USPS Question

[AWA85]

Think I am getting jerked around by an ebay seller on an item I purchased about a week ago. He gave me a tracking number of 9102128882300438287781.

It says this when I type it in:
The U.S. Postal Service was electronically notified by the shipper on November 30, 2010 to expect your package for mailing. This does not indicate receipt by the USPS or the actual mailing date. Delivery status information will be provided if / when available. Information, if available, is updated periodically throughout the day. Please check again later.

Wouldn't there have had to be some checkpoint or scan since Nov 30th that would have registered that the package has moved? It does not even show it has left a post office yet? Am I reading that correctly?

Thanks for your help!

[justinwc80]

Sometimes I've seen this until I receive the item. Im not sure why it sometimes has updates and sometimes doesn't. Most paypal shipping options are for delivery confirmation only. Good luck

[maccamania]

Think I am getting jerked around by an ebay seller on an item I purchased about a week ago. He gave me a tracking number of 9102128882300438287781.

It says this when I type it in:
The U.S. Postal Service was electronically notified by the shipper on November 30, 2010 to expect your package for mailing. This does not indicate receipt by the USPS or the actual mailing date. Delivery status information will be provided if / when available. Information, if available, is updated periodically throughout the day. Please check again later.

Wouldn't there have had to be some checkpoint or scan since Nov 30th that would have registered that the package has moved? It does not even show it has left a post office yet? Am I reading that correctly?

Thanks for your help!

if the seller went to the PO and asked for receipt and should of, the USPS website would read,receipt day, time received and PO location received, if he did not ask for a receipt, there would be no proof it was ever taken to the PO, thats why I always have the package scanned in and a receipt printed.
Ask the seller for proof that he took it to the PO.

[vballGuy]

This happened to me once when I placed an order with MAB sports. I think what that message means is that the shipper hasn't actually shipped the item yet (brought it to a post office), rather they've just registered the item for shipping.

At least, thats what happened with me. It took over a month for MAB to finally ship it to me -- after shipping it, the USPS website updated the tracking number accordingly.

I would check with the ebay seller to see that they actually shipped it.

[kudu]

Was it a large item or small item? Reason I ask is because sometimes people (like myself) will use the APC machines at post offices, which you can get delivery confirmation numbers for the packages when the postage sticker is printed out. The package may have literally slipped through the cracks if the person put it in the package bin. You might want to ask the seller how they shipped the package, either using an APC machine, on the internet, or physically going to a postal worker to ship your item. Then see if they can go back to the post office to find out what happened to the package. If you dont get your item in a week or so from now, I would file a "item not received" complaint to Ebay. Also dont forget, the post offices are very busy this time of year with Christmas packages and all.

[otismalibu]

i
if the seller went to the PO and asked for receipt and should of, the USPS website would read,receipt day, time received and PO location received, if he did not ask for a receipt, there would be no proof it was ever taken to the PO, thats why I always have the package scanned in and a receipt printed.

If you print postage at home, you obviously don't go down to the post office to wait in line for a DC# scan.

It might still not have made it to the post office or some lazy USPS workers may have not scanned the package. I've had items delivered that were never scanned or only scanned at the destination point.

[AWA85]

Thanks for all the info, have followed up with the seller and all he said was "here is the tracking number,".

[CampWest]

for certain tracking numbers the USPS only tracks certain points in the cycle not a step by step. No need to freak out on this one, its probably just not a step by step tracking.

[AWA85]

I understand that it does not guarantee and step by step tracking, but maybe a starting point, or one of the skips in the step process over the past week ;). The guy gave me a confirmation number, but it should have had a starting point in the tracking cycle at the least?

[camarokids]

Not always true. As mentioned earlier, I have had items where the tracking number never updated. Next thing you know I received the item.

What you really need to know is what method the item was shipped. If Priority Mail, expect to have it with-in 2-3 days. If Parcel Post, could be 7-10 days.....

[Number9]

I agree with the others unfortunately. USPS tracking is not good, a lot of us don't realize this.
Usually, like Camarokids said, I don't see the tracking update on items until it has been delivered.
USPS is quicker, 2 days with Priority, compared to UPS, but you only get the good tracking info from UPS and Fed Ex.

