Postal Service Gettin' It On With eBay

The USPS is getting all modern-like, hooking up with eBay to let sellers be billed later for postal services rather than pay immediately. Also, a new tool will let sellers roll streamline the shipping process by letting them buy and print labels without having to juggle accounts or wait in line at the post office.

The USPS will also roll out by the end of this month a more tightly integrated system for printing postage for items sold on eBay, previously announced by eBay in April. Currently, the process works like this:

1) After you sell an item and the buyer transfers payment, you go eBay’s Selling Manager page.

2) Choose Print Postage (as shown in the accompanying image), and you go to the Web site of eBay’s payment service, PayPal.

3) Log in to PayPal, and you go to a form for printing postage.

4) Fill out the form with the size of the package and other details, and then print out your label.

5) You log in to PayPal so the postage can be automatically deducted from your PayPal account.

The new tool will eliminate one step: the need to log into PayPal. Now, you’ll be able to choose your shipping method, enter the size and weight of your package, order insurance, and print out the shipping label without having to leave eBay.

The upside for buysers is fewer shipping obstacles mean you’ll be getting the stuff you overpaid for more quickly, hurrying the onset of buyer’s remorse so you can get over it quicker and move on to the next ill-advised auction.

USPS Integrates with Bill Me Later, New eBay Shipping App Coming [AuctionBytes]
(Photo: The Joy Of The Mundane)

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.