eBay

packratville · ‎02-10-2021

I got a late order and since it was after midnight and I'm shipping the package today, I printed out the label. However, I just noticed in My eBay that it's showing I shipped it out yesterday (the 9th).

I've always used Endicia but need to cut costs so I used Pirate Ship for the first time tonight to create my label, and Pirate Ship is integrated with my eBay account. Is there some sort of time zone setting in eBay I can adjust so I don't run into this again? Or do I just need to be sure to print my shipping label after 3 a.m. (I'm on the East coast)?

If I print labels through eBay, is the date of shipping based on eBay's time, or would it be based on my East coast time zone?

Thanks for any help. I've had a long break from eBay for the most part but will be listing new items soon.

no_zero369 · ‎02-10-2021

The eBay system uses West Coast time, so if you are in a different time zone, then a different time gets recorded. So since you are in the Eastern time zone, which is 3-hours ahead of the West Coast, you create a label at 1 AM East Coast time, eBay records the label creation as 11 PM West Coast time and since at Midnight the calendar changes, the time stamp would say 11 PM the prior day. This is just how things work and is no big issue, nothing to be concerned with or nothing to change.

The bigger issue, which is well known and hotly debated, is that eBay in its wisdom sends the buyer a note when you create the label, which states that the item has shipped, or something that looks like that to the causal observer. So most buyers think that eBay eMail means the item is with the shipper, when in fact all that has really happened is a shipping label was created.

What IS critical is that the label gets scanned as "accepted" by the shipper within your stated handling time frame. As the acceptance scan is what your service metrics are measured on. With overworked POs it might not make sense to toss packages in collection boxes as they don't always get scanned. Rather stand in line get a scan and a receipt.

packratville · ‎02-10-2021

Thanks so much for your detailed response. I'll know to be more mindful in the future when it comes to the time when I create labels. It's something that didn't come up with Endicia because it wasn't integrated into my eBay account, and I entered tracking information when I put the package in the mail.

terrafirmatx · ‎08-15-2022

If this is the case, then explain why I just packed something at 9pm Central and it's marked as shipped tomorrow at 2am? Are they using Greenwich time now?

a_c_green · ‎08-15-2022

@terrafirmatx wrote:
If this is the case, then explain why I just packed something at 9pm Central and it's marked as shipped tomorrow at 2am? Are they using Greenwich time now?

Occasionally yes, for out-of-network scans that are reported to USPS without the correct time zone offset applied. That's generally only seen when the tracking number is first generated via eBay, Pitney Bowes, ShipStation or whatever. USPS cannot always determine from which time zone the new number was created, so it labels the timestamp as GMT.

Once the package appears someplace and is scanned in-network by a USPS device, the correct local date and time will shown from then on.

ajs_coins_and_alchemy · ‎08-15-2022

@terrafirmatx

@a_c_green

Ok ... dumb question maybe? ... can either of you explain to me why anyone would care what time is listed for "shipped" time? I understand it matters when you ship/acceptance scan for EBay proof you shipped on time.

Why would anyone care if they printed it at 3am that it says "shipped at 1am" it's a difference of hours, not days, and has no effect on ebay shipping timeline. Am I missing something? Or are you guys just discussing an odd anomaly that has no real consequences (I totally accept that, if that is the case)

a_c_green · ‎08-16-2022

@ajs_coins_and_alchemy wrote:
Why would anyone care if they printed it at 3am that it says "shipped at 1am" it's a difference of hours, not days, and has no effect on ebay shipping timeline. Am I missing something? Or are you guys just discussing an odd anomaly that has no real consequences (I totally accept that, if that is the case)

I think the OP was asking why eBay logged the Shipping label purchase on the previous day, which was because the OP is in the Eastern time zone and eBay is in the Pacific, 3 hours earlier. I don't know if that would also have resulted in the Shipping label being dated on the previous day, though the post office wouldn't care if it was.

To the later question, you can see Greenwich Mean Time reported in the tracking history if the network reporting to USPS is providing a time stamp but not a time zone (or possibly reporting the new tracking number with no timestamp at all). USPS will log it as GMT since there is no additional detail on where the package currently is.

eBay coding is generally sloppy at showing time zones anyway. For example, items on your watchlist will show their ending time in the Pacific time zone (e.g. "Thursday, 06:28 PM"), but if you view the listing itself, the ending time will be shown in your local time zone instead ("Thursday, 8:28PM" for me in the Central zone). In neither case is the time zone indicated; you just have to remember for yourself what zone you're looking at when skimming the listings.

stehu9939 · ‎03-27-2024

eBay actually uses GMT for tracking not pacific time. GMT is the time used in London, UK which times zones are based on. Because eBay does not actually know which time zone you are in it uses GMT instead.

kh-vince · ‎03-27-2024

Hi everyone,

Due to the age of this thread, it has been closed to further replies. Please feel free to start a new thread if you wish to continue to discuss this topic.

Thank you for understanding.