eBay Says New UK Tracking Upload Policy Protects Sellers

eBay announced that sellers in the UK must upload tracking information for orders in which they have used a tracking service – before the estimated delivery date has passed. Sending the tracking number to the buyer via email won’t protect sellers from claims.

eBay said it actually changed its UK User Agreement to accommodate the policy, noting that the changes take effect on March 4, 2019, for current sellers. (The changes are effective immediately for new sellers.)

Why is it making the change? According to the announcement, “We want to make selling and buying on eBay a fair process, so we’re updating our tracking policy.”

Sellers face serious consequences if buyers file an Item Not Received claim. eBay UK said complying with the new policy will allow it to protect sellers against such claims. “It also provides a better experience for buyers, they are less likely to open “Item not received” claims and it can save you and your business time if those cases do arise.”

eBay UK announcement follows:

Further details on tracking requirements & updates to the eBay.co.uk User Agreement
Please note: The requirement to upload tracking information only applies to items being sent via a tracked service.

We have updated the eBay.co.uk User Agreement . These changes are effective immediately for new members and from 4 March 2019 for current members.

As with previous updates, we’ve made changes to keep the User Agreement up to date with the products and services we provide. We want to make selling and buying on eBay a fair process, so we’re updating our tracking policy.

As of 4 March 2019, you are required to upload tracking in the structured data field before the estimated delivery date has passed for items you send via a tracked service only. This requirement is just for items sent via tracked services and does not apply for every transaction you make.

This is required so that eBay can protect you if a buyer claims that they haven’t received their item. It also provides a better experience for buyers, they are less likely to open “Item not received” claims and it can save you and your business time if those cases do arise. Sending the tracking number to the buyer via email won’t protect you from a claim.

We always recommend uploading tracking information as soon as you have posted the item. See the eBay Money Back Guarantee for details.

You don’t need to take any further action to accept the new User Agreement. If you choose not to accept the new terms, there is information on how to close your account at this help page

Thank you for being a part of eBay.
The eBay team

SOURCE: eBay UK Announcement

Ina Steiner

Ina Steiner is co-founder and Editor of EcommerceBytes and has been reporting on ecommerce since 1999. She's a widely cited authority on marketplace selling and is author of "Turn eBay Data Into Dollars" (McGraw-Hill 2006). Her blog was featured in the book, "Blogging Heroes" (Wiley 2008). She is a member of the Online News Association (Sep 2005 - present) and Investigative Reporters and Editors (Mar 2006 - present). Follow her on Twitter at @ecommercebytes and send news tips to ina@ecommercebytes.com. See disclosure at EcommerceBytes.com/disclosure/.