eBay Standard Envelope Offers USPS Tracking for Under $1

To capitalize on the current online trading card boom, eBay plans to attract even more card sellers to its platform. How, one might ask? By offering full USPS tracking service at inconceivable discounts. Starting in January of 2021, eBay will offer full USPS tracking to sellers on its platform for just under $1. This new service, called the eBay Standard Envelope, will be available for all US-based eBay users at first, with plans to expand to new categories and countries in the future.

eBay Specifically Created this Service to Ship Playing Cards

At the moment, it’s unclear whether or not the Postal Service partnered with eBay on these new envelopes. At under $1, the eBay Standard Envelope features savings up to 70% off USPS First Class Package Service rates, and also includes insurance. Whatever the case, it’s clear that eBay developed this product specifically to target the myriad users turning to the Internet to sell trading cards.

In a statement released this week, eBay summarized this new service with the following statement:

“Beginning January 2021, the new shipping service, eBay standard envelope, allows sellers in the U.S. to print labels and ship trading cards priced $20 and under and up to 3 oz., in an envelope with tracking included, for less than $1.”

This new service is good news for sellers who ship trading and playing cards daily. Previously, if a seller wanted a USPS tracking number associated with a shipment, their only options were to send cards either via First Class Package or via Certified Mail service. At its current price point, the eBay Standard Envelope is cheaper than either of those services, and offers all the perks of a standard USPS shipping service.

The Restrictions in Order to Qualify for the eBay Standard Envelope

Contrary to what eBay sellers might initially think, getting to ship with this new service isn’t as simple as stuffing a card inside a regular letter envelope. Instead, the eBay Standard Envelope has strict limitations on its weight and size. Those guidelines are as follows:

• The envelope and its contents weigh 3 oz or less
• The value of the card is $20 or less
• Dimensions are not smaller than 5 x 3.5″ or larger than 6.125 x 11.5″
• Thickness of the envelope is uniform, not too rigid, and less than 0.25″ at any point
• No clasps/strings/buttons included in the envelope
• Shippers must write or print the recipient address parallel to the longest side of the envelope
• Envelope can not be enclosed or made of any plastic materials