AliExpress tracking on eBay: what eBay accepts as valid tracking, and why AliExpress numbers fail

Does eBay accept AliExpress tracking on eBay orders?

AliExpress tracking on eBay orders raises two separate questions: whether the tracking number will work, and whether the way the order is being filled is allowed. On the first, eBay accepts a tracking number when it matches the number on the carrier's own website and the carrier name is correct. AliExpress parcels often struggle with that, for reasons explained below. On the second, eBay's drop shipping policy is clear, and it comes first.

What does eBay's drop shipping policy say about AliExpress orders?

eBay's drop shipping policy says fulfilling orders directly from a wholesale supplier is allowed, but listing an item on eBay and then purchasing it from another retailer or marketplace that ships directly to your customer is not allowed. AliExpress is a marketplace of independent sellers, so a single retail order there, sent straight to your eBay buyer, matches what the policy rules out. Read it on eBay's drop shipping policy page (eBay US has the same policy), and see our guide on whether AliExpress dropshipping is allowed on eBay.

A real wholesale relationship, with trade pricing and direct terms with a supplier, is different, and where the line falls depends on the facts. Even then, eBay says you are responsible for the safe delivery of the item within the time frame stated in your listing and for the buyer's overall satisfaction. eBay may remove listings, warn, restrict or suspend accounts that break the policy.

The rest of this guide explains what eBay needs from tracking, why AliExpress numbers often fall short, and the tracking setup that does work: parcels you send yourself from stock you hold.

What does eBay need from a tracking number?

eBay's guidance on tracking items you have sold sets out the basics. Read it on eBay's tracking help page.

• The number must match the carrier's. eBay says the tracking number on eBay should match the tracking number on the carrier's site.
• The carrier must be named correctly. If the number is right, eBay says to make sure the carrier name and details are accurate too.
• Upload in good time. eBay warns that most carriers can only send tracking information during a specific time frame, so a number added late may not work.
• International orders need tracking. eBay says to use a carrier that offers tracking for international orders.

Tracking also decides whether a delivery counts as late. On eBay UK, a tracked item is late if the delivery scan is after the latest estimated delivery date and there is no carrier scan within your dispatch time. See eBay's seller performance policy.

Why do AliExpress tracking numbers often fail on eBay?

The number can change on the way

A parcel from AliExpress often travels on more than one network. It may start with a number from AliExpress's logistics service and then be handed to a local carrier in the destination country, which may use a different number. The number in the AliExpress order may not be one that the local carrier's site, or eBay, recognises.

The carrier is hard to name

eBay needs a carrier it can match. When a parcel's tracking belongs to a logistics service rather than a carrier eBay lists for your site, choosing the right carrier name can be impossible, and a wrong carrier name makes a correct number fail.

The first scan is far away

For a parcel sent from abroad, the first carrier scan happens in the origin country and the parcel then spends days or weeks travelling. If the delivery scan comes after the latest estimated delivery date in your listing, the item is late for your performance figures, however promptly you uploaded the number.

Label created is not dispatched

Some numbers exist as soon as a label is created, before any carrier has the parcel. A number with no movement for days tells the buyer nothing has happened, and invites an item not received request. Under eBay Money Back Guarantee, buyers can report an item not received within 30 calendar days of the estimated delivery date, and you then have 3 business days to respond before they can ask eBay to step in.

For fixes to the "not valid" message in general, see when eBay says a tracking number is not valid.

What tracking works for sellers who buy from AliExpress?

The setup that fits both eBay's policy and its tracking rules is simple: buy stock from AliExpress to your own address, check it, and send each eBay order yourself with a carrier eBay recognises.

1. Buy stock to your own address. Use the AliExpress tracking to plan when it will arrive, for your records only.
2. Check the stock on arrival. Count it, check quality and set aside anything faulty.
3. List with a dispatch time you can meet from stock in hand.
4. Ship each order with a tracked service from a carrier eBay lists for your site, or buy the label through eBay's own services.
5. Upload the number the same day. eBay says labels bought through its own services, such as Simple Delivery or eBay Delivery powered by Packlink on eBay UK, upload tracking automatically and mark the item dispatched.
6. Hand the parcel to the carrier within your dispatch time, so the first scan is on record.

What should you ask a wholesale supplier about tracking?

If you do have a genuine wholesale arrangement in which the supplier sends parcels for you, the same tracking rules apply to every one of those parcels, and you are the seller eBay holds responsible. Agree the tracking terms in writing before the first order. Ask:

• Which carrier delivers in my buyers' country, and is it a carrier eBay lists for my site?
• Which number will I get: one the delivering carrier's own website recognises from the start, or one that changes on the way?
• When is the first carrier scan? It needs to fall within the dispatch time in your listing.
• How long does delivery take to my buyers' country, and how often is it later than that?
• How do I get the number, and how soon after dispatch?
• What happens when a parcel is lost or late: who pays, and how fast is a replacement sent?

Test the answers on a few orders to your own address before relying on them. If a supplier cannot give a number the delivering carrier recognises, or a first scan within your dispatch time, their parcels will keep showing as late or untracked on eBay, whatever the reason behind it.

How should you use AliExpress tracking for your stock?

AliExpress tracking still has a job: telling you when your stock will arrive, so you can reorder in time and avoid listing items you do not yet have.

Example, with hypothetical numbers: suppose a product sells about three a day on eBay, and your last five AliExpress stock orders took 9, 12, 10, 14 and 11 days from order to your door. Take the longest, 14 days, and add a week of margin: 21 days. At three a day you need at least 63 units in stock when you reorder. Set a reorder alert at 70 units and you should not run out while the next batch travels.

Keep each order's tracking history in a simple sheet: order date, dispatch date, arrival date. After a few orders you will know your real delivery times, which are more useful than any estimate.

A quick checklist

• Read eBay's drop shipping policy before deciding how you will fill orders.
• On eBay orders, use tracking from parcels you send, on a carrier eBay recognises.
• Check the number matches the carrier's site and the carrier name is correct.
• Upload tracking on the day of dispatch.
• Get a carrier scan within your dispatch time.
• Use AliExpress tracking to plan stock, and keep a record of real delivery times.

For the steps of adding tracking by hand, see how to add a tracking number on eBay.