Tracking shows item in the wrong place

[holsteinatlanta]

I may have made a mistake but I’m not sure I’m going to walk through this with somebody maybe can figure out what’s wrong.

I shipped a headlight to a guy who lives in south Georgia I live in Atlanta which is pretty much north Georgia . 

tracking shows the item in Ohio set to be delivered today. buyer is complaining to me that the item is in Ohio and why isn’t it in south Georgia.

so let’s walk through this even if I put the label on the wrong box (slight chance this happened) The label on the box should not be in Ohio. I just told the guy I’m sorry I don’t know why your package is in Ohio we will just have to wait and see if it gets delivered to you.

or I could use the old email that says I’m sorry the number is provided to you is a delivery confirmation number it is not a tracking number so we shouldn’t go by where it is tracked to. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[mtgraves7984]

"... or I could use the old email that says I’m sorry the number is provided to you is a delivery confirmation number it is not a tracking number so we shouldn’t go by where it is tracked to..."

@holsteinatlanta 

What old email? I'm confused...

If your label had a tracking number on it, then it is traceable. Maybe it has been routed through Ohio (for some strange reason), but if it says it's 'Out for Delivery', then I assume it's about to be delivered today.

Maybe it has returned to Georgia without further scans, and will be delivered there. Maybe you mixed up an order to a buyer in Ohio, who is about to ask where his  package is... especially if he receives an unwanted headlight.

If either of those things occur... at least you'll know what happened. Good luck!

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

@holsteinatlanta 

Lots of possibilities of what happened to your package that's causing the incorrect info to show up when you try to trace.  Items fall off conveyors and end up in the wrong bin. It could have ended up in the wrong truck. Most packages are computer scanned and sorted. Sometimes if the label can't be read by a scanner it gets manually scanned and human mistakes happen. An incorrect label got applied to your parcel. Just be patient. It should eventually find its way. I had a package recently get scanned to a city north of here....Twice. It was a few days late but it finally arrived. I never take what eBay says regarding delivery times as written in stone. But that's a personal choice. You should be able to sign up for delivery updates. Either text or to email. If anything changes you will be advised for both you and your customer.

-Lotz

PS. Another possibility is it just was unfortunate enough to get a bad scan. Those happen too. Scanner just hit the barcode at the wrong angle displaying inaccurate info.

[holsteinatlanta]

so really I have to tell the buyer let’s just wait and see? I didn’t even miss expected delivery date yet. The buyer is already asking me to overnight him a new one. 

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

@holsteinatlanta 

See attached for other stories regarding Covid related delivery delays.

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Selling/Ebay-really-needs-to-do-more-to-help-sellers-with-Covid-delays...

-Lotz

[mtgraves7984]

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@holsteinatlanta wrote:

so really I have to tell the buyer let’s just wait and see? I didn’t even miss expected delivery date yet. The buyer is already asking me to overnight him a new one. 

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@holsteinatlanta 

You don't have  to tell the buyer anything. But as a good customer service measure (and if you feel so compelled), I don't see anything wrong with telling the buyer that it's not the 30th yet. I do see wrong in overnighting the customer a free one, though... it's liable to beat the first order to the buyer's door.

[holsteinatlanta]

I don't see anything wrong with telling the buyer that it's not the 30th yet. I do see wrong in overnighting the customer a free one, though... it's liable to beat the first order to the buyer's door.

I don’t have another one  between us the buyer has to wait I shipped it the day he paid nothing further I could do

[holsteinatlanta]

 Wonder what’s going to happen

[buyselljack2016]

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@holsteinatlanta wrote:

or I could use the old email that says I’m sorry the number is provided to you is a delivery confirmation number it is not a tracking number so we shouldn’t go by where it is tracked to. 🤷🏻‍♂️

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That is old 😁

delivery confirmation fell by the wayside many years ago.

[little*blackdog]

Yeah, it's a "tracking number" now and it will give you delivery confirmation, but it's not referred to that way anymore.  So go to USPS.com and put that tracking number into the search bar.  After you get the info there should be a place to request updates on the progress of the tracking number.  You'll have options for what and how you want to receive those, like "Lotso" said in an earlier response.  Don't listen to the buyer to the point where he's got you feeling guilty and anxious.  The package will work it's way back eventually and it sounds like it's still got a day or so to do that before the buyer should start blaming you.  Hang in there!

[holsteinatlanta]

Well it's the delivery date and he doesn't have his item.  I tried to open a case with USPS and it seems the buyer opened his own case with USPS and I cannot create another case.

I don't know what to do?  I told him sorry please wait a few times. He emails me a few times a day asking for an update.  The item is less than $100 for the PM insurance, but you cannot start a USPS PM insurance claim until 14 days after printing. 

What do you guys suggest? 

[queenbuttercup]

Your buyer is being very frantic and seems like he will not wait. I expect he will open a case ASAP. What does the tracking show at this point? Sometimes USPS makes an error and a package travels around the country.

Also, did you check and see if the shipping label with the associated tracking number was indeed created for his address in South Georgia? I have heard of a few cases with an eBay glitch pulling up a buyer's old address. If the label is correct, the package will likely eventually make it to the buyer. However the buyer is so impatient, he will probably file a case and get refunded before it makes it to him. 

Assuming the correct label is on the package I would pay for a package intercept and have it returned to me. I would then send the buyer another via priority mail (if you have another) or refund him, letting him decide.

[femmefan1946]

You may not be familiar with a spoke and hub delivery system, and your buyer certainly isn't.

This means that all the parcels from a given area (that's the spoke -- and there are dozens of them)  go to a central point ( that's the hub) and from there they are sorted into different spokes and out for delivery.

Vast oversimplification.

The airline industry uses it a lot, as does FedEx (remember how Castaway started?), USPS and UPS among others.

But it's why if I am flying to Cuba from here on Vancouver Island BC, I first go east and north to Calgary AB, then south and west  to Mexico, then east to Cuba.

There are a small number of people on that Calgary flight who are going to Cuba. There are more on the Mexico flight going there and they flew to Calgary from all over BC, AB, SK and the Territories. And every one on the last flight is going to Cuba and they flew to Mexico from all over Canada  and Europe.

So what has happened is that your shipment has been sent via a spoke to a hub and will then be put into another spoke and once in Atlanta will be delivered.

Buyers should never be allowed to see tracking-- it just confuses them.😎

Tracking is a Seller Protection.

As long as it arrives within the time eBay gave your buyer for delivery, you're fine.

To confuse matters further, there is a lack of trucks, rail cars and especially passenger flights (which normally also carry mail) in these pandemic times.

This means the best route may be  southern Georgia, west to Ohio, then east again to northern Georgia, because waiting for a truck with enough room going directly to Atlanta might take a week.

Or not.

It is a useful idea to change your Handling time from 24 or 48 hours to five, seven or even 30 days, without actually changing your shipping practices. This will push eBay's deadline further away.

Better an expected 20 day delivery window, and a parcel that arrives in ten days than a 10 day delivery window and a parcel that arrives in 11 days.