How Often Does A Parcel Actually Get Scanned?

[tedster99]

This is kind of a first for me, maybe it is common but I don't like it. Scheduled another carrier pickup thru USPS. The carrier picked it up, but apparently didn't scan it as "picked up" or Acceptance. I did get an email from USPS confirming they had collected the package. How does that work? 

Anyway, at what point going forward will it at least show up in the system? Are parcels maybe scanned on the machines or conveyor at some point? Or is it at Delivery will be the next scan? What if the carrier declines to scan then?

[dirk12955]

I get and send packages every day that are scanned or maybe partially scanned.

I just received a package from Germany that was scanned accepted when the seller dropped it aoof and was not scanned one time between then and delivery to me.

I'd presume the label was unreadable.    That does happen.     I received another package that the labelhad gotten soaked with rain and was unreadable.

Stuff happens.    Some USPS employees either don't have the time,   Or want to take the time,  or might be too lazy to scan.

I've discovered that if I follow a package from shipment to delivery watching the scans all the way I'm soon   going to be disappointed.      So I don't do it. 

[tedster99]

Barcode is fine. It scans fine, that's how I input them in the system on my end. Still have plenty of time, I have 3 day window or whatever. Carriers who don't take the time to scan are actually just making more work for themselves.

[1tuna]

some packages get lots of scan and other not so many

from reading these boards I know that sellers are real picky about the pickup scans

I would give a lot of thought as to what you might say to your carrier

I woud never want to be pushy with my carrier but if they are supposed to be scanning I woud expect it

I am a drop and go shipper

there has to be a nice way to bring this up with  your carrier

good luck

[lepke1979]

However often they deem the need to.

I usually only see package scans at the main hub near me. And then final hub, then out for delivery, and finally delivered. Occasionally I might see something inbetween.

But also sometimes only see a scan at the final leg a few days to a week later.

[tedster99]

I have discussed it with the regular. No worries there. It's when he gets a day off* and a substitute does the route. I think that's maybe what happened today. The acceptance scan looms large for seller metrics and that stuff, I think. I'm not obsessed about it, but as we all know "Shipping Label Created" doesn't mean anything to a buyer. In this instance, it is in the hands of the shipper, but I can't really prove it.

*Letter carriers work 6 days a week, so they get rotating days off. Off Monday. Next week, Tuesday, etc. Every 6 weeks they are supposed to get a "long weekend". Friday/Saturday/Sunday

[firejake2003]

I appreciate your concern about the acceptance scan, since ebay counts the acceptance scan date as the shipped date.  And if the package never gets an acceptance scan or they do it after your "ship by" date, then a defect occurs even if the package was mailed on time.

[slippinjimmy]

Packages get scanned in this order......

On Acceptance by USPS, for carrier pick-up it could be at time of pick up or it could at the time the carrier returns to their Post Office.

Second scan comes on arrival at the Regional Facility

Third scan at departed from the Regional Facility

Fourth scan comes when it arrives at the destination Regional Facility

Fifth scan comes when it departs to the local Post Office

Sixth scan is Out For Delivery

Seventh scan is Delivered

In between there can be "phantom scans" that only show "In-Transit". 

If you want to ensure a scan at pick-up you need to provide a Scan Form and/or speak (nicely) to the person doing the pick-ups.

[lepke1979]

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@firejake2003 wrote:

I appreciate your concern about the acceptance scan, since ebay counts the acceptance scan date as the shipped date.  And if the package never gets an acceptance scan or they do it after your "ship by" date, then a defect occurs even if the package was mailed on time.

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I get confused on this because I've never gotten a shipping defect. And I have had lots of packages that never show a scan until over a week later. And my handling time is 3 business days.

[reallynicestamps]

And then there is the Canada Post service that eBay often accepts as tracked, although it certainly isn't.

Don't watch tracking. Between services that are only Delivery Confirmed (scanned on acceptance and on delivery, not in between) and Spoke and Hub Delivery (which is apparently the industry standard and very efficient, but which defies common sense) and fat finger typos on acceptance that send parcels from CA to AK to PR to GA and carriers who mark all their packages delivered before leaving the parking lot and.....

Mark the last estimated date for delivery on your calendar.

If the customer hasn't complained, don't worry.

[gwens*4saleitems*]

I had gotten a shipping defect, a year or so ago.

I sent out 3 packages, package pick-up, carrier only scanned 2 of the 3 packages. I didn't know that she didn't scan one of the packages UNTIL I GOT the defect and had to look it up to see why. The package only got one scan as far as I could see and that was when it was delivered. So, I got a shipping defect for 'late shipping'.

