Looks like I used same USPS shipping label twice, was scanned and accepted at counter, now what?

[digidude66]

Wanted to send additional item to a user for a completed and delivered order. Went to shipping labels , found last delivered order. Used drop down to purchase another label, page was standard one with package dimensions and weight. My default for QR/label broker was selected . next to label cost I clicked purchase label. Got email notification of QR and saved it. I packaged item and when to post office, they scanned QR code, printed label, attached to package and scanned label. When I got home I wanted to add the new shipment to my informed delivery for tracking. At first I looked at the shipped labels page for the user to see if it had a new tracking number but it shows the same old one, so I looked at my new counter receipt and it has same tracking number I already set last week.  I looked at the saved QR code on my I-phone from yesterday @ 10pm and it's also same as QR code received a week ago. Question I have is the counter person scanned label so it was accepted at the counter, nothing barfed. I checked PayPal for a purchase transaction for postage and there isn't  any.  Did I just mail something for free,  will it get there?  Can't check the tracking number as it say's delivered. I guess I will have to wait and see. Very confusing

[rfmtm]

There have been a few recent ebay glitches with shipping labels and tracking numbers being messed up, but  if the first label was scanned, then any duplication should have been caught when the post office scanned the second label at the counter.

Hard to tell what will happen now.  Keep us updated.

@wastingtime101  What do you think about this?

[wastingtime101]

If the OP hadn't described the act of purchasing another label I'd say it sounds like they printed another copy of the original label.

My guess is both packages will probably be delivered to the buyer. It's possible one might get returned to sender, or the seller might be billed through APV if it's set up to catch duplicates (I don't know if it is).

Basically I'd do nothing at this point except watch tracking to see what happens. Both packages are headed to the same destination so it's not like the seller has to worry about a package going to the wrong buyer. It will either be delivered or returned to sender.

[rfmtm]

I would have thought it a duplicate too, but after 24 hours that isn't even an option.  What's odd is the scan at the post office didn't flag it as a duplicate label.

[wastingtime101]

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@rfmtm wrote:

I would have thought it a duplicate too, but after 24 hours that isn't even an option.  What's odd is the scan at the post office didn't flag it as a duplicate label.

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Actually @rfmtm , you can reprint up to 5 days even if already printed and scanned. It requires specific navigation to access it though.

I'm not surprised post office didn't flag it. I've had packages returned to me (due to post office error), put them back out for pickup and they get scanned by my carrier and delivered to the buyer with no issues.

I think the package will be delivered without issue, but OP may see an APV charge if the system is set up to detect duplicates.

[rfmtm]

Are you talking about a reprint through the ebay shipping center?  This has always be reported to have only a 24 hour window.  If longer, it would save many from having to void and create a new label.  Care to elaborate?

[wastingtime101]

Sorry, my above post was wrong about the number of days - reprint is 7 days, not 5. Five is for voiding.

It was 24 hour reprint window for years, but eBay changed it this past Spring to 7 days. It's even mentioned in the help page if you want to look that up.

For a label that hasn't been scanned, select reprint from the actions drop down on the manage labels page.

For a label that was scanned, you have to select purchase another label, then at the top of the next page click reprint.

There probably aren't many cases where a seller would want to reprint a label that was already scanned. What I mentioned above about reshipping due to USPS error could warrant a reprint if the original label has markings on it. Or a seller may want to use reprint to download a PDF of the label for their records. I keep downloads of all my labels which I find helpful in a number of situations, so if I ran into an error downloading at time of purchase then I could use reprint after the fact to download a copy.

[digidude66]

Update: customer just received said package and no postage due. 

I may have discovered a rip in spacetime or just a glitch in the matrix. BTW  I clicked purchase label

not just reprint. Thought it was weird that I got the email "your label is ready" but no ping from PayPal  that a charge to E bay shipping happened.  Final score, me "1" the man "0"

😉

[wastingtime101]

You might see the charge come in a few weeks when USPS APV system catches up. If you don't then yeah, you got lucky and saved a few bucks.

[chrissymar61]

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@wastingtime101 wrote:

You might see the charge come in a few weeks when USPS APV system catches up. If you don't then yeah, you got lucky and saved a few bucks.

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I literally just done this, I have my receipts and everything. I had 2 different buyers, well I guess I got the qr codes mixed up or something not sure, but the first buyer received their item and approved jt and funds were issued to me. well I 5 days later I mailed another package and for some reason not sure how I used the qr code for the first buyer. well they got tve second package days later, now they just sent a refund notice saying they never got.the first package and that I sent them the wrong item. I have receipts that shows the same tracking number was used days later and that both were sent to them. any suggestions on what to do with the buyer saying they never received?

[cwsales43]

This is very odd that the post office still let the package scan in. This should be flagged upon scan in at the post office. 

[sadieshimek]

I did the same thing. However the person who should have received the second package it has not. Will it return to me because it didn't have valid postage? So I sent two packages to the same customer. He returned the first one because it wasn't his product. But he hasn't gotten his product. Will I get it back or is it just dead mail somewhere?