How to upload tracking to eBay: the timing, the carrier and when it counts

How do you upload tracking to eBay?

To upload tracking to eBay for a single order, you add the tracking number and the carrier name to the order after you send the item. On eBay.co.uk, eBay's help page sets out the steps: go to the Orders section of My eBay, choose Add tracking number from More actions, enter the tracking details and the carrier name, and select Submit. The buyer then gets an email with the tracking details. eBay.com works the same way from the order in Seller Hub or My eBay.

Uploading a tracking number also marks the order as dispatched. eBay says an item is automatically marked as dispatched when you use an eBay postage label or manually upload a tracking number, so you do not need a separate step.

Step by step in Seller Hub

1. Open Seller Hub and go to the Orders tab, then Awaiting dispatch (Awaiting shipment on eBay.com).
2. Find the order and choose Add tracking number from the actions menu.
3. Type or paste the tracking number exactly as the carrier gave it, with no spaces or extra characters.
4. Choose the carrier from the list. Pick the one that actually holds the parcel, not a similar name.
5. Submit, then open the order again and check the number shows with the right carrier.

When does eBay upload tracking for you?

Some routes add tracking without any typing. eBay's UK help page says tracking is uploaded automatically when you buy and print labels with Simple Delivery or eBay Delivery powered by Packlink. If you sell internationally through eBay International Shipping or the Global Shipping Programme, eBay adds tracking to the order automatically as well.

eBay UK also uploads tracking automatically for some orders using an eBay Virtual Tracking Number (eVTN). eBay adds a unique seven-character code to the second line of the buyer's address, for example 'ebay:12aB3cd'. For most orders sent through Royal Mail, eBay says the code is carried into the 2D code on the postage label rather than printed in the address, and it does not affect delivery. eBay also says items tracked automatically by eVTN are exempt from late shipment rate defects.

If you buy postage elsewhere, or a supplier ships the order, you have to add the tracking yourself, or use a tool that uploads it for you through eBay's APIs.

How to upload tracking to eBay in bulk

Once you pass a handful of orders a day, typing each number becomes slow and error-prone. There are three common ways to add tracking in batches.

Whichever method you use, check the result. A file with one shifted column can put every tracking number on the wrong order. After a bulk upload, open a few orders at random and compare the number and carrier with your courier's record.

When does tracking count on eBay?

Tracking protects you only when eBay can read it and when it shows the right events at the right times. Three things decide whether it counts.

1. The number and the carrier match

eBay's troubleshooting advice is to check that the tracking number on eBay matches the one on the carrier's site, and that the carrier name and details are accurate. A correct number under the wrong carrier gives eBay no scans to read. Our guide to fixing an eBay tracking number that is not valid covers the usual causes, such as reference numbers mistaken for tracking numbers.

2. The timing fits your handling time

Your handling time is the number of working days you promise to dispatch within. Upload tracking as soon as the parcel has been handed to the carrier, and in any case within that handling time. eBay's help page also warns that most carriers only send tracking information during a specific time frame, so a number uploaded long after the order can fail to show events.

The timing matters for your late delivery rate. eBay UK's seller performance policy says that, with tracking, an item counts as late if the delivery scan is after the latest estimated delivery date and there is no carrier scan within the dispatch time. In plain terms: if the carrier scans the parcel within your handling time, a slow delivery after that is not counted against you as late. Our explainer on the eBay late delivery rate goes through the measure in detail.

3. The scans show delivery to the buyer

The final scan is your evidence in an item not received request. eBay's help page says that if a buyer opens an item not received request and tracking later shows the item was delivered to the buyer's postcode, the request is closed automatically. Both of you get an email, and the buyer can still ask eBay to step in within 24 hours if they have not received it. eBay's Money Back Guarantee lets buyers report an item not received within 30 calendar days of the estimated delivery date, so keep your tracking records for at least that long.

A worked example of tracking timing

Example: suppose your handling time is one working day and an order arrives on Monday afternoon. The latest estimated delivery date shown to the buyer is Thursday.

• Scenario A: you post on Tuesday, the carrier scans the parcel on Tuesday, and you upload the number on Tuesday evening. The parcel is delayed in the network and delivered on Friday. Because the carrier scanned it within your dispatch time, this should not count as a late delivery under the rule above, and the delivery scan answers any item not received request.
• Scenario B: you post on Wednesday and upload the number on Thursday. The first carrier scan is on Wednesday, after your one-day handling time, and delivery is on Friday, after the latest estimated date. This is the pattern that counts as late.
• Scenario C: you post on Tuesday but forget to upload tracking until the buyer complains on Saturday. Even if the carrier's own record is fine, eBay had no tracking on the order when the buyer was checking, and the buyer had no updates to reassure them.

The lesson from all three is the same: the carrier's first scan inside your handling time, and the number on the order the same day, are what make tracking work for you.

Common tracking upload mistakes

• Choosing 'Other' as the carrier when the real carrier is on the list. eBay may not be able to read scans for an unlisted carrier.
• Uploading before the parcel is handed over. A number with no scans for days can look like a parcel that was never sent. Upload when the carrier has it.
• Reusing a number from another order. Each parcel needs its own tracking number, and the delivery postcode must be the buyer's.
• Leaving combined orders half done. If you send several items to one buyer in one parcel, make sure every order line shows the tracking.
• Forgetting international orders. eBay's help page says that outside eBay International Shipping and the Global Shipping Programme you must add international tracking yourself, using a carrier that offers tracking.

If you use an order tool, check its record of uploads each day: which orders have tracking, which are waiting and which failed. Dropizon, for example, uploads tracking numbers to eBay through eBay's official APIs. Whatever you use, a daily look at Awaiting dispatch in Seller Hub is the safety net that catches a failed upload while it still matters.

Your tracking upload checklist

Run through this as part of your daily dispatch routine, or see our full guide to adding a tracking number on eBay for every screen.

1. Hand the parcel to the carrier within your handling time.
2. Upload the tracking number the same day, with the exact carrier name.
3. Check the order shows as dispatched and the buyer has the tracking email.
4. After any bulk upload, spot-check several orders against the carrier's records.
5. Look at Awaiting dispatch each evening for orders with no tracking.
6. Keep tracking records until well after eBay's 30-day item not received window has closed.

For the full wording of eBay's guidance, read tracking items you've sold on eBay.co.uk and the late delivery rules in eBay's seller performance policy.