Tracking number 'NOT' recognised!

[angthom8396]

I have purchased a book and the seller has listed the Royal Mail tracking number, but it's not working!

When I entered the tracking number into the RM websites Track & Trace, it states it does not identify the number given?!

Checked & entered 3 times, given-up now.

I have used Ebay only a 'few' times in the padt but to be quite frank Amazon is way ahead of  Ebay in all respects.  This is a horrible system to shop with!  

As a buyer I don't feel confident nor safe buying off Ebay in the least. 

I only purchased off here as the book I was after was stated at a lower price than Amazon. 

Seriously, this whole seller, buyer scenario on here is really easily open to fraud and there is no assistance on here either, at least with Amazon I may pay more but at least I'm protected and I know at every step where my purchase is, you are kept fully updated at every stage. 

After this book then it's bye, bye I'm closing this account and sticking to Amazon!  

This Ebay is terrible. 

[tressygirl]

You are fully protected  under eBay's 30 day MBG,  Money Back Guarantee policy, as the seller has to give a tracking number which matches the name and address you have registered with eBay.

The seller may have just written a number or 2 incorrectly easily done with a long number.

When did you buy the book has a reasonable time passed eBay's last estimated date for delivery ?

[marco@ebay]

Hi angthom8396, thanks for your post.

Just to add to the advice already given by tressygirl (Thanks again for help). Please note that if the item was shipped with Royal Mail 2nd class, no updates will be provided by Royal Mail until the item is scanned on delivery as that is how Royal Mail 2nd class works (The only update you get is when the post man scans it as delivered when they deliver the parcel). If it wasn't Royal Mail 2nd class, please confirm the item number, and I will be happy to take a further look for you.

Thank you,

Marco

[the*lioness]

I have been given a tracking number UK**** which doesn't exist.  I have no idea what company it is.  The item should have been shipped Royal Mail 2nd Class, but this is not a Royal Mail number.  No answer from seller.

[zoomingmouse]

It is pretty difficult to be scammed on Ebay as a buyer, as long as you understand how it works. 

Read the Money Back Guarantee, which is on every listing page, to see how you are covered as a buyer if your item has not arrived within the last estimated delivery date given.

[elecompuk]

As a seller on Ebay I use their post label service. I can buy Royal Mail postage direct from them and its all simple to do. However when I do this Ebay generates a tracking number for each post label I buy. This number is not a Royal Mail tracking number as Royal Mail does not provide tracking at those postal rates. The number you are given is pretty useless. I have had to explain this literally thousands of times to buyers. Some panic and open cases on me. It is not a good sytsem.

[invigilator-007]

I have been given a 21 digit Royal Mail 48 hour tracking number by the seller I purchased from on Ebay but on entering it on the Royal Mail tracking service it says in red type that "an update will only be given when we attempt to deliver your item". 
So, this tracking number is useless to me as a buyer as I cannot see where about on the journey the item is, and also, if it stays undelivered to me I still cannot find anything out by putting in the number.  It is pointless then surely?

[howcoh123]

Yes it is pointless and very concerning when buying expensive items.

[2600ian]

I sold an item and bought postage through Ebay.  I posted it.    The buyer said they never received it.  Because the tracking number Ebay supply doesn't work on Royal Mail Ebay decided to recover the sale from me and refund the buyer.  So, I lost the item I sold and I paid for postage which never delievered the item.  Or the seller lied and said they never received it.  Either way, never buying postage from Ebay again.  And you should make clear the tracking number is a fiction.

[runner-bean]

In a lot of instances Royal Mail Tracking is unfit for purpose as the only time that you know where your item is that you purchased is when it was posted and when it has been delivered, nothing in between and you cannot find out where your item is by contacting Royal Mail because you have to give them the name and address of the sender, which you cannot do because neither eBay or the sender provides those details. eBay also needs to stop giving fake tracking numbers on your purchases because it’s misleading and most unfair to sellers which harms their feedback, if in a sellers description they do not mention tracking assume that it will not be.

[catherinemaille]

Did you call eBay?

I called just now before going on the community forum (should have done the reverse), the agent said they have never heard of an issue between Royal Mail / EBay tracking… surely there are thousands of us in the same situation?
I have purchased postage from eBay to make things simple and now cannot get any funds because none of the items show as delivered (I even got a positive feedback on one of them). Really angry at the new policy.

By default the funds will unblock in a month - what do they do with the locked funds in the meantime? 
So now I will have to wait 1 month from date of purchase to receive funds!!! I have been with eBay 18 years… this is my last sell and moving to vinted or whatever other selling platform. 

[catherinemaille]

 

This is not true for all cases, I have a second class Royal Mail example here where I have sent the parcel, the buyer received and gave positive feedback, yet the tracking info will not update as dispatched. This cannot be the only example and I am really wondering if anyone is properly looking into this instead of giving unfounded responses. It’s not good for buyers and not good for sellers either who will wait 30days for the funds to be released. 
18 years ebayer - this is my last year

[forestfeline62]

It sounds like the seller has entered the wrong tracking number ,either a mistake within it or they have not posted the item yet but have added a false number to make it look like they have dispatched it . I know myself as a seller  how easy it is  to put an 8 in when it should be a B and vice versa , perhaps contact the seller and ask them to check the number and see what they come up with .