Ebay Tracking System

The ebay tracking system is a travesty.

AGAIN TODAY a shipment was listed by ebay as being delivered that was NOT delivered. I was at the mailbox when the mailman delivered the mail and the ebay item never arrived yet they marked it as delivered.

NEVER ONCE have I had an ebay tracked item arrive on the day they say it was delivered. Usually they arrive 3 to 7 days later!

*** Moved by Staff to a more appropriate forum. ***

Is this with the regular post office tracking number or ebay's ESUS one?

The ESUS one is used by ebay.

I get frequent complaints from buyers about this (as if there is anything I can do). I see it myself as a buyer, though my items usually come later the same day or the next day...I think the scans are coming from the last processing facilty (not even necessarily the destination post office, much less the carrier).

On the up side, although there are frequent delays it is very rare for items not to show up (I am dealing with one of those now, where the tracking shows delivery, and buyer insists it was never delivered - that will be my first test of the insurance program that ebay includes on its "special envelope").

Much could be solved if ebay would just be transparent about how the system actually worked.

I doubt if ebay could be transparent about how the system actually worked. At least for me it has NEVER worked correctly.

I think ebay has lost the plot.

Sometime last year, they changed their website here in a manner that you, no longer, can tick the box that you received an item. But they keep sending messages asking whether an item has been received, even after you gave feedback that would only make sense after receiving it (one question is: 'Did you receive your item on time.' Click yes and receive the message asking whether it arrived anyway.). I have searched for a functionality where you can mark an item as received. It just seems it no longer exists.

I buy a fair bit of material via ebay and haven't experienced a problem. When it says "delivered" it is always there in the mailbox which is a cluster unit one mile up the road. Is it possible the variability in experience has to do with local POs?

I think it is the case that with ESUS the packet/envelope doesn't get scanned when delivered at the box, only when received at the local PO so delivery could actually be off by a day or more. My PO is small and rural so the material they receive in the morning from regional distribution gets delivered to me that day. Now that I think of it, I probably shouldn't advertise this vintage level of service - they'll target us for cutbacks.

I think the receiving scan occurs when it arrives at the USPS Regional (or Distribution) Center. In my case, that is 50 miles away in another state and is notoriously called the 'black hole'. Just like Media Mail (another discounted tracking service), ESUS gets tracked at the start and end of its movement through the mail stream. (As opposed to tracking at every scan location in-between like Priority Mail.)

So when an item is received at a Regional Center, it is scanned and then its status changes to 'Out of Delivery'. How long it takes USPS to get it out of the Regional Center and to your mailbox may be the same day, the next day, or in some cases, several days.

In my opinion, the only fault of ebay in this scenario is that they cut a deal with the USPS for the discounted tracking service. Obviously, the costs and what we all pay for ESUS would be higher if ebay had instead contracted for higher resolution tracking.

One solution would be to ask the seller to use Priority Mail and belly to the bar for the extra cost.
Don

I've had several instances of the ESUS packages marked as delivered when they hit the local post office but not my UPS store box.
It's usually a day or two later that it shows up in my mailbox.

Sigh. ebay does such a sh*t job on communicating about their tracking system.

ESUS is *not* end-to-end tracking like normal USPS tracking. Nothing is scanned until the envelope makes it to the first regional sorting hub and the tracking barcode is read by the automated equipment. Similarly, it is recorded as "delivered" when it is scanned by the last regional hub prior to the destination (not "out for delivery" as with 1st Class, Media, Priority, etc.).

I too have had worried buyers contact me saying their envelope shows as delivered but they haven't received anything. I politely explain what it means and they they will receive the envelope within the next 2-3 business days.

What recourse does the buyer have if the item never shows up? The seller can claim that the item was delivered.

I think it is time for ebay to end its BOGUS track system.

Please stop with the hyperbole.

1. You as the seller, are getting access to a shipping method that has quasi-tracking (where normally 1st class envelopes get ZERO tracking), and get to save a little bit vs. normal USPS rates. It also makes your shipments count towards top rated seller status for final value fee discounts, where normal 1st class shipping without tracking does not.

2. The buyer can still make a claim for nonreceipt, but you as the seller are covered, albeit after the fact. Read the specifics here: https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/s...lope?id=5308

3. Most importantly, you are not FORCED to use the service, so if you don't like it, just don't use it. Simple solution, rather than trying to force others to not use it.

Have a nice day.

As a point of correction, it's the seller that has to file the insurance claim. Since the seller is the one who actually purchases and pays for the label service, that is probably the way it has to be.

Sellers of relatively low value material have a set of not great choices. They can require USPS ground advantage with more granular tracking (which is too expensive for many buyers), use the ebay tracking and deal with the frequent user complaints about its faults, or send things first class mail and run the risk of claims against which there will be no defense.

As a point on the use of first class mail, note that ebay does not put a front boundary on the time to file a claim. I am dealing with one right now where it's been 3 weeks and the buyer filed a claim - but the ebay-provided anticipated delivery window hasn't even started yet. (I feel strongly that ebay shouldn't even allow non-delivery claims to be opened for at least 30 days after shipment, given how poorly USPS has been handling mail).

To give credit where it is due, ebay took less than 48 hours to process and pay out my insurance claim that I mentioned earlier in this thread (and it's a case where the tracking claims 'delivered' but the customer says otherwise).

Good of them, though it is only a single data point.

(next battleground for me: if ebay makes you wait 30 days as a seller before filing a claim on an " ebay special envelope", why do they let buyers file claims significantly faster if any other shipping method is used, including before ebay's own prediction of delivery of the item?)