Triage the order
Your position in 60 seconds
Use the live carrier record alongside the eBay request. This is a triage guide, not a prediction of eBay’s decision.
| Tracking state | What it means | Evidence to check | Next action |
|---|---|---|---|
| No tracking | Delivery is not evidenced. | Service bought, receipt, label account. | Look for a usable record; assess a refund. |
| Still moving | Dispatch is not yet delivery. | Latest scan, estimated date, label protection. | Give an accurate update; check the case deadline. |
| Stopped moving | A delay or loss needs investigating. | Last physical scan, days without movement. | Contact the booking provider; review resolution options. |
| Delivered | Potential delivery evidence. | Destination, date, upload timing, signature if required. | Submit tracking and investigate any specific mismatch. |
| Attempted delivery | May satisfy eBay’s INR evidence rule. | Recorded attempt, date, destination, collection status. | Provide the record; clarify collection or redelivery. |
Evidence rules: Money Back Guarantee policy. If eBay and the carrier disagree, use eBay’s tracking troubleshooting checks.
Choose your route
No: check any label protection, then tracking
- Delivered / attempted
Check address, timing and required signature.
Build your evidence - Moving / stalled
Check the latest scan and response deadline.
Review transit options - No usable tracking
Find the service record; assess how to resolve it.
Review your next step
Alongside each route: check whether a separate courier claim is available.
What eBay actually checks
For an ordinary posted order, check each part of the delivery record. A label purchase or posting receipt alone does not establish receipt.
- Verifiable tracking, uploaded in time. The number must work on the carrier’s website and have been uploaded to eBay before the latest estimated delivery date.
- A qualifying result and date. eBay lists delivered or attempted delivery, with the date of that event.
- A matching destination. The recipient information must show at least the matching city/county or postcode from the Order details. A public tracking page may hide more detailed address data.
- Signature where required. For eBay.co.uk checkout, the usual threshold is £450 or more, including items, postage and tax.
- The relevant protection conditions. Check dispatch within your stated handling time, the service used and transaction eligibility.
Read together: delivery evidence requirements, seller protection conditions and signature policy.
Use the address in Order details. A substitute address sent in a buyer message is not the order address. If you already sent elsewhere, explain that accurately to eBay rather than presenting it as a match.
Check your eBay label before choosing a refund
Simple Delivery: eBay’s protections depend on using the provided prepaid label and dispatching within your handling time. Its signature policy explicitly exempts Simple Delivery and the Global Shipping Programme from the usual signature requirement.
Other eBay labels: the seller-protection page describes in-transit protection if the item arrives within 21 calendar days, excluding orders over £5,000 and Authenticity Guarantee. It does not specify the starting event for that period in this wording. Check the live request or ask eBay to confirm how it applies; do not create your own deadline.
These are programme conditions, not a promise that every eBay-label order is covered. Confirm what eBay is handling and any action still required from you.
Can I add tracking after the request opens?
Use the request’s tracking option if available, even if the information was missing. Adding it now does not change its original upload date. Providing evidence in response to a request and meeting the earlier upload requirement are separate questions. Do not assume a late addition restores protection.
Apply this to your order
Got this problem right now?
Run your actual order through ParcelClaim to see your next action, evidence gaps, marketplace and courier routes, and deadlines where they can be confirmed.
Start free assessmentFree assessment preview · No account or payment required
Work from the facts
Find your scenario
Keep the current request in view while you investigate. The actions below assume an ordinary seller-managed order; check programme protection first.
No tracking available
Your position: you have no carrier record establishing delivery. First distinguish “I haven’t added tracking” from “the service had no tracking”. Check the postage account and receipt for a usable number.
Next: if delivery cannot be evidenced, eBay’s seller help points to a refund including original postage. Consider a replacement only if the buyer wants one; record the agreement and its tracking in the request.
Do not assume: a certificate of posting proves arrival. Preserve it for a possible courier claim, subject to that service’s cover and terms.
Tracking uploaded, still in transit
Your position: a moving parcel supports a delivery update, not a claim that the buyer has received it. Check the latest scan and whether the expected date has passed.
Next: share a factual update, check eBay-label protection and monitor the request. Ask the carrier for clarification if a scan is unclear.
Do not assume: “in transit” pauses eBay’s deadline or means the parcel meets the courier’s lost-item definition. Check the courier’s investigation and claim rules separately.
Tracking has stopped moving
Your position: a repeated status is not a new physical scan. Write down the last actual movement and ask the carrier or label provider to investigate.
Next: eBay’s seller help recommends the refund option where tracking has shown no movement for 7 days or more. Check programme cover before acting.
Do not assume: this seven-day guidance is a courier compensation deadline or permission to ignore an earlier eBay response date. A separate loss claim may be possible; retain the booking and investigation reference.
