Coin forum member alleges USPS has access to your E-Bay package contents & price

[lehigh96]

A member of another coin forum posted this today:

 

JUST SO EVERYONE IS AWARE, I FOUND OUT SOME VERY DISTURBING NEWS THE OTHER DAY REGARDING THE POST OFFICE. I PURCHASED A COIN ON EBAY, AND WAS WAITING/WATCHING THE TRACKING ONLINE. I SAW ON MONDAY MORNING THAT MY COIN HAD HIT THE POST OFFICE LOCATION THAT MY POSTMAN DEPARTS FROM, BUT WHEN I GOT MY MAIL, IT HAD NOT COME. SO I WENT DOWN TO THE POST OFFICE WITH THE TRACKING NUMBER IN MY HAND. I HANDED THE TRACKING NUMBER TO THE CLERK, SHE TYPED IT IN, AND SAW THAT IT WAS AT THE LOCATION AND WENT TO GO GET IT. I HAPPENED TO LOOK AT HER SCREEN WHEN SHE WENT TO GO GET IT...BRACE YOURSELVES...

 

THE SELLER HAD USED PAYPAL SHIPPING TO PRINT THE LABEL. WHEN THE CLERK TYPED IN MY TRACKING NUMBER, I WAS LOOKING AT A PAGE THAT CONTAINED A PICTURE OF, AND ITEM DESCRIPTION FROM EBAY OF MY ITEM. THEY CAN SEE WHAT THE ITEM WAS WHEN SOLD FROM EBAY.

 

I DONT KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT THIS FREAKED ME OUT.

 

 

Is this believable and is there any way to confirm what this guy posted is correct?

[Nutmeg Coin]

Call ebay, if you do not get someone who can answer the question clearly and with authority work your way up the chain of command. I'm sure other ebayers in their forums would be very interested to hear about such violations of financial privacy if true but doubtful this is true.

[Mr. Smith Guesser]

(Retracted)

[RWB]

Wear a mask next time you go to the post office. Then they will not recognize you when you pick up your package.

 

[Walkerfan]

Why am I NOT surprised?

[lehigh96]

They've been doing that for a while. And it's not a tin-foil hat theory. As reported by the New York Times July 2013: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/04/us/monitoring-of-snail-mail.html?_r=0

 

That article has absolutely nothing to do with what is being discussed here.

[Nutmeg Coin]

They've been doing that for a while. And it's not a tin-foil hat theory. As reported by the New York Times July 2013: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/04/us/monitoring-of-snail-mail.html?_r=0

 

You are under the suspicions....

 

But mail cover operations are different from the usps getting access to ebay's internal system, I doubt they have that specific information. I once asked a NH usps front clerk where they do the mail cover ops. at the local po or at the centrail usps hub? Subsequently it seemed he always looked at me with suspicion, my guess is they get kickbacks when they do suspicious activity reports that pan out with convictions.

 

[AstroTrain]

That makes a lot of sense. I had to pick up a package up at the post office about a month ago because it had postage due. The seller had it shipped media mail and I had to pay more "because this package doesn't qualify as media mail". I assumed it was a x-Ray type scanner, but now I'm curious. I will have to ask my mailman for info....I give him free contacts for the amount work I create for him....he owes me

[Mr. Smith Guesser]

I misread the original post. I read it real fast and overlooked the part about the item description. I have a HARD TIME READING THINGS WHEN PEOPLE TYPE THEM IN ALL CAPS. I DON'T KNOW WHY PEOPLE STILL DO THIS. SERIOUSLY, DOES THIS MAKE ANYTHING EASY TO READ?

 

So I admit to jumping the gun on the link. I thought the original post just mentioned a photo of the package itself.

[mailman1959]

The article from the NYT talks about something that has been going on for years. In 25 years at the same P.O. I am the only one that has been required to do that. The postal inspectors don't say why, they just tell you to do it. It is a law enforcement tool. You have no privacy as to the content on the outside of a letter, I have to read it to deliver it. As for what's inside I only know after I drop it........MAILMAN

[lehigh96]

I misread the original post. I read it real fast and overlooked the part about the item description. I have a HARD TIME READING THINGS WHEN PEOPLE TYPE THEM IN ALL CAPS. I DON'T KNOW WHY PEOPLE STILL DO THIS. SERIOUSLY, DOES THIS MAKE ANYTHING EASY TO READ?

