USPS 2026 Change No Acceptance Scan by local Post Office. How are Sellers & eBay Handling drop off?
I am an eBay Seller who recently dropped off packages at my local Post Office. None of the packages received an "Acceptance" scan. I learned that the Postal Service has changed their scanning policy and no longer will scan packages at the local office. The first scan will show when the package reaches a facility with an automatic scanning machine. How are Sellers protecting proof of drop-off? How is eBay handling timeliness of shipments? Should I now be taking pictures of my shipment when I drop off a package?
52 comments
cereal_shopper
·8 months agoMost of my local PO's never scanned reliably to begin with. Like out of 7 withing easy reach I could only ever count on 2. I've only been to the one of those 2 closer to me so far this year, and they still scan.
aspme
·9 months agoAll Your stories are making me feel blessed! I Live in a small community, I can see the post office from my front porch, on a first name basis with all the Clerks and the Postmaster! they are more than eager to scan my packages and or QR codes, because they don't have to think about it. everything is well packed and organized. Not high volume, average like 5 packages a visit. the down side to being in a smallish community more than 50 miles from a dist. center, is we only get 1 truck a day now and it comes in the am one hour before the PO Opens. so, everything I send even Priority doesn't go out till the next morning☹ï¸
jbbowers12012
·8 months agoHi, It is the same way at our local P.O. We know everyone by first names & often hear family related stories & see family photos.. We always take everyone fresh veggies from our garden in the summertime & exchange cards on many holidays. Even if there are scanning policy changes - I dont' think that we are in danger of missing a scan. I HOPE NOT ANYWAY!
lebanon-pa-store
·9 months agoyes this is correct they dont scan untill it hits next facility if you dont already get a thermal printer print out your own labels and get porch pick-up from usps or take a pic of all packages you drop off
jbbowers12012
·9 months agoHi, 100% agreed with loose_goose_garage. The only way to be sure that you get that always important acceptance scan & as we here in New Jersey have done everyday for the past 13 years. Is to personally take your packages to your local P.O. & stand on line. Ask the clerk for a receipt & they will scan them for you. Scanning generates your receipt. Also, a friendly smile and some nice conversation always helps. Jus' Sayin.'
carlmarxx
·9 months agoWell USPS policy change was not though out very well. it will open the door to more theft by their employee's . I can remember when USPS was charging for proof of shipping for 0.95 cents , and it wasn't until around 2003-2004 USPS came out with delivery confirmation and option with signature required there was no tracking during transit . well be interesting to see how eBay will handle the new policy.
kibble-net
·9 months agoSome post offices are reliable about scanning packages. Some aren't. You just have to get to know them.
For instance here in the Milwaukee suburbs, if I drop my packages off at Greenfield they will most likely not be scanned until they arrive at the regional facility in Oak Creek. But if I drop them off at Hales Corners, they will get scanned by the end of the day before leaving the building - usually within an hour of drop off.
Not all USPS locations are managed equally.
carlmarxx
·9 months agoI can't see sellers doing 1 day handling of shipping with the USPS based on no Acceptance scan ,do to the risk of late shipping strike policy and trying to keep from dropping below seller standards and loss TRS+ for those large and up sellers that need the discount. eBay also needs to get the UPS smart mail which is version of USPS's old 1 st parcel class mail . I hate to say it that FedEx and UPS will be the better option when USPS package loss's jump do to the No acceptance scan policy moves forward . and another dagger left by Dejoys and the Orange Blob 45/47 .
christworks
·9 months agoIn what way? Like everything else Democrats touch, they are fixing the cluster that was the result of years of mismanagement by postmaster generals, who were appointed by Big Mike's husband, Barack Obama's, Board of Governors. These people were too stupid to see that their source of revenue, postal stamps, was declining exponentially. They failed to make logistic upgrades to handle the influx of packages from the e-commerce sector. Likewise, they failed to implement technology to help reduce the number of man-hours needed to handle all mail.
carlmarxx
·9 months agoThe USPS has on going problem of unexplained delays and loss's and Packages that are bouncing around to wrong sorting centers during Dejoys running the USPS and still is on going . also The USPS audits that came out in 2011 showed they where in black money wise . Yet no one has ever explained where Republicans claim's of USPS being in red came from .
rewoundthreads
·8 months ago🙄Because this wasn't a USPS decision. OMFG
shire123
·9 months agoAs of the 1st week of January 2026 my local post office is still doing acceptance scans. This is in a community of 20,000. Our postal staff know me well because I generally drop off several packages every day. It has gotten to the point that I just drop them off on the counter and they scan them when they can get to them. I don't stand in line nor do I get a receipt. While this may involve some very slight risk there hasn't been a missed scan in 2 years.
lakefor94
·9 months agoI think I dropped at the post office a couple or three times this year. Stuff that needed to go out that day and my carrier had already picked up. Never stood in line, dropped on the designated counter and walk out the door. I used to have to drop off quite a bit back in 2018-2020 when I was shipping a lot more Amazon orders.
