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eBay not recognizing "Delivered to Agent for Final Delivery" as delivered.
In many places such as apartment buildings with concierge/doorman, townhouse complexes with a management office, freight forwarders, buildings with mailrooms, etc USPS will deliver to the building's mail "agent" and this has always registered a "delivered" status on the eBay orders page.
That is it used to until about 2-1/2 months ago. Now those orders are stuck as "shipped" as the system is not recognizing that packages were delivered. When you click the tracking pop-up it's stuck at "it's on its way to the buyer" and "was scheduled" for delivery on X date.
I've reported the issue multiple times, but I'm wondering if others here are seeing the same problem?
Hey @devon@ebay - can you get the shipping and/or seller hub teams working on this? If you need order numbers or screenshots to reference I can send an e-mail.
kh-stanley1
·3 years agoHi everyone,
This thread has been closed at the request of the OP.
Thank you for understanding.
beauty4id
·3 years agoI also lost an INR case today for "Delivered to Agent for Final Delivery".
I need @devon@ebay help to appeal the case.
Please help
Thank you
wastingtime101
OP3 years agoDevon doesn't dive into specific account issues like that @beauty4id. You'll have to contact customer service to appeal.
Phone and chat options here:
https://www.ebay.com/help/contact_us?id=4002&st=10
Or send a DM to eBay on facebook or twitter.
gurlcat
·3 years ago@wastingtime101 Had a pretty frustrating discussion with a blue on the Ebay For Business Facebook group tonight (this was in a thread about EIS and in the hilariously chaotic tradition of EFB threads, where they post a cheerful topic and everybody replies with disgruntled fury, often about other topics, this time I did the same) .
I'm just really getting tired of the "good news" that ebay will find in the seller's favor when scammers try to INR with this tracking thing .....if we go through annoying extra hoops to get that finding. And never mind that it's an irritating time suck that will undoubtedly need doing increasingly more often as more scam buyers give it a try ....I also really doubt we (and they, Ebay) could get a real idea how many sellers are actually being affected by this but DON'T appeal or escalate or whatever the term is, because they're relatively new or just think this is yet another way Ebay "enables scammers", so they don't even try to appeal, and just leave Ebay because they're sick of this kind of thing. I don't know the numbers but I would suspect that a very small percent of Ebay sellers participate in this Community, or EFB, or any other groups, and are instead just alone and frustrated.
valueaddedresource
·3 years ago@gurlcat oh my....gotta love the very confident tone of "it comes through the API from USPS so there's nothing we can do" flipped to "well I'm not really tech savvy sooo.....never mind"
I've put in my time in the CS trenches and have a lot of empathy for people doing that work but come on now, if you don't really know something, don't just wing it and make it up as you go along. 🙄
wastingtime101
OP3 years agoThanks for sharing @gurlcat. FYI this has been ongoing since the first week of October (in a few days that makes 7 months) - not November.
That CS rep is informed that policy covers the seller and is ready and willing to help anybody she speaks with that's encountering the issue. I assume most of her teammates are on the same page. I've worked with that rep on social before and she's always been great.
That CS rep is admittedly not tech-savvy, so her comment that this problem can't be fixed is a bit of an uninformed reply. While it's accurate USPS coding can't be changed by eBay, what eBay can do is fix their own coding and the way their system translates data coming through the API.
That CS rep was not correct in saying it's a new USPS scan. The scan has been around for many years (documented upthread with USPS links) and eBay used to read it as delivered on the order page delivery status and tracking pop up (also documented upthread with screenshots I posted). Something broke that first week of October.
If USPS changed something about the way they code delivered to agent then eBay needs to update their code to recognize that change. If USPS changed nothing (no way for us to know either way) then eBay needs to fix whatever change was made in their own code that broke things.
You (gurlcat) had a 'delivered to agent' package that did show delivered in the middle of this (Nov? Dec?). So obviously this eBay programming issue is not affecting every single seller/order.
This can be fixed. It's a question of when that will happen. Devon told us eBay is working on it and I have no reason to doubt that. It appears to not be a high priority for eBay. And I'd assume with all the recent eBay layoffs plus the focus on EIS, resources are probably tighter these days which doesn't help.
Complaints are probably down since (a) we're past the high-volume holiday season and (b) fewer scammers are taking advantage since it's now harder for them to win these cases - sellers have policy backup if they escalate. I can understand why it might not be high priority for eBay, but the longevity of this - seven months - I think that priority status should be bumped. ðŸ˜
In all fairness, through this discussion and Devon's assistance we did effect change to get the delivery status clearly spelled out in eBay's internal policy pages so fewer sellers are losing their appeals. That's a big win, even if the issue is not yet fixed. I don't want to settle for that, though. I want the status fixed. Delivered to agent has been around for years and I never had an issue with eBay showing "delivered" before that first week in October.
It's my hope that many people facing INR claims found this discussion, found solutions through our posts here, took action, and those scammers did not walk away with refunds. I hope that number of sellers outweighs the number of scammers that found this discussion and took advantage. There's always a down side to bringing a problem to light. Gotta hope this is gonna be fixed.
Until this is fixed there will still be sellers (and buyers with returns as demonstrated upthread) that get caught in this. It's a big time and resource (and money) suck for everyone to have to contact CS, sometimes multiple times, to get it sorted. And every refund that comes from eBay's pocket on appeal and every minute of CS resources spent on this is one more hit to sellers because that stuff all translates to more fees in the long run.
