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Question about ebay sellers

stracci2000

Ideal_Rock
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I purchased something from ebay. Ebay says the package has been shipped and I have been given a tracking number.
But when I click on the tracking link, it only says "USPS awaiting package".
And there is no movement on the package.

My question is-----how is the tracking number generated? Does this happen when the seller prints a label? Or does this happen at the post office?

It looks like my item is not even in the USPS system.
I was going to contact the seller, but I thought I would ask here first before I accuse the seller of not shipping my package.
I purchased it on 9/19.
 

nala

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When you buy and print postage on PayPal it sends tracking to eBay. Yes correct it’s not at the post office yet or been picked up ..due to covid etc it might not get scanned til it leaves the post office
From my hubby, who deal with my eBay sales
 

stracci2000

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When you buy and print postage on PayPal it sends tracking to eBay. Yes correct it’s not at the post office yet or been picked up ..due to covid etc it might not get scanned til it leaves the post office
From my hubby, who deal with my eBay sales

Hmmm, so it might still be on the seller's kitchen table?
I'm gonna be pretty mad if it is!
 

rainydaze

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I have found that USPS doesn't show movement on tracking, however the items still shows up on my doorstep. That is with reliable sellers (not eBay or the like). I would ask the seller to send you a picture of the shipping receipt. Assuming they provide one and the tracking number matches I think it's likely your package will show up regardless of what USPS' tracking site says. If the seller can't provide you with a receipt or some proof of actual shipping, then I would say you have cause for concern.
 

Karl_K

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usps tracking stinks just 4 fun not long ago I checked the tracking on a package I recd a month ago it still said "USPS awaiting package" 3+weeks plus after I got it.
 

stracci2000

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I have found that USPS doesn't show movement on tracking, however the items still shows up on my doorstep. That is with reliable sellers (not eBay or the like). I would ask the seller to send you a picture of the shipping receipt. Assuming they provide one and the tracking number matches I think it's likely your package will show up regardless of what USPS' tracking site says. If the seller can't provide you with a receipt or some proof of actual shipping, then I would say you have cause for concern.
So maybe I should disregard the lack of tracking info?
The seller has good feedback, and has many sales in the past month, all with good reviews. I was thinking that I should just keep my mouth shut and be patient.
 

Nikki1415

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Sometimes the barcode gets damaged and they rarely manually input tracking information so you might just get an update when it's delivered. Also, the seller might have printed the label for a specific day (like they go to the Post Office once a week or have them pick up their packages) so that's why it might not be updated yet.
 

lyra

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I haven't found tracking to be reliable at all in the last few months.
 

Elizabeth35

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I would contact the seller to confirm it got dropped at the PO, and it was not an oversight.
We sell on eBay and it sends the tracking # as soon as we print the shipping label.
Usually it will show when it is dropped at the PO, but USPS tracking is not always reliable.
 

rainydaze

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I would still contact the seller to confirm it was sent, asking for photo proof. Watch it show up tomorrow or Monday but if perchance the seller is not honest, you're losing time to rectify the situation.
 

stracci2000

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I would still contact the seller to confirm it was sent, asking for photo proof. Watch it show up tomorrow or Monday but if perchance the seller is not honest, you're losing time to rectify the situation.

I contacted the seller a few hours ago...no response yet
 

ForteKitty

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If they don't respond by tomorrow (day 7 since tracking), I'd file with paypal. I had a seller print a shipping label and never shipped it out. She did it to multiple people. I googled her name and found out she worked at a bank and ran some scheme and ripped off a bunch of people, and is due in court next month, facing 12 felony charges. My first bad ebay experience in 20 years! This seller of yours wouldn't happen to be from Virginia?
 

CoffeeAndDiamonds

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I'd ask the seller as well.

I regularly print paypal shipping labels and drop low value packages in the blue post boxes. Packages used to be scanned in 2 days, but recently it's been taking 5+

I also had a package delivered recently that was never even scanned.
 

kenny

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I've read zillions of threads about the hassles of eBay, esty, Reverb, FedEx, UPS, USPS, Paypal.
Yuck, no thanks. :knockout:

That's why I only buy and sell locally on Craigslist.
Meet in person with cash with friend in safe place.
Check out person before with a phone call to judge whether they seem legit and safe - yes judging is good.

Clean and simple.
I've had many transactions buying and selling ... all 100% perfect.

Sure, I live near 10 million people so enjoy a large pool of locals - many don't have that luxury.
 

YadaYadaYada

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This is one of my pet peeves, when the label is printed before it's at the post office. I'm old fashioned, I physically bring it there myself and then update EBay once the receipt is in hand. That way they know that the tracking number really means it's on the way.

Hopefully they get back to you by tomorrow if not I wouldn't hesitate to start the process with PayPal. That's what I did with my DB purchase that never materialized and they refunded me quickly.
 

stracci2000

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@ForteKitty

No, the seller is in Florida.
I bought the item on 9/19. They didn't print out a shipping label till the evening of the 22nd. So it should've been to the post office by the 23rd. And there should be tracking info by now.
 
Last edited:

stracci2000

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stracci2000

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This is one of my pet peeves, when the label is printed before it's at the post office.

This doesn't make sense. It's not at the post office, so why is there a tracking number issued? Egads!
 

YadaYadaYada

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What happened with DB?

