How to mark an item as dispatched on eBay, with or without tracking

How do you mark an item as dispatched on eBay?

To mark an item as dispatched on eBay, open Seller Hub, go to Orders, find the sale in the awaiting dispatch list and choose Mark as dispatched from the order's actions. If you add a tracking number instead, eBay marks the order as dispatched for you at the same time. Either way, the buyer gets a notification that the parcel is on its way and the order leaves your to-do list.

The click is simple. The judgement is in when you do it and whether you add tracking with it, because both decide how well you are protected if something goes wrong later.

Step by step in Seller Hub

1. Open Seller Hub and select the Orders tab.
2. Filter to orders awaiting dispatch. These are paid orders that eBay expects you to send.
3. Find the order. Check the buyer's address and the item once more before you continue.
4. If you have tracking, choose Add tracking number, enter it and pick the carrier. The order is marked as dispatched when you save.
5. If you are sending without tracking, choose Mark as dispatched from the actions menu.
6. Confirm. The order moves to the dispatched list.

In the eBay app

Open Selling, tap the order and use the dispatch or tracking option on the order screen. The app is useful when you post at a counter: add tracking or mark the order as soon as the parcel is accepted.

Several orders at once

From the orders list you can tick several orders and mark them together. This suits sellers who post a batch at the same time each day. Only include parcels that have actually gone.

When should you mark an order as dispatched?

Mark an order as dispatched on the day the parcel is in the carrier's hands: handed over at a counter, dropped at a parcel point that scans it, or collected by a driver. Not when you print the label, not when the box is packed, and not when the supplier says it will go tomorrow.

The reason is what the buyer sees. The moment you mark the order, eBay tells the buyer it is on its way. If the parcel then sits on your shelf for two days, the buyer is watching an order that does not move. That is when messages arrive, and some buyers go straight to an item not received request once the delivery date passes.

Marking late is less harmful than marking early, but it still has a cost. Buyers who see an order still awaiting dispatch after a day or two wonder if you have forgotten them. Mark it the same day you post, every time.

Marking as dispatched without tracking: is it wise?

eBay lets you mark an order dispatched without a tracking number. For cheap, light items sent by a basic untracked service, many sellers do. It is worth understanding what you give up.

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, as the seller performance policy explains. Without tracking, you lose that clear test.

A worked example: is tracking worth it on a cheap item?

Example, with hypothetical numbers. You sell an item for £8. Untracked postage costs you £1.50 and tracked postage £3.00, a difference of £1.50 per parcel.

• Over 100 orders, tracking costs an extra £150.
• Suppose 3 of those 100 buyers say the item never arrived. Without tracking you would likely refund all 3, at £8 each plus the £1.50 postage already spent and the item itself, so roughly £30 to £40 depending on what the item cost you.
• On those numbers, untracked is cheaper in pure money terms.

But each of those requests that reaches eBay without your resolution can become a defect, and on eBay UK cases closed without seller resolution are capped at 2 cases or 0.3% of transactions, whichever is higher. The arithmetic changes fast as the item price rises or as your claim rate goes up. Many sellers use untracked post for low value items and tracked post above a price they choose, and refund untracked claims quickly before they reach eBay.

What happens after you mark an order as dispatched?

• The buyer is notified that the item is on its way, with tracking if you added it.
• The order moves from awaiting dispatch to dispatched in Seller Hub.
• Delivery tracking begins in eBay's own view if a readable tracking number is attached.
• The buyer's protection clock keeps running. Under the eBay Money Back Guarantee, buyers can report an item not received within 30 calendar days of the estimated delivery date.

Marking an order dispatched does not end your responsibility for it. It is the start of the part where the parcel is travelling, and you still answer for it until the buyer has it.

Orders in more than one parcel

When a buyer orders several items, or one item that comes in more than one box, the order may leave in separate parcels on different days. eBay lets you add more than one tracking number to the same order, so add each number as its parcel goes.

The question is when to mark the order as dispatched. If the first parcel goes today and the second next week, marking the whole order dispatched today tells the buyer everything is on its way. Send a short message at the same time: say what is in the first parcel, when the rest will follow, and that you will add the second tracking number as soon as it leaves. A buyer who knows the plan rarely complains; a buyer who receives half an order with no explanation often opens a request.

If the delay on the second part is long or uncertain, ask the buyer whether they would like to wait or take a refund for that part. Write the answer in the eBay message thread so you have a record.

Common mistakes when marking orders as dispatched

• Marking at the label stage. Labels get printed in the morning and parcels miss the collection. Mark after hand-over, not after printing.
• Marking the wrong order. Two buyers with the same item and similar names are easy to mix up. Check the order number on the packing slip against the screen.
• Bulk marking a whole page. Selecting all orders on the screen can catch an order you have not packed. Untick anything still on the shelf.
• Forgetting to keep proof of posting. For untracked parcels, a counter receipt or a photo of the parcels at the drop-off is the only record you have.
• Never checking the dispatched list. A parcel that comes back to you as undeliverable is still marked dispatched. Watch for returned parcels and contact the buyer straight away to confirm the address.

Dispatch when a supplier sends the item

If a supplier dispatches for you, wait for their confirmation and tracking before marking the order. Marking it on the day you place the order with them repeats the early marking problem: the buyer sees an order that is not moving.

eBay's drop shipping policy is clear on sourcing. 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 sends the parcel, you are responsible for safe delivery within the time in your listing and for the buyer's satisfaction.

A daily dispatch routine

• Start the day with the awaiting dispatch list sorted by oldest first.
• Pack and post, keeping proof of posting for every untracked parcel.
• Mark each order dispatched, or add tracking, on the day it leaves.
• Before you finish, check that nothing posted today is still awaiting dispatch.
• Check that nothing still awaiting dispatch is past its dispatch time; message those buyers.

For entering numbers correctly, read how to add a tracking number on eBay, and for picking a dispatch time you can keep, read our guide to eBay handling time.