Tracking not updating

[eripaiemen0]

Hi,

I won a bid on october 15th. Paid right away. The seller told me that he shipped the item the next day. After a few days without updates, he provided me the tracking number he got from USPS. The parcel was received on 20th (according to the tracking provided by the seller) at Erlanger, KY

Still, no update on Ebay's website or PBI website.

I wait a bit more, to the 29th (the last estimated date). Still nothing. Contacted the seller, told he shipped the item, and cannot do much more. Try to contact ebay, they have nothing more than me. 

What should I do now? I don't want to ask for a refund, because I guess they will ship the item back to the seller. I tried to contact Pitney Bowes, they don't want to support tracking and refer me to Ebay. Who should I contact from now? What should I do? I want my package, the price was good, and I trust the seller when he says he shipped it. The ebay tracking system is a mess, I would understand if I had no updates after Erlanger, but no update before just tell me that their tracking method is broken...

[retroman_studios]

If eBays estimated deadline has passed and you have no further updates from PBI, then at this point you can open a case and state the item has not arrived. But read on first.

The seller will not be liable, as he shipped to PBI, so long as tracking shows it delivered to PBI, he is covered. After that, PBI assumes responsibility for a package.

Now, there might be a reason for the delay. Over the last few days there have been labour disruptions and this includes sorting plants where PBI will ship the packages. If the plant is closed, there is no point driving there to drop off packages. I'm sure PBI has contingency for this.

Have you tried contacting PBI directly? There is a phone number here on the boards that I was given a few years ago. I believe is still works.

Found it:

Also, if you have questions about a shipment, call Pitney Bowes directly at 1-866-235-9627.

Hopefully that should help. Normally you can just use the online tracker but in this case, there hasn't been any communication to customers regarding GSP and the rotating strikes, so bad on eBay, hopefully @happy_pigeon or others from eBay can also chime in.

[reallynicestamps]

Usually when an item gets to Erlanger it is on a truck and heading for Canada within two business days or less.

They have too much more stuff coming in to let anything hang around.

So.

What was the item?

Is it possible that it cannot be imported into Canada?

Some things that are legal to buy here still cannot be imported. Oddball items that have been reported are paintball accessories, fireworks and chimney cleaners, and guitars.

The last is because of rare woods and  CITES.

The other possibility is that it is in Canada, probably at the Gateway plant in Mississauga which was closed for two days by a rotating strike and undoubtedly has a backlog. 

The seller is right.

His responsibility for delivery ended at the GSP plant door in Kentucky.

 In any case, go for the refund.

The eBay Resolution Centre is at the bottom of this page.

State that the shipment was handled by the GSP.

GSP will then refund you. The seller gets no blame or Defect for this.

If the problem is the labour dispute, evntually you will receive the item. PB does not want it back.

If the problem is the CITES violation, you will never see it again. It may be destroyed as required by the treaty.

[eripaiemen0]

Well, it's a video card, so I guess it should be legally imported 🙂

I've wrote to Pitney Bowes, and they told me that they never received the item at their sort facility, while my seller told me he clearly did... Well, I opened a case for a refund, just waiting for the 3 days before ebay can step in and investigate further... 

I just hope i'll be able to find a deal like this one after the refund.

[eripaiemen0]

Thanks for the help. I managed to find an e-mail adress to contact them, and they told me they didnt receive the package at their sort facility. I'll wait to see what ebay will do after the 3 day of waiting after opening a case.

Thank you.

[marnotom!]

Yeah, this isn't adding up for me. The fact that it's the seller who's been providing the tracking information and you don't seem to have received an email or information from Pitney Bowes/eBay with a "UPAA" (or similarly prefixed) tracking number to use on https://parceltracking.pb.com strikes me as being. . .weird.

From what I can see, that USPS tracking number supplied by the seller could be for any recent shipment destined for Erlanger, not just yours.

If I'm understanding your post correctly, I'm thinking that either this seller is careless, clueless, or up to no good. I don't think I can blame the GSP for what's gone awry here.

[pjcdn2005]

It certainly isn’t the first time that tracking shows a package as having been received at Erlanger but then has no indication that it has ever been processed there.  I wouldn’t be so quick to blame the seller.

[marnotom!]

---

@pjcdn2005 wrote:

It certainly isn’t the first time that tracking shows a package as having been received at Erlanger but then has no indication that it has ever been processed there.  I wouldn’t be so quick to blame the seller.

---

Fair enough, but my takeaway from the OP's post is that the seller didn't even upload or submit the USPS tracking information to eBay, so there'd be no way for Pitney Bowes to link a GSP tracking number to the item in question.  The Global Shipping Center may have the item, and may be able to forward it to the buyer as long as there's a reference number on the package, but they may not be able to provide the buyer with tracking information for it.

[retroman_studios]

When items go to GSP plant, they do have a reference number on the package, it has your name then " Reference Number #OREUSA########CA". That reference number changes with each transaction. This is in case there is an issue with tracking.

A seller who does not put those reference numbers on the package could end up with a defect even if it was delivered as PBI would not know who the package was for.

[b-money83]

I'm in the same position, won an auction, seller shipped quick to sorting hub, usps tracking says delivered and signed for but Pitney Bowes is still only showing trackin details uploaded.  Won auction on nov 4th, paid right after, shipped on the 6th, received at Erlanger on the 9th and now nothing, gotta wait till the 22nd to file a claim against Pitney Bowes, unless of course by complaining online my package manages to find it's way to me. Global shipping program is a joke!

[femmefan1946]

From the plant, your purchase is trucked to the Canadian border, along with hundreds of others.

Normally it goes right through, since duty and sales taxes are assessed and collected when you purchased.

•  If your seller had used USPS the purchase would have to be assessed after it arrived in Canada.

Normally, GSP shipments are then handed over to Canada Post for delivery.

But......

[pomehead]

I agree.

I hate the Global Shipping through eBay. The item I ordered could have been here in less than a week through regular mail but has been traveling through the US for 9 days already. It's **bleep**ing absurd.

[ypdc_dennis]

ZOMBIE thread from the good old strike days

[kh-leslie]

Hello Everyone,

Due to the age of the thread, it has been closed to further replies.  Please feel free to start a new thread if you wish to continue to discuss this topic.

Thanks for understanding!