Paypal shipping and tracking #

[axe_n_gear_music]

Wonder if someone can help with the Paypal shipping.
Half of my sales are shipped with a tracking number. The way it used to be was the tracking number went into my eBay and showed up automatically, and the item showed as "Shipped".
Now I know we now have to enter the tracking number in ourselves. (Thanks again eBay- what a stupid idea, when it used to be done automatically). So now when you generate a label with tracking (Expedited, lets say), it doesnt show up as shipped on my eBay, plus I have to submit the tracking as well? What a waste of time.

Plus, I need to find out how to stop eBay emailing my customers when an item ships. THIS IS NONE OF THEIR BUSINESS!!! I will email each of my customers myself thank you very much- there is no way to automate an email that is custom taylored to every different buyer out there for hundreds of different products going to hundreds of different destinations. If I only sold one type of item, then I could maybe see it, but I think we should have the option to send our own emails to our customers, and not have eBay try to do it for us.

Sure, I have the automated "generic one" taylored to cover a broad range of items because we have no choice- as soon as you mark your item paid- eBay (SOMETIMES-NOT ALWAYS) sends this generic email. And how dumb does it look to our customers when we send them our own personal email after they have already received eBays generic one. Very unprofessional.
Anyone have any ideas?

Thanks,
AXE

[dipmicro]

The shipping notification is buyer communication preference, not yours. You can stop marking items as shipped and just send your own shipping notice. If it bothers you keeping them unmarked, then mark them much later, eBay will generate a notification but everyone will just ignore it anyway at that time.

[axe_n_gear_music]

But my understanding is that we will soon have to enter in the tracking number to be covered by eBays new policy, and when you enter the tracking #, does it not automatically mark the item as shipped, which in turn spawns eBays automated email to the buyer automatically?

[axe_n_gear_music]

I would really like to know how other sellers process their orders.
I was thinking of not marking the item as shipped, but I think that would be a real headache and I may miss shipping something eventually.

Normally, this is how I process my orders-

1. The order comes in, and I go to "Add Note" and enter in the sequential order # that I prefer to assign to all my orders (be it eBay or website), then I print off two copies of invoices in grayscale using the "printer version" of eBays invoice (one I manually feed my invoice letterhead into the printer for , which I have crafted to work nicely with the eBay invoice, and the other is my copy to which I write the order number and shipping date on the top for my records).

2. Item is packaged, and buyer gets their invoice copy and a special feedback info sheet and thank you letter (all one page), plus a business card. So two sheets of paper and a card.

3. Package is weighed and measured, and Paypal shipping label is generated.

4. Items are taken to the post office, and upon return, I mark the item as shipped, and send the buyer his shipping email and info (usually a copy and paste out of several different versions, depending on country and item).

And thats pretty much it. Items that were shipped Expedited had their tracking number automatically showing in My eBay, and once I mark it as shipped, the buyer, in reality, is getting two shipping notification emails- one from me, and one from ebay (which I can't stand).

Does anyone perform this process any differently?
I am self taught, so would appreciate any ideas or improvements.

Thanks,
AXE

[coxengines]

Axe, this is how we do it:

Every day, we click on "awaiting shipment" and start from the bottom (click on "order details" to show what the customer has purchased).

Using the buyer's ID, we search our email database (MS Outlook) for the Paypal payment notification.

Logged into Paypal and having noted the buyers real name (from the email), we find the payment and click on "Shipping Label".

While the system goes through the motions we go back to the email, hit "reply" and copy and paste our standard shipping notification into the email. Change the subject line to "Your merchandise has been shipped" and hit "send".

Back to Paypal, choose service type, clear items list in the customs form, enter one item and total weight (estimated for light and small packets) and generate the label.

While the system generates the label, back to eBay, pull and pack the merchandise.

Print label, affix to package and toss on mail pile. Paypal automatically transfers the info to eBay and marks the items shipped.

The process is fast and we average 12 packages/hour (one person doing the whole shebang).

Bernie

[axe_n_gear_music]

Thanks, Bernie. So your shipping email is done on MS Outlook in reply to the Paypal payment notification (and of course you change the subject line to "Your merchandise has been shipped" ).
I have always sent this email via the eBay message system. That is a great idea.

But when you print the label, the item is automatically marked as shipped, and so eBay sends another "Your merchandise has been shipped" email. Isn't that redundant, or do you have your eBay automatic email set to say something else?

And now with the tracking # rule, do you not have to enter that in manually as well? (for items shipped Expedited or Xpress)?

[parent_family]

I think there was a glitch this morning. Tracking numbers were not showing...neither was the "shipped icon". I use selling manager and when you opened the order details the item was not marked shipped, even though I had printed the shipping through PayPal. When I clicked on add tracking number, the number was in there, just not showing.
Now tonight when I look at it, it is displayed properly.
Was rather confusing this morning.

[coxengines]

Axe,

100% MS Outlook as I like to format my emails to include, bold, fonts, colour, structure, etc and especially a link to my other store ]:)

Optics is everything if you want to get buyers to actually read what you are writing. The eBay messaging system is vanilla at best.

Yeah, eBay sends another mail and I have it set to send the same message. Redundant? Yes, definitely. But then, we also have a 5.0 for "communication" so redundancy can't be that bad lol. A portion of mail gets snagged in spam filters so I guess redundancy helps.

We ship 99% Light and Small Packet. For the few Canucks that get parcels with tracking we have a slightly different shipping notification that includes tracking info.

I never upload tracking info as lost-in-the-mail is not an issue. Canada Post is and remains our best customer. They buy several times per month, pay well and reliably and contribute to our bottom line - I like the arrangement 😉

Bernie

[femmefan1946]

Regular Parcel (domestic) and Expedited (domestic and USA) are not tracked services.

They do include Delivery Confirmation.

ExpressPost is the cheapest service that offers tracking.

[axe_n_gear_music]

I was under the impression that Expedited actually does have tracking now, and a faster delivery standard than before.

[bighillbargains1]

I was under the impression that Expedited actually does have tracking now, and a faster delivery standard than before.

That was my impression also.

[ecbluestar]

I was under the impression that Expedited actually does have tracking now, and a faster delivery standard than before.

They track but without signature.

[femmefan1946]

"Track" as in record every step of the way? Or "track" as in "I'm too lazy to spell out Delivery Confirmation"?

In any case, since Paypal only requires Delivery Confirmation for items below $250 it's not really important. (I need a life-- can I buy one on eBay?)