How to mark an eBay item as posted, and get dispatch confirmation right

How do you mark an eBay item as posted?

To mark an eBay item as posted, you tell eBay the order has left you, and eBay then tells the buyer. There are three ways, and two of them happen without a separate step. eBay's UK help page on tracking says an item is automatically marked as dispatched if you use an eBay postage label or manually upload a tracking number. If you posted the item another way and it still does not show as dispatched, you mark it yourself.

eBay.co.uk uses the words 'dispatched' and 'posted' for the same thing, and eBay.com calls it 'shipped'. The process is the same on both sites.

In Seller Hub

1. Go to the Orders tab and open Awaiting dispatch.
2. Tick the box beside the order you posted.
3. From the actions menu, choose Mark as dispatched.

In My eBay

1. Go to the Selling overview.
2. Find the item you posted.
3. From the dropdown menu, choose Mark as dispatched.

Either way, check afterwards that the order has moved out of Awaiting dispatch. Our guide on marking an item as dispatched on eBay with or without tracking shows every screen in detail; this article is about doing it at the right time and in the right way.

When should you mark an item as posted?

Mark an order as posted when the parcel has actually been handed to the carrier, or collected by them, and not before. Dispatch confirmation is a statement to the buyer that their item is on its way. If it is still on your bench, the statement is not true, and the buyer will act on it: they plan to be in, they track the parcel, and they get worried when nothing moves.

The best order of events on any day is:

1. pack the parcel;
2. buy the label (through eBay, or your courier);
3. hand the parcel to the carrier;
4. upload the tracking or mark as posted the same day.

If you print labels in the morning for an afternoon collection, eBay labels mark orders as dispatched when they are bought, so keep the gap short and make sure every labelled parcel goes out that day. A label printed and not posted leaves an order marked dispatched that has not moved.

Why the timing of dispatch confirmation matters

Your handling time is the number of working days you promise to post within. eBay UK's seller performance policy uses carrier scans to judge late delivery: with tracking, an item is late if the delivery scan is after the latest estimated delivery date and there is no carrier scan within the dispatch time. So what protects you is the carrier's scan inside your handling time, not the button you click.

That is why marking an order as posted early does not help. The tracking still shows when the carrier first scanned the parcel. Marking early only adds a gap between what the buyer was told and what tracking shows, which is exactly what leads to 'where is my order' messages and item not received requests.

There is one exception worth knowing for UK sellers. eBay's help page says some orders are tracked automatically using an eBay Virtual Tracking Number, a short code eBay adds to the second address line, and that items tracked automatically this way are exempt from late shipment rate defects. If you see 'ebay:' followed by a code in the address, leave it there.

Our guides to choosing an eBay handling time and the eBay late delivery rate go into both measures in more depth.

Posting without tracking

Some low-value items go by untracked post. You can still mark them as posted, using Mark as dispatched, and you should do so the same day so the buyer knows the item is on its way. Keep proof of postage, such as the receipt from the post office counter, in case the buyer reports the item not received.

Understand the trade-off. Without tracking, eBay has no scan to show you posted on time or that the item was delivered. eBay UK's seller protections for item not received cases require a tracking number that can be validated on the carrier's website and was uploaded before the latest estimated delivery date, and signature confirmation on orders with a total cost of £450 or more. An untracked parcel cannot meet those conditions, so decide in advance which items are cheap enough to risk.

Combined orders, split parcels and other special cases

Several orders in one parcel

When a buyer buys several items and you send them together, make sure every order line shows as posted with the same tracking number. If you only add tracking to one, the others stay in Awaiting dispatch, and the buyer may think part of their order has been forgotten.

One order in several parcels

If one order goes in more than one parcel, add each tracking number to the order and tell the buyer in a short message that the items are arriving separately. A buyer who receives one parcel of two may otherwise report the rest as missing.

Orders posted by a supplier or warehouse

If a wholesale supplier or fulfilment warehouse posts the order, mark it as posted when they confirm dispatch and give you the tracking, not when you send them the order. eBay allows dropshipping when you fulfil orders directly from a wholesale supplier, but listing an item and then buying it from another retailer or marketplace that ships straight to your buyer is not allowed under eBay's drop shipping policy. In either case you, as the seller, are responsible for the delivery and the accuracy of what you tell the buyer.

International orders through a hub

If an order goes through eBay International Shipping, you post it to the UK hub address eBay gives you, with tracking. eBay's help page says international tracking is added once the hub receives the item.

Mistakes to avoid when marking items as posted

• Bulk-marking a whole batch before every parcel is packed. One parcel left behind becomes a buyer told it is on the way when it is not.
• Marking as posted to stop the clock. It does not change how eBay judges late delivery, which uses carrier scans and the estimated delivery date.
• Adding tracking to the wrong order. In bulk uploads, a shifted row can put every number one order out. Spot-check after uploading.
• Forgetting orders bought on another channel or device. Check Awaiting dispatch at the end of every day, not just your own list.
• Leaving out the buyer message for delays. If an order cannot go out within your handling time, message the buyer before the deadline rather than marking it posted late without a word.

Worked example: a day of dispatch confirmations

Example: suppose you have 18 orders on a Tuesday, a one working day handling time and a carrier collection at 4pm.

• 15 orders get eBay labels at 2pm and are collected at 4pm. They were marked as dispatched when the labels were bought, so you confirm at 4pm that all 15 parcels left.
• 2 small orders go untracked from the post office at 3pm. You mark them as dispatched in Seller Hub at 3:15pm and keep the receipt.
• 1 order is waiting for stock. It is not marked. You message the buyer with a new dispatch date and the option to cancel.

At 5pm, Awaiting dispatch shows only the one order you knew about. Every buyer has been told the truth about their parcel.

A dispatch confirmation checklist

• Mark orders as posted only once the carrier has them.
• Use eBay labels or upload tracking, so dispatch is marked automatically.
• Use Mark as dispatched for untracked parcels, and keep proof of postage.
• Add tracking to every order in a combined parcel, and every parcel in a split order.
• Keep the gap between buying a label and the carrier's first scan to the same day.
• Check Awaiting dispatch at the end of every working day.
• Message buyers about delays before your handling time runs out.

For the details eBay gives on dispatch and tracking, read tracking items you've sold on eBay.co.uk.