Amazon-Shipstation USPS First Class update problem for items under $10

Selling on Amazon FBM
, ,
1

I am going though a crisis with shipping by USPS First Class. I do so with Shipstation as you suggest. The api works just fine. It reports back to AZ as shipped. But for non trackable items, which USPS First Class is, there is now a MAJOR ISSUE (among prior major issues)

First, amazon again recognizes that it is shipped on the seller side. But the customer side is not the case. amazon now displays (at least on the phone), that the order has not shipped (see picture)

AZ Message Delayed, not yet shippedxx
AZ Message Delayed, not yet shippedxx1170Ă—2532 250 KB

This of course leads to messages, and then that causes the other MAJOR issue.

  1. Amazon leads the customer - AFTER they have messaged you (fulfilling the requirement), to A-Z you, - because it has been x days? and not shipped!
  2. The A-Z button is clicked, and
  3. This is then auto granted, and your ODR is up 1.
  4. If you try to appeal, you are DENIED, as you did not ship by Amazon, nor have a tracking number.

Beware - Under $10 shipments that are sent untrackable.

Amazon allows, this. As orders I have been shipping items like this in the 10,000 pieces for 5+ years, under $10 are exempt from the Tracking metric,

But beware - something has changed big time

3 Likes
2

Do your USPS First Class letters go out with the Intelligent Mail Barcode?

If so, have you used this tool to get the numeric value? (not sure if it would be of value)

Barcode Decoder/Encoder

Screenshot 2024-05-25 at 22-41-51 Intelligent Mail® Barcode PostalPro
Screenshot 2024-05-25 at 22-41-51 Intelligent Mail® Barcode PostalPro1360×128 3.87 KB

Maybe create a template email to send after shipping to the customer explaining that this shipment can be seen as incoming by signing up for the free USPS service called Informed Delivery by USPS.

Our thought would be that an educated customer on how to see the incoming envelope might save some of the headache created by the Amazon notification system.

3 Likes
3

Yes, the Shipstation label that prints the First Class Letter and Flat has the Intelligent Mail Barcode.

The Amazon customer email is

  1. Anonomous, and leads to the Amazon Messaging platform anyway.
  2. Specifically not to be used to notify the customer of a shipment
  3. as such ShipStation (and I suppose all others, though I have never investigated) have that option (to email the ship notification) disabled specifically for Amazon.

Then
Being realistic, to have a customer even think about downloading the USPS tool. ha ha - no ways.

It is a losing cause all around.

1 Like
4

When you say “first class” you mean first class letter right? After I shipped with ShipStation, I looked at my shipment in AMZ. It said shipped but didn’t have the “standard mail envelope” selected. So I selected that and it sent a new conformation to the customer (I do not know if it sent an initial one or not)

image
image977Ă—334 31.1 KB

1 Like
5

Mine reports on Amazon as

USPS First Class Mail (api via shipstation)

Here are the options on the dropdown.

Screen Shot 2024-05-26 at 10.25.58 AM

FYI, we never go to AZ and modify - so I guess all mine have the

“USPS First Class Mail” tag.

WHICH IS INTERESTING - maybe…

notice there is NO “USPS First Class Mail” option?

There is a USPS First Class Mail Envelope - weird

need to look at shipstation now…

1 Like
6

Well, on Shipstation side, I am doing all I can do.

These are the two settings…

Screen Shot 2024-05-26 at 10.40.45 AM
Screen Shot 2024-05-26 at 10.40.45 AM373Ă—804 38.9 KB

Screen Shot 2024-05-26 at 10.39.54 AM
Screen Shot 2024-05-26 at 10.39.54 AM787Ă—598 57.3 KB

1 Like
7

anyway all this is off topic.
sorry, had no idea I would veer this that way

1 Like
8

I believe it absolutely requires that “standard mail envelopes” is selected on Amazon. Shipstation does not have that choice, so you have to go into amazon after the label is created and change it. I can’t find any other way, and Amazon is not providing it as a shipping choice. I looked at my valid tracking today and it is still at 100% so I guess it was exempted. Do you see it in your VTR as not tracked?

image
image1510Ă—449 74.3 KB

1 Like
9

That one would work. Amazon states the package must be either First Class Mail Envelope OR Standard Mail Envelope.

image
image1576Ă—1189 193 KB

2 Likes
10

The VTR is a completely different issue.

For me my rate has been way under 95% for 5 years straight.
But I send 10,000 plus a year and a substantial part of my business is in the $7 - $15 range. Maybe I am exempt? or fell into a rabbit hole?

The VTR first is backward looking, so if you ship something today, it will not appear for a least a week plus.

and the VTR it does not report those orders under $10, so it would not be an indicator in regards to the issue of “First Class Mail” vs “First Class Mail Letter”.

1 Like
11

The stipulation for tracking rate exemption has more than one criteria. You must ship it in either a USPS Standard Mail envelope, OR a "USPS First Class Mail envelope (or at least mark it on Amazon that you did so).

I am curious if you look at your $10 items from a week or two ago, if they are actually exempted (and if so, what was the package type?).

I don’t know if that is correct if you chose a standard mail envelope. Since that choice (together with the final price of $10 or less before tax) makes it exempt, then it should be exempt. But I’ll keep checking it. Still doing trials on this as I’ve never shipped with the exemption.

Also, how much do you send under $10? Anything over $10 would need tracking.

2 Likes