TCGPlayer Finally Adds Free PWE Tracking, But eBay Still Has The Shipping Edge
TCGPlayer is rolling out free tracking for low-value Marketplace orders, delivering the plain white envelope tracking it promised in August while taking a different approach than parent company eBay's Standard Envelope service.
The new option became available to some sellers November 2, with TCGPlayer saying all sellers would have access by November 6. Orders of $49.99 or less sent to USPS-verified domestic addresses are eligible, with no minimum lifetime order requirement.
Instead of purchasing postage through TCGPlayer, sellers select a tracked packing slip from the Orders page, which automatically generates a USPS Intelligent Mail barcode below the buyer's address. The slip must be printed on standard 8.5 x 11 paper at full size and folded inside a #10 single-window envelope so both the address and barcode are visible, then sellers apply their normal postage just as they would with any other stamped envelope.
Kayla Zinn
TCGPlayer says the tracking is provided at no additional charge through USPS Informed Visibility, with updates automatically attached to the order and visible to the buyer. But it does not provide the same kind of delivery confirmation as regular package tracking: "Out for Delivery" will typically be the last event, and TCGPlayer warns some envelopes may receive few updates or none at all.
Once USPS records at least one qualifying scan at a postal facility, the order can receive additional protection against non-delivery claims, even if the seller has not reached the 1,000 lifetime order threshold required for the untracked Safeguard coverage TCGPlayer introduced in August.
That earlier policy reimburses eligible US sellers with at least 1,000 lifetime orders when qualifying untracked orders of $49.99 or less go missing after the seller refunds the buyer. At the time, TCGPlayer said it intended to keep the coverage in place until it could roll out an improved tracking solution for all sellers.
Liz Morton
The tracking solution has now arrived, but the earlier protection isn't going away. TCGPlayer specifically says the new service "does not impact" the expanded Safeguard coverage, allowing sellers who already qualify to continue shipping without tracking and retain those protections while giving newer and smaller sellers another way to protect eligible orders if USPS records a scan.
TCGPlayer does not allow sellers to add the Intelligent Mail barcode to custom or third-party packing slips, and says poor print quality, resizing the page, incorrect folding or an obstructed barcode can prevent USPS equipment from reading it.
Phantom, a TCGPlayer seller who documents his trading card business on YouTube, welcomed the tracking and was particularly pleased that TCGPlayer kept the August Safeguard protections in place, but questioned why the company chose a system that requires a full-page packing slip and specific windowed envelopes rather than allowing sellers to print shipping directly from a label printer or onto the envelope.
He also raised concerns about what happens when USPS fails to scan an envelope, since the additional seller protection requires at least one qualifying scan. TCGPlayer's own documentation acknowledges that some envelopes may receive no tracking updates at all. Phantom said the new feature is still an improvement and could be particularly useful for newer sellers, but he does not see it as the integrated shipping solution sellers have been asking for.
eBay has offered Standard Envelope for trading cards since January 2021, giving sellers a low-cost option with postage, integrated tracking and shipping protection purchased directly through eBay Labels.
Standard Envelope is not without its own problems, including sometimes dodgy tracking updates and a claims process that has frustrated sellers. But the shipping workflow is much more integrated, with sellers purchasing postage through eBay, tracking automatically attached to the order and no acceptance scan required for eBay to confirm shipment.