They have never missed a scan in 9 years.
My carrier picks up from my large mailbox. I can fit about twelve 6x4x4 boxes in it. She never misses a scan, ever, for 9 years between her and the lady before her that retired.
I will try to remember to call the local postmaster I know personally and ask him if there have been any changes.
I seriously doubt I will hear that they are not scanning packages.
christworks
·9 months agoThis came up a week or two. I do not understand how people can be so confused.
There is a difference between a postmark and an acceptance scan. eBay requires an acceptance scan, which you can still get by either the carrier who picks up your package or by taking the package to USPS and giving it to the clerk at the counter. Clerks are still supposed to scan packages, though if you have a bunch they may want you to have a SCAN form (like mine does) or use the kiosk. They may pressure you to do those things, but politely push back and they will scan your stuff for you. It's their job and clerks have not been told to not scan packages. Sometimes I have 15-20, and I have to go through the line twice because mine has a 10-package limit. Though one of the female clerk's has the hots for me, and if she is working she will rush a customer or slow down in order to time it so I get her window. One day she leaned over and whispered she'd like to scan my package. 😆
One note: eBay Standard Envelopes are impacted, however, many people who do not have a regional sorting facility in their city already made this change last year.
My post office has not machine-scanned postmarks in 20 years. Our local mail goes over an hour away to get the postmark, then comes back two days later for delivery.
cardsforauction
·9 months agoSome post offices and clerks won't scan the package and provide a receipt. I encountered the problem on Dec. 23, 2025. I had a package with an eBay postage label and it was insured mail. I asked for a receipt and I was refused. I was told to go to the kiosk and scan it there and drop it in the mail bin. Why can't we get a freaking scan and receipt at the counter by a mail clerk anymore?? I had to drive 12 miles to another post office to ask for a scan and receipt, and there was no problem. Why?
christworks
·9 months agoIf a clerk refused to scan and give you a receipt, that is a violation of protocol. As I stated, while they can set limits on how many packages they will can at once time, they cannot refuse providing scans. It is possible that clerk has misunderstood or they simply do not want to do their job. Clerks can encourage you to use the kiosk, but they cannot refuse to provide you with an acceptance receipt if you request one. You should have asked to speak to the supervisor or postmaster. If you go to that post office again and are met with the same, I encourage you to ask for the supervisor.
cardsforauction
·9 months agoI will probably call the post office and ask them about this or ask for the supervisor next time, but the supervisor probably was not even there or available.
A month before this happened, a clerk told me that if there is a long line I need to go to the kiosk and scan the package and get the receipt there and drop off the package in the bin. I don't know why they instruct us to do that when I'd rather wait in line to get the scan and a receipt.
When this happened on Dec 23rd, I was so disappointed and I told the clerk it would be easier to just scan it and provide me a receipt, but the clerk told me I can go to the kiosk and do the same thing. The clerk said the sign they posted says "No Drop offs at the counter" I questioned the clerk and said why you can't do it here. The response, there is too much confusion with this type of package and label. I said, I don't know why it's can't be done right here at the counter, I never had a problem before. On top of that, there was a person at the one kiosk struggling to figure it out, the slow machine. I've dealt with this machine in the past and it is slow, and sometimes it freezes up and breaks down. So, that's when I just decided to leave and go to another post office and got the scan and receipt with no issue. I can't believe they can do this to people. There were only 3 people in line in front of me.
christworks
·9 months agoWe do not even have a kiosk here. If there is a long line they want you to give pre-paid packages to the lobby manager for them to scan later. They cannot make you to do that though. You can wait in the line. They can set limits on how many packages they will scan at one time. Normally it is 10, but can be as little as 5. If I get one of the clerk's that enforces this, I just give them ten packages, then go back through the line. Sometimes I will prioritize and get the scans on the higher valued orders, and let them scan the piddly stuff later. It depends on how long I waited in line the first time. I'm not going to wait for 20 minutes in line to get a handful of $10 orders scanned.
