Unused USPS labels / tracking numbers got recycled, leading to un-refunded labels and seller defects | Report eBay Technical Issues

nicholas_knacks · 2026-06-01T23:58:10.025000Z

I sold an item on 3/28/26. I shipped the item on 3/31/26. Apparently when checking out, I generated two separate labels, less than 1 minute apart. Possibly an issue with a slow connection, but that's a separate concern. Because I didn't intend to create 2 labels, I didn't notice that there were 2 associated with the order. I printed the one label, packaged up the item and shipped it out on 3/31/26. USPS tracking for label 1 shows:- Created in my zip code on 3/31/26- Accepted at USPS facility in my zip code 3/31/26- Delivered to customer's address 4/3/26 USPS tracking for label 2 shows:- Created in my zip code on 3/31/26- Accepted at USPS facility on the opposite side of the country on 5/28/26- Delivered to customer's address 5/29/26 (same zip code as label #1) Except I never printed / used label 2, and I definitely didn't drop it off on the other side of the country. I'm guessing that the buyer purchased something either from eBay or another site, and when their address was put in the destination field, either eBay or USPS checked a database of stale tracking numbers and re-used it rather than generating a new one. As a result, when mysterious sender #2 sent their package to my old customer, it associated the tracking number that I originally generated with their package. This would be pretty easy for eBay to validate by checking to see if tracking number #2 on my order is associated with any other eBay orders placed by that user. The end result is:1. I never received a refund for my un-used label2. I have received a seller defect for shipping past the handling time, because the automated system sees that the delivery date for tracking #2 is 5/29/26, far past the order date of 3/28/26. 3. Appealing the shipping defect was automatically rejected by the system because it just re-checks the tracking number and spits out the same result. I've had this issue happen once before several months ago, so this bug has been around for a while.

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Unused USPS labels / tracking numbers got recycled, leading to un-refunded labels and seller defects | Report eBay Technical Issues | eBay Community