Tracking shows delivered
For a disputed scan, use the seller guide to tracking marked delivered but receipt disputed to audit the destination, signature and carrier record.
Your position: this may support seller protection when the full evidence requirements are met. Confirm it is the buyer’s delivery event, not a return-to-sender scan.
Next: provide the tracking in the request. If the eBay display differs from the carrier’s, check the number and carrier name. Save the full delivery record, including any photograph or signature available.
Do not assume: automatic closure prevents further review. eBay’s tracking help describes closure when tracking shows delivery to the buyer’s postcode, with a 24-hour opportunity for the buyer to ask eBay to step in. If a delivery error emerges, investigate the courier route too.
Tracking shows attempted delivery
Your position: eBay includes attempted delivery in its INR evidence criteria. The other checks still matter; an attempt at an unrelated address is not evidence of an attempt at the order destination.
Next: save the attempt record and clarify the carrier’s collection or redelivery instructions. Give the buyer the verified information through the request.
Do not assume: “attempted” means the buyer physically holds the parcel, or that it meets a payment provider’s rules. If the buyer disputes that any attempt occurred, ask the carrier to check; investigate a separate claim if the parcel is later lost.
The buyer says the delivered tracking is wrong
Your position: a specific location dispute needs checking. Ask what does not match: the photo, destination, signature, time or carrier confirmation.
Next: compare it with the order address and request the fuller delivery record from the carrier, including location data if available. Save the buyer’s explanation and any written carrier correction for eBay.
Do not assume: one matching postcode settles every disputed location, or that the buyer is dishonest. If the carrier confirms misdelivery, preserve that finding for both the case and any eligible courier claim.
The buyer says it was stolen after delivery
Your position: first establish what the delivery record shows. A parcel missing from an alleged safe place is not, by itself, proof of theft after correct delivery.
Next: keep the buyer’s exact account, the delivery photograph and any safe-place instructions. Ask the carrier to confirm where it was left and present verified evidence without accusing anyone.
Do not assume: the scan settles responsibility or that courier compensation covers theft after delivery. Check the actual service terms and eBay’s assessment. We cannot determine liability from that description alone.
The buyer changes the allegation
Your position: “nothing arrived” becoming “the box was empty”, “it was damaged” or “it was the wrong item” changes the evidence needed. A delivery scan does not establish the contents.
Next: preserve both accounts and check which request is actually open. Ask for relevant photographs of the packaging, label and contents; retain the listing, dispatch records and any packing evidence. Follow the options and deadline for the actual case.
Do not assume: a changed explanation automatically proves abuse or that winning INR disposes of a return. eBay’s seller return guidance applies to different problems. Damage or contents loss may also need a separate carrier enquiry.
Already have an adverse decision? Go straight to the ninth scenario: appealing a closed case.
What to send eBay
Build a short evidence bundle that answers the buyer’s actual allegation. These are practical organisation suggestions, not a promise that every document is required or accepted.
- Identify the transaction: order number, item and case/request reference.
- Show the route: carrier, tracking number, link to the live record and relevant tracking history.
- Connect it to this order: destination match, dispatch date and when tracking was uploaded. Flag missing information rather than filling it in.
- Explain the event: delivery or attempt date; relevant signature, photograph or carrier clarification if available.
- Address the disagreement: quote the disputed fact briefly and explain which document answers it. Keep facts separate from an unresolved enquiry.
- Keep a chronology: buyer report, your response, carrier enquiry and any refund. Save the submission confirmation.
A useful file name is “tracking-history-30-Oct” rather than “proof-final-3”. Keep original records and readable screenshots. Follow the upload controls shown for your case; a payment dispute can have different evidence limits.
Example seller response
Replace the brackets and delete anything you cannot verify. Use the request’s tracking field as well as the message where available.
Thanks for letting me know. I’m checking this against order [order number]. The carrier is [carrier], tracking [number]. Its latest update is [exact status] dated [date].
[State the action you have actually taken, such as requesting the delivery record.] Please confirm which part of the delivery information does not match what happened. I’ll keep updates in this request.
If you have no tracking, say so and explain the resolution you are offering. Do not paste a delivered-parcel response into an untracked case, promise a refund you have not arranged, or ask the buyer to close the request before a resolution.
Marketplace case vs courier claim
One asks how the buyer’s order should be resolved. The other asks whether the delivery provider owes compensation under the booked service. A result in one does not automatically decide the other.
Route A
The eBay request
- Keep ready
- Order details, tracking, buyer messages and case submissions.
- Record separately
- Response date shown in eBay and any escalation or appeal date.
- Your next move
- Respond using the options available in the request.
Route B
The courier / booking claim
- Keep ready
- Booking, service and cover purchased, acceptance proof, item value and investigation reference.
