Another questionable eBay practice.
Summary: doingthistopaythebills expresses frustration with eBay's use of Royal Mail scan data to evaluate shipping performances, suggesting it is unreliable and financially burdensome. They are considering moving their business to another platform due to eBay's policies impacting seller metrics and fees. 4_bathrooms clarifies distinctions between service metrics and seller standards, while technthread suggests workarounds involving Royal Mail scan points. eyewear247 and others share experiences with similar issues, highlighting challenges with Royal Mail delays and eBay's response. The discussion reflects widespread discontent with eBay's practices among sellers.
The Royal mail scan reporting that eBay use to monitor shipping and delivery of untracked item is not binding as proof of dispatch or delivery. Many may notice that items in the 'view order details' sometimes show a dispatch date and often show no delivery date as the information is based upon the internal scanning system to the post office. The Royal mail confirm that this data is not proof of posting or delivery and will not be accepted as such. However, eBay use this scanning data to punish late dispatch and delivery. They do this in the hope that your service metrics will default so they can enforce their policy to collect a premium percentage to erring accounts.
In my case, I offer free shipping on all my items. The average price of my items is around £7. To give free tracked shipping is not cost effective and should not be required to fight against a questionable policy. I have had enough of being beaten about the head by an organisation that is willing to use coercive control to increase their profit. The would like everyone to use the most expensive shipping method possible because they take a cut from you on shipping costs. And, whilst I am into this rant, they also take a cut of government imposed taxes where VAT is taken as part of the purchase process. Making a charge on a government imposed tax, is that even legal?
So, I guess most will say, take it or leave it, put up and shut up, if you can't take the rules then get out. Yup, that is my choice, policies are policies and contractually they have got me.
Well, I guess I have to consider carefully my next move. I cannot continue to support what is in my opinion an organisation walking a thin line morally.
I now ponder what to do, I do have options, but admittedly will create a lot of work to port my 10000 items across over 3700 listings to another platform.
If you are considering similar, make sure that you obtain a data protection access download of all your information. eBay must provide all information held on their systems including all data fields used in listings, this includes images and descriptions that they conveniently omit when you perform an active listings report download. Of course, why would they furnish your with your own information so that you can move your business elsewhere?
Just as clarity, my account is in good standing and not under penalty, 100% +ve feedback. However, if the policy continues then it may become a problem
It pains me to think like this, I have been an ebay customer since 1996, I cringe when I admit I was part of the Beanie Baby craze and sold to the american market, they couldn't get enough. Halcyon days.
All comments welcome
stormatic2015
·3 weeks agoI still get proof of posting receipt from the shop. If there is an issues I use them to show customer I actually sent the item or "something" to them.
Now, if only eBay used its AI to allow us to upload the receipt which it can scan and remove all late delivery defects.
It has an added bonus as they love automation.
Even though I just did, No point suggesting it as that will never happen, but saying that, if a mod could pass this request on?
technthread
·3 weeks agoI think the receipts would be too easy to fake tbh as they are so basic.
pillarboxred
·Jul 18, 2026 at 3:28 PMI've been wrestling with this option over the years. I'm sorry but, if it is not cost effective to purchase tracked deliver service, you either have to give up selling those low price items or build the inevitable losses into your business plan. EBay losses are business costs and can be set against taxable profit. How the Royal Mail treats data is not determined by how eBay uses it. They are both mighty corporations maximising returns for investors as they see fit.
the_brick_lodge
·Jul 17, 2026 at 9:21 AM · Edited25 lates currently but 24 have been removed, stuff goes 2nd class in a post box, I assume the mail centre is scanning them and eBay is using this to remove the lates.
What annoys me is eBay adds the tracking number when you buy postage with them but as 2nd class isn't tracked there isn't any tracking info, if the parcel is delayed it could appear to the buyer that it wasn't posted, the Royal Mail Track & Trace says an update is only provided once delivery is attempted but eBay omits to mention this.
I also don't understand why it says tracking number provided at 11 o'clock last night when I purchased the label at 7 o'clock this morning
technthread
·Jul 17, 2026 at 9:34 AM · EditedThey are on USA time, it does look bizarre to buyers when the tracking number shows as provided before they even bought the item.
