What Are Your Thoughts on eBay Branded Shipping Materials?

I've occasionally, over the years, used the eBay poly envelopes that you can purchase from Canada Post for 20 cents (last time I purchased) for unbreakable items such as cosmetic bags or tote bags.

 

But with my last quarterly store coupon, I purchased a selection of eBay padded and poly envelopes.  They're good quality and I have no issue with them.  But I'm reluctant to use them too often because I'm not sure how they may be viewed throughout the postal shipping route.  I've read where people re-use boxes from Amazon or other big companies because they seem to move through the system very quickly compared to an individual's own packaging.

 

But I'm curious to know whether packages with eBay branding get closer scrutiny (for postage, size, etc.), or less scrutiny since they are a big company, or whether it makes no difference at all.  Do customs officers view them differently?  I've also wondered whether there is a higher risk of theft when a person sees an eBay shipped item, particularly if there's no tracking on it.

 

I may be over-thinking this, but I would be interested in your view, or any experiences you've had, good or bad, with eBay branded packaging.

 

And Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

 

 

Image result for thanksgiving emojis

Message 1 of 18
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What Are Your Thoughts on eBay Branded Shipping Materials?

My biggest concern would be untracked items due to theft.

 

If they are tracked, less chance but risk is still there.

 

Advertising on mail is not always good.

 

I am sure many people use them with no problems.

 

I only get them as they come with a store subscription. They are hugely overpriced.

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What Are Your Thoughts on eBay Branded Shipping Materials?

mcrlmn
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"I've also wondered whether there is a higher risk of theft when a person sees an eBay shipped item, particularly if there's no tracking on it."

 

Likewise, that's always been my thought also.

IMO if it were couriered I'd have little concern, but flagging the item with an eBay logo when mailing is asking for problems.

The less inviting the better, and one less excuse for the unscrupulous.

 

I get all my packaging, etc. from the local Dollar stores for a lot less anyway.

Message 3 of 18
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What Are Your Thoughts on eBay Branded Shipping Materials?

I'm not displeased with my ebay-branded shipping supplies but I am certain to only use it on tracked parcels. Anything I send via lettermail gets the plain tape and plain envelope and plain box. I wouldn't want to draw unnecessary attention to my item, or make it look more tempting as a piece of potentially valuable, untracked mail. Plus, I think people suffer less guilt over stealing from a big company (like ebay) than they do a private individual. All reasons to fly under the radar with untracked mail. 

 

And I strongly suspect the people who claim their re-used A-River boxes travel more quickly through the system are merely blowing smoke. (Confirmation bias.) If I have to re-use another company's branded box -- like an empty box of Pampers or Huggies -- because it's the only one on-hand that fits my item, I make sure to dismantle the box and turn it inside-out, and re-glue it. I think visibly re-used boxes look tacky and unprofessional. But that's me. 

Message 4 of 18
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What Are Your Thoughts on eBay Branded Shipping Materials?

don't have a store so don't t get coupons for eBay branded materials, but I'd never use those types of materials anyway. I am able to buy unbranded supplies for cheaper and my packages are much less conspicuous than the branded ones...

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What Are Your Thoughts on eBay Branded Shipping Materials?

Ive been using the ebay supplies for about 6 months.  I use the padded envelopes and poly bags of various sizes daily for letter mail in Canada and light and small packet to the USA.  Ive used the boxes of various sizes weekly for expited parcel in Canada and for small packet and tracked packet to the USA.  I have had zero issues.  Personally I would use them with confidence.

Message 6 of 18
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What Are Your Thoughts on eBay Branded Shipping Materials?

Well, who do you think is going to be stealing them?

 

Postal workers?

If the postal worker is sane, she isn't going to take a chance on losing a very well paid job (starting around $23 an hour/ $46K a year) with excellent benefits and pension to steal some small random packet from the mail stream.

And really dumb to try to steal a tracked package.

 

While 'porch theft' is a possibility, the seller can choose to mark parcels 'No Safe Drop' so that the recipient has to claim the parcel in person. Those parcels, in Canada at least, are tracked.

 

Yes. Thefts do happen. More often items are delayed in the mail, or unscrupulous buyers report untraced items items as undelivered. The former more than the latter.

 

My shipments are pretty fancy- what with all the postage stamps, but I don't think I have many losses for that reason. And personally I think that having a shipment that is noticeable makes it safer, since it is telling the recipient that THIS IS THE STUFF YOU ORDERED!!

 

BTW, your mailing label can easily cover any eBay branding if you feel really paranoid.

