What is Ebay Virtual Tracking Number?

kalsha

Sometimes my daughter asks me to post on her behalf so she would forward me her Ebay email which has the buyer's address etc.  Today I noticed that email also contains a 7 figure Ebay virtual tracking number.  
Checked my other half's sale notification email and that too has the similar number.
None of my notifications have this number.
What exactly are these and what am I supposed to do with them?

jon81uk

I assume you mean the code that is the second line of the address? Just ignore it.

If you use automated postage through eBay or Royal Mail they use the code to help with their estimated delivery times.

But if you are buying through manual click and drop or in the post office you can just ignore it.

UNLESS it is a click and collect order being sent to Argos and it is an eCP code, that MUST be entered on the address or the click and click doesn't work. But those codes will have eCP next to them.

Rantband

jon81uk said:

I assume you mean the code that is the second line of the address? Just ignore it.

If you use automated postage through eBay or Royal Mail they use the code to help with their estimated delivery times.

But if you are buying through manual click and drop or in the post office you can just ignore it.

UNLESS it is a click and collect order being sent to Argos and it is an eCP code, that MUST be entered on the address or the click and click doesn't work. But those codes will have eCP next to them.

It is NOT the code on the address line.As the OP stated it is on the Email from Ebay an "eBay Virtual Tracking Number":

jon81uk

Rantband said:

jon81uk said:

I assume you mean the code that is the second line of the address? Just ignore it.

If you use automated postage through eBay or Royal Mail they use the code to help with their estimated delivery times.

But if you are buying through manual click and drop or in the post office you can just ignore it.

UNLESS it is a click and collect order being sent to Argos and it is an eCP code, that MUST be entered on the address or the click and click doesn't work. But those codes will have eCP next to them.

It is NOT the code on the address line.As the OP stated it is on the Email from Ebay an "eBay Virtual Tracking Number":

Oh, I've never seen those before and don't get it in my emails either.

ballisticbrian

I don't know but during Royal Mails airmail issues recently they would issue one tracking number up to the point of receipt in the foreign country and then the actual tracking would take over.

kalsha

It is in the email just under "dispatch by date".
I never used to have that number in any of my emails but last night I sold something and the email this morning has that number.  So maybe they have just started doing this.   Also checked my daughter's emails from last month and they didn't have this number either - only started on hers last week.
Yes, it seems it is the same number that is on the order with the buyer's address.

kalsha

It is in the email just under "dispatch by date".
I never used to have that number in any of my emails but last night I sold something and the email this morning has that number.  So maybe they have just started doing this.   Also checked my daughter's emails from last month and they didn't have this number either - only started on hers last week.
Yes, it seems it is the same number that is on the order with the buyer's address.

jon81uk

My emails don't look like that either.

soolin

jon81uk said:

My emails don't look like that either.

Neither do mine, this just shows that we all have different versions of ebay, I use 3 main accounts and every single one of them is set up differently. 

Figment

kalsha said:

Sometimes my daughter asks me to post on her behalf so she would forward me her Ebay email which has the buyer's address etc.  Today I noticed that email also contains a 7 figure Ebay virtual tracking number.  
Checked my other half's sale notification email and that too has the similar number.
None of my notifications have this number.
What exactly are these and what am I supposed to do with them?

Hi

the ebay Virtual Tracking Number (eVTN) has been added to the email notification within the last few weeks. It is the last 7 characters of the eBay code that has been included in the buyer's address for the last couple of years, and is used by Royal Mail (and Australia Post), who pick up eBay’s “virtual” tracking number and associate it with the parcel’s ID, allowing them to upload the tracking data on the seller’s behalf, with no further effort needed.

See https://tech.ebayinc.com/product/ebay-virtual-tracking-number-now-live-in-the-u-k-and-australia/

ballisticbrian

Cam you exaplin further what you mean by this:  "who pick up eBay’s “virtual” tracking number and associate it with the parcel’s ID," Are you saying you can now track a package with it?