eBay requires its Top Rated Sellers to adhere to a higher level of service when it comes to fulfilling orders. But a bug this week at an outside partner shows how vulnerable sellers are when it comes to meeting those standards.
Sellers said Wednesday that eBay was showing incorrect data when it came to USPS tracking. Reports came in to Ecommerce EKG such as the following: “eBay not showing accurate tracking upload percentages. They know about it. Still not fixed.”
But the problem may have stemmed from problems at the USPS. Sellers on the eBay discussion boards noticed that the USPS website itself showed incorrect tracking information on Wednesday.
One seller said they noticed their eBay standings went from Top Rated Seller to “Above Average.” This can be critical since eBay provides significant discounts on the fees it charges to TRS sellers. “Now that USPS has fixed those recent tracking issues my projected evaluation is back to TRS.”
While good news, the problem highlighted eBay’s reliance on USPS tracking information to judge its sellers. “It’s great that I AM RESPONSIBLE for the USPS apparently,” the seller wrote.
Postal Service customers said the tracking problems had actually begun on Monday. Sellers are no doubt hoping this isn’t a sign of things to come as they start anticipating the upcoming holiday shopping season.