 

I only buy them when I can get them for 'free' with my Store, though. Otherwise I like the plain ones I get from emailers.ca here on eBay. Good prices, fast service, quality product.

 

Message 7 of 18
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What Are Your Thoughts on eBay Branded Shipping Materials?

I'm not paranoid .... like I mentioned in my original post, I'm probably just overthinking things.

 

I agree that postal employees (at least most) would not jeopardize their jobs by stealing an eBay package but the lost ones go somewhere.  I don't think 100% of buyers who claim non-receipt are liars.  I don't have a community mailbox but I know several people who do and they have told me stories about parcels being left in the wrong box, boxes left unlocked and so on.

 

In any event, theft was not my main concern.  I was just curious to know whether these items would be handled any differently.  Who knows how many complaints from eBay sellers about lost parcels or delayed delivery filter down to the carrier level, which carriers then might be taken to task.  Again, not a great concern.

 

Most of my items are sent lettermail within Canada or Small Packet Air to the U.S.  I don't use eBay branded boxes so parcels within Canada or tracked packet to the U.S. are sent in commercially purchased boxes.   I use all new products .... boxes, etc., and have found some very reasonably priced products on the market.  I don't like using repurposed boxes because I like cosmetic items to be attractively packaged.  I did find a great deal today, however.  I realized that I was almost out of two of my most commonly sized boxes.  I looked at my last order which I had purchased from AZ for 11.95 and 15.95 respectively (25 boxes each).  Today I found that they had tripled in price.  I checked Staples and was able to buy 25 of each for $18 total -- to be delivered on Tuesday!

 

In short, I probably will use the branded bubble and poly envelopes for lower priced items within Canada.  Eventually I'll use them up.  Today's shipping labels are so small that pasting them on top of the logo in the corner of the envelope looks odd.

 

Thank you all for your comments.

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What Are Your Thoughts on eBay Branded Shipping Materials?

 I don't have a community mailbox but I know several people who do and they have told me stories about parcels being left in the wrong box, boxes left unlocked and so on.

 

DH was chatting with a former PostmasterGeneral once and was told that a big problem for the PO is 'mantelpiece mail'.

Items that are delivered for some reason to the wrong address and then the recipient is slow to send it on to the right one. Or can't figure out how.

Which reminds me I have an envelope full of mostly junk mail for the people we bought our house from--- three years ago. Gotta do something about that Real Soon Now.

 

The PO also has a Dead Letter Office which is a bunch of employees, not quite capable of full duty but back at work, who sit in a small room trying to figure out incomprehensible addresses and the like. I've met those guys.

 

Ottawa is a magical place.

Message 9 of 18
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What Are Your Thoughts on eBay Branded Shipping Materials?

I've been meaning to do notes about my experience about this for some time and I'm still late adding here but anyway...

 

Tape:

-I find the tape extra sticky, it is hard to get it to come nicely off my dispensers

-oddly some roles smell ok, some smell really strongly, very weird. My current role is ok.

 

Bubble envelopes:

-I find they've been cheap with the glue strip. Instead of it going fully across the flap (like uline does), they've only covered most of the flap, leaving an eighth to a quarter inch ungummed on either side edge. This is ok if the glue strip is correctly centred, but I've gotten flaps where it is shifted a fair bit and there is a wide gap on one side. This leaves a fair bit "flapping about" so to speak so I've just developed the custom to tape the edges on the back every time irregardless. Not much cost but it does add a couple seconds to each shipment.

-eBay logo on the envelope. 

  -I have had a branded bubble envelope to a very long time very regular customer in Canada go missing. First one ever lost to him. This of course makes be trundle a bit along the "believer" path that someone is scooping ebay branded envelopes. Note though that this is strictly an emotional response, that's the only branded envelope lost so far, and I've been using them since March. For him though now I only use regular envelopes and:

  -for international and USA shipments I strategically place the customs forms and stamps over the eBay names on the envelopes.

 

Tissue paper

-it has been great, I got so much of it, the whole family has been using it for Xmas, I'll probably do the same this year! 

 

Boxes

-they're still bundled as I got them, I use my own custom boxes, perhaps some day I'll find a use for them

 

Poly envelopes

-have a few of them from the sampler packs. I very rarely use envelopes that aren't bubble, so I've almost never used them and can't say much about them

 

THX for provoking me to get around to writing this up!

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What Are Your Thoughts on eBay Branded Shipping Materials?


@reallynicestamps wrote:

 I don't have a community mailbox but I know several people who do and they have told me stories about parcels being left in the wrong box, boxes left unlocked and so on.

