Ebay postage labels

[auntietootieblue]

Has anyone been able to post today with Royal Mail labels bought through ebay?  I bought 13 labels this morning through ebay for Royal Mail 48hr tracked and when I went to the Post Office none of them would work/scan in.  The guy at the Post Office asked me if I had bought them differently than I normally do and I said no.  When I looked on my postage labels it said manifest which it normally doesn't say and the tracking numbers started with a Y instead of a TQ which is what they normally are.  So I had to bring them all back and not post them today.  I spoke to ebay who said that a number of sellers had reported this and that I had to cancel all the labels as long as they hadn't been scanned in at the Post Office.  They said I have to buy the labels again and that I have to wait for refunds for these ones which is a joke and could take 2/3 weeks, so ebay are keeping my money for this long and I will have to pay for all these labels again.  So I have to pay twice just to now get these dispatched.  I have been on again just now and it's still doing the same.  I have also been on Royal Mail to buy postage labels through them instead but the site also seems to be down for buying postage.  As anyone else had this issue today?

[nwp_collectables]

The best answer I found online is: The change from RM48 to YA in Royal Mail tracking numbers is due to a change in Royal Mail's system for generating tracking codes. The "YA" prefix is now being used for Tracked 48 items purchased online and printed labels. So it seems not an eBay issue, but Royal Mail System error that they will never admit too. Local post office lady took my parcels and said she would try later today to scan again as she reported it and was waiting for reply. Just hope she did not stick them in a bag thinking they will scan them at Hub and she will still have them Monday or it will be more dings by RM on my eBay account again. Now I only send parcel size items, for me... this could be time to switch to another service provider.

[cbennissupplies]

sorry wrong, YA is just a prefix and not directly associated with RM48 tracked our prefix for RM48 at moment is VR 

the issue would seem to be it being a single letter prefix which will not be recognised by royal mail system as prefix for tracking over all services should be a two letter prefix

[technthread]

I took one that I sold on another platform to the local Royal Mail delivery office this morning. They scanned a QR code and printed the label as normal. It had the YA reference on it, has already arrived at their super hub with an estimated delivery date on the tracking.  If this problem persists on Monday you’ll have to bypass a Post Office as it seems to be their issue.

[micks-music-and-magazine-emporium]

My local Post Office told me it was a Royal Mail computer issue and they were aware of it and working on it. Will try again Monday and see what happens

[auntietootieblue]

Ok, I’m gonna try again tomorrow but buy the labels from the Royal Mail website and not through eBay.  The guy at the post office this morning didn’t have a clue and neither did Royal Mail when I rung them this morning but it was early on so maybe I was one of the first that contacted them. Either way I’m gonna now have to buy another 13 labels because eBay told me to cancel them all so any profit I made for these items as now gone and I will have to wait 2/3 weeks for a refund 🤬🤬

[auntietootieblue]

I think it’s Royal Mail labels bought through eBay that’s the issue by the sounds of it and other platforms are fine.  Just eBay 

[technthread]

Oh god. eBay should have said to wait it out and not cancel them, this will get fixed I’ll be surprised if the post offices don’t have this sorted by Monday.

[technthread]

I think on this one eBay are blameless. I’d buy an eBay label now without hesitation and take it to a RM locker or delivery office.

[kestrelelec]

I did a Tracked48 this morning via click & drop, tracking was a YA code.  I took it to the post office and it wouldn't scan, kept saying invalid.  Since mine was a low value large letter I decided to just send it without the proof and hope it makes it!  Checked tonight and it has been scanned successfully at the hub.  Hope this information is of help to some.

[auntietootieblue]

Thanks for reply, glad it's not just me.  I'm gonna buy my labels from the Royal Mail website instead as I have my sales from yesterday now to add to the ones cancelled and I don't want to have to cancel double labels again while they sit and take my money for labels that don't work and I have to wait 2/3 weeks for a refund.  Thanks everyone for your replies.

[goodibags]

There have been a lot of sellers affected by this 'glitch'. I should consider myself lucky to have dodged the shenanigans by failing to sell anything?

Some have been buying their own labels and relying/hoping that Ebay will eventually refund the unusable one. While others are sending the item with an unscanned label (tracking paid for, yet completely untracked) who will have to wait 14 days plus for their sale proceeds to be released.