Can we aim for a resolution before Summer hits, eBay? Or are you too focused on the EIS changes rolling out through July 1 and the USPS price and service changes rolling out July 9?
gurlcat
·3 years agoThank you. I knew it was either October or November and decided to whine on the conservative side, lol. I've dealt with Paige several times as well, and she's usually been pretty helpful. This time, when her second reply sounded like Ebay really wasn't even trying to fix this (because they couldn't), I knew it was one of two things: that she was the first CSR giving us frank honesty about it, or, that she isn't actually technically savvy enough to make such a statement, yes as she pointed out @valueaddedresource . Oy. But that's why I kept hounding like that, to figure out which of those things it was.
The reason it left me so frustrated was, I think her mix of reactions is likely a blend of not being technically savvy enough to understand exactly why this is so hard to fix, but gathering from inside conversations that it is really hard, in fact hard enough that they're giving up on it for the foreseeable future. Like you say, it must be at the bottom of their priorities for now.
lakefor94
·3 years agoIf ebay can program the system to identify a "attempted delivery" as a delivered shipment they can **bleep** sure program the system to identify "delivered to agent for final delivery" as a delivered shipment as well.
The fact that this malfunction still persists defies logic.
gurlcat
·3 years agoCorrect me if I'm wrong, but I believe when you see "attempted delivery" that's within the box showing the exact tracking scans in USPS's own words, whereas Ebay's progress bar would still just be showing "shipped". That bar (and the presence or absence of the green checkmark) are how the software recognizes whether our packages made it to the addresses on their labels, in other words we did what we were supposed to.
What's happening with this 'agent' thing is a bit different. It's USPS giving us affirmation that we did what we were supposed to, and so did they, but Ebay ISN'T recognizing it, and never will because there is no more tracking after it has reached the "agent."
anasazirose
·3 years agohere is mine
This is the FF it was sent to
banknotes_1
·3 years agoNow ebay started doing the opposite: they marque shipments as DElIVERED even if they were rendered to the final delivery agent and have no been delivered yet. That will keep me from buying on ebay for as much as possible.
wastingtime101
OP3 years agoThe situation you posted about on the buying board is not related to this discussion. This discussion is about packages shipped domestically using USPS.
Your situation involves a package shipped from Colombia to Portugal using DHL Express to an area outside of DHL delivery, so the package was passed to a third party courier (usually the local post office) for final delivery. I don't know the specifics of why DHL/eBay consider that delivered, but it's not related to the topic on this thread so I suggest continuing your discussion here where one poster has offered you a lot of assistance already:
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Buying/Ebay-is-marking-DHL-shipment-as-quot-DELIVERED-quot-while-the/td-p/33703422
It'll help avoid confusing these 2 separate issues. Good luck and I hope you get your package soon. I suggest following up with CTT to see if they can track the package for you.
anasazirose
·3 years agoIf you hired a FF to receive your package and then to forward it to you, the seller's responsibility is completed once the item is received by the company you hired. If you do not receive your item, you should contact the company you hired to accept the responsibility of receiving and forwarding the package.
*cards*
·3 years agoThis is happening to me right now as of April, 2023. Delivered to agent on both eBay + USPS. USPS recognizes it as delivered entirely but the eBay system does not.
zzz
rising-sun-photography
·3 years agoI just lost two Item Not Received cases because of this issue. A buyer placed two orders that were sent to a freight forwarder in Florida. I confirmed that the location was a freight forwarder through a Google search. Both packages show successfully delivered through USPS as Delivered to Agent for Final Delivery to the correct zip code the buyer provided. The eBay system never marked the shipment as "Delivered" even though the "Delivered to Agent for Final Delivery" showed in the tracking information. The buyer opened Item Not Received cases for both orders and eBay just closed both cases in their favor this morning. The reason they found in the buyers favor was because they didn't receive valid proof of delivery. Each order was only around $35 so it was well below the requirement for signature confirmation. I have appealed both cases and I am waiting to see what the outcome is.
janet9988
·3 years ago@devon@ebay
wastingtime101
OP3 years agoKeep us posted on the appeal outcome.
Unfortunately it appears this delivery status issue is a situation where we have to proactively contact CS before an outcome is determined on INRs as opposed to letting the system do its thing.
rising-sun-photography
·3 years agoOnce I receive the outcome of the appeal I will definitely send an update.
And the frustrating thing is I did actually contact customer service three, maybe four times between the two cases. I wanted to be proactive after seeing this thread. Every customer service representative that I spoke to assured me that the case would be found in my favor after reviewing the tracking information. That was clearly not the case.
wastingtime101
OP3 years agoIf you're reading Devon, this would be a good situation to have reviewed - either CS gave the OP wrong info, the system decided the wrong outcome, the buyer escalated and convinced a rep to erroneously side with them, or there was a miscommunication somewhere. Obviously it's impossible for us to tell what exactly went wrong, all we can do is guess.
Thanks Rising Sun for coming back to post an update letting us know the appeals were found in your favor. I agree, it should not have gotten to that point. Buyers shouldn't be getting freebies because eBay's system has been broken for six months and sellers shouldn't have to go through the time and effort involved with multiple CS interactions.
iamalwaysright
·3 years agoNext time this happens to you or anyone else, if the rep insists that the case will be found in your favor make sure to ask the rep for the SR number of the call. Once the case gets found in the buyers favor and you have to call to appeal, be sure to give them the SR number(s) of the calls where the rep incorrectly said you’d be covered. Tell the appeals rep that these reps need to be re-trained in this area. Hopefully enough of these would happen and another department would be significantly affected from this current problem. Maybe that may motivate more action on this issue.
gurlcat
·3 years agoWhat does 'SR' stand for? I would love to have a solid referenceable way to cite what I was told by reps. Asking for their name is pointless because all they ever give is a first name, and it's some American one that is surely not their real name (might not even be their steady pseudonym but a name they just made up on the spot).
iamalwaysright
·3 years agoI believe it stands for “service requestâ€. So the entire term would be “service request number†for the call. Chats share the same SR numbering system. That should allow someone to pull up the transcript (hopefully recording?) or something of the call/chat along with the time and who took the call. They all start with SR1-(some numbers).
gurlcat
·3 years agoI'm glad it (finally) was found in your favor. And hopefully your attempted scammer will tell whatever scammer network from which they got this idea that it did not work out for them in the end ....unless ...and I SERIOUSLY hope this isn't the case ....Ebay is letting the scammers keep their claim awards and eating the loss of repaying the sellers, upon appeal. @wastingtime101 -what would you guess about that? If that's the case then that network will just continue to grow until Ebay actually fixes the status discrepancy.
