Hi all,
I’m currently dealing with a situation and wanted to get input from experienced buyers/sellers.
Bought a high-value item on eBay
Seller marked as dispatched quickly
Tracking shows:
Dropped at Royal Mail locker (Friday)
Status stuck at: “Sender advised item dropped off”
Now several days later (past delivery date) → no “item received at mail centre” scan
Seller response has been:
“Royal Mail sometimes takes time to scan parcels from lockers… I’ll keep an eye on it.”
No confirmation that:
It was actually collected
Or accepted into Royal Mail’s network
What raised my concern
A Royal Mail employee mentioned that:
It’s technically possible to scan at a locker, open it, and close it without depositing anything.
That got me thinking—because in my case:
No acceptance scan at all
High-value item
Generic seller replies
No evidence of actual dispatch beyond initial drop-off status
Current status
eBay has now stepped in and given the seller 3 days to resolve
Questions to the community
Has anyone seen cases where locker drop-offs never get scanned at all?
Is this usually just a delay, or does it often indicate the parcel never entered the system?
For high-value items, is locker drop-off considered risky?
How often do sellers rely on the “dropped off” status without actual network entry?
Not making accusations, but the lack of a first scan is concerning—especially for a high-value item.
Would appreciate insights from both buyers and sellers.
Thanks.
