eBay Return Never Scanned into Royal Mail

Wottouk

I purchased a fairly expensive item that turned out to be faulty. The seller, who is based in China, generated a Royal Mail returns label for a UK return address. I took the parcel to my local Post Office, handed it over, and was given a receipt.

When I looked at the receipt later, I realised the Post Office had given me the wrong one. The receipt belonged to another customer, with a different address and tracking number, but strangely it showed the exact weight of the parcel I had handed over.

I contacted Royal Mail, who confirmed that my parcel's tracking number (the one generated by the seller) had never been scanned into their network and appeared never to have entered the system.

I've seen CCTV footage of me handing over the item and the post office scanning, but I have no idea how a different address would appear on the label. My other thought is that it's an altered label and the qr type code was replaced with another one, perhaps knowing it would never get to the end destination? The seller only sent me a screenshot of the label but I have since requested they forward me the original label they received via email.

TimeLord1

Purchased via a platform? Did you print the label yourself or a QR code to be scanned.

I see the title states eBay have you contacted them yet.

savergrant

Did you request the return through ebay? And how did you get the returns label? When I had a returns request as a seller ebay gave me the option to either purchase a label from them or to upload another label.

mta999

would the address and tracking number be on the QR code that the post office scanned and maybe it was a scam label that was sent with a different tracking number and address to that on eBay

I doubt you were given the receipt for different customer

as above - how did you get the return label?

savergrant

It seems very likely that the qr code received does not match the rest of the label. It is possible that this is a genuine error but seems more likely to be a scam. I suggest you contact ebay and attach both the label you received and your certificate of posting. They may be able to see that the seller has provided misleading tracking and approve the return. Unfortunately they may believe you have used a different label to send a valueless item to another address and kept hold of the item you purchased. What is the seller's feedback like.

Spoonie_Turtle

You should be able to get some details from tracking by typing in the tracking number on the label they supplied.

savergrant

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82077087#Comment_82077087

On other threads it's been noted that tracking info can show duplicated drop off and delivery, so it may not be clear what has actually happened to the parcel op dropped off. Although I can't see how the royal mail/post office system can accept receipt of a duplicated package number.