Customer buys several items separately but can only store the tracking number for one of them—why all of a sudden?
Summary: mmstore74 encountered an issue when a customer purchased two items separately using two nearly identical accounts and was unable to link the same tracking number to both orders via eBay. mmstore74 sought advice on whether to ship items together or separately and received various suggestions from other participants. It was highlighted that since the purchases were made with different accounts, it might be safer to send them separately to prevent issues. Despite this anomaly, mmstore74 attempted to communicate with the buyer and noted identical details across accounts, which raised suspicions but didn't result in immediate problems. The situation was managed by notifying the customer and ensuring the shipment was trackable and insured.
Good morning everyone,
sorry but at the moment there are a few problems " Just me ? "
A customer bought 2 items separately one after the other, but since I can of course and want to ship everything together, I bought a label through Ebay and wanted to add the tracking number to the 2nd order, is that no longer possible either?
Until recently it was still working perfectly
mmstore74
OP1 month agoHello @lidor3073
no, they weren't any high-priced items and registered in Germany, and as I've written several times now, I only noticed it afterward.
The shipment was demonstrably delivered since it was insured shipping to the address provided and stored with Eay
and since both accounts are registered under one and the same address, he can't say it didn't arrive
lidor3073
·1 month ago@mmstore74
My gut feeling is doing cartwheels right now - just one question: Were these high-priced items, or do they also go abroad? Can you see in the system where the buyer is registered (location Germany), and does he not just have a German address entered in eBay?
mmstore74
OP1 month ago · EditedHello @simplethinking , everything is basically correct, however I printed out the invoices and " only " looked at the addresses, and they are exactly the same, just like the names behind the orders, and when I then wanted to enter the shipment number for the 2nd account, I noticed it wouldn't work and looked at everything again very carefully, and then I realized that the account name is only different in the number.
Everyone wants to save the world anyway " sustainability " etc. and honestly, why give something up twice if it all goes to one and the same address?
If I want to fill up my car, I don't just fill it halfway, drive home, and then set off again to fill the other half, I do it directly then too ( I hope you understand what I mean ) ? 😊
I'll keep you posted on whether anything else comes of it, but it was already demonstrably delivered today since it was insured.
mmstore74
OP1 month ago · EditedGood morning @itec-systems , so if there are 2 separate purchases but one and the same account, you can handle it quite smoothly, only in this case there were/are actually 2 different accounts, even though it is one and the same buyer with an absolutely identical address etc.
What’s still added now: if I look at the shipment tracking and enter the buyer’s postal code there, I get this error message
I’m really curious how this turns out 😂
mmstore74
OP1 month agoHello @bixtron ,I did exactly that and also left a note with the orders.
I just wonder why someone would newly open 2 accounts and make 2 purchases with the same items from the same seller within 1 minute?
He must have been logged in to both accounts then, or else he must have been incredibly fast: pay, log out, log back in, buy again, and pay.
bixtron
·1 month agoI actually have that fairly often, but no idea what's behind it... So far there have never been any problems with it.
schrauben-seidel
·1 month agoThose are usually guest orders, so without an eBay account.
bixtron
·1 month agoHello,
It’s simply because they are 2 different accounts. I always ship them together, because the person placed the order using the same delivery address. But you should leave the tracking number in the account whose order you can’t assign a tracking number to, via eBay messages, and point out that both orders are being shipped together.
mmstore74
OP1 month ago · Edited@itec-systems ,has that always been the case?
That you can't include the tracking number with other orders that were placed separately?
As I wrote, I only noticed on a second look that the numbers in the username were different, and that's why it doesn't work; but if everything had been completely identical, it would have worked.
itec-systems
·1 month agoYeah, I’ve always known it like this: I can’t store a tracking number for two different purchases. But if I ever need to, I solve it by just being quick. I open two tabs, enter the number in both, and then confirm at the same time. Good thing the eBay system is too slow to notice that.
petersmodellbahnstuebchen
·1 month ago · EditedHi @itec-systems
why shouldn’t you be able to use one tracking number for different orders from your customers?
I shipped one parcel for 3 orders yesterday:
All orders have the same tracking number stored.
Best regards from the Baltic Sea
Peter
bixtron
·Aug 15, 2026 at 1:43 PMAs long as it's the same account , you can enter the tracking number for all orders (to the same address).
If it's only the same address / the same buyer, but an different account, that doesn't work.
I'd also like to know why that doesn't work / isn't allowed. Maybe because the buyer couldn't benefit from shipping discounts that way, so you could end up charging shipping costs twice(?)
itec-systems
·1 month agoBut that's always been the case.
mmstore74
OP1 month ago · EditedHello @perfect-sally ,are they each the same items and the name, address, phone number, etc. is everything identical
perfect-sally
·1 month agoAnd yet it was purchased with 2 different accounts and are 2 different purchases! I would first try to clarify that with the buyer.
mmstore74
OP1 month agoHello @kometenhuhn
I added a note under both purchases, told the buyer this again, and it will be sent insured
mmstore74
OP1 month agoI just noticed that these are 2 different accounts, where the account name is identical except for a number and both accounts were only created yesterday, how should I best proceed now?
Maybe an eBay employee can help me too?
kometenhuhn
·1 month agoI would, in that case, ship separately. Unless it's items under 10 euros - in that case I'd be willing to take the risk, should any strange circumstances come up afterward that no one can predict :)
perfect-sally
·1 month agoIf the purchase was made with 2 different accounts, they are also 2 different transactions and I wouldn't ship them together.
simplethinking
·1 month agoHi,
For me, every single account counts as a separate buyer. What is weird, though, is when it is brand-new, with only the number at the end. Whether the packages “arrive” there... There are some people who have a shopping account (private) and a sales account (commercial). Or EK/avK private...
There are many constellations. Still, for me, each account should be supplied separately. Just so there are no problems later.
Best regards
Alfred