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USPS delivered to agent for final delivery
Hello I sold a item and USPS tracking says USPS "delivered to agent for final delivery", which means basically USPS delivered the item to the address and gave it to someone there on behalf of the buyer. The tracking shows not delivered but still in transit which means funds have not been released by Ebay because, but research on this says as far as USPS is concerned the item is delivered and USPS has done their part.
If the buyer won't update that item is received even though USPS considers that it was, will Ebay release funds for the sale?
56 comments
kh-cathy
·2 years agoHi 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.
daoli_8711
·3 years agoIf your USPS package was delivered to an agent for final delivery, it means that the package couldn't be delivered to your address for some reason. It could be because the address was incorrect, or there was no one home to receive the package. In any case, the agent will make a note of where the package was supposed to be delivered and will try to deliver it to the right address. If you have any questions about your package, you can contact the agent to find out more.
mam98031
·3 years ago@daoli_8711
Not exactly. I have many packages over the years where a buyer has their package shipped to their work address. Sometimes that makes the package delivered to the receptionist or even the mail room, which when this happens it is Delivered to Agent. Sometimes buyers in an apartment complex has their packages delivered to the leasing office, again then the tracking would show Delivered to Agent. Etc. Lots of reasons.
If a package can not be delivered as addressed, that is a separate issue, one in which USPS would never use delivered to agent for. It would be stating bad address, return to sender type of notation on the tracking.
jonesdm63
·3 years agoI have had this happen a few times too. It will eventually be marked as delivered, but it might take longer then normal. As far as funds go, I get paid according to my ebay payout schedule , it has nothing to do with when delivery is marked.
mam98031
·3 years ago@devon@ebay
On a different thread you noted that the appropriate team had updated the written policy to allow for Delivered to Agent to = Delivered. In my above post you will see it has not yet been updated in the MBG. In what policy did they correct it and did they just forget to do the MBG too?
Re: eBay not recognizing "Delivered to Agent for F... - Page 2 - The eBay Community
mam98031
·3 years ago@elizabeth@ebay
@devon@ebay
@kyle@ebay
I can't seem to find the link to the tracking policy that states if tracking reads Delivered to Agent = Delivered. Sorry, I've looked for awhile, but have been unable to find it.
mam98031
·3 years agoA friend of mine send me a PM with the proper link. IDK why I didn't think of looking at the MBG, I sure looked at a whole lot of other policy pages. But here it is and everyone should bookmark this so they can quote it as necessary.
eBay Money Back Guarantee policy
Evidence of successful delivery
We require all of the following to prove a successful on-time delivery:
For eBay Authenticity Guarantee items, additional evidence is required. See Evidence of successful delivery to the authenticator below.
To me it does not appear that this has been updated.
devon@ebay
Hey @mam98031! I know this is something that was being updated from earlier this year so let us reach out to a few specialist to see if there are help pages to show these updates.
wastingtime101
·3 years agoI will be very surprised @devon@ebay if eBay spells out "delivered to agent for final delivery" in the public-facing policy pages. That's the kind of info eBay has on their internal pages exclusively. eBay already says "delivery or attempted delivery" is covered which is a blanket statement under which "delivered to agent" would fall.
eBay does not spell out the very long list of what qualifies as "delivery or attempted delivery" (available for pickup, delivery attempt, mail receptacle blocked, no mail receptacle, no such address, etc) in the public-facing pages. I expect "delivered to agent" shouldn't be different than any other attempted delivery / delivered scan in that respect.
But if you wouldn't mind posting an update on the long thread on the shipping board about when we can expect to see the seller hub orders page and tracking pop-ups fixed, that would be greatly appreciated. Packages are still stuck on "in transit" or showing an erroneous "available for pickup" instead of "delivered" scan. Thanks!
devon@ebay
Hey @mam98031! I heard back from a specialist on this and here is the update they wanted to share:
"eBay tracking is mapping USPS status ‘delivered to agent for final delivered’ on eBay tracking events. This means sellers and buyers should see ‘delivered’ on eBay when USPS status is ‘delivered to agent for final delivery’. Given this, there was no update to Help Hub content for INRs."
mam98031
·3 years agoI don't get it. Why can't Ebay simply say that in the policy. Delivered to agent = Delivered. Why make this more complicated than it needs to be.
pjcdn2005
·3 years agoI think that you are missing the point. There has never been a policy about this in the help pages and it wasn't needed because when usps said that a package had been given to an agent for final delivery and showed as delivered, ebay's tracking showed that package as delivered on their site. But about 6 months ago, ebay stopped showing that package as being delivered even though usps still did. Now ebay's tracking information stalls at in transit whenever usps uses the term 'delivered to agent'. I have no idea why it changed and have even less idea why it is taking so long to get fixed. I know that now since it has written in policy for ebay agents, it is easier for sellers to appeal if they lose the inr. But they shouldn't have to appeal, the item was delivered.
wastingtime101
·3 years agoExactly.
mam98031
·3 years agoThank you, but no I don't miss any point here. So you are of the opinion since in your opinion there has never been a policy on this that there should never be a policy on this???
