Amazon tracking numbers on eBay orders: what eBay's rules say and what goes wrong

Can you use an Amazon tracking number on eBay?

Sellers ask about using an Amazon tracking number on eBay when they have bought an item on Amazon and had it sent straight to their eBay buyer. Before getting to the tracking itself, the rule that decides this has to come first: eBay does not allow it. eBay's drop shipping policy says dropshipping, where you fulfil 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.

eBay may remove the listing, issue a warning, restrict activity or suspend the account. Even when dropshipping from a supplier, the seller is responsible for the safe delivery of the item within the time stated in the listing and for the buyer's overall satisfaction. The same wording appears on eBay's US drop shipping policy page.

The rest of this article explains what Amazon tracking looks like on an eBay order, why it often does not work as proof, and what that means for the seller who is answerable for the order.

What does eBay's rule mean in practice?

The policy is about who ships to your buyer. eBay names two different situations and treats them differently.

Amazon is a retailer and a marketplace, so an order placed on Amazon for delivery to an eBay buyer falls into the second row. That does not change because the price is good, because the seller confirms each order by hand, or because the parcel arrives on time.

Software does not change it either. No tool makes a sourcing method acceptable under eBay's rules. A seller who wants to sell on eBay without that risk needs a wholesale supplier, or stock they hold and send themselves.

How it looks from the buyer's side

It helps to see the order the way the buyer does. They bought from you on eBay, at your price, under your returns policy. When a parcel arrives from a different company, with that company's paperwork and delivery messages, the buyer may not recognise it, may think they were sent the wrong thing, or may try to return it to the wrong business. Some contact the other retailer instead of you, and that company has no record of them as a customer.

Every one of those situations lands back with the eBay seller. eBay's returns, refunds and cases all run between you and the buyer. That is the practical reason eBay keeps the seller responsible for delivery and satisfaction, and part of why it draws the line where it does.

Why the price gap does not settle it

Sellers sometimes argue that the buyer got a fair price and a fast delivery, so nobody lost out. eBay's policy does not include a test like that. It describes how the order is fulfilled, not whether the buyer was happy, so a smooth order is still outside the rule.

Why does Amazon tracking often fail on eBay?

Leaving the policy aside, Amazon tracking numbers are often poor evidence on eBay for practical reasons.

The carrier may not be one eBay can read

Many Amazon orders travel in Amazon's own delivery network. eBay can only show scans and use them in a case when it can read the carrier's system. If eBay cannot match the number to a carrier it recognises, the order may show a number but no scans.

The number may not be the carrier's tracking number

An Amazon order number, a shipment reference and a carrier tracking number are different things. Only the carrier's tracking number lets eBay follow a parcel. Pasting an order reference gives the buyer a code that leads nowhere.

The parcel may be split or change carrier

Larger orders can arrive in more than one parcel, or move from one carrier to another, each with its own number. The number you copied on the day of the order may not be the one that is delivered.

The delivery scan may not match the order

If eBay cannot see a delivery scan at the buyer's address, it has nothing to weigh against a buyer who says the item never came.

What happens in an item not received case?

Under the eBay Money Back Guarantee, a buyer can report an item not received within 30 calendar days of the estimated delivery date. The seller must respond within 3 business days, after which the buyer can ask eBay to step in.

When eBay steps in, it looks at the tracking on the order. A readable delivery scan at the buyer's address usually settles it. A number eBay cannot read, or one with no delivery scan, usually means the buyer is refunded. If eBay closes the case without seller resolution, it also counts as a transaction defect on your seller performance record.

Example, with hypothetical numbers: an eBay order for £30 is fulfilled with a parcel whose tracking eBay cannot read. The buyer reports it not received. With no scans eBay can see, the buyer is refunded £30, the seller has already paid for the item, and if the case closes without the seller's resolution the order becomes a defect. The listing itself may also be at risk under the drop shipping policy, which is a far larger cost than one refund.

What does valid tracking look like on any eBay order?

Whatever your source, tracking only protects an eBay order when it meets these conditions:

1. It is the carrier's own tracking number for that parcel.
2. The carrier selected on the eBay order is the one that holds the number.
3. eBay can read scans from that carrier, including a scan when the parcel is accepted.
4. The parcel is delivered to the address on the eBay order.

On eBay UK, a tracked item counts as late only if the delivery scan is after the latest estimated delivery date and there was no carrier scan within your dispatch time, according to the seller performance policy. That protection only works when eBay can read the scans.

What should sellers who source from Amazon do?

If your current model depends on Amazon shipping straight to eBay buyers, the honest answer is that it conflicts with eBay's policy. The practical steps are about reducing exposure and moving to a model that fits the rules.

• Read the policy pages yourself. Read eBay's drop shipping policy for the site you sell on and Amazon's Conditions of Use and Sale. Do not rely on forum summaries.
• Look for wholesale suppliers. eBay allows fulfilling directly from a wholesale supplier. Ask suppliers for their dispatch times, carriers and tracking before you list their products.
• Consider holding stock. Buying stock to your own address and sending it yourself gives you control of packing, dispatch scans and tracking.
• Keep honest records. For every order, record where the item came from, what it cost and how it was delivered. You need this for tax as well as for disputes.
• Treat every buyer issue as yours. Answer messages and requests within a working day, and refund quickly when you cannot prove delivery.

Where does software fit?

Some tools read Amazon prices and stock, fill checkouts and copy tracking numbers to eBay. Dropizon is one of them: its extension can fill the Amazon checkout with the buyer's address and stop before Place Order, and it reads tracking numbers from Amazon orders and uploads them to eBay. It does not make any sourcing method allowed under eBay's rules, it does not hide where an item came from, and it cannot promise account safety. Read how it works and eBay's policy, and decide with both in front of you.

A checklist before your next order

• Confirm how the order will be fulfilled and check that method against eBay's drop shipping policy.
• Make sure the tracking number is the carrier's number, not an order reference.
• Select the carrier that actually holds the number.
• Check a day later that eBay shows scans on the order.
• Keep your own record of cost, source and delivery for every sale.

For the mechanics of fixing numbers eBay rejects, read our guide on why eBay says a tracking number is not valid.