But I'm really curious about how these scammers go about pulling this one. How long did yours wait after the 'To Agent' scan, before filing the INR's? And did they try to contact you directly before?
The closest I have come to this was a buyer (only) contacting me, not actually filing an INR. The sense I have from it was that he did hear about this "opportunity" from others, but didn't quite know how to pull it off, or was just testing out whether it could work via the seller without involving the system, which could possibly cost him his account or something. Like he wrote 3 or 4 messages, always dodging what I said about the freight forwarder, ignoring my questions like if the FF gave him a second tracking number, etc. he just kept "pointing out" that the scan script said "to agent" (HE was not the agent!) and "for final delivery" (as in, final delivery was never achieved).
Oh poop, I just remembered something, the probable reason that he tried the scam via writing me instead of filing INR: that item tracking was unique to this problem. The final scan script read "Delivered to agent for final delivery" BUT it DID have the Ebay green checkmark for 'Delivered'. In fact he may well have already tried to file an INR but it automatically bounced back as illegitimate because Ebay recognized it as delivered.
rising-sun-photography
·3 years agoThe appeal was approved for both cases and I was just reimbursed for both orders. So it appears that automated system may automatically side with the buyer but a human reviewing the case made the correct decision in the end. It still shouldn't have came to this point and I hope there is a fix soon.
janet9988
·3 years agoDid they also fix your service metrics or just refund you?
anasazirose
·3 years agoMaybe whomever at ebay decided in the buyer's favor needs to see this post, or talk to devon.
iamalwaysright
·3 years agoPretty soon the mods here are going to lock up this thread for being too old before the issue even gets resolved.
wastingtime101
OP3 years agoAs the issue is still not fixed, if the mods lock it I will appeal to @devon@ebay to keep it unlocked until eBay resolves this.
It's not a situation where we have to worry about an old thread with potentially outdated policy info which, to my understanding, is the main reason mods lock old threads.
In addition, this thread has been consistently active and it's my understanding that mods won't lock old threads that have been consistently active about an ongoing issue. When Sheila was here she told me as much.
Looking forward to the day I can formally accept a solution on this one.
soo_zen
·3 years agoI see this is a known issue and is being worked on (for many months) but I'm going to pile on. I shipped two packages that are stuck in Delivered to Agent purgatory. I verified that USPS delivered them to the same ZIP Code as the buyers. I've sent messages to both buyers to verify they received the packages and they haven't responded. I'm a new seller on eBay and have spent more time worrying over these two shipments. I did everything right on my end to make sure the items were packaged safely and shipped quickly. How long will eBay hold on to my proceeds!
janet9988
·3 years agoYou are new seller and ebay holds your funds even after delivery.
I can tell you right now that you are violating ebay policy by selling USED perfumes. Used [perfumes are not allowed to be sold on ebay.
Using the NEW without box to try to get around the policy is just asking for more trouble.
That could also get ebay to hold your funds longer.
https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/prohibited-restricted-items/cosmetics-policy?id=4290
Listings for used cosmetics, sponges, or applicators are not allowed.
Used cosmetics present health and safety concerns because the products and applicators used to apply them often come into direct contact with the body. This is why we generally don't allow them to be sold on eBay.
What is the policy?
Activity that doesn't follow eBay policy could result in a range of actions including for example: administratively ending or canceling listings, hiding or demoting all listings from search results, lowering seller rating, buying or selling restrictions, and account suspension. All fees paid or payable in relation to listings or accounts on which we take any action will not be refunded or otherwise credited to your account.
Tip
Visit Seller Help - opens in new window or tab to find details of any policy issues with your account or listings, and get the information you need to quickly resolve them.
Why does eBay have this policy?
We require sellers to follow all federal and state laws and regulations when listing on eBay. Because the sale of used cosmetics may be regulated or prohibited by law, or may cause harm to eBay or its members, we don't allow sellers to list these items.
iamalwaysright
·3 years agoWhile I appreciate being protected in the aftermath, overall it'd be nice if this issue was resolved earlier on by just avoiding it altogether with a "delivered" status. I hope ebay and developers agree.
Currently dealing with these issues (that continue to rise and pile up) with a "damage control solution" requires more man power to deal with both on the seller's and ebay CS' end. It wastes more time and labor costs on ebay's end creating busy work. Let's try to not bleed anymore money thus increasing rates and PL costs to cover.
wastingtime101
OP3 years agoHey @devon@ebay - I'm pasting a screenshot of your post from another thread (with extra info removed for brevity).
