Clarification on Stamps.com Program for eBay Sellers

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AuctionBytes Blog
News and insight focusing on
ecommerce and the online auction industry
by Ina Steiner, Editor of AuctionBytes.com

October 15, 2009

Clarification on Stamps.com Program for eBay Sellers

By: Ina Steiner

Thu Oct 15 2009 13:16:28

I wrote about Stamps.com new program for eBay sellers in Wednesday's AuctionBytes Newsflash newsletter (link), and received some questions from readers. I reached out to Eric Nash, Stamp.com's Director of Online Marketing, for some answers.

There appears to be some confusion because, 1) the program is only for sellers who use a unique URL to see the free eBay offer; and 2) It is only for items sold through your eBay webstore. If you want to use Stamp.com's free eBay program, use this URL: Stamps.com/welcome/custom/ebay (link).

Here the full explanation from Eric:

Our new eBay program is 100% free (monthly subscription is free, you still have to pay for postage) and will remain free for the consumer. The program is limited to shipping goods sold through your eBay webstore however - customers won't be able to utilize the other software features such as printing postage on envelopes, importing data from Amazon, Yahoo!Stores, Shopping Carts, etc. To get access to the other features, they'll need to upgrade to a paid subscription account.

I think the problem your reader described is due to the fact the customer needs to go through a unique URL to see this free eBay offer. eBay sellers are hearing about the offer, going to our home page and only seeing our regular subscription offer which offers the 4 week no-risk trial. On our regular $15.99 per month program, we do charge you for the first month if you do not cancel the service during the 4 week no-risk trial. (People often get "no-risk" confused with "free.")

But the new eBay program will be free to eBay sellers who sign-up on the designated link. We possibly could adjust the program in the future, but anybody who signed up would be able to continue the service for free.

There are two links to see the new eBay program (either link will work):

http://www.stamps.com/ebayfree1 (link)
http://www.stamps.com/welcome/custom/ebay/ (link)

When a customer signs-up, they will see a credit card form - this is for postage purchases only. As long as the sign-up is via the link(s) above, they will not be charged the monthly Stamps.com subscription fee.

Some cool features that Stamps.com offers eBay sellers:
- Ability to print First Class Mail International
- Send all sizes of Priority Mail Flat Rate
- Get 10% off package insurance
- Insure packages up to $2500
- Batch printing up to 1000 labels at a time

UPDATE: Stamps.com says use this URL
http://www.stamps.com/welcome/custom/ebay/?source=si10731218

Comments (22) | Leave Comment | Permalink

Readers Comments

Clarification on Stamps.com Program for eBay Sellers

by: test

Thu Oct 15 14:12:23 2009

what do you mean ebay webstore ??
Does that mean only shipping from my ebay store or my pro store?

what if I don't have an ebay store just sale on ebay ?

Clarification on Stamps.com Program for eBay Sellers

by: Karma

Thu Oct 15 14:39:37 2009

I used Stamps.com for years and can highly recommend them.

Sorry to say that I stopped using them a couple of month ago because of all crazy ebay changes.

It is simpler to get the shipping done through Paypal, (for the future - when (not if) ebay changes all the feedback again!) so they can see when I shipped and how much it cost and bla bla bla. Just trying to be a step ahead of "them".

I do thing there advertising is misleading though. Bait and switch?

Clarification on Stamps.com Program for eBay Sellers

by: zombiebay

Thu Oct 15 14:50:43 2009

Well, when you only have 1 ebay item a week to ship and 30 from Amazon, 6 from Ecrater & 5 from Bonanzle, it's pretty useless. Maybe a couple years ago Before Dummyho I could have used this back when ebay still worked.

Clarification on Stamps.com Program for eBay Sellers

by: Patricia

Thu Oct 15 14:56:37 2009

I trust Stamps.com just about as far as I can throw an 800 lb gorilla! They'll give free service for awhile and then clamp down and start charging - with a nice kickback to ebay/paypal no doubt. I wouldn't mind if they were anywhere near reasonable, but I'm a small seller and still remember the sting of them raising me from 4.49 a month to 15.99 a month without any WARNING at all! I was buying less than 50.00 postage from them each month!