This doesn’t really help the OP as a platform option because I’m not sure it is suited to their items but on Vinted I see buyers choosing Relay postage for £1.95 or RM Tracked 48 LL for £1.99. I see the hassle we can have here sending things RM 2nd class I think it is crying out for eBay to agree some better postage rates for business sellers so we can afford to use the tracked services they are prefer us to go with.
the_brick_lodge
·Jul 18, 2026 at 7:48 AM · EditedI had look there, picked something that should be a LL and it says postage from £1.75 but at Checkout the options are £2.49 for Royal Mail to deliver to a Post Office or only Evri for home delivery at £2.99 (no Royal Mail home delivery for some reason).
I assume that the £1.75 option would be Evri to a pick up point but there isn't one close enough. Seller possibly has Relay turned off.
Are you sure they have Royal Mail LL for £1.99 and would that be to a collection point? From the seller's side they are going to have to go to the Post Office with a silly QR code, perhaps fine now but who has time to stand there all day at Christmas when the queue is out the door and then get the staff to scan dozens of QR codes and hopefully stick them all on the right parcels?
I do agree eBay needs to assist here but I think if you buy Royal Mail postage you are buying from eBay (not Packlink), eBay are getting a discount and keeping the difference as profit, which is sort of fair enough. Even for Simply Delivery it's £2.72 or something but of course the seller then doesn't pay FVF on the postage element.
eBay have cut return postage on return cases to around £3.03 I think so I can only assume when you buy a £3.65 Tracked 48 small parcel label eBay make 62 pence, they then take around 52 pence in FVF on the £3.99 I charge for postage so I'm not covering my costs and to top it off buyers can't combine postage across listings. I will refund the excess but I think it puts a lot of people off as they don't see the photo in the listings. Comparatively Simply Delivery combines the postage, eBay seem to have invested in private sellers, which is fine, but aren't making any effort to assist us.
I don't want QR codes and don't mind paying the counter rates but would be very pleased with Simply Delivery, no FVF on postage (perhaps with what the seller can charge being capped) and combined postage rules being introduced. The lates however don't bother me.
Good point on the time, yes it's odd, you'd think a company the size of eBay with a dedicated UK site would show the domestic time.
technthread
·Jul 18, 2026 at 8:30 AMI had look there, picked something that should be a LL and it says postage from £1.75 but at Checkout the options are £2.49 for Royal Mail to deliver to a Post Office or only Evri for home delivery at £2.99 (no Royal Mail home delivery for some reason).
Possibly the seller hasn’t sorted their postage settings out properly. There is also an issue with location skewing that up, choose postage by map view and play around with re-setting location slightly on there. Move half a mile to the side and then different results come up including couriers that were seemingly switched off.
I assume that the £1.75 option would be Evri to a pick up point but there isn't one close enough. Seller possibly has Relay turned off.
£1.75 was Relay. It’s now £1.95 - they are starting to expand there are a lot more places to drop off. I have to send so many now, I’m not a fan of the system but it’s cheap and it’s getting people to buy.
Are you sure they have Royal Mail LL for £1.99 and would that be to a collection point? From the seller's side they are going to have to go to the Post Office with a silly QR code, perhaps fine now but who has time to stand there all day at Christmas when the queue is out the door and then get the staff to scan dozens of QR codes and hopefully stick them all on the right parcels?
So here’s the thing and it really annoys me. I’m a Pro seller I can’t get £1.99 LL RM postage because they hate our existence on their platform so they disabled it. Private sellers can get the £1.99 LL and a generated Tracked 48 label that they have to print off themselves, the reason being it is supposed to be a genuine large letter and they can just use a postbox. Pro sellers basically just have the small parcel or over price and a QR code only and yeah as you mention it is time consuming and totally unnecessary. They are a bit like eBay, come up with something good and then wave it at business sellers from a distance or hope we are too dumb to know it exists for the other side of the platform.
I do agree eBay needs to assist here but I think if you buy Royal Mail postage you are buying from eBay (not Packlink), eBay are getting a discount and keeping the difference as profit, which is sort of fair enough. Even for Simply Delivery it's £2.72 or something but of course the seller then doesn't pay FVF on the postage element.
I don’t mind them making a bit off the top. I wouldn’t mind the 15% discount for click and collect that they have on simple delivery or some InPost locker integration. Maybe they can look at the RM48 prices and get together with RM and say ok we’ve got business sellers who don’t want a business account with you but we can bridge that and offer an RM48 type postage option on eBay for letters that can be uninsured if they want but tracked so there is a middle ground between a 2nd class stamp and Tracked48 on eBay.
eBay have cut return postage on return cases to around £3.03 I think so I can only assume when you buy a £3.65 Tracked 48 small parcel label eBay make 62 pence, they then take around 52 pence in FVF on the £3.99 I charge for postage so I'm not covering my costs and to top it off buyers can't combine postage across listings. I will refund the excess but I think it puts a lot of people off as they don't see the photo in the listings. Comparatively Simply Delivery combines the postage, eBay seem to have invested in private sellers, which is fine, but aren't making any effort to assist us.
