Can someone explain eBay shipping (vs UPSP, UPS, etc)

[majkabd]

I've noticed that whenever someone ships to me and I get (what I've been told) is an eBay tracking number, it takes forever to receive?  I purchased something almost a month ago and still haven't received it.  The tracking number doesn't tell me anything, and it's not USPS or UPS.

I've ordered several things since, including something I purchased 5 days ago, and have already received it...but am still waiting for the other package.

What is it, why do people use it, and how can you find out where it is?

Thanks

[kensgiftshop]

How fast you receive an item depends on how soon the seller ships and where the item is being shipped from.

If it's coming from China, or that area, it could take a couple months and sometimes the tracking doesn't work until it reaches the US.

A day after the estimated delivery date Ebay gave you, open an Item Not Received case.
Go to your purchase history and click I didn't get it in the menu next to the item.
The seller will have 3 days to provide a tracking number showing it was delivered or refund.
If they don't, return to the case on day 4 and ask Ebay to step in.

[fab_finds4u]

Most sellers ship with tracking and the tracking number will be in the order details in your Purchase History.  But be aware tracking isn't mandatory.  It may not have a tracking number.

If the item isn't received by the expected delivery date in the listing then file a not received claim. Read how MBG works. It's in every listing.

[majkabd]

From what I saw, it is coming from the US and the tracking number starts with ESUS

It states it was sent April 18 and should've been received by Apr 24, but the tracking meter doesn't go beyond Tracking Provided.  I contacted the seller and they stated they shipped it on Apr 18.

This isn't the first time an item with tracking beginning with ESUS has taken waaayyy to long.

If you or anyone else has thoughts on this, I'd appreciate it.

[majkabd]

Also, the item is coming from Chelmsford, MA and I live in Virginia Beach VA, so it's not like it's a long trip.  Just halfway down the east coast.

[gosimus]

@majkabd 

< it is coming from the US and the tracking number starts with ESUS >    

This article  https://www.ecommercebytes.com/C/abblog/blog.pl?/comments///1651023734.html  has an informative discussion about ESUS.  It happens to mention @shipscript who, among other talents, is an exemplary CM here.  

[shipscript]

@majkabd 

Trading cards under $20 can be shipped through eBay's Standard Envelope service in order to obtain low-cost (ESUS) tracking on a letter that is not normally trackable. But like other first class letter mail, some of these items can be lost along the way. Since letter mail takes only about a week at most, your item is likely lost, and I would suggest opening a "not received" request in your Purchase History.

The tracking history that eBay displays is often limited. The full tracking history can be displayed using the slot at the top of this page: 

https://parcelsapp.com/en/carriers/easyship 

Letter carriers and local post office facilities do not have equipment that will scan a proprietary code like ESUS. So there is no acceptance scan and no delivery scan. Instead, the letter must make its way into one or more USPS sorting hubs, where high-speed sorting equipment will scan the ESUS code that provides a tracking history.

If the path between buyer and seller is short and does not have a major hub en route, there may be no scan at all. If the item is ejected by the sorting equipment as "non-machinable", or for jamming, there will be no scan. But, in both cases of no scan, the item might still arrive.

In some instances, the letter might be sent far off course in order to pass through a sorting hub - lengthening the delivery time. A buyer in Florida routinely purchases trading cards and has found that "packages" track through a direct route down the state.  But ESUS letters took a detour to a hub 100 miles off course that had the appropriate scanning equipment, and then entered back into the mailstream, coming from that different direction.