What kind of shipping is this?

[stephenmorgan]

I ordered a vehicle part (mirror) on the 22nd with delivery by the 28th.  Part is widely available on eBay with slight variations on price.

I need the part so I may use the vehicle.  I place the order based on the location of the item and delivery time of 3 to 7 days.  Listing said item is located in Huston Texas (650 miles away) so it is very plausible once given to USPS I would receive it within the stated time frame.  It was due to arrive on the 28th and then on the 29th but it is still in transit.  Maybe tomorrow, who knows?

I looked up the Tracking information and it says the item left from MONROE TOWNSHIP, NJ 08831.

I searched the seller and it says they are located in China.

Is this what they call a Drop Ship?

I just wish the eBay listings were more accurate about where their product is located.  If I know they did not actually have the item in Huston I would have kept looking for a supplier.  There are dozens of sellers offering the same exact product and using the same exact pictures I just do not get why they descise the product location?

[fab_finds4u · Accepted solution]

Dropshipping? Maybe, maybe not. They could be storing their own products in different warehouses.  

The expected delivery date is an estimate, not a  guaranteed date certain delivery date.

I would buy it local if it was holding me up from driving.

eBay doesn't  care if the city it's shipped from changed. It is when they misrepresent the country and  ship from China when it's supposed to be shipped from the USA that is supposed to matter. 

You should be checking the feedback comments before you buy and if the seller is from China be leery. They might ship from China or from a different USA warehouse and say it was out of stock in their USA warehouse in the listing is why it shipped from a different location.

Never pick an item because it's  close to you.  A nearby seller can have a longer handling time and use Economy  shipping than the  one farther away wth an Expedited method and a  shorter handling time. 

After the latest expected delivery date you may file an item not received dispute.

The seller will have 3 days to prove delivery.  I predict by then the item will have arrived.  eBay can see it was shipped on time. They could decide to allow more time for it to arrive is it's near. 

[stephenmorgan]

I did buy local to start with but it did not come with metal tabs that are needed and my tabs were not interchangeable.  No one else had one in stock.  Anyway hopefully when it arrives it will be the item as pictured.

[lacemaker3]

@stephenmorgan 

The notice "Arrived shipping partner facility, USPS awaiting item" means that the item has been sent by one of the smart-post services provided by (usually) either FedEx or DHL. They each have their own name for this service.

The courier company transports the item to your region/city and delivers it to a local post office near you,  then USPS handles the final mile of the delivery.

[lacemaker3]

Sorry, I should have said these services are usually provided by either FedEx or UPS. (DHL is not that common, but is used sometimes.)