How to add a tracking number on eBay, and when it actually counts

How do you add a tracking number on eBay?

You add a tracking number on eBay from the order itself: find the sale, choose the option to add tracking, type or paste the number and select the carrier. eBay then marks the item as dispatched, emails the buyer and starts reading scans from the carrier. It takes under a minute per order, and it is the single most useful thing you can do to protect a sale after the buyer pays.

There are three common ways to do it, and which one suits you depends on how many orders you send a day.

Adding tracking in Seller Hub, step by step

1. Go to Seller Hub and open the Orders tab.
2. Find the order in the list of orders awaiting dispatch. You can search by buyer name, item or order number.
3. Choose Add tracking number from the actions for that order. On some layouts it sits under a More actions menu.
4. Enter the tracking number exactly as the carrier gave it. Copy and paste is safer than typing.
5. Select the carrier from the list. Pick the company that physically carries the parcel.
6. Save. The order moves out of awaiting dispatch and the buyer gets an update.

If you buy postage labels through eBay, the tracking number is added automatically when you print the label, and you can skip these steps for those orders.

Adding tracking in the eBay app

The eBay app shows the same options on the order screen. Open Selling, tap the order, and choose the option to add tracking. On most phones you can scan the barcode on the label with the camera instead of typing the number, which removes copying mistakes. This is handy when you post parcels at a counter and want to add tracking before you leave.

How do you upload tracking for many orders at once?

Above a few orders a day, entering numbers one by one becomes the slow part of the day. You have two main choices.

Upload a file

Seller Hub has a reports area where you can download a list of orders awaiting dispatch and upload a file with tracking numbers and carriers filled in. The file needs the order details eBay asks for in the template. Check the template on eBay before you build a spreadsheet around it, because the columns are set by eBay.

Use a connected tool

Postage platforms and order tools can send tracking to eBay through eBay's official APIs as soon as a label is created or a carrier reports the parcel. This is the least work at volume, but check that the tool sends the right carrier name, and spot check a few orders each week to make sure the numbers arrive.

What does the buyer see when you add tracking?

As soon as you save a tracking number, the order changes from paid to dispatched in the buyer's purchase history. eBay sends the buyer a notification with the carrier and the number, and from then on the order page shows the latest scans in eBay's own tracking view, so the buyer does not need to visit the carrier's website.

This has two effects on your workload. First, buyers who can see movement send far fewer where is my order messages, because the answer is already on their screen. Second, buyers who see no movement for a few days notice it quickly. If a parcel sits without a scan, expect a message, and answer it before the buyer decides to open a request instead.

The delivery estimate the buyer sees may also update as scans arrive. If the carrier reports a delay, the buyer may see a later date than the one at checkout. Your performance is still measured against the original latest estimated delivery date, together with whether the carrier scanned the parcel within your dispatch time, so the first scan matters more than the later ones.

Tracking and feedback

A buyer who could follow the parcel from your door to theirs has fewer reasons to leave a poor comment about delivery. A buyer who waited in silence, even for a parcel that arrived on time, is more likely to mention slow delivery. Adding tracking early is a small courtesy that also protects your feedback.

When does tracking actually protect you?

A tracking number on its own is just text. It protects you when eBay can match it to a real parcel and read scans from the carrier. Three things decide that.

• The right carrier. If you pick the wrong carrier, eBay asks the wrong company about the number and finds nothing.
• A carrier scan inside your dispatch time. On eBay UK, a tracked item only counts as late if the delivery scan is after the latest estimated delivery date and there was no carrier scan within your dispatch time. A prompt acceptance scan is your proof that you did your part.
• A delivery scan. If a buyer reports an item not received, a delivery scan to their address is the main evidence eBay looks at.

The rules are on eBay's seller performance policy page. Under the eBay Money Back Guarantee, buyers can report an item not received within 30 calendar days of the estimated delivery date, so the tracking you add today may be what settles a dispute a month from now.

What if you entered the wrong tracking number?

Mistakes happen: a digit swapped, the wrong label stuck on the wrong parcel, the wrong carrier chosen. Fix them the same day.

1. Open the order in Seller Hub.
2. Look for the option to edit or add tracking on the order details.
3. Correct the number or the carrier and save.
4. Send the buyer a short message saying the tracking has been updated, so they do not chase the old number.

If two labels were swapped between two orders, correct both orders, and check the addresses on the labels to make sure each parcel is going to the right buyer.

Tracking when someone else sends the parcel

If a supplier dispatches for you, you need their tracking number and carrier quickly, ideally the same day they hand the parcel over. Agree this with the supplier up front, along with what they will do when a parcel is lost.

Sellers who fulfil through third parties must also follow eBay's drop shipping policy. Dropshipping, where you fulfil orders directly from a wholesale supplier, is allowed. Listing an item on eBay and then buying it from another retailer or marketplace that ships directly to your customer is not allowed. Whoever packs the parcel, you are responsible for safe delivery within the time in your listing and for the buyer's satisfaction.

Common mistakes with eBay tracking

• Adding tracking before the label exists. It marks the order as dispatched and starts the buyer's clock on a parcel that is not moving.
• Reusing a number. One tracking number belongs to one parcel. Using it on several orders means only one buyer can be shown as delivered.
• Leaving orders without tracking over the weekend. Buyers who see no update are the ones who message, and some of them open requests.
• Not checking that numbers arrived. When an automatic upload fails, it often fails quietly. Look at the awaiting dispatch list at the end of each day.

A daily tracking routine

• After the last post of the day, open awaiting dispatch in Seller Hub.
• Every order with a parcel handed over should have tracking; add any that are missing.
• Spot check three orders from yesterday to confirm the carrier shows a scan.
• Message buyers whose parcels have no scan after a working day.
• Note any carrier that often shows no acceptance scan and change how you hand parcels over.

For how eBay judges lateness from the scans, see our guide on how the eBay late delivery rate is counted. Sellers who buy from Amazon can read tracking numbers from their Amazon orders and upload them to eBay with Dropizon's order tools; the dispatch time and delivery promise are still yours to meet.