- Record separately
- Earliest claim date and final notification/claim deadline in that service’s terms.
- Your next move
- Check who sold the label and who is entitled to claim.
If you bought postage through a broker or marketplace, check whether it handles claims rather than assuming you should claim directly from the carrier. Programme protection may change who deals with the loss. Keep a record of any compensation or refund already received.
Do not make the eBay response conditional on a courier payout. Nor should you assume a carrier claim window waits for eBay. We have not verified a compensation deadline or entitlement for your particular service.
What happens next?
Funds can be held while a request is open. A hold alone is not a decision about who is responsible.
- During the response window: provide tracking, a delivery update or a resolution inside eBay. Check the displayed status again after submitting.
- If still unresolved: either party can ask eBay to step in after 3 business days and up to 21 business days from the report. eBay may intervene without the buyer asking if there is no valid tracking.
- If eBay steps in: the seller can no longer issue a refund through that request. eBay normally responds within 48 hours, although it can take longer.
- If eBay finds you responsible: it can refund the buyer and seek reimbursement. The case can count as closed without seller resolution, affect seller performance, and lose fee credits.
Process and consequences: seller INR help; escalation window: Money Back Guarantee timeframes.
Before asking eBay to decide, review what is missing from your evidence. Escalation requests a decision; it does not guarantee seller protection.
The parcel arrives after I refunded — what now?
Contact the buyer through eBay to discuss returning the item or reimbursing you if they keep it. Do not assume you can reverse a completed refund yourself, or that later delivery proves the original non-receipt report was false. Keep any agreement and ask eBay about the options for the order.
eBay’s buyer guidance on arrival after a refund describes return or reimbursement arrangements.
Scenario 09 · The case is closed
If eBay rules against you
Already have a decision? Follow the seller INR appeal guide to test your new evidence and organise the submission.
You can appeal with new information within 30 calendar days of the case closing. Repeating the same argument is not the additional evidence eBay asks for.
Relevant new information might be a fuller carrier record establishing that the buyer received the item before the case closed, or proof that you had already refunded them before closure. The usual £450 signature rule also matters for delivery evidence; check programme exceptions.
- Open your Seller Dashboard.
- Expand Closed without seller resolution and select See cases.
- Find the order, choose See details and submit an appeal with the new information.
Identify what is new, what it proves and the relevant event date. A document obtained today is different from a parcel delivered only after closure. Do not present one as the other. eBay usually reviews an appeal within 48 hours, but it can take longer.
Verified route and evidence examples: eBay’s seller appeal guidance.
A separate courier claim may still be available even if eBay does not reverse its decision. Recheck that route’s own terms and remaining time.
What if it becomes a payment dispute?
For the bank or payment-provider stage, use the seller guide to responding to an eBay payment dispute, including evidence by allegation and the separate protection review.
A chargeback or payment-provider dispute is a separate process. eBay says you generally have 5 calendar days from notification to accept or challenge it; check the notice. The buyer’s payment institution decides the outcome.
Do not simply reuse the INR checklist: the payment-dispute protection policy lists a delivered status for posted-item delivery evidence. Do not assume an attempted-delivery scan is sufficient for this route.
eBay closes the corresponding marketplace request when a payment dispute opens. That closure does not mean you won: attend to the dispute notice. Conditional seller protection can still apply, including in some cases already resolved through Money Back Guarantee.
Separate procedure: handling payment disputes. Eligibility and evidence: payment dispute seller protections.
Keep the order organised
Your complete Seller Case — £6.99 one-off
Start with a free assessment preview. If you choose to unlock, get a personalised action plan, evidence checklist, prepared responses and a saved dashboard. Tell ParcelClaim when something changes to update the same case.
Start free assessmentNo subscription · You review and send responses yourself
Sources & policy review
Policy checked: . Written by ParcelClaim Research Team using the eBay UK pages below. Policies and account options can change; check the live request and applicable terms before acting.
- Help a buyer with an item they didn’t receive — response options, stalled parcels and escalation.
- eBay Money Back Guarantee policy — delivery evidence and timeframes.
- Seller protections — eligibility, dispatch and label protection.
- Signature confirmation policy — thresholds and programme exceptions.
- Tracking items you’ve sold — upload checks, mismatches and automatic closure.
- Appeal the outcome of a case as a seller — route, deadline and new evidence.
- Handling payment disputes — response and decision-maker.
- Payment dispute seller protections — separate eligibility and evidence rules.
- How to handle a return request as a seller — changed allegations and returns.
- Get help with an item that hasn’t arrived — buyer context and arrival after a refund.
This guide covers posted goods and eBay UK policy. International checkout, collection and special programmes can have different rules. It provides general information, not legal advice. ParcelClaim is independent of eBay and does not guarantee marketplace, payment-dispute or courier outcomes.