I bought a David Klass rose ring on DB I was going to set a diamond into and the seller never mailed it, never responded so I filed a claim with PayPal and got my money back.

Last I checked the ring is still for sale there too even though I reported it so nobody else would get taken.
 

stracci2000

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I bought a David Klass rose ring on DB I was going to set a diamond into and the seller never mailed it, never responded so I filed a claim with PayPal and got my money back.

Last I checked the ring is still for sale there too even though I reported it so nobody else would get taken.

Wow! I remember this!
I hope you left negative feedback.:angryfire:
My purchase is not jewelry, it is a DVD box set.
 

YadaYadaYada

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Wow! I remember this!
I hope you left negative feedback.:angryfire:
My purchase is not jewelry, it is a DVD box set.

Jewelry or not you should get what you order, maybe they printed the label and then put it somewhere and forgot about it.
 

PreRaphaelite

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After my recent white-knuckle days dealing with FedEx problems (oh the horror) I feel for you. Shipping just almost always sucks.

If the seller doesn’t respond in 24 hrs, file your claim. That might actually get the seller’s attention!

I’ve been on the other side of things, too: I once spent a whole day panicked searching my house for a package I’d prepared. Couldn’t find it anywhere. Imagine my blood pressure!! Contacted the buyer with profuse apology and issued immediate full refund. Figured I must have dropped it in the post office parking lot or something. Devastated. Turned out I had a bad cat who had carried the box up into to his kitty condo because he liked the packing tape smell. He chewed the box. He chewed the item inside too. (Oh, that’s a whole other saga.) At any rate the buyer forgave me and I eventually got it sorted out.

An honest seller will scramble to make things right. Hopefully your seller will too!
 

rainydaze

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This doesn't make sense. It's not at the post office, so why is there a tracking number issued? Egads!

A person can print out a shipping label from home now, which will also assign a tracking number. Now the seller has to actually get the package to USPS. It could sit in their house for a day, a week, a month... The idea is that once it is received by the USPS, it will be scanned in, and tracking will then show updates (starting with 'package has been received by USPS facility' or the like). The unfortunate thing is that USPS tracking is erratic in its accuracy. Sometimes it works and other times it shows that the package is still awaiting arrival at a facility, yet the package is delivered.

It's possible the seller printed the label from home and the package is still sitting on their kitchen table. It's also possible that they printed the label from home, brought the package to the USPS, and the tracking isn't working. It's possible they brought it directly to USPS, have a receipt they can show you (best case scenario), and the USPS system isn't working. And it's possible they could have printed a label from home as a decoy and have no intention of sending you anything.

Fingers crossed they are a reputable person and the package is in fact on its way!
 

ForteKitty

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I've read zillions of threads about the hassles of eBay, esty, Reverb, FedEx, UPS, USPS, Paypal.
Yuck, no thanks. :knockout:

That's why I only buy and sell locally on Craigslist.
Meet in person with cash with friend in safe place.
Check out person before with a phone call to judge whether they seem legit and safe - yes judging is good.

Clean and simple.
I've had many transactions buying and selling ... all 100% perfect.

Sure, I live near 10 million people so enjoy a large pool of locals - many don't have that luxury.

Physically meeting someone to buy something? YUCK, no thanks. :lol-2:

I've only had one problem in 20 years, and a quick dispute online took care of that. Took all of 2 minutes for the dispute. The snooping and googling wasted more time but that was my own fault and not necessary, haha. I've probably purchased tens of thousands of items so the one bad transaction was a tiny, tiny percentage. I'm willing to deal with the occasional shipping issue to not have to deal with someone in person. Especially now.
 

kenny

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Physically meeting someone to buy something? YUCK, no thanks. :lol-2:

I've only had one problem in 20 years, and a quick dispute online took care of that. Took all of 2 minutes for the dispute. The snooping and googling wasted more time but that was my own fault and not necessary, haha. I've probably purchased tens of thousands of items so the one bad transaction was a tiny, tiny percentage. I'm willing to deal with the occasional shipping issue to not have to deal with someone in person. Especially now.

OMG ... You could not possibly be suggesting that people vary? :-o
 

ForteKitty

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OMG ... You could not possibly be suggesting that people vary? :-o

:P2

But seriously, for antique jewelry, east coast states have more/better stuff. I can count with one hand the number of antique pieces that came from S. California, and I actually DID drive to Hemet to meet one seller. It was a special piece and totally worth the drive, because I didn't want her to ship an old opal. For all other purchases, always use a good CC for protection!
 

stracci2000

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I need help again! @YadaYadaYada
I sent 3 messages with no response.
Apparently this seller is a scammer. Suddenly a bunch of bad reviews have shown up in his feedback. People saying their items were never shipped.

Also, The delivery date keeps getting pushed up.
First it was Oct 1, then a few days later it said Oct 9. and just now it says Oct 13!
Can the seller be doing this so that if 45 days expire I cant get a refund?
 

ForteKitty

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I need help again! @YadaYadaYada
I sent 3 messages with no response.
Apparently this seller is a scammer. Suddenly a bunch of bad reviews have shown up in his feedback. People saying their items were never shipped.

Also, The delivery date keeps getting pushed up.
First it was Oct 1, then a few days later it said Oct 9. and just now it says Oct 13!
Can the seller be doing this so that if 45 days expire I cant get a refund?

Forget that, file right now.
 
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