USPS does not use the word "given to agent for final delivery", they use Delivered to Agent.
pjcdn2005
·3 years agoNo, I didn't say that. As you quoted earlier in this thread there already is a policy written that ebay agents are aware and simply transferring it to the help pages isn't going to make a difference or help sellers. The problem is not the policy or where it is written. The problem is that ebay is not showing an item is delivered when usps says it has been "Delivered to agent". They system is generally set to rule in a buyer's favor when an item is not shown with a delivery status on ebay. A policy written in the help pages isn't going to change that. A change needs to be made in the programming so that's what they need to concentrate on.
mam98031
·3 years agoI respect your right to your opinion, mine is just different in this case. And again, I didn't miss anything as you sometimes like to throw out there. I believe both things are an issue. The policy and the way it is denoted on the tracking in Ebay.
Further, I don't think Ebay should be editing the tracking of a carrier.
My opinion doesn't need to be the same as yours.
pjcdn2005
·3 years agoAccording to the dozens of reports on this the past few months, USPS shows delivered to agent as Delivered. eBay used to show it as delivered but no longer does.
mam98031
·3 years agoWith that said. Ebay does recognize Delivered to Agent the same as Delivered.
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Shipping/eBay-not-recognizing-quot-Delivered-to-Agent-for-Final-Delivery/m-p/33499234#M437108
pjcdn2005
·3 years agoAnd yet two months later people are posting on this thread that they are having the same problem.
You can't believe everything that you read, Devon obviously spoke to soon. There are 4 pages of posts after that and other threads about how in most cases 'delivered to agent' is still not showing as 'delivered' on ebay.
wastingtime101
·3 years agoThe policy may formally cover this, but that doesn't mean there aren't still numerous issues including:
- Orders page not recognizing a delivered status.
- Tracking pop up not recognizing a delivered status.
- Low volume/new sellers whose funds are typically held until successful delivery are now facing longer holds because eBay's system is not recognizing the delivered status.
- Sellers are still losing claims and having to appeal.
- Sellers are still running into roadblocks with CS that read "delivered to agent for final delivery" and without looking up the official policy they are making a determination that the package hasn't been delivered yet.
- Even heard from a buyer that had a problem with their return when the return had a "delivered to agent" status.
There are countless posts on this forum, other forums, social media, private seller groups. It's being discussed everywhere.
I get that your mindset is stuck on the formal policy that considers delivered to agent as delivered, but the policy is not the only factor in play here. In several areas of the site "delivered to agent" is not being recognized with a delivered status.
This is an ongoing problem since the first week of October. We're quickly approaching 6 months without any word from the shipping team on when this might be fixed.
mam98031
·3 years agoI believe Ebay goes by the Carrier's tracking, not the tracking shown on the Ebay purchase as the two are often different. Sometimes it is because the tracking on Ebay is not on real time updates.
I am having real trouble locating the Ebay policy that states that delivered to agent = or doesn't equal delivered. Do you have a link?
I believe what you are saying. I remember seeing a couple of threads with the problem you describe.
My advice to sellers would be to check the tracking before replying to any INR they received, there is a place to attach a document. Create a Word file or a PDF and explain the tracking shows Delivered to Agent which =s Delivered. Along with the link to the policy [which I can't seem to find]. If no one knows where that is, we could add links to the Community threads where the Community team responded that the two are equal.
inhawaii
·3 years agoSee...
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Shipping/Delivered-to-Agent-for-Final-Delivery/td-p/33619832
and
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Shipping/eBay-not-recognizing-quot-Delivered-to-Agent-for-Final-Delivery/m-p/33499234#M437108
dolcetreasures
·3 years agohttps://community.ebay.com/t5/Shipping/eBay-not-recognizing-quot-Delivered-to-Agent-for-Final-Delivery/m-p/33521344#M438113
mam98031
·3 years agoThat is a good thread. It is important to note however that the title is incorrect. Ebay has always recognized Delivered to Agent as delivered to buyer.
pjcdn2005
·3 years ago@mam98031
Perhaps I'm missing something but I'm confused as to why you are saying that the title is incorrect? The thread is about ebay packages that have 'delivered to agent' on the usps site are not being updated as Delivered on ebay. Sellers are being asked to refund buyers in some of those cases. eBay used to mark delivered to agent packages as delivered, but they have not been doing so for the last few months.
mam98031
·3 years agoThank you for catching that, I should have been clearer in my post. Not updating Ebay tracking on the site and not recognizing Delivered to Agent as delivered are two different things. If the carrier tracking shows delivered to agent, then it is delivered as far as the seller is concerned. If there were to ever be an issue, just have the CSR or other member look at the carrier's tracking.