The problem, as I'm sure you're aware, is neither buyer nor seller is seeing a "delivered" status. Can you confirm eBay is still working on getting this tech issue fixed?
devon@ebay
Hey @wastingtime101! Let me reach back out and see if there are any updates on this!
devon@ebay
Hey @wastingtime101! I was able to get an update and this is what was shared:
“We were able to confirm with the Shipping team that there is a systems issue preventing status from showing as ‘Delivered’ for these shipments. Our team is working on correcting the issue, and we’ll update you once resolution is complete. Please know that sellers are protected as we do consider ‘Delivered to Agent for Final Delivery’ as delivered for INR claim adjudication.â€
wickedblackmantra01
·3 years agoHi there! I also have the same issue --
USPS tracking number 9405508205497765600138
https://tools.usps.com/go/TrackConfirmAction?qtc_tLabels1=9405508205497765600138
Delivered to Agent for Final Delivery
SARASOTA, FL 34249
It was marked as delivered on eBay but in USPS, and at the same time, it's not yet showing Out for Delivery. I feel like I'm not going to get this item anymore. Please help!
wastingtime101
OP3 years agoYou're registered in Philippines @wickedblackmantra01 so I'm assuming you had the package shipped to a freight forwarder. If that's the case then they would have just received your shipment yesterday and may or may not have forwarded it to you yet. It will take time for the shipment to move from the forwarder to you.
You need to speak with your freight forwarder and if the package doesn't arrive, address any claims with the forwarder. When you have a package reshipped through a forwarder you do not have any coverage through eBay for claims of non receipt or damage.
On the other hand, if you have moved and are physically located in Florida then you should call your local USPS office and/or speak with your mail carrier directly.
wastingtime101
OP3 years agoThanks @devon@ebay. Good to hear eBay is still working on this.
stuff4divas
·3 years agoThank u @devon@ebay !! ðŸ˜
Now I can sleep soundly LOL
devon@ebay
@stuff4divas I am glad to assist on this 😃!
wastingtime101
OP3 years agoHey @devon@ebay. As the delivery status still isn't fixed, what should sellers do when their funds are on hold as a result?
What advice should be given to @coloradogoldnuggets that posted in another thread:
Do they need to contact CS to get funds released?
Can you check with the shipping team on an ETA for the fix? Surely changing these orders to "available for pickup" is not the intended final result here.
senoritalambchop
·3 years agoYup, it is still not fixed!
Here is what i see on my sold item:
iamalwaysright
·3 years agoToday was the day for my case that you are allowed to ask ebay to step in. I was curious to see how ebay would rule in this as many have said I would probably lose. Up until now the buyer has either played ignorant or was actually ignorant complaining to me every day to me explaining the situation saying he needs to talk to his FF agent about this.
So today turns out the buyer closed the cases (three of them) himself and used the reason that they received the item. So I didn't get to see how ebay would've ruled it. I hope 3 negatives aren't coming, the buyer seemed pretty upset.
senoritalambchop
·3 years agoIf anything were to happen, I would definitely make some noise - as eBay approved their address and is telling us to ship to this address. We are literally shipping to an address that eBay has approved and is telling us to ship to. A quick Google search shows their website that states that they are a freight forwarding company so those outside of the USA can get goods delivered to them - what a loophole we have here!
I have never googled an address before shipping - I guess that is something i have to do now!
My item is still stagnant today with no change in delivery status. ugh.
antebellumannes
·3 years agoI am having this same issue since the beginning of January 2023. This is my second go round with eBay requesting this glitch to be fixed. I even have an email from USPS stating this is a valid "Delivered" status. This disconnect between eBay and USPS needs to be fixed so that we as buyers aren't stuck in never-never land....First time, the rep told me I would have to refund the customer. Not a valid solution at all. PLEASE EBAY FIX THIS GLITCH!!!
senoritalambchop
·3 years agoHello.
I got through the first 10 pages on this but just couldn't continue......BUT this is still happening as of today.
I saw my package was not delivered yet so i checked on it and saw the DELIVERED TO AGENT message that i have never seen before. I went and googled the address and it is a freight forwarding company in Miami. I called eBay and asked them to change my status to delivered but was told they could not do that on their end. However, after i told him about this address, he assured me that because it is a forwarding company that if they open a case I would win and they are not covered. I also told him that was not happening and about this thread, but he still assured me otherwise that I was covered. Not sure I believe him and very uncomfortable about this whole thing!
Please fix this eBay! Thank you!
iamalwaysright
·3 years agoI wonder if there are any of these non-delivered status ones where the buyer doesn’t file an INR for. Are these buyers filing INR because they truly don’t have their item? Or they are trying to take advantage of an eBay loophole on the package status?
wastingtime101
OP3 years agoI assume the majority are attempting to scam but some are honest. Anybody honest needs to take it up with the "agent" whether that's a freight forwarding company, a doorman in their building or whomever.
gurlcat
·3 years agoWell if by "non-delivered status ones" you mean the 'Delivered to agent for final delivery' ones, then yes the vast majority of the buyers DON'T and WON'T file INR because they actually received the item and aren't lying, cheating, low-life pieces of human garbage. I've had at least a dozen of my sold items end up with the "agent" scan since I first became aware of this issue, but so far none of those buyers have filed INR's on me. LOL I probably shouldn't write that "out loud" because by Murphy's Law that will likely cause me to get an INR immediately.
iamalwaysright
·3 years agoGood to know because I don’t pay attention to delivery and tracking when there aren’t INRs filed. Who knows how many of these “delivered to agent (status: not delivered)†I’ve gotten.
iamalwaysright
·3 years agoHere’s another one for the list. Not fixed yet. Address is to the FF in Delaware.
gurlcat
·3 years ago@valueaddedresource Curious what your thoughts are on this, since you have a pulse on numerous online seller platforms, all of which must be experiencing it. What I'm especially curious about is WHY the USPS started adding the "to agent for final delivery' wording in their delivery scans. I can only guess it was a CYA decision, to thwart their own problems with people claiming they didn't get things they ordered. But with Ebay being so slow to keep up with this change, there are sellers losing sales revenues to buyers who very quickly figured out this was an INR refund opportunity.
