Tracked 48 Royal mail parcels not being delivered
Summary: A participant expressed frustration after a buyer did not receive an item sent via the Global Shipping Program (GSP) with Royal Mail (RM). Despite having a receipt and tracking information showing that the parcel was scanned at a Parcelshop, the item was not tracked beyond that point. Consequently, the participant had to issue a refund of £90, as RM allegedly does not accept liability for eBay postage labels. Another participant questioned whether the delivery showed in the tracking and suggested different paths depending on the type of postage used. The original participant explained that eBay directed them to claim from RM, but RM's website indicates the contract is with eBay, not individuals. They are seeking clarity and reimbursement but faced challenges from both eBay and RM.
Had two buyers message me this morning saying they hadnt received their item. I checked tracking and one is stuck on 'accepted at parcelshop' for day and the other showing 'in transit' for the past 5 days! Anyone else experiencing none delivery of tracked 48 parcels by royal mail? If they arent delivering tracked post what chance is there for normal letter post?
uksupremecollector
·1 month ago · EditedGlad to see ths thread!
I posted something via GSP on April 28th, scanned at Parcelshop, I have my receipt and obviously used the postage provided by ebay. Buyer never got item as seemingly RM didn't scan it when they collected, I've now had to refund the buyer £90 of my own money and RM seemingly don't accept any liability for eBay RM labels according to their website. Fantastic! £90 out of pocket and don;t have the item either.
sml192
·1 month agoDoes the tracking show delivery to the UK hub?
If it didn't reach the UK hub, was it sent using Simple Delivery or Custom Postage?
If it was Simple Delivery and the buyer opened an INR then eBay should have refunded the buyer themselves and you keep the original payment. If it was Custom Postage then you need to claim from Royal Mail.
uksupremecollector
·1 month agoNo, it doesn't show tracking to UK hub - just acceptance at the shop I dropped it at via CollectPlus.
It was sent using Simple Delivery.
eBay made me refund the buyer, and have rejected my appeal even though I have the tracking that shows it was dropped at the shop, and the actual receipt with the matching tracking number and date.
uksupremecollector
·1 month ago · EditedIt's really frustrating because eBay are now simply directing me to Royal Mail to claim, but the contract of postage is between eBay and Royal Mail, not me and Royal Mail so they will not entertain any attempt for me to claim.
The latest response I got yesterday said;
"I realized that you had the best of intentions when shipping the item so at this point, we suggest that you contact the carrier to initiate a search on your item as well as to file a claim for you to be compensated as it is possible that the item might have been lost during transit.
I am ultimately left very frustrated and it would appear that eBay's own customer service staff don't understand the terms of their Simple Delivery and partnership with Royal Mail.
What can I do now?
You can file the claim through given link: https://help.royalmail.com/personal/s/category/0TOTw00000019z2OAA/complaints-claims
Here is the tracking details for your reference:
XXX (removed for safety)
Now that we have presented the most effective solutions for resolving your issue, we would like to explain our position on this case. Please understand that eBay is an online marketplace and we rely heavily on tracking information to determine if an item has been delivered or not. This information enables us to make informed decisions about cases.
According to the tracking information, the item you shipped to the buyer has been lost in transit as the last update in the tracking is of 20th October 2025. Please be aware that we must adhere to our initial decision and use the tracking information for taking case decision as per the policies."
(I dont know where the 20th of October 2025 has come from, that is irrelevant to my case and I have since emailed back).
uksupremecollector
·1 month agoAny further help from anyone as getting the feeling that eBay nor Royal Mail are not interested and I've simply lost out, even though I have postage proof in my hand right now!!
sue49susan2013
·3 months agoI had a 48hr parcel go from Liverpool missrouted to Pendle two days later was at Preston then to Sunderland via Newcastle Depot this was day been sat at Sunderland depot for last week it's 13days since it was posted 48hrs is a joke now and forget about letters no money in it you have to pay extra for tracked 24 to have any hope Of delivery on time Sunderland depot is like a black hole things go in never come out
bazinga-games
·4 months agoI commented on these boards a year or two ago about RM - they are being demolished as a company.