cardsforauction
·9 months agoA month ago, that day the clerk scanned my one package and gave me the receipt, but then instructed me to do the kiosk next time. I wait in line only for high value items and I have insured mail with eBay label. Then a month later, the clerk told me I would not get a scan and receipt for my one package, again high value item, insured mail with eBay label. I was told I have to go to the kiosk and drop in the bin since the clerk called scanning the eBay label "too confusing". I don't know what is confusing about it. As I mentioned, they had a sign posted "No Drop Offs at the Counter" which was there for about 2 weeks. I thought they meant you don't leave packages on the counter without having a clerk scan it, but they actually mean you can't bring a pre-paid package to the clerk for a scan and receipt. I've been getting scans and receipts from the clerks at the PO for over 6 years without issue, until now.
roccotacodad54
·9 months ago"Why?"
My guess would be APWU......................................
ltldpr
·9 months agoThey've tried to get me to just leave them on the counter and I've told them that I need to be able to prove chain of custody because "it's not mine" (it's not - it belongs to the recipient but I didn't tell the that) and that I need the receipt for "my boss" (eBay is my boss even though they don't pay me or provide benefits hahaha!).
If they had refused, I'd ask to speak to the postmaster.
12345jamesstamps
·9 months agoI have no problem standing in line getting a scan on tracking...some of the best free entertainment is in the post office from customers with problems. Clerk has no problem letting me take a photo with postage and tracking at the counter.
I do take a photo with my iPhone of anything with tracking...all international items...and expensive items...Can't tell you how it helps to shut the buyer right away when they see the envelope with postage on it.
I just transfer all photos to my PC in a file on date sent.
I had one INR not open yet but an inquiry from UK today...sent the photo and buyer decided to wait longer.
I think the photos maybe keep the negative or neutral feedbacks away so far.
lisa5768
·9 months agocarlmarxx
·9 months agoWoW ! that is a new one at the PO. I though I had seen it all .
1786davycrockett
·9 months ago@lisa5768
A couple years ago, I witnessed a similar situation, again around Christmas.
An older gentleman came to the counter with a huge box in his arms. The counter employee weighed the box, which was over 25 pounds.
The counter employee told the older gentleman the weight, and what the shipping charge would be (this was before USPS Ground Advantage).
The older gentleman became very loud and abusive, and demanded that it be shipped out at First Class rates.
The counter employee tried to explain that the weight of the box exceeded First Class rates by over 25 pounds, and was also obviously a box, and not an envelope, and the sender became even louder: "I'm a senior citizen, and a veteran of the Korean War, and I have a right to ship this out as First Class Mail!"
It went back and forth like that for a few more minutes; but the counter employee was not about to accept a heavy box at First Class rates, and the sender stamped out the door, threatening to call his Senator and the head of the post office.
However -- he didn't leave the building. I was still standing in line, and watched as he purchased some First Class stamps from the kiosk in the lobby outside, and slapped a few stamps on his box, and then dropped it in the bin outside the door.
When it was my turn in line, I told the counter employee what I had seen, and the counter employee stepped around the corner to check the bin. Not even a minute later, the employee came back to the counter, with the huge box in his arms, which had 3 or 4 First Class stamps affixed to it, plus the hand-scrawled notation "First Class Mail" underlined, with an exclamation point.
The counter employee weighed the package again, rubber-stamped "Insufficient Postage" multiple times on all sides of the package, and then added a "Postage Due" slip (with the written amount owed by the sender) next to the sender's return address.
"This will be sent back to him today," smiled the counter employee.
lisa5768
·9 months ago@1786davycrockett
The PO around the holiday's can be very entertaining watching people who ship once a year navigate.
carlmarxx
·9 months agoThat is amazing . I had to ship package at the PO that handles my mail and packages, there was a customer that was ahead of me with a Package bulging and a not enough packaging tap on it that all it would take is right drop to pop it open during transit . Well the USPS clerk had recommend that customer need to more tape but had refused to buy a roll and just paid the shipping cost and left. Well clerk and I talked about it not getting to the addressee in one piece . that the clerk said get these customers almost daily.
stainlessenginecovers
·9 months agoIf you do pickups by USPS, the carrier is required to 'scan as received'.