Many times I have seen where the tracking on Ebay hasn't been updated. I've never noticed it specifically for this reason, but I've seen it happen randomly throughout the years as the Ebay tracking is not always complete. I personally always go my the Carrier's tracking informatioin.
With that said, Ebay does recognized Delivered to Agent = Delivered. They have done that for years. I have no answers as to why anyone started having a problem with it. But hopefully it is fixed now.
naplocheck
·3 years agoI would just like to volunteer input on this topic from personal experience, because I have seen several comments insinuating that buyers were being dishonest for not reporting the package was delivered. I understand that after shipping item the seller has fulfilled their obligation in the transaction. However, the assumption that "delivered to agent for final delivery" does not basically mean it was delivered to address or to someone on buyers behalf. In fact it is almost a certainty that it was not delivered to any address, as the postal carriers do not have an option to scan a package as such; this was explained to me by an experienced mailman who was training someone on my route. The scan would have taken place at the post office. Upon visiting the post office in order to get a better understanding of the situation and with hopes of picking up (ebay tracking said that it was ready for pickup, even though usps left no such notice) I realized that usps just lost the package. After checking in the back without success, the clerk confidently declared that the scan meant the package was being returned the shipper. I questioned her reasoning, asking if they were able to verify this and update the tracking?..would it even have the same tracking number?..why would an item, out for delivery at 6:04am then be scanned at exactly 5:00pm as "delivered to agent for final delivery" before immediately taking a nonstop trip back to address of the original shipper?..why has it not been scanned by any regional facilities in the 5 days since last update so they could track it during its journey home?.. No fault of the seller, no dishonesty of the buyer and Ebay is not to blame, although they will have to pay for USPS's mistake.
the-hook-and-the-loop
·3 years agoSorry, but the one thing that scan DOESN'T represent, is that the package is on it's way back to the shipper. Thanks for throwing that in there though.
wastingtime101
·3 years agoYou got bad info from both the carrier and the clerk @naplocheck.
See page 7 of this document:
https://postalpro.usps.com/product-tracking-and-reporting/scan-events-descriptions
This event scan has been in place for years, and so far all my buyers have received their packages. The issue is with your post office and you should speak with the carrier that was working your route the day it was scanned delivered. You should also speak with your housemates/neighbors.
mam98031
·3 years agoThank you for popping in and sharing your observations with us. Unfortunately you were given some bad information by Ebay and USPS.
Delivered to Agent just means that the buyer had the seller ship to their work or some other business and it was delivered to the receptionist or mail room, whichever is appropriate. Some buyers have items delivered have their packages shipped to their work, a Freight Forwarder or even the leasing office of their apartment complex.
If a package is being returned to seller for some reason, the tracking will say just that, well it will say returned to Sender and the tracking will show the path it takes to get back to the sender.
I don't think that most sellers think a buyer is lying when they report an item is not received even though tracking shows it is received. But there are some that do and sellers are always wary of that. Over the years that I've been selling I've had a few of these. If Ebay made sellers responsible even when tracking shows delivered, it would likely bankrupt many sellers and there would be little purpose of tracking.
Or they report the product as being damaged in shipment. That one is pretty easy as I ask them to send me a picture for our records and I'll get them taken care of. Some send a pic and some don't. The ones that don't typically go away never to be heard from again.
sextons-sweet-deals
·3 years agoI would like to know the explanation of this 'delivered to agent for delivery' from eBay and USPS.
I paid the $3.10 for signature required at delivery for my item I sold. I have an item from December that fails to show delivery, but I know it was because the repeated buyer has not contacted me, and they bought another item from me days later that shows it was delivered with signature required.
