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If you go to the eBay Shipping Supplies store through the link on Seller Hub, the new colorful tape, boxes, envelopes, etc. are all available to purchase.
Just received a roll of stickers. The new tape is on my list to order with my next coupon. I like my outgoing packages to look professional. I feel like people are more likely to have a good impression of the item.
Some of my incoming Amazon packages are so poorly done. Ordered a break-in bar for my backdoor after a recent burglary and they stuck it in with a 40 lb bag of cat litter. The bar survived (better have or it’d be worthless). The bag did not. Amazon had me ship the litter back. There’s probably a thin gray trail from my house back to their nearest warehouse.I’m thinking that someone at this post office sorted a reused Amazon box as if it was a return and they all got a stern lecture about accepting reused boxes, probably related to that poster Gompers linked to. And I happened to show up when this particular clerk was stewing about this…or something else.
I’m glad that nobody else has had their reused Amazon boxes rejected because I have quite a stockpile!I’ve submitted complaints through the online process. I also found (somewhere on the eBay forums) a PDF of contact info for USPS regional supervisors, verified it was current and then emailed the person for this area. Will continue to press as time permits.
I don’t think asking this particular clerk for the written policy would have been productive today. But I usually use the main post office downtown and I will ask there. Those clerks are really helpful and fascinated by the idea of selling on eBay.
My official post office and some of the carriers in my neighborhood are so difficult to work with. (About 1/3 of the time, my scheduled pickups don’t happen.) This PO I went to today is usually better, although the staff says the supervisor borders on abusive.
I don’t understand why they can’t see far enough ahead to realize our business is their future. But I see that in my ‘day job’ as well. Human nature, I guess.I’ll pass on the policy if it materializes.
With the shipping supplies coupon from eBay, I always have plenty of eBay tape to cover problem areas on a box. I use a lot of boxes from a local hospital and want to make sure to cover up those labels–because it might shock a buyer who ordered a book to see a label for a catheter on the package!
For the Amazon boxes, I would turn them inside out if it was a real problem. But my understanding had been if I had covered anything that might cause the package to be misrouted, anything else was extraneous.
The ends of the ‘smile’ seem pretty innocuous.
I am mainly interested if the purported ban on Amazon boxes is something a grumpy clerk just made up. (And, after chewing me out, she made sure to point out the survey link on the bottom of the scan receipt for the other packages.)Just had my post office refuse to take a shipment in a recycled Amazon box. The clerk said Amazon told the post office not to accept any Amazon boxes not labelled as returns. The box I presented had everything “Amazon” covered by layers of eBay tape, including all barcodes, original label and the Prime tape. Only identifying Amazon marks were the very tips of the “smile” logo. She said that was enough that she couldn’t take my package.
Came home and ran eBay tape around the middle to cover those tips and put the package out for my mailman–who seems to take everything when he bothers to show up.
I reuse Amazon boxes all the time and have never had any comments from clerks in the past. I presume I just got a clerk having a bad day.
Has anyone else had issues or heard of this prohibition on using Amazon boxes?
Update:
I received the return shipment today. He shipped it priority mail but not with an eBay label. He wrote out the address wrong, so that’s why it’s taken 2 weeks.
He sent me back both of the walkie talkies–just thrown in the box–and another walkie talkie of the same brand but different model–wrapped carefully in bubble wrap. All survived the trip just fine.So, I’ve already refunded what he paid and will relist. Since he chose ‘changed mind’, I didn’t have to refund the shipping.
And he’s blocked, so hopefully we’re done.
Thanks for all the support and advice!These are a pair of Radio Shack walkie talkies. Since he asked me to split up the set, I’m suspecting he has kept the red walkie talkie and is returning a black one. He also seems to have shipped it outside the eBay return process. At least it’ll be interesting to see how this goes.
Arrgh. He just opened a return case saying he changed his mind:
Did u get theese back yet? U can sell the Purple and Black one.I sent him purple and red.
We’ll see what comes back.That’s so funny about the mug. My best friend is a doctor and gave me a similar letter template from her practice to use with problematic constituents at the nonprofit I run. Gets so the red flag goes up during the first phone call.
The creepy buyer has been quiet since he received the item. Today he left me positive, if misspelled, feedback. I’ve blocked him, so this should be settled.
Fair warning on Facebook: I’ve shut down my account in the past and verified that nothing was visible. (Animal rescue is also a hobby. Doesn’t always go smoothly.) But when I shut down my account last fall, I kept FB Messenger because of a few people who I can only reached there. Everything on my FB account is still visible apparently because of Messenger.
His purchase was delivered Friday. Not a peep since. Hopefully I can put this worry away because there are plenty more.
Thanks for everyone’s suggestions. I’m going to implement them. Linda, yours made me laugh out loud.He messaged me several times last night and then this morning he requested my return address. Which he will have as soon as he gets his item and tracking says that will be today. Fortunately, he lives several states away.
Good idea about the PO box. I already have one for the nonprofit I run, so I could get one at the same post office and make one stop. They are cheap to rent.
Considering I live on a block where I am the only occupant and all the other houses are abandoned or burned out, I don’t know why this long distance weirdness bothers me more than the average bump in the night.
Thanks for all the great suggestions.His direct emails are already going to spam. I am going to block him, but do I have to wait out the 30 days of my return policy? I would guess blocking only applies to further purchases not any current transaction.
Should have blocked him after he canceled, but his history on eBay, while sparse, didn’t send up any red flags.