I also think 'some' post offices will not scan at the counter if they are larger, busier- they can then go by the 'new' memo dated Dec 2025.
1786davycrockett
·9 months ago@stainlessenginecovers
"If you do pickups by USPS, the carrier is required to 'scan as received'. "
The new December 17, 2025 memo would indicate that that service is now pre-empted, for an initial "Acceptance" scan at the next USPS Distribution Center.
Reading the 12/17/25 USPS memo, the intent seems to be to eliminate previous services and procedures, in order to "streamline" USPS by cutting down on "time wasting" operations.
Just looking at Google today, this new USPS memo has finally gained the attention of CNN, AARP and other news and social outlets as well.
Time for eBay to shape up and change its "Seller level" scoring methods!
stainlessenginecovers
·9 months agoJust an FYI;
Amazon does NOT rely on 'acceptance scans' for 3rd Party Seller Fulfilled;
Once a seller 'prints' a label- it is considered 'shipped'.
Ebay WAS like that.
Guess they need to go back.
tobaccocardyahoo
·9 months agoAmazon does rely on acceptance scans, has for many years, and many Amazon sellers share the concerns of Ebay sellers, especially because Amazon is less flexible in handling time.
tobaccocardyahoo
·9 months agoRTO has been in effect for months.
It has been phased in at the 60% of the POs which are 50 miles or more from a sorting center.
This is not a change in strategy.
Some sellers have decided to stand in line to get a scan. Some, like myself have a long enough handling time specified and a short enough real life handling time to have no problems.
Based on the failure to see a major increase in posts by below standard sellers, I would say that Ebay sellers who have been experiencing these changes since fall have survived.
There is nothing new in this thread that has not already been experienced by Ebay sellers and buyers.
ccomic
·9 months agoHow does insurance work then if the post office can take it and refuse to give a receipt?
bonanza125
·9 months ago"How does insurance work then if the post office can take it and refuse to give a receipt?"
Then find another post office to go to where you can stand in line and get yourself a receipt. I've never heard of a post office refusing to give a receipt.
ltldpr
·9 months agoI've heard of it, but it's been on here or the eBay Facebook group, and I think they're in big post offices in big cities. I've never had a clerk refuse to scan something for me. If they tried, I'd ask to speak with the postmaster.
klhmdg
·9 months agoIf you just drop the packages off and dont stand in line for an acceptance scan, you take a chance your packages wont get scanned.
The PO is not changing their scanning policy. You must have misunderstood.
They may not scan packages just dropped off until the package reaches the next destination / hub.
I have most packages scheduled for pick up and they are scanned right away.
1786davycrockett
·9 months ago@klhmdg
@loose_goose_garage
@hotwheelsbum
"The PO is not changing their scanning policy. You must have misunderstood."
"My post office has not mentioned anything about that process changing."
The change was slipped under the rug on December 17, 2025. It's buried in a 14 page "Q & A" type memo, beginning at least by page 9 --
https://about.usps.com/what/strategic-plans/delivering-for-america/assets/service-standard-changes-faq-doc2-2025.pdf
loose_goose_garage
·9 months agoThe way I read it, it looks to only be for mail pieces with stamps on them.
" If a customer wants to ensure that a mail piece receives a postmark that aligns with the date on
which the Postal Service first accepted possession, the customer may take the mail piece to a
10
Post Office, station, or branch and request a manual (local) postmark at the retail counter when
tendering their mail piece."
This cancellation/ postmark they reference (physical ink stamp or machine printed) is to make the stamp unable to be reused. I don't see anywhere that mentions scanned in mail pieces with barcode labels that do not receive such a stamp.
1786davycrockett
·9 months ago@loose_goose_garage
"The way I read it, it looks to only be for mail pieces with stamps on them."
That's covered on page 1 of the 12/17/2025 memo --
"Q3) What products are affected by the change to service standards?
Answer: The service standard adjustments apply to FCM, Periodicals, Marketing Mail, Package Services (Bound Printed Matter, Media Mail, and Library Mail), USPS Ground Advantage, Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express."
So the bottom line seems to be that USPS will no longer be doing acceptance scans at local post offices, and not until after the items are delivered to the next USPS Distribution Center -- which may be a day or so later.
Meaning that ALL eBay sellers will be receiving negative scores for "Tracking uploaded on time and validated" and "Late shipment rate" on our "Seller level" scores -- dropping ALL eBay sellers way down below "Acceptable" eBay standards.