Tracking summary
wastingtime101
·3 years agoExplanation from USPS here, page 7:
https://postalpro.usps.com/product-tracking-and-reporting/scan-events-descriptions
Explanation from eBay here:
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Shipping/eBay-not-recognizing-quot-Delivered-to-Agent-for-Final-Delivery/m-p/33427132#M433706
1tuna
·3 years agoI am up against this right now
Tracking summary
We'll update you as soon as more info is available.Last Location: Miami beach, FL
this is a $1200 watch and I hope it gets signed for because I payed for that
I messaged the buyer to pick it up or go get it. the buyer lives in Hungary.
it does not really mater what the blues say about anything
if the CSR team has no notes in front of them they are not going to be up on the latest directive or minutiae concerning terminology
@wastingtime101
dolcetreasures
·3 years agoIt will NEVER update beyond that point. That’s the issue everyone is having. It never completed the delivery chain via the eBay usps shipping chain. You can only see the green completed chain if you enter the tracking directly into the usps website.
I originally noticed this is now happening for every freight forwarding transaction since the middle of November. The agent is the forwarding company, they receive bins full of packages at a time.
saylesville2003
·3 years agoThank you for making this issue clear. I continue to have this issue right along as late as this week. Ebay does not show package delivered . I believe this was reported to Ebay around December, 2022 but it has not been remedied.
I imagine one remedy is to cancel any order with a freight forwarder on the basis of address issue if Ebay will not give us sellers a clear direction/protection on such tracking issues.
Does anyone know if any seller has experienced an INR on such a case and had Ebay take a stand?
Even if it has been decided does not mean that Ebay would take the same stance in a subsequent case.
mam98031
·3 years agoDoes the tracking show delivered by the carrier but the Ebay system doesn't show it, or is it that both Ebay and the carrier do not show as delivered?
sextons-sweet-deals
·3 years agothank you for the information.
As of today, my issue still shows the same status under the USPS website:
Latest Update
Your item has been delivered to an agent for final delivery on December 14, 2022 at 4:40 pm
I trust my buyer! They have bought in the past. They actually bought another item after I shipped the above item, and it shows delivered. Even if the buyer was out of town and had his mail forwarded (?), someone should still have to sign for it.
It's the scammers that I'm worried about. Someone had to sign for it! I shipped with signature required. It should show delivered.
I have started marking my packages in red 'signature required' labels and taking photos of package with the eBay label included. Not that is solid but gives me some ammo if needed to fight if a case is opened.
Note to all: my buyer lives in the U.S. Not a freight forwarder address.
hu158160
·3 years agoIf you see the tracking status of your USPS package says Delivered to Agent for Final Delivery, it means that your package is in the hands of a postal agent who will complete the final delivery.
mam98031
·3 years agoI've not heard that before, very interesting. In my experience it means it was delivered to the receptionist, apartment complex office or mail room. When this happens it is because the address the buyer used was for the place they work or the apartment complex they live at.
dolcetreasures
·3 years agoI just spoke to eBay concierge as this seems to be a growing concern. I was assured that for all intents and purposes they consider it “delivered”.
lionking_2112
OP3 years agoI don't have a professional account I tried "contact ebay" and it keeps sending me a runaround to a chat help section and will not show me how to call ebay. Would like clarification from a ebay representative where this goes from here, do I get paid? Ebay help section is almost entirely geared for buyers not for non professional sellers.
femmefan1946
·3 years agoI tried "contact ebay" and it keeps sending me a runaround to a chat help section and will not show me how to call ebay.
The Chats on social media are eBay direct employees who are well-trained and have some authority.
And you get a transcript .

https://www.facebook.com/eBayForBusiness/ — Message button in upper right on landing page.

https://twitter.com/askebay?lang=en

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/How-do-I-contact-Customer-Support/m-p/32016431#M1783851 -> Automated Assistant, type AGENT -> enter. You will then get more options.


The social media Chat accounts are covered by trained eBay employees with some authority.
And you get a transcript so you can compare what you heard with what you were told.
carlmarxx
·3 years agogo to chat page is open type in call back and scroll down to your phone number shows up and click it . it will tell you when ebay call's you . The Mod's have same info .
mam98031
·3 years agoI would suggest that you contact Ebay for Business on Facebook or Twitter for the better trained CSRs.
Here are your options for contacting Ebay Customer Service.
https://twitter.com/askebay?lang=en
https://www.facebook.com/eBayForBusiness/
If when you use the link below you can only get to the Automated Assistant, type AGENT in the box and hit enter. You will then get more options.
https://www.ebay.com/help/contact_us?id=4002&st=10
For the Payment Team
https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/getting-paid/getting-paid-items-youve-sold/payments-hold?id=4816&&redirectedFrom=4155
dolcetreasures
·3 years agoThis is now what’s happening with Freight Forwarders. It’s as if USPS throws the burden onto the next party instead of marking it delivered. This is something new and since the deliveries are no longer connected to usps, the tracking will never update beyond this point. It seems to be an act of willful cunning. Our job was simply to get it to the delivery location, now we are being held accountable for the entire delivery route and furthermore, left to the will of the buyer. This is completely unacceptable.
lsc_resale
·3 years agoI just printed a label for a buyer whose name I recall had claimed that he never received the first item. After checking the tracking # I see that it was delivered to an agent for final delivery! The buyers address is listed as a freight forwarding service. I reached out to ebay, however they said as long as you have the tracking # you're protected. Can you block buyers so they cannot purchase items from you?
