eBay admitted the tracking was outside my control, still ruled against me
Summary: rickarss-0 shared a grievance about a dispute with an online platform regarding a tracking issue that was admitted to be outside of their control. However, the platform still ruled against rickarss-0. Others in the discussion did not add any new information or responses to this complaint.
I purchased a shipping label directly through eBay’s platform for three orders. The label did not include tracking. eBay later closed all three cases against me — specifically because there was no tracking to confirm delivery.
When I escalated, an eBay CS rep acknowledged in writing that the missing tracking was “outside my control” because the label was purchased through eBay. Despite that admission, the decisions were not reversed and my account has since been restricted — no listings, no payouts.
The core problem: eBay sold a shipping product that does not meet eBay’s own seller protection requirements, then enforced those requirements against the seller who bought it. I was also told by one rep that eBay does not sell shipping without tracking — which is demonstrably false.
I’m posting because I doubt I’m the only one this has happened to. If you’ve experienced the same issue, please reply. A pattern of complaints carries more weight than a single case.
I’m also happy to share the exact shipping option involved so others can avoid it.
4 comments
isamu.kun
·2 months agoThat agent was definitly wrong, and as other have said eBay doesn't require tracking but without it you get hosed in disputes.
Ultimately what shipping option did you pick? When buying a label the page clearly outlines which shipping options include tracking and which don't. The ones without are usually significantly cheaper, but the downside is without tracking you more or less lose all seller protections.
ypdc_dennis
·2 months agoEven if a label has tracking, if tracking does not show delivered the seller will lose an item-not-received claim. You as Seller are responsible to get the item delivered, responsibility does not end when you ship.
If you bought a Canada Post Small Packet label you can try using the internal tracking number that appears on the label -- some countries will scan that and treat it as a displayable tracked number.
marnotom!
·2 months agoI'm not sure what "outside my control" means in this context. You purchased shipping that, apparently unbeknownst to you, did not come with tracking. Shipping with tracking is not a requirement for eBay sales. It is a requirement if sellers wish to have some protection against fraudulent payments or fraudulent claims of non-delivery. Some sellers have done some risk analysis and concluded that they're further ahead by using less expensive non-trackable shipping methods. Even if you do ship with tracking and the tracking does not show delivery, you're still on the hook for a refund and your recourse is to pursue an insurance claim with the carrier.
eBay has no Canadian-based customer service. The CS rep you spoke to was probably unaware that things are a bit different for Canadian sellers using eBay.ca than they are for American sellers using eBay.com.
hansatrade
·2 months agoAre you sure? Some of Ebay shipping labels never had any tracking, like Small Packet.
I believe it's still your responsibility to provide a tracking number.
I often use Tracked Packed (tracked), and even more often Small Packet (not tracked) - mainly to UK or Australia.
I had several INR disputes in the past, and won all of them, because I was always able to provide tracking.
When an untracked item was lost, I simply refunded the buyer, and not asked Ebay to be involved at all.