 

So I admit to jumping the gun on the link. I thought the original post just mentioned a photo of the package itself.

 

I wasn't mad that you posted it, I just did want the course of the thread to be hijacked in that direction.

 

As for the ALL CAPS, it was a quote. The guy who posted it on the other forum used ALL CAPS for emphasis. I agree with you that it is really annoying but I was cutting and pasting. No way was I gonna type the whole thing again in order to change it to lowercase letters.

[e1cnr]

Does it really matter if they do? My PAYPAL and eBay shipping discount must be near 20% with free delivery confirmation.

[lehigh96]

Does it really matter if they do? My PAYPAL and eBay shipping discount must be near 20% with free delivery confirmation.

 

If postal employees have access to see the contents of your package, it is an invitation for theft. Yes, it matters!

[Mr. Smith Guesser]

 

I wouldn't retype all that either.

[bsshog40]

Does it really matter if they do? My PAYPAL and eBay shipping discount must be near 20% with free delivery confirmation.

 

If postal employees have access to see the contents of your package, it is an invitation for theft. Yes, it matters!

Packages are sealed to not only keep the contents inside but also to keep an honest man honest. I think if this practice is what's being used, high dollar packages are at risk!!

[Nutmeg Coin]

Think through the consequences about insider knowledge of what is being shipped and the huge $$$ windfall then possible if carriers knew what was inside, ounces of gold and other high value items. "Hey buddy, just wanted to make sure you were able to sign for this, here are your gold buffalo coins, we wouldn't want anything to happen to them, chuckle, chuckle, now would we?"

[e1cnr]

Does it really matter if they do? My PAYPAL and eBay shipping discount must be near 20% with free delivery confirmation.

 

If postal employees have access to see the contents of your package, it is an invitation for theft. Yes, it matters!

 

I would hope that they are busy enough not to be able to sit at a PO computer typing in tracking info. And if they were able to, that the Postal Fraud unit would be able to tell who was doing the hundreds of searches looking at content. And if an item goes missing that has been 'searched' the search location would be tracked and traced. I can't remember the last package I have sent that has gone missing.

[RWB]

Complain to ebay...this is their monkey business not the USPS'.

[lehigh96]

Complain to ebay...this is their monkey business not the USPS'.

 

How do you come to that conclusion?

[Nutmeg Coin]

Complain to ebay...this is their monkey business not the USPS'.

 

How do you come to that conclusion?

 

They have huge contracts with the usps in order to allow ebay to offer two dollar shipping with tracking, an excellent economical service if ever there was one. Ebay has forums why not use them instead of always complaining on the coin boards?

[lehigh96]

Complain to ebay...this is their monkey business not the USPS'.

 

How do you come to that conclusion?

 

They have huge contracts with the usps in order to allow ebay to offer two dollar shipping with tracking, an excellent economical service if ever there was one. Ebay has forums why not use them instead of always complaining on the coin boards?

 

You are the one complaining dude, not me. And how the hell is E-Bay going to know what the postal employees can see on their computer screens? Also, I am well aware that E-Bay has a contract with the USPS and the fact that it is economical has nothing to do with my question.

 

I personally don't believe what the guy on the other forum wrote. He is a newbie to coin collecting and based on that post he made he is probably a newbie to E-Bay as well. I posted my question here to see if any of the many experienced E-Bay coin sellers who post on this forum have ever experienced anything like this guy is claiming. It is a completely legitimate thread and not simply another bash E-Bay thread.

 

Furthermore, have you ever seen me start or join in any threads that are meant to bash E-Bay? If the answer is NO, then you need to back off with you little attitude.