I don't want QR codes and don't mind paying the counter rates but would be very pleased with Simply Delivery, no FVF on postage (perhaps with what the seller can charge being capped) and combined postage rules being introduced. The lates however don't bother me.
Agreed. (And I’d also take simple delivery in a heartbeat if we could access it).
technthread
·Jul 18, 2026 at 10:18 AMI need to correct myself I have just spotted it on a sale I made. Relay flitted from £1.75 to £1.95 and it’s back to £1.75 over on Vinted.
Imagine getting tracked postage on here for £1.75.
I moved a bit of clothing back over here the past few days. I have made 1 sale and netted £30.99 after fees and an RM Tracked 48 label costing £3.65. It’s not a massive difference but I’m sure if I held out I could have made £40 over there. I just hope they sort something out here whether it’s fees or better postage for us so we don’t have to look elsewhere all the time. In an ideal world I’d prefer to be eBay only.
the_brick_lodge
·3 weeks ago · EditedTracked postage for £1.75 would be great, even the £2.69 for up to 1kg with InPost would be good if it were a locker drop off rather than a shop (which there isn't one round here).
It's hard to tell if eBay don't see any issue with the current affairs, those capable of making changes have no idea about it or one day the situation will flip and they'll start offering smaller businesses some of these extra tools.
If the other place wake up and start welcoming volume sellers I think eBay will be in a bit of trouble.
eBay has so many places competing now, BBC news article this morning:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business
I wonder if eBay Live is as successful?
technthread
·3 weeks ago · EditedSo weird I didn’t get notified of this reply. I’m guessing this happened - I wonder if a post being held for review nullifies it.
I’m not convinced they are aware of many things. For example I mentioned there is a sell for free box that a business seller can click on to do a sell similar. Surely someone at eBay can look and say come on it’s not ideal to keep reminding people that they can move to a private account and do that. Just a bit of common sense needed.
That link is the main business page but I’m guessing it’s the T*kT*k article. It’s all about driving up energy and impulse buying, the seller gets told off for staying still, it’s not my type of selling whipping people up into a frenzy it’s gambling like.
pillarboxred
·Jul 18, 2026 at 3:33 PMDon't get me started on trying to track an item to the USA through the GSP Pitney Bowes system. How the tracking is set out needs to be sorted. Royal Mail, eBay and Pitney Bowse all seem to work with different concepts and terminology and my aged brain can't sort it out.
eyewear247
·Jul 17, 2026 at 6:49 AMI have a Royal Mail business account and my mail is collected daily in sealed sacks. Over the past 10 months Royal Mail are regularly delaying opening the sacks and providing same day scans at the mailing centre.
Over the past few months I have been appealing the late dispatch defects Royal mails practices that I have been attracting and eBay's customer support have always been understanding and they have manually removed the defects, 5 at a time. However, a very recent policy change by eBay now prevents eBay CS from doing this.
I have also just appealed on basics that Royal Mail have been advising of potential delays over the past 3 weeks to delivery's due to the severe weather conditions. However because this information is not recorded on the RM website they denied the appeal on that basics.
I did point out that RM's service page is updated daily, a simple Google search for the term "Royal Mail delays due to heatwave" returns results from many of our national newspapers reporting on Royal Mails statements. - eBay have not responded to that part of my appeal instead just provide me with generic scripted replies as to why my appeal has been denied.
At my next evaluation in 3 days time I will be loosing my TRS status for the first time in many years. To say I am gutted would be a massive understatement, especially when my business has been and still is being severely impacted by business sellers using private accounts to sell on.
I also sell on the big River and although my business mail from those sales gets collected in the same sacks and my eBay orders strangely my account health and despatch/ delivery metrics are running at almost 100%.
@doingthistopaythebills sorry to jump on your rant with my own but I needed to vent !
technthread
·Jul 17, 2026 at 12:09 AM · EditedThe dispatch scan that you need will register on eBay if you post at a Royal Mail locker or get a home collection.
