Ebay's delivery tracking delivery dates are wrong

[mudway]

I recently purchased two items and receieved an email from eBay on 17th May saying they had been delivered to me. This is a lie. I actually received the items this morning  (19th May 11 am).

It seems to me that the delivery date used by eBay was not the date delivered to me but the date eBay's own carrier delivered it to DHL in Australia for delivery to me.

Fortunately, there is no problem with the item. Howver, what would the situation be if I complained that the item had not been received but eBay said it had?

[digital*ghost]

It would probably depend on what the tracking said on the carrier's website - if that showed not yet delivered, I'm guessing it would trump eBay's status. 

It's an interesting question, though. I get quite a few parcels delivered by DHL - they're not eBay purchases, but every so often DHL palm it off to a different carrier (usually if it lands in Oz on Sat / Sun) and their tracking just updates to "Forwarded for delivery". If that happens, I never know who is going to deliver or when (sometimes it's another courier, sometimes it's Aus Post), as the tracking just ends there. 

[mudway]

You have no access to tracking on DHLs on anyone elses's site as you don't have the tracking number. The only tracking you get is the ebay one which said it had been delivered to me. I only found out that DHL had got it from knowing the Australia Post staff at my Post Ofice who told me that is how they got it. So I guessed that was what the date difference was.

[lyndal1838]

Ebay does not have a carrier who delivers the packages to DHL....you do not buy from ebay, you buy from a seller on ebay.

Digi and mudway it appears that DHL now delivers to local post offices partly because they run the German postal system and they presumably pay the AP surcharge for other parcels.

If you have a DHL tracking number you can ring them and find out who is going to deliver your parcel and when.

Digi you are correct that parcels that arrive in Australia over the weekend are often sent out by other couriers.  I used to work for a company that did out of hours (read weekend and night) deliveries for DHL and United Airlines (lost luggage) among others.

Those companies always knew which courier was going to deliver the goods and could tell the customer if asked.

[mudway]

Sorry Lyndal but I still think it is Ebay for the same reason as before (refer attached) which is plastered with their logo and can be found on their website.

http://sellercentre.ebay.co.uk/using-global-shipping-programme

As I said above, there was no DHL tracking number only the Ebay one. However, today during one of the occasions that Bigpond deigned to let me connect to the internet, I checked the tracking again. It still says delivered 17th May but also now says for May 17th :

Carrier:

Multiple Carriers

This parcel has been transferred to DHL for delivery to the final destination

So it was transferred to DHL in Oz for delivery on 17th May and that is the date Ebay record it as having been delivered when in fact it was delivered on 19th May. The update, after it was delivered, now tells me DHL’s tracking number. Rather useless really.

I'd attach the update clip but despite the system sating Attachments it only seems to let you attach one item!

[davewil1964]

eBay do not run the global shipping programme. Pitney Bowes do. The seller sends directly to Pitney Bowes, who then re-package (poorly), do whatever paperwork is necessary for Customs and then give it to a carrier.

The only thing eBay is involved in is allowing PB to access the site and charging FVF on postage (naturally).

[lyndal1838]

Why didn't you say the GSP was involved.....that alters everything.

The GSP is not run by ebay....it is run by Pitney Bowes as Dave has said.

The first tracking number is the USPS number used by the seller to send the item to Pitney Bowes who repackage and do the paperwork.  They then hand it on the FedEx for delivery to Australia.....this should have a new tracking number but sometimes it is missing.

I have never heard of FedEx handing anything on to DHL in Australia but they do hand things to Australia Post for delivery as an e-Parcel or to another courier if FedEx does not deliver in an area.

[digital*ghost]

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@mudway wrote:

You have no access to tracking on DHLs on anyone elses's site as you don't have the tracking number. The only tracking you get is the ebay one which said it had been delivered to me. I only found out that DHL had got it from knowing the Australia Post staff at my Post Ofice who told me that is how they got it. So I guessed that was what the date difference was.

---

I was actually talking about looking up the tracking number uploaded to eBay on the original carrier's website - in order for ebay to show a "delivered" status, an integrated carrier needs to have been used, which means a valid tracking number and carrier was uploaded to the order details, and eBay's 'delivered' status may be very different to the actual status on the original carrier's website, even if they have forwarded it to a new carrier. 

eBay's sytem is well known to be imperfect, it's not actually uncommon for a "delivered" status to be showing before the item has actually been delivered, I recall some sellers have had their items showing as "delivered" on dates prior to the item actually being shipped, and eBay aren't the carrier so regardless of the status here, the official status (or last known / verifiable official status) would trump eBay's. 

Not probably overly relevant now, though, since it came through the GSP. I'm not very well versed on the inner workings of that. 

[mudway]

I didn't mention Pitney Bowes as to me they are a company making franking machines who had produced the label carrying the big Ebay name. I had no idea they did anything else.  

I still think Ebay is responsible as it appears to be "sold" as Ebay's freight system and, until the final link appeared, everything led to Ebay.

The only tracking number given until the DHL one appeared today was the one emailed to me by Ebay with a link on it which I followed which only leads to the Ebay site not a carrier. That link had no mention of PBS, Pitney Bowes or any other carrier's name. So I could not look up the original carrier's tracking number as I had no idea who shipped it. 

Until Lyndal mentioned it, I didn't even know USPS operated in the UK, I thought it was the US version of Australia Post and only opereated in the US.

[lyndal1838]

Now you have thrown another spanner in the works.....your item is coming from the UK?

That vital bit of information would have been very useful to allow us to offer help.

The GSP still works in the same way....it is NOT an ebay shipping service.  It is a service offered by a third party shipper.  I believe the UK equivalent to Pitney Bowes is WnDirect and it seems that FedEx is replaced by DHL.

I have always found the GSP tracking to be very good if you follow the prompts.