[Nutmeg Coin]

I was just trying to reference the ebay help boards that have dedicated experts designed to help buyers and sellers over there: http://community.ebay.com/t5/Packaging-Shipping/Claim-that-usps-knows-contents-of-parcels-Not-possible-right/m-p/20191378#U20191378

[lehigh96]

I was just trying to reference the ebay help boards that have dedicated experts designed to help buyers and sellers over there: http://community.ebay.com/t5/Packaging-Shipping/Claim-that-usps-knows-contents-of-parcels-Not-possible-right/m-p/20191378#U20191378

 

I am aware that E-Bay has a forum. I have used it before and gotten rather useless responses, kinda like the ones they are giving you right now. If you don't think this thread is worthy of your time, that is fine, skip it. But there is no reason for you to tell me to go elsewhere because you think it is just another tiresome E-Bay bashing thread. All I wanted was to gather whatever information I could on the subject from some experienced E-Bay coin sellers, nothing more.

[Nutmeg Coin]

My hope is you can get something official from ebay or the usps and let us know what they say, that is all we are trying to elucidate--if it would even be possible for postal employees, even the local postmasters to have information on what is actually being shipped or whether they xray items from time to time to find out without having probable cause.

[RWB]

If you print a postal label through ebay or PayPal their software will encode the item link. If you print the label directly from USPS, that will not happen. The software is ebay's not the USPS'.

[lehigh96]

If you print a postal label through ebay or PayPal their software will encode the item link. If you print the label directly from USPS, that will not happen. The software is ebay's not the USPS'.

 

What do you mean? What link? All the postal carrier has via the label is a barcode and a tracking number.

[FishyOne]

If you print a postal label through ebay or PayPal their software will encode the item link. If you print the label directly from USPS, that will not happen. The software is ebay's not the USPS'.

 

What do you mean? What link? All the postal carrier has via the label is a barcode and a tracking number.

 

If this story is true, I would assume eBay's shipping software encodes a cross reference into the barcode that allows the item number to be accessed. I don't know this and the story is fishy but it's certainly possible.

[mailman1959]

I am glad to know that my life doesn't mean much to some members of this forum. So I guess it's alright if some insufficiently_thoughtful_person is stalking one of you and I have no right as a postal employee to know that the package I am carrying to your front door doesn't contain a bomb. Do you demand that the bank tellers computer screen shows you have $ amount of money in your savings, or your insurance agent has no right to demand to see the $50,000 in coins you want to add to your insurance. The list could go on and on. As a federal employee, having gone thru an extensive background check, I feel I deserve a little more respect in the handling of your daily activities than some underpaid cashier working at a store where you do not think twice about handing your credit card to them. I think this will be the last USPS thread I read or comment on. Jerry (MAILMAN)

[bsshog40]

I am glad to know that my life doesn't mean much to some members of this forum. So I guess it's alright if some insufficiently_thoughtful_person is stalking one of you and I have no right as a postal employee to know that the package I am carrying to your front door doesn't contain a bomb. Do you demand that the bank tellers computer screen shows you have $ amount of money in your savings, or your insurance agent has no right to demand to see the $50,000 in coins you want to add to your insurance. The list could go on and on. As a federal employee, having gone thru an extensive background check, I feel I deserve a little more respect in the handling of your daily activities than some underpaid cashier working at a store where you do not think twice about handing your credit card to them. I think this will be the last USPS thread I read or comment on. Jerry (MAILMAN)

You make a good point. But my thoughts would be that the package would have already been checked when it was submitted to the first post ofc correct? I mean, why wait til the final destination to see if there wasn't something harmful in it before it traveled across the country?

[e1cnr]

I am glad to know that my life doesn't mean much to some members of this forum. So I guess it's alright if some insufficiently_thoughtful_person is stalking one of you and I have no right as a postal employee to know that the package I am carrying to your front door doesn't contain a bomb. Do you demand that the bank tellers computer screen shows you have $ amount of money in your savings, or your insurance agent has no right to demand to see the $50,000 in coins you want to add to your insurance. The list could go on and on. As a federal employee, having gone thru an extensive background check, I feel I deserve a little more respect in the handling of your daily activities than some underpaid cashier working at a store where you do not think twice about handing your credit card to them. I think this will be the last USPS thread I read or comment on. Jerry (MAILMAN)

 

they sell BOMBS on eBay?