Seller self scanning tracking number at kiosk but not shipping items. Can't report to ebay.

[Anonymous]

I bought an item on December 5th. I received a USPS tracking number by email on December 10th. My item was supposed to arrive yesterday, December 13th. On the ebay website the item appears to have been sent based on the USPS tracking number. But when the tracking number is entered into the USPS website, it shows that the number was only scanned at a USPS self-service kiosk and the item still has not been taken to USPS by the seller. It has now been 9 days since I paid. I tried contacting the seller and got no response. When I try to contact ebay, it sends me to the item, and all I get is the page that shows the tracking number and telling me it has been shipped. So, I checked the seller feedback only to see that she has done this before. She is scanning tracking numbers at these self serve kiosks, but not shipping the item. But on Ebay's end it appears that it has been shipped. I don't know what to do. It wasn't expensive, but this seller needs to be stopped from running this scam. And I need a way to report her to ebay instead of being sent back to the item that falsely shows that it has been shipped and telling me to wait when it has not actually been shipped. Can someone tell me how to resolve this please?

[myangelandmyprincess]

Since your past the estimated delivery you should be able to file a not received refund request. 

https://www.ebay.com/help/buying/returns-refunds/get-help-item-hasnt-arrived?id=4042

[kathiec]

You're covered by eBay's Money Back Guarantee no matter what the seller is doing with tracking. If you haven't received the package by the day after the last estimated delivery date, go to your purchase history and click 'I haven't received it' to open a case. The seller will then have to show eBay tracking showing delivery, not just acceptance. If they don't, you can ask eBay to step in and get a refund.

[Anonymous]

That is part of the problem. Every day the page on ebay that shows the tracking number updates to show the current day as being the expected delivery day because of the USPS tracking number. So ebay tells me to contact the seller who will not respond.

There is no option to open a case on ebay because of that tracking number. It just keeps telling me to wait when I select, "I haven't received it".  The only option it gives me is to contact the seller, who will not respond.

I have been on ebay for a very long time and have never run across anything like this. 

[myangelandmyprincess]

The tracking number and any updated USPS delivery date shouldn't matter. Only the original estimated delivery date. 

Did you go to the link and click the report item not received?

[woodland_gnome]

That is the wrong estimated delivery date.   The time for opening a case is set by the estimated delivery date you are given by eBay when you pay (which should still be up in the transaction details of your Purchase History), not by the carrier.

[Anonymous]

I tried going through that page. It only gives me the option to contact the seller, who won't respond because of that tracking number.

That tracking number keeps updating on ebay every day to show the current day as the delivery day and telling me to wait for it to be delivered.

But the actual USPS website shows that the tracking number was scanned 4 days ago at a self-service kiosk and USPS has not received the item from the seller. 

[monroe67]

"But the actual USPS website shows that the tracking number was scanned 4 days ago at a self-service kiosk and USPS has not received the item from the seller."

USPS tracking may say something more like "USPS awaits item."  
This often means that, somewhere along the way, the tracking number has not been scanned.  Meaning a USPS employee has not read the bar code on the label with his/her tracking machine.  

During December, USPS workers may tend to get a little lax about scanning those tracking bar codes.  Why December?  LOTS more packages going through the US Postal Service.  

I am hoping your delivery is just held up in a USPS overload.  But as the buyer, you do have the Money Back Guarantee.  

[Anonymous]

Yes, I went to the link. It tells me to select the item not received. And this is what the next page that comes up says:

"Your item may still be on its way

The estimated delivery date for this item is Dec 14. If you haven't received your item by then, go back to the item you purchased and open a request."

I paid for the item on Monday December 5.  I received a USPS tracking number on Saturday December 10.

On Saturday the 10th the Ebay page said the expected delivery date was Tuesday Dec. 13. On December 13, yesterday, it changed to say the expected delivery date is December 14, today. But the USPS tracking site keeps showing that they have not even received the item from the seller.

The seller has not sent the item.

There is no option to open a case for this item. And if ebay keeps extending the date that I should expect the item because the seller gave them a USPS tracking number, then what? Ebay has already extended it once.

And now the seller has feedback from another buyer stating that they did the same thing to them.

I am honestly baffled because I have been on ebay for many years. I started as a seller at least 15 years ago, now only as a buyer and I have never seen or heard of anything like this before.

I appreciate everyone trying to help. And I am glad it wasn't an expensive item. But no seller should be allowed to self-scan an item so it appears to ebay that they have shipped, and then never send it. If they can get their tail to a self-scanning kiosk, they can get the package to the USPS to send it.

[nh7235]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Yes, I went to the link. It tells me to select the item not received. And this is what the next page that comes up says:

"Your item may still be on its way

The estimated delivery date for this item is Dec 14. If you haven't received your item by then, go back to the item you purchased and open a request." 

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eBay is kicking the can down the road @Anonymous and you won't ever get the page to start an Item Not Received refund request on eBay, despite it's now past the ORIGINAL estimated delivery date. 

Instead, do not keep contacting the non-responding seller. File a dispute here for Item Not Received at PayPal, if that's how you paid, now that it's past the estimated delivery date. This will start a Payment Dispute at eBay, and the seller has 5 days to respond, or to ignore the payment dispute altogether. 

After that, eBay will step in to decide how to respond to PayPal, where your INR dispute is awaiting a refund. Otherwise, file a Goods Not Received chargeback with your card issuer, and that'll start a Payment Dispute at eBay, going down the same path as for PayPal. 

Regardless the small purchase, this has cheated other buyers, and only a few will have reported it in feedback, so it's likely a much larger number.

[Anonymous]

Thank you. It wasn't in the mail today either. So the seller is just playing games. I did pay by PayPal and will see about getting refunded. Thank you everyone for the help, and happy holidays!

[lytish]

I just went through this with a seller. I finally found a chat on ebay and explained what happened. Of course the chat couldn't help so they put me in contact with a real person. I explained again what was happening. Finally got my money back. I don't remember how I found the chat. But it's around somewhere. Keep looking.

[ms.rodriguez*]

If the estimated arrival date is Dec 14,  give the seller another day.  Then go to the item and OPEN AN ITEM NOT RECEIVED CASE.  Read the directions carefully. You will have to come back to the case in 3 full days.  No need to chat with the seller.  No need to contact Paypal. It's much easier to go through Ebay.  

It is still very possible that the item shipped.  Was it media mail or parcel (post or select)?  Both methods of shipping can be very slow especially if the seller lives far away from you.

[lytish]

I was told on a Friday that my item had been shipped and was given a tracking number. On Tuesday the USPS tracking still said they were awaiting the item. I contacted the seller and got no reply. That evening I started trying to get in contact with someone on Ebay. It took me a while to find that chat, but it only took another day or so to get my money back after that.