And here's another question (which I don't expect you know the answer to, but maybe you know people to ask) -did the USPS not only adopt the added wording but also change the "signal" (whatever kind of data transmission) that goes to whatever Ebay software recognizes stages of shipping? What I mean is, USPS already had variously-worded delivery statuses ("in/at mailbox" "left with individual" "front door/porch" etc) and Ebay has always translated them as 'Delivered' period, for as long as I know anyway. So what is it about this new one that makes it not trigger 'Delivered' translation, and why on Earth can't they program the software to do so??? I mean you can see how many times we've @'d mods about it.
One more thing you probably don't know but I'll ask anyway -why doesn't the USPS tracking state the ADDRESS delivered to? If they at least did that, contacting CS to save ourselves from fraudulent INR's would be a lot easier than trying to explain what FF's are and how this is how the USPS is now blah blah blah. Rather, we could just say "See, it says delivered to the same address that the buyer provided."
valueaddedresource
·3 years agoThanks for the tag @gurlcat - you're right, some of that I don't know the answer to, but I'll reach out to some contacts and see if I can find any more info.
I don't know why USPS changed this particular status message/update on tracking, but I believe you are correct as far is it changing the "signal" to eBay.
Don't have insight into the exact specifics of how it's programmed but it's likely eBay "maps" USPS status message to their own internal status settings with some kind of logic that basically says "if status from USPS is x, show status y on eBay."
If that is the case, then when there is a status message from USPS that doesn't have a corresponding eBay status assigned, the logic fails and it doesn't get updated to "delivered" on eBay.
I would think it shouldn't be difficult to simply add "delivered to agent for final delivery" to the list and map it as "delivered" like the other status messages, but there may be complications in play we aren't aware of - especially when eBay is weighing out whether that means the buyer actually received the item and what eBay's potential liability might be for INR claims as a result.
As far as I'm concerned it should be a pretty clear cut case, just like your examples of "in/at mailbox" "left with individual" "front door/porch" etc.
@devon@ebay is there an updated timeframe on a fix for this issue?
As far as why they don't reveal the full address when you track a package, it's for privacy (and liability) reasons. Bad actors can purchase tracking data in bulk on the dark web (I suspect how some of the "same zip code" fraud operates) or use technology to cycle through many permutations of potential tracking numbers to see if they are "real".
If the carriers exposed full addresses to any random person who just happens to plug a real tracking number in to their site, that would open up all kinds of potential for bad things to happen and for the carriers to be found liable if it does.
gurlcat
·3 years agoThank you so much. And that makes sense about the liability thing with showing the address in tracking.
wastingtime101
OP3 years agoHey @gurlcat.
This is by no means a new delivery scan. It has been around for many years.
eBay used to recognize this scan as delivered on tracking pop ups and on the orders page status.
Here's a direct link to post 66 where I provided screenshots showing this. You can see that as of the last week in September eBay's system had no trouble recognizing "delivered to agent" with a "delivered" status.
It wasn't until the first or second week of October this changed and that's when I first reported it to CS - five months ago!
One thing that changed on USPS's end of things is they're now using this scan for all freight forwarders. In the past I would only see it used sometimes for FF. I've seen it for years when packages were delivered to buildings with management offices, mail rooms, etc.
Technically speaking, an "agent" in the "delivered to agent" scan can be anyone from an apartment building door man to your next door neighbor.
Off topic:
The weird thing is when you review USPS Event Codes most recent chart, it says the "delivered to agent" scan was retired in 2020. This is, however, not accurate because I've seen the scan semi-regularly for quite a while now. The chart was last updated Feb 2023.
https://postalpro.usps.com/product-tracking-and-reporting/scan-events-descriptions
When you compare it to the January 2021 chart, there is no mention of that scan having been retired. It wasn't until the April 2022 chart they added that retirement note and I believe it to be in error because I saw the "delivered to agent" scan all throughout 2020-present (and for years before).
Back in 2018 the scan was "tendered to agent for final delivery." In 2019 they changed it from tendered to delivered.
One thing you'll notice on these charts is "delivered to agent" is marked YES as a "stop the clock event."
gurlcat
·3 years agoHoly cow, how did I never notice it before? Surely my eyes have seen it -I've been selling since 2018 and immediately strove to get TRS status and maintain it thereafter so I watch tracking like a hawk. And even if not for TRS I sincerely care about my buyers -or- before I sound too high and mighty, I also buy a lot online (almost always on ebay) and patience is not among my virtues, so when I get frustrated by constipated tracking of something I ordered, while I understand it's not the selling entity's fault, I'm of the school that it's their responsibility to notice and solve the problem, considering they have my money and I have nothing, also they chose which carrier to do business with, not me. More to the point, EBAY is of that school, and they ultimately control OUR money. I can't believe how many sellers I see with the "my job is done" attitude after plopping a package on a depot counter or their porch for pickup. We sure saw a lot of those chickens coming home to roost in Shipnado Winter 2020, when they were posting here in droves, all panic and bitterness about the barrage of INR losses you inevitably WILL have when shipping flow fibrillates and arrests due to several factors and you think your people (your buyers and your carriers) should sort it out among themselves, while you're out spending the money that isn't really yours yet, LOL!!
Sorry I had no intention of getting on a soapbox; this was meant to be a short reply only to say I can't believe I've never noticed the 'agent' scan before. Oh, and besides my 5 years ebay experience, before this I raised and wild-harvested, sold online, and shipped live fish and aquatic plants all over the country, so I had to obsessively watch tracking, ESPECIALLY delivery scans, because that's the moment the viability clock would really start ticking on that box of water and living things, potentially outdoors in scorching July or frigid January, so it would be the crux of my 'Live Arrival Guarantee.' The aquaria auction platform I sold on ('Aquabid') works almost identically to ebay, so I occasionally had international buyers using FF's as well (aquaria-specializing ones, who would open and re-oxygenate the bags before forwarding).
