eBay Phasing Out Problematic USPS Parcel Select Service
Reading Time: 1 minute eBay acknowledged in a recent community chat that it is phasing USPS Parcel Select as an option for eBay Labels. In a response from a seller, an eBay community manager wrote:
“USPS Parcel Select is being phased out as an option for sellers using eBay Labels. This was due to it not being widely utilized, and having a higher rate of poor buyer experiences (more common INRs, etc).”
“The phase out is a slow one, but eventually it will no longer be an option to use with eBay Labels. Thanks!”
USPS Parcel select is ground shipping service to provide an economical option to ship packages up to 70 lbs. and measure up to 130 inches in combined length and distance around the thickest part.
Once the phase-out is complete, eBay sellers that need USPS Parcel Select will have several options:
- Use a separate shipping platform that supports that service.
- Ship larger packages with UPS or FedEx.
- Some shipments may be eligible for USPS Retail Ground. Zone restrictions apply.
- USPS Priority Mail may work for some sellers but it is usually not an economical option for heavy or larger packages.
When Will USPS Parcel Select Option Disappear on eBay?
As the reply from eBay states, there is no definitive date on when the USPS Parcel Select option will disappear. It would be wise for sellers to prepare for the end of this shipping option and consider other options before it just disappears from the platform.
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Richard Meldner
Richard is co-founder of eSeller365. He has over 17 years of experience on eBay which includes tens of thousands of sales to buyers in over 100 countries and even has experience with eBay’s VeRO program enforcing intellectual property rights for a former employer. And for about two years Richard sold products on Amazon using Amazon FBA in the US.
To “relax” from the daily business grind, for a few weekends a year, he also works for IMSA as a professional race official.
Ebay needs to get their right hand and left hand in synch with these idiotic changes.
Parcel Post is permitted as a shipping option when listing, the buyer can select it, but then ebay takes it away when the seller tries to print the shipping label. DUH.
Its similar to items sold in the owner’s manual and film categories, where ebay offers the legitimate media mail shipping choice when listing, and the buyer pays for it, but the seller cannot print the media mail label, as ebay does not include it in the shipping label purchasing options for the seller.
And don’t bother calling ebay, as the phone answerers have no clue.
There really has been a few missteps with eBay communications recently and I agree they really need to get in sync with what they tell sellers.
I don’t think it is worth the seller dissatisfaction to get rid of Parcel Select in my humble opinion. Seems Ebay is making it all about them! The decision on whether to use should be the sellers and or buyers!
I’m not sure the remaining categories replacing Parcel Select will necessarily work. I think it will result in much higher shipping charges not benefiting the seller, now being ‘coaxed’ into free shipping. Many Parcel Select thefts can be reduced with advanced warning to buyer about arrival status.