The lady who runs my local Post Office (not one of the counters inside a local shop) said a few years ago that they are running the business into the ground; she doesn't think there will be any Post Offices within 12 months from now - they will all be in convenience stores. She said the drop-off in business in just the last 6 months is ridiculous. She hardly gets any parcels now - nowhere near the amount she used to - and shops banking money has fallen through the floor because they get charged to bank cash.
Articles like the one above are just priming the public for the demise of RM.
Mind you, there still does have to be a letter service, of course, so someone will have to take it on. A company who has thousands of vans all around the country already, perhaps...? Mmmm ..... 🤔 Amazon springs to mind ...
therenewalworkshopltd
·4 months agoSorry, but whilst they may well be having problems, as a company, they are not being demolished at all.
There are plenty of issues surrounding letter post, but that is mainly to do with the fact that it is all mandated by law. Literally no other company has this noose around it's neck!
The parcels side of the business however, is doing well.
Post offices are a separate matter entirely and have been dying for years. That is hardly a new thing at all.
Why do you think that there is such a drop off in business to PO's?
Maybe it's things like pensions not being paid in cash any more? The massive increase in courier companies?
And that is just to name but two. There are many more reasons why the PO's are disappearing. It's certainly not because RM are not dealing with as many parcels by any means.
the_brick_lodge
·4 months agoI'm not surprised the Post Office is seeing a drop in parcels, marketplaces let you buy labels at the click of a button cheaper than the Post Office and if selling elsewhere same applies with Royal Mail directly online, Royal Mail having been doing collections for a long time now and are currently rolling out smart post boxes which accept shoe box sized parcels.
Perhaps all those years of selling Special Delivery to people at Christmas and demanding to know what is in parcels has come back to bite them.
hekkyuk
·4 months agoJust saw this on the news this morning:
"Royal Mail staff say they were told to hide post to look like delivery targets met"
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm2knk5d4deo
typo_lee
OP4 months agoYes they have been recalled to parliament apparently to explain why they are not delivering letter post. We get letter post every 8 days now! Shocking. All they will do is just pay the fine. Things will not get better for sellers who only send products using letter post i.e. small stickers like us.
eyewear247
·4 months agoEbay are giving some of my buyers an estimated delivery time of 1-2 days for Tracked 48 packages, many of which are being despatched without delay but not entering the mail system for another 1-2 days after getting a delayed first scan .
Currently I am dealing with a disappointed customer who wont be taking her new sunglasses away with her on her holiday.
I really do not understand how any order with 2 day (not guaranteed) delivery timeframe can be estimated by eBay as next day delivery when Royal Mail themselves state 2-3 days as a delivery estimate !
Of course this will trigger yet another late despatch/ delivery defect, worse a possibly a justified negative feedback and maybe that buyer will not shop in eBay again.
bizi_lizi_9
·4 months agoI recently despatched an item on 28 Feb and it wasn`t delivered till 13 March. This is the exception as most Tracked48 parcels are delivered in 3 working days.
spence0175
·5 months agoI sent a number of parcels on the 4th Feb and all but one were delivered in 2 days. The missing one only made it to the sorting office. It was properly addressed and my address on the front as well. It didn’t make it to the buyer, so why has it not come back to me.
RM have since reimbursed but the buyer really wanted the vintage item…this is the first lost for me in literally years.
It’s a pity Rm haven’t taken on board what all other couriers do which are tracked all the way, well that’s what I’ve noticed…
bravergrace
·5 months agoI've just had a tracked RM parcel returned to me as "uncollected" - I posted it in October. It received one scan - at my post office when I handed it over - and nothing after that.
So the RM returns and tracking system don't seem to be working very efficiently! Your missing parcel from 4th February may yet be returned to you.
messier44000
·5 months agokat@ebay
Hi All,
Thank you for your posts.
While our shipping team continue to link in with the Royal Mail for improvements on this if you have specific recent examples we can share these with them.
We would need order numbers, order date and tracking.
Thank you,
Kat
albu-2064
·5 months agoHi,
I am a seller with this exact problem, parcels being scanned at parcel shop and then not moving.
I posted order 13-14280-71822 on the 27th February and there is absolutely no update on tracking apart from being scanned in: YA701892453GB.