I'll have to study that link you provided when I get some time. I've noticed some other scan changes very recently so it'll be great to look at that and see what they mean. Thanks so much for providing it! I swear, when I look back on all the stupid jobby-jobs I've had in the past, I wish I could go back and swap a few years for that amount of experience as an actual USPS employee, because I truly adore it (talk about history!) and find it pretty fascinating.
dolcetreasures
·3 years agoeBay is standing by this as a “deliveryâ€, I can confirm that is the case. But it required me to contact concierge and have a manual verification and acknowledgment. I’m not sure how this bodes for part-time and/or sellers that don’t have access to the concierge service department.
redfashiongurl
·3 years agoThis is still an ongoing issue. I found this thread, and status "DELIVERED TO AGENT FOR FINAL DELIVERY", because I had a package missent to Alaska instead of the address in Sarasota Florida, which I found out, is a freight forwarder.
My biggest issue with this is that I do not ship to International addresses for a variety of reasons, some being high cases of INR, outright fraud, miscommunications with international buyers and a host of other issues. This however, seems to be a loophole that foreign buyers are using to get around that requirement. That is fine, but that US ADDRESS I sent it to IS the FINAL DELIVERY. Nobody that has their eBay policies outlining no international shipping, should have to wait for the item to be delivered OVERSEAS to get DELIVERED status updated. eBay needs to mark this as DELIVERED once it hits the US address eBay has provided to us as the delivery address.
I also found out, that if you go to ORDERS/PAID AND SHIPPED and click on the order number under ORDER DETAILS, it shows it as DELIVERED on the date it hit the last US address, even though they still show it as IN TRANSIT on the pop-up window using the tracking number link, which is the status they use for INR cases.
gurlcat
·3 years agoThing is, that will never happen anyway. Unlike using Ebay International Shipping or any other overseas carrier that the seller chooses and pays, THESE packages do not get a loaded-to-Ebay second tracking number for the travel beyond the freight forwarder's U.S. address, the one that the buyer provided to Ebay as THE delivery address. WE know that address is all we are responsible for, the USPS knows it's all they were responsible for, and any buyer who pretends to not know what's going on also knows. But if they want to try to get the item for free, they can file an 'Item Not Received' case, and the Ebay employee who looks and sees this "to agent for final delivery" thing -THEY may not know what it means, and close the case in favor of the buyer, because it looks like the buyer never received the item, and never will. That is the problem, if you read some of the ^ horror stories ^ in this thread.
chris13
·3 years agoIn my example, USPS never does a delivery scan, then closes the investigation without any specifics, then ignores my escalation for investigation.
My customer has confirmed that his freight forwarder notified him of receipt and it is on its way to Japan.
The items tracking remains in limbo despite using Priority mail and issuing two requests for investigation.
This exposes sellers to liability to INRs and IMO should result in our shipping fees being refunded for failure to compete PAID tracking service, just like we get dinged when we fail. If eBay helps hold USPS accountable maybe they will do more rather than less.
protostartech
·3 years agoSame issue here. Sarasota, FL. Freight forwarder. Item shows delivered on USPS end and not delivered in eBay's system. Very frustrating.
redfashiongurl
·3 years agoGo look under the order number in the ORDERS/PAID AND SHIPPED area. See if it's marked as "DELIVERED" there, with the date being the day they showed it delivered to the Sarasota address. eBay has TWO statuses on the item, but the one they use for INR cases will be the one they get from the POST OFFICE on the pop-up when you click on the tracking number as you have shown above.
protostartech
·3 years agoThank you so much for the reply. Unfortunately, paid and shipped orders still shows shipped, not delivered. Clicking on the pop-up shows "In-Transit" along with "Delivered to Agent for Final Delivery." I guess I will have to follow up with eBay customer service in the morning. I don't see how a buyer can claim INR when you can enter the tracking in any browser/search engine, and it will show a green checkmark as being delivered. Our job is done at that point and should reflect this on eBay, but it doesn't. I really don't want to have to babysit my listings, but when 20% of my items end up being bid on or won by buyers with a location outside the US, even though I don't ship internationally, I'm tempted to throw in the eBay towel altogether.
zanyfetch
·3 years agoI am having this issue. I believe the buyer had order shipped to a business, and possibly someone else there accepted the package for them. I called eBay support on the phone before finding this forum post; support said talk to USPS.
the_fancy_fox
·3 years agoDon’t bother with the outsourced CS, they are woefully ignorant and will say anything to get you off the phone.
gear-house
·3 years agoI can't believe this still isn't working properly and I'm still having to explain to confused customers (contacting me mostly in other languages) why the tracking results on eBay are wrong and there is nothing waiting to be picked up and that the package was actually delivered.
wastingtime101
OP3 years agoYeah, as of a couple days ago I'm still not seeing a fix. Packages delivered Feb 27th-28th show available for pickup and in transit simultaneously on eBay tracking, while the USPS scan says delivered to agent.
scandiu_45
·3 years agoIm having the exact same issue as everyone else in this thread. It says "Delivered to Agent for Final Delivery" on USPS, but on ebay it says it was not delivered and (still in transit). I need an update ASAP.
Tracking Number: 9400108205497629193742
wastingtime101
OP3 years agoLatest example delivered Feb 15th which is later than sweetchibi's 'delivered' status on Feb 13th. Confirms issue isn't fixed yet.
moto_etz
·3 years agoIn coding, a simple if/then line could fix this issue.