[simply-the-best-for-you · Accepted solution]

It's not that sellers care about scans, it's that Ebay penalizes us if we don't have an Acceptance Scan & there's a problem down the road or if that acceptance scan is not uploaded within your handling time.   I could care less, except I don't want dings on my account, so I make sure that EVERY SINGLE PKG GETS AN ACCEPTANCE SCAN.  PERIOD.   The responsibility ultimately lies with me, cuz I'm the only one who cares about my business.  The USPS does not.   That means I know what days my carrier is off & I take appropriate measures.   Actually, I go even further & established text communication with him, b/c he does not always get the pickup sheet, even though I ordered it.   It is SUPER common for carriers &/or the USPS to skip the Acceptance Scan.  It depends on your carrier & station. 

Someone above gave a list of every conceivable scan that can happen.  The problem is you can't count on ANY of the TO ACTUALLY HAPPEN.   That's ok, as a seller, only 2 matter, but they MATTER A LOT - Acceptance & Delivery.   You are rated on those & if there's a problem, you can't prove to the buyer than you sent it without those (or in the case of INR, prove that the pkg was delivered).  

And now there's a big issue with a new rule that rural carriers are no longer allowed to scan more than 5 pkgs unless you have a scan sheet.  Several big threads & STILL NO COMMENT FROM EBAY.   Don't assume you are not rural.  I'm in the heart of suburbia in a 1000 home subdivision & apparently me & half my city (of almost 1M people) are rural per the USPS. 

Bottom line, it's super important & it's your responsibility to get it. 

[simply-the-best-for-you]

P.S.  That confirmation email has nothing to do with anything except confirming that your pkgs were picked up.   It's not all that accurate either. 

[lepke1979]

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@gwens*4saleitems* wrote:

I had gotten a shipping defect, a year or so ago.

I sent out 3 packages, package pick-up, carrier only scanned 2 of the 3 packages. I didn't know that she didn't scan one of the packages UNTIL I GOT the defect and had to look it up to see why. The package only got one scan as far as I could see and that was when it was delivered. So, I got a shipping defect for 'late shipping'.

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That's what people keep saying. But for some reason in my experience, it doesn't seem to be the case. Even chatted with someone at eBay last year (was debating whether or not to change handling time to 1 day) about it and according to the person, "As long as you are able to provide the tracking details within your handling time, that should be fine." Which to me just means the tracking number was added.

But I don't know. What's funny is that I've flat out watched postal workers scan packages when they pick them up and at the post office and it sometimes doesn't show as accepted. Eventually it'll hit the major hub a day or two later and show it's been processed or something. But I do know sometimes the scanners may not upload for some reason or at the post office, whatever sends the data to the main server doesn't happen sometimes. Or it's just not immediate.

One thing I am curious about though, the scan sheets you can print, I have been told eBay doesn't consider them accepted until they get a real scan later on. Or in the case of the self serve kiosks. You can scan them in there and drop them in the box. But I think they function similarly to scan sheets.

[simply-the-best-for-you]

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@lepke1979 wrote:

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@gwens*4saleitems* wrote:

I had gotten a shipping defect, a year or so ago.

I sent out 3 packages, package pick-up, carrier only scanned 2 of the 3 packages. I didn't know that she didn't scan one of the packages UNTIL I GOT the defect and had to look it up to see why. The package only got one scan as far as I could see and that was when it was delivered. So, I got a shipping defect for 'late shipping'.

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That's what people keep saying. But for some reason in my experience, it doesn't seem to be the case. Even chatted with someone at eBay last year (was debating whether or not to change handling time to 1 day) about it and according to the person, "As long as you are able to provide the tracking details within your handling time, that should be fine." Which to me just means the tracking number was added.

But I don't know. What's funny is that I've flat out watched postal workers scan packages when they pick them up and at the post office and it sometimes doesn't show as accepted. Eventually it'll hit the major hub a day or two later and show it's been processed or something. But I do know sometimes the scanners may not upload for some reason or at the post office, whatever sends the data to the main server doesn't happen sometimes. Or it's just not immediate.

One thing I am curious about though, the scan sheets you can print, I have been told eBay doesn't consider them accepted until they get a real scan later on. Or in the case of the self serve kiosks. You can scan them in there and drop them in the box. But I think they function similarly to scan sheets.

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@lepke1979  Are you sure you're looking in the right place?  I had 1 pkg scanned late in the last 90 days or whatever & there it is taunting me on my Dashboard.   Esp annoying since the buyer requested me to ship late.  Not worth calling Ebay again though.   It is ABSOLUTELY true that you get dinged if the Acceptance scan is not on time. 

IDK about scan sheets, as I've never used them, but am about to probably start.  IDK why it wouldn't be a real scan though.  The ones at Kiosks are, I do them a lot & they show up the same & the USPS has come out & said they're the same.  

I've never had an Acceptance scan that I know happened, not show up.  EVER.  And I check a lot.  Again, are you sure you're looking in the right place?  Ebay's data is quite delayed, so if there's doubt, be sure to check USPS directly.   The scanners work on cell towers, so sometimes there is a delay depending on cell traffic & where they are when the data uploads.