mention your concern about low DSRs for shipping costs, that's no longer a worry. Still, this doesn't prevent buyers who feel they've overpaid for shipping from leaving neutral or negative FB, which will rack up a defect.
Best of luck to you, whatever you decide!
@pjcdn2005 wrote:If they went to the same buyer and the tracking number is entered on both transactions, they should both show as validated.
You said that you entered the tracking number on one of the items in Paypal. Did you check to see if it transferred over to ebay? I wonder if that would make a difference.
Yes, it has a tracking number which automatically carried over like the other but here's the thing (and it has been happening since tracked packet was introduced) one of the two items goes to Canada Post as the website and the other goes directly to USPS. This is as a result of clicking on each of the same tracking number associated with the same order. The one that doesn't validate goes to directly to USPS. The one that does validate has the flawed service type information that has always appeared in the Sales Record when a Paypal Shipping label for Canada Post Tracked Packet is created, that is it says:
|
 | | Tracking # LM029951501CA Shipping label printed on 22-May-15 Canada Post Expedited Flat Rate Box USA Cost: C $16.94 |
While the one that won't validate says merely:
|
| | Tracking # LM029951501CA USPS | |
| |
The last time I got my knickers all twisted about tracking numbers not validating, I remember some funny business about having to combine orders too. Unfortunately, it will take some digging to pull this information together for the tech people. Plus, I'll wait another week or so to make sure it isn't going to clear on its own.
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