Postal Outlet Comments About eBay

Question

This is not a complaint ... simply a few notes about a conversation I had with the Postal Outlet manager this morning. I dropped off a couple of packages and, because it was quiet in the store, I asked him if he had received any comments from the regular eBay sellers who use that outlet.  He said that, in the last few months, the number of parcels brought in has dropped dramatically.  He said it wasn't unusual, after a weekend, to have as many as 100 to 150 parcels (from eBay sellers) in the Monday pick-up.  He says that now, on most Mondays, there might 25 to 30.  And sellers who used to bring in 10 to 20 a day... he says they only come in the store about twice a week now with a few packages.  And the refrain is the same -- no sales. I asked him if he and his friends ever shop on eBay (he's about 25 or so).  He said that he had a few times in the past but, the last couple of years, he never even thinks about that site.  Depending what he's shopping for, he uses Amazon, Staples, Best Buy, Costco or manufacturer's websites because they all offer free, fast and tracked shipping.  He went on to say that he's amazed that eBay is even "a thing" anymore, which made me laugh. Anyway, his comments didn't surprise me ... it just confirmed what I had been thinking.  I was little surprised, however, by the overall decrease in number of packages. So, a few thoughts from a millennial (him, not me)   

Answer 1

pierrelebel wrote:
 Now, even if sales by Canadian sellers had remained even over the last few years (while the rest of the world is growing), the local postal station may have noticed a decline in the number of parcels for which they sold postage for eBay's business.   There are many factors including the fact that more Canadian sellers purchase their postage online to get discounts and do not need to go to the PO to buy it.  Others use forwarding services shipping through USPS and - based on posts on these boards - these businesses seem to be growing quickly.  Again these are parcels not seen by the local post office.  Also, a large percentage of sales by Canadians are in the lettermail/letterpost variety (including light packet).  These shipments do not require bringing anything to the local post office.  Finally another factor is that a growing number of Canadian sellers use discount postage to send their letters/parcels.  That is one way to fight the constantly increasing rates by Canada Post. You're absolutely right about the various ways sellers purchase their postage.  I purchase all my labels online and have sufficient stamps on hand to affix to lettermail.  BUT I still go into the drugstore where the postal outlet is located to drop them off.  Sometimes it's because I want the clerk to scan the expedited labels; sometimes I need stamps or usually I just need to purchase something in the drugstore.  The parcels I was referring to (which the manager said had decreased) have also physically been dropped off by other sellers in the neighbourhood.  So the manager (who also works behind the counter for full shifts) has first-hand knowledge of the number of parcels being dropped off.  I live in a highly populated area -- lots of apartment blocks -- and the mailbox in the strip mall where the postal outlet is located is usually full.  It's difficult to throw in a dozen or more letters, let alone parcels.  So we've all gotten in the habit of dropping them off personally.  And it's a friendly place to meet and visit. Why your local manager thinks his business has dropped that much is a mystery to me. Well, he really doesn't think that, he knows for certain how many parcels used to go through his outlet.