Clarification on Stamps.com Program for eBay Sellers

by: Unhappy

Thu Oct 15 14:56:58 2009

I have used stamps.com for over 6 years. The program is great, don't call for support as I have found that most reps don't know anything about stamps.com. This morning I called at least 5 times...I was told it would not support first class mail packages (that is not true), I was told that they were not ebay and when I explained I was a seller on ebay, the guy didn't no anything about this program. He didn't know it existed. So, I did download the new program, and it doesn't work very well. I had items to ship on my download that people had not paid for, or they downloaded twice, or not at all. Yes, it does put the d/c number in the sellers information.....I guess I will just keep my regular stamps.com and pay the $15.95 a month than argue with people that say I need to cancel my account and open a new one. At this point I think they rolled this one out too soon, with reps that don't know anything about it.

Clarification on Stamps.com Program for eBay Sellers

by: Stamps.com

Thu Oct 15 16:37:20 2009

Stamps.com would like to help clarify some of the issues on our free eBay program.

-- eBay webstore just means your eBay account. You do not need to have a specific eBay store.

-- Our new Version 8.5 (paid version) allows you to import data from multiple sources, including Yahoo! Stores, Google Checkout, your own shopping cart. You can also import data in formats such as CSV, Excel, Access, SQL database and Oracle® via an ODBC connection or XML file formats.

For businesses selling on multiple sites, Version 8.5 can print USPS shipping labels for all your sales.

Note: You must have a paid subscription in order to import data from other ecommerce platforms. The FREE eBay program ONLY allows you to import data from eBay!

-- We're working on getting all of our Customer Support reps updated with the correct info on the eBay plan. Stamps.com apologizes for any confusion.

Eric
Stamps.com

Clarification on Stamps.com Program for eBay Sellers

by: Patricia

Thu Oct 15 18:48:16 2009

This program is of no real help. I sell on many sites, including my own website (which has a Paypal shopping cart system). I currently can print postage at Paypal for ALL my sales going thru Paypal, including Ebay sale. What convenience is there in this program for those of use who sell in lots of different areas?

Clarification on Stamps.com Program for eBay Sellers

by: Patricia

Thu Oct 15 18:51:55 2009

"
-- Our new Version 8.5 (paid version) allows you to import data from multiple sources, including Yahoo! Stores, Google Checkout, your own shopping cart. You can also import data in formats such as CSV, Excel, Access, SQL database and Oracle® via an ODBC connection or XML file formats."

So what I'm reading into this (correct me if I'm wrong) is that what used to be free thru Paypal now will require a paid subscription from Stamps.com??? In that case I will no longer use Paypal, their shopping cart system and definitely NOT your paid subscription! As in the old days I'll work from my local post office or thru click n ship!

Clarification on Stamps.com Program for eBay Sellers

by: Feebay follies

Thu Oct 15 23:56:38 2009

Patricia, when you're not happy, Ebay is. There's bound to be some kickback or other attempt to vacuum funds out of your pocket whenever feebay gets involved. I have no problem standing at my post office, they are very fast & I get a scan on every item so feebay's "Great" customers can't cheat me. This is an admission by Greedbay they can't get their stuff together with Poopal's shipping since nobody works there anymore. How many years have flat rate boxes been available & paypig never figured out how to support them? Get ready for all kinds of junk programming & attempts to upsell you because Ebay can't do anything right anymore & they have farmed out every technical thing to outsiders. Let's hope none of these 3rd party vendors put in trojans & back doors, after all most data thefts are generated inside poorly run companies like ebay.

Clarification on Stamps.com Program for eBay Sellers

by: Patricia

Fri Oct 16 01:05:24 2009

@Feebay Follies - Ebay hasn't been making money off of me for quite some time now. Right now I have my 5 freebee listings for the month ;-) As for postage, yeah - I have a P.O. a half block away - I need the exercise anyway...stamps.com/ebay will not get a dime out of me!

Clarification on Stamps.com Program for eBay Sellers

by: same here

Fri Oct 16 06:37:36 2009

If stamps.com works with evil ebay in any way, i am not interested in using them.

Clarification on Stamps.com Program for eBay Sellers

by: Joyce Chapman

Fri Oct 16 10:51:14 2009

Use Endicia.com, they know what they are doing, they are cheaper, and you get to talk to a human with a functioning brain when you call if there is a problem.

Clarification on Stamps.com Program for eBay Sellers

by: fruity

Fri Oct 16 13:33:41 2009

where is my post from yesterday?