[DJaeger22]

fed ex tracking is amazing, got an email saying it was sent within the hour it was dropped off...then they emailed me when it was delivered. throughout the shipment it was updated at every stop. couldnt be happier with the experience

[sox83cubs84]

UPS was less than informing on my recent shipment, a 2-Day Air package to Maryland. From Friday through Tuesday mornng, the automated tracking line said nothing more than "the package is on its way to you" (Hel-LO, I'm the sender, not the recipient). Finally, Tuesday afternnon, the message changed to a very detailed account of delivery. That part was great, but before that, not too inspiring.

Dave Miedema

[NEFAN]

I do all priority shipping by paying the USPS online. That is the email they send out as soon as you buy the postage (If the seller checks that box on the form). Then I put it in a mailbox and as soon as it is scanned by the PO, it SHOULD be updated, but that is not always the case.

[Lokee]

I do all priority shipping by paying the USPS online. That is the email they send out as soon as you buy the postage (If the seller checks that box on the form).

And if you never ship it out the status would not change correct ?

[maccamania]

i

If you print postage at home, you obviously don't go down to the post office to wait in line for a DC# scan.

It might still not have made it to the post office or some lazy USPS workers may have not scanned the package. I've had items delivered that were never scanned or only scanned at the destination point.


Otis

I beg to differ with you, Of course you go down there a get a receipt and if you stand in line all day, so be it. If you dont get a receipt, then there is NO proof it was received or shipped. I know of someone who was to lazy to stand in line and just left it with a PO counterperson with no receipt, well you can guess the rest, the buyer claimed non receipt and the only proof the shipper was that it was recorded on the PO camera that the package was brought to the PO.
Do you really need all of that because of not wanting to stand in line.
BTY the PO worker stole the item......................

[NEFAN]

And if you never ship it out the status would not change correct ?

Correct.

[gnishiyama]

When I used to sell a lot on Ebay, I used to use the Paypal prepaid labels
that I would print at home and then go to the post office, skip the line and
then just drop it off at the window. The clerk would just take the packages
and throw it in the bin. The problem with that is unless the clerk decides
to do "extra work" later and scan the packages, more than likely your
customer will only be able to track the item as "receipt printed"
(electronic info received), and oftentimes until the package actually gets delivered. In some cases the mailman may forget or be too lazy to scan at
point of delivery and if the recipient sees that he/she can take advantage
of that and the rest is history.

Nowadays, with many scammers looking for any excuse to rip you off on
both ends of a deal, when I use USPS I fully insure everything and use
the pink signature confirmation slip. This costs me a bit extra and requires
me to wait on-line but it covers all bases. I have had more than one dishonest customer try and report "item not received" and I was able to
come up with all the proof I needed to protect myself.

Also a bit unrelated but when I use paypal now both off and on Ebay, I
always empty out my paypal account so that I can use the credit card
option. It leaves me with the hassle of having to pay off the CC asap,
but I will tell you from personal experience that the CC companies are
much more reliable than paypal when dealing with issues.

Happy holidays!

Thanks,
Goh Nishiyama, NY, NY
gnishiyama@gmail.com
World's #1 buyer and seller of Japanese-born MLB players' memorabilia:)

[otismalibu]

I beg to differ with you, Of course you go down there a get a receipt and if you stand in line all day, so be it. If you dont get a receipt, then there is NO proof it was received or shipped.

Sure there is. I print postage from home all the time and DC is free. I don't get that initial scan of the DC label like I would if I waited in line to mail it at the post office, but it usually gets scanned at some point along the way...although not always.

Most of the time it tracks. I've sent and received items that never show as delivered. One was a $200 item that was insured and had DC. The buyer confirmed delivery, but the tracking never showed up. I sent a couple emails to USPS about that, but they never responded.

Still prefer USPS to UPS. UPS is the king of crushed packages. And their brokerage fees to Canada are BS.

[nick1980]

USPS does not offer tracking numbers only delivery confirmation numbers that is why there is no tracking. Sometimes there is "tracking" just because of a scan that happens but that number is only for confirmation of delivery.

[otismalibu]

USPS does not offer tracking numbers only delivery confirmation numbers

True, but the scans kind of let you track the progress. Nine times out of ten I can tell the day my USPS item will be delivered, based on the last DC update.

[camarokids]

True, but the scans kind of let you track the progress. Nine times out of ten I can tell the day my USPS item will be delivered, based on the last DC update.

If you look up top of the page below type of service used, the delivery confirmation will tell you the expected day of delivery......

[otismalibu]

If you look up top of the page below type of service used, the delivery confirmation will tell you the expected day of delivery......

Not showing that on OP's item, even though it says it's out for delivery today.