This is the workaround to avoid defects in your metrics. That scan will be enough to remove late delivery defects provided it was within your dispatch time.
It will work on large letters and above. Unfortunately the scan doesn’t show up on letters.
doingthistopaythebills
OPJul 17, 2026 at 6:50 AMHi technthread,
Thanks for your input, I do appreciate it. I have home delivery for my shipments via click and drop, 50% are letter size. I am not aware that letters are not supported by this method. I am aware that letters are not supported for IOSS items going to Europe. This may extend to PDDP shipments to USA but have not explored that as I always ship large letter to there.
eBay do not has this data supplied as part of a contractual agreement but rather scrape this from various sources like click and drop. But, as this is a Royal mail internal process they have no obligation to ensure data is uploaded. Admittedly, the collection scan provides me with proof of postage via email but eBay are not interested in evidence other then their own. Items may show as not delivered even in the case that the customer has left glowing feedback testimony to a great item quickly delivery.
Still, it's inappropriate use of a non binding technology and is unreliable at best. When has eBay ever enforced anything that doesn't line their own pocket in the end. They are hell bent to drive everyone to use their postal system for the cut of the action. Nothing wrong with ethical business, sadly, eBay don't qualify there. Time to explore other platforms.
End of rant, thanks for your time.
technthread
·Jul 17, 2026 at 7:45 AM · EditedI had a feeling you might say a lot are letters. That is a shame.
It would pain me to upgrade everything to large letter just to get the scan for eBay’s benefit so I’m not recommending it but I suppose the cheapest step forward for domestic post is £0.91 to £1.55. RM48 on a business account may not solve your problem either due to the issue @eyewear247 mentions.
I believe the need to use large letters does extend to PDDP shipments to the States. Not that I have read so, as most of these type of announcements bypass me but I tried to use click and drop for a letter to the US last week and it wouldn’t add to basket until I changed it to large letter.
4_bathrooms
·Jul 16, 2026 at 11:32 PMeBay do not apply a final value fee penalty for having a "very high" INR service metric rating. They do for a "very high" INAD service metric rating but not INR. A high INR rate will also not cause a seller to become rated "below standard" in seller standards - this is likely because postage/shipping can be purchased via eBay and they would simply be punishing (business) sellers for using a service they endorsed.
I'm not advocating for eBay here; the whole concept of service metrics was odious from their introduction. They were yet another big stick with no matching carrot.
Yes, it is perfectly legal. I assume you are talking about eBay's final value fees being based on the price paid by the buyer including any taxes that eBay was obliged to charge and remit on the sale - there's nothing illegal about it.
However, if you think that's bad you should spare a thought for VAT-registered businesses. Where most VAT-registered businesses are concerned (except those on the flat-rate scheme) exports are zero-rated for VAT. What eBay does in practice is correctly remove the domestic UK VAT element when eBay is responsible for charging and remitting the buyer's domestic VAT/tax. However, when eBay is not responsible for charging the buyer's domestic VAT/tax they charge the buyer the UK seller's domestic VAT-inclusive price as if it was the net selling price. Although no VAT/tax breakdown is shown eBay effectively increases a VAT-registered UK seller's price by 20% when they sell to an overseas buyer who resides in a country where eBay is not responsible for charging and remitting any domestic VAT/tax to the buyer. Simply put eBay always charges the buyer the maximum possible without effectively "double-taxing" them in order to maximise the final value fee that eBay takes.
doingthistopaythebills
OPJul 17, 2026 at 9:47 AM · EditedHi @4_bathrooms
Thanks for your reply, you raise some interesting points.
However, I want to reiterate that this thread is about late dispatch and delivery metrics, not INR. the is no doubt that the item is delivered but the scanning shows it is late. This affects one seller performance. If you enter the 'Below Standard' level you will be charged an additional final value fee. I believe your statement regarding this is not correct.
I am Happy to be proved wrong.
4_bathrooms
·Jul 17, 2026 at 2:10 PMJust to be clear service metrics and seller standards are two separate sticks; you mentioned service metrics in your opening post so I thought you were referring to the INR service metric. Where seller standards are concerned it is transaction defects - specifically "cases closed without seller resolution" and orders cancelled for being out of stock that would cause a seller to be rated "below standard". A high late delivery rate would prevent a seller from becoming top rated but would not cause a seller to become rated below standard.
As per the linked policy:
"A high late delivery rate on its own won't cause your account to be evaluated as Below Standard, but a low rate is required for Top Rated status."