 
mam98031
·3 years agoThis is an old thread.
The term "delivered to agent" is not something normally stated when it is delivered to a Freight Forwarder. Not saying it doesn't happen, it just doesn't usually happen. The "delivered to agent" is normally at an apartment complex that has a leasing office where residents can have mail / packages delivered to or some people ship to their work address and the reception or mail room staff receive the mail.
I have always recommended to people that have an issue with something not getting delivered and USPS is used, to always go to the USPS site, call up the tracking number and sign up for updates to the tracking. That way if you end up paying out on an INR and the item is received at a later date, you are notified and you can then take action at that time. You can notify the buyer you are aware that the item has now been received and ask if they want to repay you for it or return it. And you can notify Ebay that the buyer now has the package.
Well the mere fact you have a tracking number does NOT mean you are protected. If USPS had lost the package you would be paying out for it or if they damaged it. But on an INR you are protected when the tracking shows delivered to agent or just delivered.
wastingtime101
·3 years agoYep, your package was delivered so you'll be covered if an item not received (INR) claim is filed.
You can block buyer IDs here @lsc_resale: https://www.ebay.com/bmgt/buyerrequirements
Since the Fall most packages to FF are showing the "delivered to agent" scan. It's created problems for a lot of sellers that eBay is not recognizing a "delivered" status on the Orders page. The Orders page and tracking popup (popup currently shows as "available for pickup" on delivered to agent scans which makes the situation even more confusing) are not reflecting accurate information, but the USPS scans are.
Any INR found against the seller (which was happening frequently in Dec-Jan but hasn't been happening for a while) can be appealed. If for some reason you lose the claim you can send CS a link to this post where an eBay rep confirmed the eBay policy was formally updated at the end of Jan: https://community.ebay.com/t5/Shipping/eBay-not-recognizing-quot-Delivered-to-Agent-for-Final-Delivery/m-p/33499234#M437108
jumpmaster99
·2 years agoI know this post is from a while ago, but I wanted to share my experience with “delivered to agent for final delivery.â€
I just had this happen on two packages — they were going to my PO box (legit PO box at the actual post office…not a pack and mail place) and USPS scanned those packages as “delivered to agent for final delivery†and guess what? There was nothing at all in my PO box when I checked. No parcel locker key. No delivery attempt pink slip. Nothing. Completely empty.
Now it may (or may not) actually show up tomorrow. But I have had this same thing happen previously and the postal clerk just decided to either give my package to someone else or they stole it. And because it had that scan, the postal service is absolved of any wrongdoing because they falsely scanned it as “delivered†when I didn’t have the package and had no way to obtain it.
I’ve also had packages scanned as just plain “delivered†to my po box and nothing was in there but a cardstock slip with my PO box number on it. So I get a scan showing “delivered†thinking my package is in my po box or a parcel locker, so I go after they’re closed because that’s when I can get there and there’s nothing there and I have to take off work to wait in line and pick it up the next day — if it wasn’t stolen by them or given to someone else because they like to do that here. lol
Anyway, just wanted to let everyone know the USPS ***does*** put in wrong/fraudulent scans like that when the buyer really doesn’t have the package and has no way to readily get it from the USPS.
femmefan1946
·3 years ago@lsc_resale
Delivery to the freight forwarder is delivery to the buyer.
Your responsibility for the delivery ends when the shipment gets to the forwarder.
And most of the Money Back Guarantee ends there too.
The forwarder usually also takes care of import fees, so your shipment does not get held at HungarianCustoms until the purchaser gets around to picking it up.
If you are concerned about deliveries to freight forwarders*, you could add Signature Confirmation for a small fee. EBay does not require this, but the forwarder won't mind, it costs them nothing,and you can sell it to the customer as additional security for them.
* and forwarder addresses are the second most secure you could ship to, safer than houses.
saylesville2003
·3 years agoI am having the same issue as late as this week. While this was reported to Ebay around 12/22 there does not seem to be any remedy that I am aware of. One option is to cancel any order with a freight forwarder address based upon issues with the address. There really should be direction from Ebay on this issue in writing to protect sellers.