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@lane-ends wrote:

The fake tracking numbers by the way are added to discourage dishonest buyers from claiming item not received by giving the impression it actually has tracking.. Fake barcodes do he same thing

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I realise that, and as a buyer and a seller I do understand why they do it - it has bothered me for some time though that I would say only 1 in perhaps 20 items sent from China with a 'Tracking Number' is genuine.  And of course prior to this Late Shipping Defect carp, it offered the seller some protection in the system as well as giving the buyer a false impression.

I see it as an example of one bad apple spoiling the case.  I'm sure we have all read some of the threads here where a Tracking Number was uploaded and the buyer claims not received, yet tracking shows delivered - to another suburb even ?  It doesn't take much imagination or skill for an unscrupulous seller to work out how to use a genuine number more than once.

I've had an Express and 2 Registered items go missing, 2 of which of course, I had to replace at my expense - the 3rd eventually turned up.  In the case of the Express one, the buyer wanted it by a particular weekend for an event, so to be sure, I sent it Express and she never received it.  It was a custom made order worth about $80 - $100, so not much to some.  The funny thing was, when I replaced it,  it was Carded, stating NO ACCESS to premises (or whatever the exact wording is) - so how was the first one delivered I wonder ?  The buyer lived in a gated community of about 6 houses.  And no, I do not think for one minute that the buyers were lying.

As a seller I have always hated the Safe Drop system, as it's always been way too open to dishonesty, not only by buyers, sellers too,  and also every person who passes by - but as a buyer, it has been very convenient