Clarification on Stamps.com Program for eBay Sellers

by: Feebay Follies

Fri Oct 16 14:40:16 2009

Patricia, you are aware those 5 freebee listings cost a higher FVF then regular auctions, right? Why not try Ecrater.com, which is totally free, or Bonanzle.com, which is free to list & a very minimal FVF? The faster everyone stops using Greedbay, the faster the site dies!

Clarification on Stamps.com Program for eBay Sellers

by: Windsor Bear

Fri Oct 16 14:41:00 2009

I signed up for it. While I usually use PayPal shipping for my eBay shipping, mostly because I love being able to print out small 7.5'' x 2.4'' postage paid labels on my Dymo printer, I've always hated that I could not print out labels for USPS First Class Mail International. For those, I had to go to the post office, which is a 15 minute drive both ways. Now, using Stamps.com, I will be able to print postage paid labels (granted, not small Dymo labels) for USPS FCMI packages, and stick them in my mailbox for pickup. The service is free... pay only for the postage (just like PayPal shipping). So, I will use them both as needed.

I will admit that I am not very familiar with Stamps.com. There seems to be a lot of negativity towards them. So far, they have treated me well. The program was a breeze to download and install. It is definitely an ''eBay Only'' version of the program, which is exactly what I want. A Stamps.com representative even called me on my phone to make sure the program installed OK, and asked me if I had any questions or concerns, and thanked me for signing up. I thought that was nice. I've never had a company call me up and thank me for using their service before. It made me feel good.

As for why eBay decided to partner with Stamps.com to do this, since it is basically the same thing that is offered with PayPal shipping (except for the USPS FCMI)... who knows? As long as I can get my packages shipped out, and just pay for the postage, I'm not going to question or complain about it.

Clarification on Stamps.com Program for eBay Sellers

by: Ina

Fri Oct 16 15:02:09 2009

Eric says to use this URL:
http://www.stamps.com/welcome/custom/ebay/?source=si10731218

Clarification on Stamps.com Program for eBay Sellers

by: Ebay No More

Fri Oct 16 15:37:46 2009

I dropped Endicia a year ago. Endicia doesn't even bother to offer the scan form unless you have the upgraded Professional plan that costs $34.99 a month. Considering that Endicia has no plans to add that free scan form it's not worth the monthly fee to use Endicia. Especially since the scan form is free on Click N Ship and with Paypal shipping. I definitely don't recommend using Endicia. Now this Stamps offer is worth trying since it's free.

Clarification on Stamps.com Program for eBay Sellers

by: nancy

Sun Oct 18 09:58:11 2009

Why??

Well let's see:

Get 10% off
package insurance and insure packages up to $2500 in value.

There is NO place to buy 2500.00 worth of insurance ONLINE.

If you think I am gonna drive to the post office to insure a package for more than $500 you're crazy.

I have been splitting the shipments into two boxes due to the idiotic $500 limit rule.

When you ship USPS and send out 839.00 worth of items, you either have to split them, or drive to the PO.

Or risk 339.00 worth of YOUR items.

We'll see how it works, but hell I'd sign up (free) just for a free scale.

Mo free stuff.

Clarification on Stamps.com Program for eBay Sellers

by: nancy

Sun Oct 18 10:02:11 2009

Add to post above:

I won't drive there and carry these no matter WHAT, they all weigh 30-50 pounds.

I have enough to do as it is, trying to keep up listings, relistings, and making sure they haven't taken off my ability to block international.

I SELL for a living, not drive around, or carry stuff.

If it doesn't work like they say, I CANCEL CANCEL CANCEL.

It's one phone call for Goodness' sake, and I don't have to leave my PC.

Clarification on Stamps.com Program for eBay Sellers

by: Patricia

Sun Oct 18 12:48:22 2009

"by: Feebay Follies
Fri Oct 16 14:40:16 2009
Patricia, you are aware those 5 freebee listings cost a higher FVF then regular auctions, right? Why not try Ecrater.com, which is totally free, or Bonanzle.com, which is free to list & a very minimal FVF? The faster everyone stops using Greedbay, the faster the site dies!
"
Yes, I'm aware - my five freebees are all under 10.00 ;-) and it gives me more opportunity to send the winners to my website!

I'm on eCrater, Overstock, Etsy, SpecialAuctions and 1000Markets

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