I have another order posted on Monday that also has not moved but I will give that a few days.
this is getting ridiculous
therenewalworkshopltd
·5 months agoI would suggest that you remove the tracking number as it's against forum policy to post that kind of information.
albu-2064
·5 months agoHi,
Kat from the community team has asked for that information be included in the reply as she is taking these upwards.
I am mistaken?
therenewalworkshopltd
·5 months agoI would suggest that you PM with details, it is information that should not publicly available.
typo_lee
OP5 months agoHad an INR opened. Dispatched on the 27th feb. Still not delivered today 6th March. Tracked 48 small parcel. Unbelievable
desmie101
·5 months agoThe one that was sent out to me turned out to be sitting at the local depot, while Royal Mail sent me a card to say that the sender hadn't paid enough postage and I needed to pay £3.30. It didn't track at any point. I've collected it from the local depot this morning, to save it being further delayed by waiting for it to be delivered another day. I hope you get a resolve to your situation.
ravenavon
·5 months agoHave had two tracked 48 items reported as lost in the last couple of weeks - tracking not updated since being accepted at the Post Office . Two might not sound much but it works out at 80% of parcels posted by RM as most of the others have been via Evri or InPost which seem to be much more reliable recently!
santlache_sales
·5 months agoYes, it happens all the time, Royal Mail don't guarantee Tracked 24 or 48, they just 'strive' to deliver them within these times. Only Special Delivery is guaranteed.
watchfan700uk
·5 months agoI send maybe 10 RM 24/48 tracked per week for higher value orders and I have had only 2 non deliveries in the last 2 years or so. One was recent with a scan at the local delivery office to the recipient and then scans just stopped - no delivery - not out for delivery. Just dead. It was a small bubble mailer and probably fell down the side of a sorting table and may be discovered one day. I have had to refund the buyer.
I sometimes wonder if it is worth paying an extra £1.20 for the rm48 service over LL 2nd class as my loss rate on LL 2n class is about 1 in 100 max.
desmie101
·5 months agoI purchased a high value item that the seller was sending out with Royal Mail 48 hour tracked, it has been stuck at the drop off point since 23rd February and it's the 1st of March today.
sp_rep_2006
·5 months agoYep 9 days ago now...
eyewear247
·5 months agoMy business T48 parcels are collected daily in sealed sacks, the sacks should be then opened the same evening and entered into the mail system after getting the acceptance scan.
Instead, since mid November (for me) RM have been consistently delaying providing the acceptance scans, often for 2-3 days and then delivering within 2-3 days from the date of the acceptance scan which of course makes it look like they are delivering on-time.
messier44000
·5 months agoNot just RM. Finding parcel force 24 is turning into parcel force 48 on a few recent occasions.
Though unlike here, in the real world buyers contact by email with any queries, rather
than an INR case. Good job with £1.5k + items
bazinga-games
·5 months agoThere was a period of a few months - several years ago - when I found that Parcelforce 48 had turned into Parcelforce 96 🙄 😠
lincolnshiremarine
·5 months agoGood morning
Yes, many sellers, including myself, are currently experiencing delays with Royal Mail Tracked 24 and 48 services. I’ve personally had several delayed and even missing parcels.
It seems that parcels are not always being scanned at the hub or delivered within the expected timeframes.
There are numerous posts from other sellers reporting the same issues, and many have raised concerns with eBay, as this is negatively impacting our seller performance ratings and feedback.
I raised this yesterday through eBay community chat and was informed that the shipping team is aware, but that this is a Royal Mail issue.
When sellers are contacting eBay customer service they do not understand that parcels were dispatched on time, but due to Royal Mail service as a seller it is affecting our ratings and overall reputation.
Best wishes
therenewalworkshopltd
·5 months agoNot quite sure where you got that one from.
There are lots of reports of problems with Letter post, as apparently RM is prioritising Parcels.
There may be occasional localised issues with parcels, but certainly not nationwide.
This is why RM executives have just been called to parliament to answer questions about the poor letter service.
typo_lee
OP5 months agoMy tracked 48 parcel was for Ilford and one for Glasgow. And just had another for the Midlands open as an INR. Again 6 days late when it should be 48 hour. May not be nationwide but its certainly far and wide! This along with the letter issues shows there is big problems at royal mail central