I don't think a fix is coming...
ron992012
·3 years agoI'm dealing with the same issue right now, I'm a long time buyer and first time seller, this was my very first sale and I didn't lookup the address online first to see if it was a residence, it was a freight forwarder. I only sell to the 50 states. It was delivered 2/16 per USPS says 'Delivered to Final Agent' but it still doesn't show as delivered on eBay. I am 99% sure I'm going to be scammed. In fact, after that, someone bought several of my items wirh no combined shipping request, no best offer, and all 3 purchases from different usernames had the SAME a DE freight forwarder address. Luckily, I caught those and cancelled all of those immediately. This really left me disappointed and I deactivated all my listings until I can better understand what's happening. I am not a big seller and don't have money to be losing!
sweetchibi*
·3 years agoHooray, While tracking on my package using Freight Fowarder in Portland is saying "Delivered to Agent for Final Delivery" if I clik my "order number" under "manage paid and shipped" the package shows at delivered!
I hope that this keeps me safe from INR. I suppose my question of who is responsible for tracking has 2 answers.
1. clicking the tracking number is under command of USPS and they told me that the "delivered to agent" scan would be the last scan I would get as it was delivered.
2. clicking the order number is under command of Ebay and they are able to say delivered rather than in transit or delivered to agent.
Here is my "order number" statement.
This experience has spooked me from selling with a freight forwarder intermediary. Hopefully this loophole is understood by CS in cases of INR's and proof of delivery.
wastingtime101
OP3 years agoExcellent news - I hope others start seeing the same. Thanks for posting the update @sweetchibi*.
sunny_ell
·3 years agoMine still does not say delivered. Wonder what magic sweetchibi* has?? 🤔😉
wastingtime101
OP3 years agoThis is likely going to be a go-forward fix. Meaning, if they fix it today you'll see delivered status on items delivered today or later. Anything from when the glitch began through yesterday would show whatever the erroneous status was like available for pickup or in transit. That's typically how eBay rolls on these things.
I don't know if the issue is fixed just yet as we've seen available for pickup status dated Feb 13 (same as sweetchibi's delivery date). Sweetchibi might just be lucky like gurlcat was.
I'm going to wait for more reports to come in to see if this is truly fixed or not, but I'm hopeful.
smithauctionco
·3 years agoBEWARE - Sending to any International forwarding company until eBay fixes the tracking problem.
Just had eBay refund a buyer for the "Delivery to Agent For Final Delivery" loophole.
We contacted eBay last week about the case since the buyer was claiming that the package was never delivered. The eBay rep checked the tracking and agreed that the package was delivered, even though the eBay system did not recognize it as being delivered, and that we as a seller would be protected if the buyer escalated the case.
Today, we noticed that eBay closed the case in favor of the buyer, giving them an immediate refund from our account. So, we immediately called eBay, and they now claim that since the tracking shows that the package was delivered to zip code 97230 instead of 97251 that we will lose the case as a seller.
The problem is that all packages that go the shipping forwarder in Portland, OR all get scanned as being delivered to 97230 by the USPS - it is a "blanket" zip code to cover all packages delivered to that address no matter what the actual zip code on the package reads.
This is a big problem, and I told the eBay rep that we will have to cancel any transactions going to shipping forwarders unless the tracking problem is fixed. Just not worth the risk if eBay is unable to comprehend the USPS tracking.
stellamystar
·3 years agoUsually I find the FF customers and the agents to be great to work with , very seamless, so I would hope the FF agencies are also working on their end to resolve this b/c it will become an issue for their clients if ebay sellers won't deal with them. I wonder if customers using UPS/FedeX have this issue, or just parcels sent USPS.
smithauctionco
·3 years agoUpdate - I emailed eBay about the "Item Not Received" case and they reversed their initial decision that was in favor of the buyer. And put the funds back into our account.
The eBay rep agreed that the package was delivered as intended after looking at the USPS tracking.
For some reason, the eBay phone reps are giving conflicting info on these cases - guessing since most are reading from a script and maybe don't understand the USPS tracking fully. The first phone rep we contacted about a week ago looked at the tracking and said we were covered as seller. Then after the eBay case was closed in favor of the buyer, the second phone rep we spoke to said we were not covered based on the USPS tracking since the delivery zip codes did not match.
So, if you are dealing with an "Item Not Received" case due to the "Delivered to Agent" tracking issue, your best bet is to email eBay customer service about the situation. That will get the details in front of the right people. And hopefully get the case resolved in your favor.
caltabjs
·3 years agoI opened a case with post office and they were incredibly helpful. Said that the address was a very high volume reshipper. The agent changed my package to show as delivered instead of delivered to agent so that eBay would recognize. Forwarding company also directly confirmed receipt. This is an issue eBay needs to resolve. The buyer in my case actually provided me the forwarding company info upon request so I do not think they were trying to scam me, but as long as eBay doesn’t recognize this as delivered the door will be open for sellers to be scammed. Before I was able to get the assistance of the reshipper and post office I reached out to the Facebook eBay help team, they were not helpful, essentially just said the item shows as not delivered.
sweetchibi*
·3 years agoAdd me to the list of "Delivered to Agent for Final Delivery" sellers. It is the Portland Oregon freight forwarder that many are referencing. I added signature confirmation. When I saw that it was signed for by Parkrose Firms and the address of signature was the address of the Post Office there (not the address of the freight forwarder) I opened a request with the post office asking why it showed delivery to the post office address not the freight forwarder. The post office replied and closed case but the tracking still does reflect the package as delivered. There response is attached below.
While I have not had a case opened by buyer, I am aware that I have to be proactive in cases like this. This loophole will embolden buyers to use Portland and the vague "Delivered to Agent" tracking to their advantage.