 

DH was chatting with a former PostmasterGeneral once and was told that a big problem for the PO is 'mantelpiece mail'.

Items that are delivered for some reason to the wrong address and then the recipient is slow to send it on to the right one. Or can't figure out how.

Which reminds me I have an envelope full of mostly junk mail for the people we bought our house from--- three years ago. Gotta do something about that Real Soon Now.

 

The PO also has a Dead Letter Office which is a bunch of employees, not quite capable of full duty but back at work, who sit in a small room trying to figure out incomprehensible addresses and the like. I've met those guys.

 

Ottawa is a magical place.


File 13 works very well!

Message 11 of 18
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What Are Your Thoughts on eBay Branded Shipping Materials?

Thanks ricarmic.  I appreciate the level of detail you've provided.

 

I'm pretty much convinced now to use the branded bubble envelopes sparingly and cautiously and I don't intend to order any more.  The poly ones I can use to ship unbreakable items such as low-priced tote bags or clothing items sent by expedited mail within Canada.  They're convenient because it's hard to find the right size box for a shirt or sweater, and a good sized box will add too much to the weight.  So I'll eventually use them up.  From the pictures, the logo on the tape looks very large and may be more conspicuous than the logo on the envelopes or boxes.

 

I still have the coupon that was just issued.  What I do use a lot of is tissue paper so I think I'll use the coupon for that.  Not only is it great for purchases, I use a lot of it to store items like Christmas decorations or dishes that I just use occasionally.   I have very few kitchen cupboards so a lot of dishes and glassware I have to store in boxes ..... a real pain!

 

Thanks again.

 

Message 12 of 18
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What Are Your Thoughts on eBay Branded Shipping Materials?


@jt-libra wrote:

Thanks ricarmic.  I appreciate the level of detail you've provided.

 

I'm pretty much convinced now to use the branded bubble envelopes sparingly and cautiously and I don't intend to order any more.  The poly ones I can use to ship unbreakable items such as low-priced tote bags or clothing items sent by expedited mail within Canada.  They're convenient because it's hard to find the right size box for a shirt or sweater, and a good sized box will add too much to the weight.  So I'll eventually use them up.  From the pictures, the logo on the tape looks very large and may be more conspicuous than the logo on the envelopes or boxes.

 

I still have the coupon that was just issued.  What I do use a lot of is tissue paper so I think I'll use the coupon for that.  Not only is it great for purchases, I use a lot of it to store items like Christmas decorations or dishes that I just use occasionally.   I have very few kitchen cupboards so a lot of dishes and glassware I have to store in boxes ..... a real pain!

 

Thanks again.

 


The tape is all logo, there's no disguising it or working around it. If you want to stay low-key, this is not the tape to do it with. 

Message 13 of 18
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What Are Your Thoughts on eBay Branded Shipping Materials?

Because I now have more ebay-branded tape than I know what to do with, I've used my last few coupons to order their round stickers which I use to stick shut the bubble wrap covering my item inside the package. It looks nice. Everyone likes stickers.

Message 14 of 18
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What Are Your Thoughts on eBay Branded Shipping Materials?


@mjwl2006 wrote:

Because I now have more ebay-branded tape than I know what to do with, I've used my last few coupons to order their round stickers which I use to stick shut the bubble wrap covering my item inside the package. It looks nice. Everyone likes stickers.


Good idea!  I noticed those stickers on the site.

Message 15 of 18
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What Are Your Thoughts on eBay Branded Shipping Materials?

I use the Ebay tape to close the boxes I put in the garbage bin. Works very well and almost no chance of theft.

Message 16 of 18
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What Are Your Thoughts on eBay Branded Shipping Materials?

I've been using eBay's shipping supplies for more than a year now, and I love their poly enveloppes (if only they were not that costly - having just a basic store, I cannot get them for free). If I send something Letter Mail, I will use a plain orange enveloppe with clear tape bought at the dollar store. For everything else, I use my eBay shipping supplies.

 

I think I have more boxes than I will ever need... because I don't use them that often (the small ones). Will probably have to sell them somehow...

Message 17 of 18
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What Are Your Thoughts on eBay Branded Shipping Materials?

I noticed I was low on polyenvelopes-- this thread reminded me-- so I just tried to order some using my discount coupon.

There was no where to put the discount number and so I cancelled the order.

 

emailers.ca gets my money again. $12.99 for 100 6x9 with free shipping. Compared to the branded at $32something.

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