Maybe the "blues" should be notified, before we all wind up with negative performance reviews.
a_c_green
·8 months agoI'm not seeing that stated anywhere. On what page does that appear?
What I do see, stated in the answer to Q4 on Page 2, and repeated in the answer on Page 11, is this:
"Also, mail and package acceptance procedures are not changing, and the date of acceptance will continue to be verified as is done currently."
bdmh-enterprises
·8 months agoThe disinformation in these comments is astounding. The change being referenced is for POSTMARKS! So if you happen to be one of the few thousand people left in this country that pay your bills and taxes by mailing a check, you will have to send it a few days earlier for it to be considered "on time".
Also, an effect on ESE was mentioned at some point. This is also NOT the case. ESE have NEVER required an acceptance scan. What matters is getting to the buyer on time. IME I have never had a defect on an ESE even ones that were never scanned at all.
lebanon-pa-store
·9 months agoyes this as correct as your going to get
obscureheirlooms
·6 months agoIn the last 2 weeks I had 3 scheduled pickups not show an acceptance scan until the next day when the packages were scanned at a larger city. I received an email at the time of pickup saying the scheduled pickup was completed but tracking showed no acceptance scan.
loose_goose_garage
·9 months agoI stand in line, have them scanned in one by one, and get a receipt. My post office has not mentioned anything about that process changing.
tools*
·9 months agoUse a scan sheet.
1786davycrockett
·9 months ago@tools*
"Use a scan sheet."
If the local post offices are not going to be doing scans anymore, a scan sheet can not be scanned.
christworks
·9 months agoScan sheets do not give eBay sellers protection. The scan sheet receipt shows USPS received a shipment from you, but if the packages are not scanned individually, you are screwed if there are issues.
tools*
·9 months agoA scan sheet provides, in a single bar code, the equivalent of scanning the associated packages individually. It's exactly what proves that a package was received by the USPS.
1786davycrockett
·9 months ago@charmaigns_on_9th
If your post office has a 24 hour self-service kiosk in the lobby, your packages can receive a pre-acceptance scan, and then you drop your packages into the security bin.
That should be acceptable to eBay to cover any "Tracking uploaded on time and validated" and "Late shipment rate" conditions.
If not, eBay will need to change its old system, in order to comply with the new USPS standards.
hotwheelsbum
·9 months agoEbay has never accepted a Kiosk receipt as proof of "Tracking uploaded on time and validated". Kiosk receipts are not validated as proof Seller actually dropped off package at PO. This has been a discussion in Facebook Groups for years. The Kiosk at the Post Office not linked into the Tracking system within the Post Office itself. Sellers that want to scam can get away with it 100% by just taking the label to the Kiosk, scanning the label, then walking out without ever even packing an item to ship. Then trying to claim Post Office has the package because, well, they have Proof. No, no they don't. Scanning into the main system by a Carrier with a scanner, or by the Clerk at the counter that puts it into system immediately is the only acceptable proof Post Office has the package.
a_c_green
·8 months agoActually yes, they have and they do. The Acceptance scan at a kiosk is a "Provisional" scan, meaning that USPS will consider it submitted but will not officially accept it as mailed (e.g. for insurance claim purposes) until it has had an in-network scan by a USPS employee or sort facility. Nevertheless, eBay receives notice of the kiosk scan and accepts that as mailing.
Yes it is. (There would not be much point in having that scanner on the front of the kiosk if it wasn't reporting its scans for tracking.) A package scanned at the kiosk generates a status of "USPS electronic receipt of item for mailing" in the tracking history for that package, and eBay reports it the same way. As soon as it receives an in-network scan after that, its status updates to "USPS in possession of item."
That will not work because the kiosk scan is a Provisional acceptance only. It meets eBay's needs but cannot be used for an insurance claim against USPS. A disclaimer stating this will pop up on the kiosk screen when you are scanning the package prior to dropoff.
carlmarxx
·9 months agoThe Pre-acceptance scan is useless at drop off in the security bin's . Had a seller that dropped off at their PO on 12/22 doing just this , and tracking went dead and went lost . This new USPS policy will screw sellers if there are no scans with their 3 day requirement . I can't see using USPS anymore and will use FedEx or UPS for the lower 48 . Far as Hi. , AK ,PR. and territories Priority Mail or Express which I will get the fiscal acceptance scan.