Who is responsible to amending the tracking in these cases? Is it Ebay or the Post Office?
sweetchibi*
·3 years agoSo who is responsible for the tracking? I asked the Parkrose post office to change the tracking to show "Delivered" NOT "Delivered to an agent for final delivery". I did this after their initial response to my query telling me the package indeed was delivered as addressed. Note in pic below that the signature confirmation and the address of delivery was their post office not the freight forwarder.
They replied. Both my signature tracking request and their response are posted below. You will note that the signature request has the post office as recipient of package. But the response DOES list the freight forwarder's address.
Here is the signature confirmation request. Again note it is signed for by post office not the freight forwarder.
It is a good thing, while it does not change tracking, it gives the address of the freight forwarder which is the 15617 NE Airport Road. Something needs to be done about this loophole.
So who is responsible for the tracking?
garthbrooks63
·3 years agoSame Problem!! Item ID: 225358811743
Delivered to a Miami Freight Forwarder. It is now Feb 15th and no change in the status, Still shows "Shipped"
wastingtime101
OP3 years agoHey @devon@ebay - the shipping team has not provided any response on updating the orders page in seller hub (at least not one that you've been able to share with us) since I started this discussion two months ago. Can you ask them again for a status update? At least confirm if they are working on it even if there's no ETA for the fix yet?
It's painful to be left hanging with nothing, not even knowing if the delivery status issue on the eBay tracking pop-ups is being addressed. In the meantime sellers are running into roadblocks, CS reps that think these packages aren't delivered despite the official inclusion in policy, and lots of seller and CS time and resources are being wasted.
Appreciate anything you can do to get some sort of acknowledgement or update for us. Thanks, Devon.
wastingtime101
OP3 years agoOK I just saw on this post Devon wrote: Just wanted to come in to clarify that the actual tracking status will be changed to "Delivered"
I didn't see that earlier because that line of text was added 4 days after the initial post, so we do have confirmation eBay is working on it. ðŸ‘
caltabjs
·3 years agoI am having this issue as well on a high value item. Item shows delivered to agent, tracking on eBay shows ready for pickup. It’s a freight forwarding company. Without contacting me, purchaser opened an item not received case.
heffe_camer
·3 years agoCurrently also dealing with this issue, on a high ticket macbook of course. Tracking number 9405508205496463839901 and address shows its a Freight Forwarding Company called SSMC Xpress International. CS cant seem to wrap their head around that its a Freight Forwarding Company which is why im concerned it will be reshipped internationally. They just keep saying "It cant be shipped internationally because it was sent to a Florida Address". Tracking shows delivered to agent but eBay still shows in transit.
certifiedcitynet
·3 years agoThe only way to prevent a loss from a delivery to an agent is to add "Restricted Delivery" at an extra cost of $6.55. Otherwise, you will assume the risk of a wrong delivery or fraudulent claim of nondelivery.
buyselljack2016
·3 years agoAnd when "the individual that purchased the item" is not able to sign for the "restricted delivery" I do believe that would result in the item being returned. I also believe that would result in the loss of the postage paid.
gear-house
·3 years agoSo, an UPDATE on my cases. The buyer contacted eBay customer support for both of his cases and eBay proceeded normally and did not send a refund, even with this tracking problem showing. So I think that part is okay. This is just confusing for buyers, but it didn't affect the INR cases that were opened.
mamasestate
·3 years agoI am also currently experiencing this issue
 
 
 
chevymontecarlo88
·3 years agoHas there been any updates or guidance to sellers that have this issue as well.
Not sure if this question was raised in this long thread but will it effect your shipping time stats?
wastingtime101
OP3 years ago@chevymontecarlo88 - if no claim is filed then do nothing. If an INR is filed then upload tracking per usual. Claim should close in your favor. If it doesn't you can contact CS (I suggest through facebook or twitter for US-based reps) and ask them to appeal.
No, it will have no effect on the late shipment rating.
chevymontecarlo88
·3 years agoThank you for the reply and clarification!
heffe_camer
·3 years agoIf no claim is filed and we do nothing, wont the funds just be on hold indefinitely? Since tracking will never update?
wastingtime101
OP3 years agoShouldn't be @heffe_camer, but if funds aren't released within 30 days I suggest contacting US-based customer service through a DM on one of their social channels - eBay for Business on Facebook or AskeBay on Twitter. Those reps should be aware of this issue and if for some reason you get a confused rep you can send them a link to this post. Use this direct link to Devon's post about policy:
https://community.ebay.com/t5/Shipping/eBay-not-recognizing-quot-Delivered-to-Agent-for-Final-Delivery/m-p/33499234/highlight/true#M437108
stellamystar
·3 years agoI am dealing with this right now to a freight forward customer. Customer had already opened an INR b/c of a USPS mess up. So, I was relieved that it was delivered but.. now what? I have to close out the INR case or get a defect , so I am hoping it shows "delivered" soon.
Is this even worth calling ebay over? Tech teams, please continue to work on this.
lopax34
·3 years agoSo some good news for those of your dealing with this issue because the buyer gave you a freight forwarding address. It seems eBay customer service will close cases on this in favor of you if you dispute it because as long as the package got to the address the buyer gave you then you did your job as a seller.
moto_etz
·3 years ago 
 
There are two things that really upset me about this: 1) my funds are being held up awaiting a delivery that according to eBay will never actually happen 2) this is ripe for abuse from people claiming they never received anything, thus getting away with both the goods and the money.
I really don't want to end up like others on here who got ripped off when buyers claimed the item didn't arrive. If this isn't resolved I'll definitely consider ending my eBay sales as there are plenty other options available nowadays...
gear-house
·3 years agoYour funds are being held on that waiting for some next step??! That's terrible. There will not be another tracking update, that package is delivered and done. Wow.