Even if it's not an Ebay 'issue' at least they're at least making good profits from this complete fiasco. Which does make you wonder if perhaps it'll become a more regular thing? 😉

[auntietootieblue]

I think It will probably become a regular thing.  I have been having trouble over the last couple of weeks trying to buy labels through ebay, it just keeps kicking me out when trying to pay so I have just gone on the Royal Mail website and bought them through there because they are the same price as ebay anyway.

 I have purchased labels today from the Royal Mail website and taken them to the Post Office, they still didn't scan correctly either, they were just the same as the ones bought through ebay so I'm guessing this is something the Post office have done with their system.  The items all scanned in and show in transit but she couldn't give me a receipt for any of them.  To be hopes its back up and running properly for Monday morning when everyone that doesn't post over the weekend will be taking theirs as well.

[auntietootieblue]

Forgot to say as per sales, my sales are way down the last couple of weeks and looking at my figures it looks like they are restricting me in some way as I have had the same amount of sales over the last 5 days.  See attached from my seller hub.  They have definitely messed with the site over the last 2 weeks which is affecting everything for me.  I even had a return case show up as delivered (which I didn't have), I checked the Royal Mail tracking and it still showed in transit on their website but ebay said it had been delivered.  So my account is messed up at the moment.

[technthread]

When you get returns (INAD ones are the worst for this), I think it does affect the account for a while. A problem transaction often results in a lull in sales.

[babylontruckingco]

This issue is not resolved yet. On saturday I had three parcels that would not scan, took them back this morning and still would not scan. Also took two other parcels with labels printed this morning, one on Ebay's ste, one on RM site. Neither of these would scan. So I think cancelling yesterdays labels and reprinting will not work , neither does using RM instead of ebay. However my post lady, is on a post ladys Whats App group, and someone on there told her of a work around (but dont ask me how!), which did work but only produced a single reciept with only tracking numbers on, no address details etc. On returning home and checking tracking, tracking stated they had all been accepted as it normally would. 

I have more to do today - I think I will get the PO to do the labels manually rather than doing them myself, just to be on the safe side!

[componentalliance]

Issue with RM48 with letters starting YA not scanning at the post office  is still not resolved in the UK 11AM Monday 4th August

Sorry I thought I had better add not Ebay's fault its a RM issue

Just in case you need to know 

[kat@ebay]

Hi All,

The issue with the track48 YA labels has been resolved.  The Royal Mail systems are now accepting the parcels so you should be able to send them through the Post Office. If you were unable to send your parcels and new labels were purchased the original labels can be voided.

For Simple Delivery, the buyer purchased labels will automatically be refunded to the buyer within 30-40 days. For seller paid labels a refund request can be submitted through the webform within 14 days from the order date.

For non Simple Delivery eBay labels, they can be voided within 14 days by going to postage labels on your account.

There will be automated protections in place for impacted sellers for late shipment and INR service metrics.

Thank you,

Kat

[auntietootieblue]

Still not received refund for the labels that I was advised to cancel by ebay, they are all for some reason saying delivered which is impossible as they were never scanned in at the Post Office because they wouldn't scan them in as they didn't scan.  

Looks like ebay/Post Office have done a manual update on any labels bought over that weekend to show they have been dispatched/delivered on the 6th August when they haven't.  I cancelled all my labels bought on the 2nd August that hadn't had a scan and repurchased new ones as told to by ebay.  

The other thing is they are showing scanned in on the 5th and delivered on the 6th which is also incorrect.  All the items have been delivered from that weekend but were delivered using the new labels I purchased not the cancelled ones to why are they showing as delivered with the cancelled labels.

[goodibags]

How can labels that weren't used be 'scanned' by RM? That doesn't sound right at all. Are you sure some at least may have been scanned and rejected at the post office, as it's more likely that those are the ones that have been updated? Although confusingly they shouldn't be showing as being used if they weren't actually used.

It's a mess but it's nothing that couldn't have been anticipated at the time and plenty that Ebay with SD should have been predicting and proactively managing from the start.

On the plus side, Kat is back tomorrow, just in time to pick it all up again. 😁