how do i know if ive booked a collection right?
Summary: bevtreasure encountered confusion when attempting to book a package collection through the postal service, believing a label was unnecessary after booking. kat@ebay clarified that generating a label is a part of the process and that additional confirmation is required to ensure collection. bevtreasure later confirmed resolving the issue by manually booking through an email link and paying a small fee. jeffremington shared a similar problem, highlighting that their collection did not occur as intended and was not free as expected. kat@ebay responded, clarifying the process and noting that issues might arise from incorrect booking or postal service error.
Hi, i sold a heavy item and started to do the postage, hoping to get it collected from the house. Before i got to the bit where you get the label it showed an option to 'book a collection' so i clicked on it. I got a page where i had to confirm a collection date by royal mail which i did and it said i wouldn't need to print a label as they would bring it. The next page was the one where you make a label so i assumed i didn't need to do that and left it at that. However i started thinking i should have gone to the next page as i didn't know if i'd purchased a label or what- the parcel has not been collected yet. So i went back in and found the label and downloaded it. I still don't know if ive actually booked a collection because every message tells me to drop it off, also have i now paid for 2 labels by doing what i did? -can anyone advise me please? thanks
jeffremington
·2 weeks agoWe took the parcel to the post office in the end. Ebay should try a dummy sale and see the collection by Royal Mail provides a collection day but no way of telling RM. How does RM know to bring a label? If you then print a label the process is the same as 'normal' Simple Delivery. Despite ebay saying no printer required there is no drop down to advise RM a label generator is required. If anyone has succeeded in just clicking RM collection, not printed a label, and had a postie arrive printer in hand we would like to know and how they did it!
jeffremington
·3 weeks agoWe have used the ebay simple delivery RM collect for no extra charge and both times it didnt work because RM WILL NOT collect for free via ebay! The postman came today left a letter and left the booked parcel sitting there despite us even printing off a label. We have a tracking number which says on RM site 'on its way to us' yes by us dropping it off! There is no way via ebay to book a paid for collection so sellers sit around assuming the collection will happen as stated in the sold page. A collection date comes up and nothing to say payment required! If we dont now drop it off ourselves despatch will be recorded as late. Ebay forget the 'free' collection and let us easily pay the fee via the 'Simple' (not) Delivery.
jeffremington
·3 weeks agoWe're expecting it
The sender has advised they have despatched your item to Royal Mail.
This is the message on tracking. No mention of any collection as shown on the ebay label page. Expecting it is not the same as 'collection expected 3 pm ' whatever.
kat@ebay
Hi @jeffremington ,
Thank you for your reply.
I'm sorry to hear of this experience. Booking the RM collection through eBay with Simple delivery does not incur a fee. It may have been the case the collection did not get booked properly as with the original poster on this thread where the label needed to be generated at the end to confirm the collection date. Its also possible the postman has the wrong information. Since eBay introduced the collection with RM there has been no fee. There is the option to book directly through the RM site and there is a 30p fee for this.
Thank you,
Kat
kat@ebay
Hi @bevtreasure ,
Thank you for your post.
If it was the same order you went back into to then its likely just the one label. When booking the collection clicking on the "get prepaid label" is part of the process. It would be after this step that a confirmation screen appears confirming the collection. If that screen didn't come up or no email confirmation then the collection may not have gone through. There is the option to book it directly on the Royal Mail site but just to bare in mind they do have a fee of 30p for that.
Thank you,
Kat
bevtreasure
OPJul 15, 2026 at 2:58 PMhi, thanks for the quick reply, ive already managed to sort it by using the email link and paying 30p-from your response it sounds like i wouldnt have had to pay if i'd got it right before? I realised there would have been some email confirmation so decided it must not have gone through, now i know it has but many thanks for your help, i much appreciate it.