Does eBay allow this type of shipping?

[retired*and*crafting]

I just purchased some coffee from an eBay seller and expected him to ship it to me.  However, when I got the package, it was shipped directly from Costco in CA.  The seller apparently bought the coffee thru his online Costco account and had Costco ship it to me!  The seller, as shown on the packing slip, is in OH.  The auction only showed the seller address as "United States".  Does eBay allow this type of reselling and shipping?  It seems to me that it violates the policy of stating clearly where the item will be shipped from.  And, by the way, I learned I can buy the same coffee directly from Costco.com for $11 less than I paid this eBay seller!  So that's how I'll get my coffee in the future.   🙂

[femmefan1946]

Yes.

The seller can buy anywhere for resale. What you ran into is a (kinda stupid) version of dropshipping where the "seller" gathers the orders, sends them off to a warehouse somewhere (often overseas) and the warehouse ships. The seller never sees the product.

It is a bad system for exactly the reason you have pointed out. The buyer is annoyed and learns how to buy directly and more cheaply. The seller gets the brunt of any bad service by the wholesaler.