Ebay mailbox - incorrect assignment of the auction?
Summary: lolly030 noticed a discrepancy in the eBay messaging system where a buyer's inquiry was linked to the wrong order number. Despite receiving an email with the correct order details, the eBay mailbox showed a different, future order number. goldeifel suggested it might be due to the messaging system allowing communication without linking to specific items, but lolly030 clarified that the mismatch seemed to occur because of a repeat purchase of the same item. petersmodellbahnstuebchen and samantha@ebay discussed marking eBay employees for support, while verena@ebay explained that changes in displayed order numbers depend on the buyer's messages, but this did not fully resolve lolly030's concerns about why the number changed in their mailbox.
I noticed something odd here in the Ebay inbox. It’s about a message from a repeat buyer. So I clicked on the order number to read the details again. Then I noticed that the message doesn’t match the order number shown. Here’s the hard copy:
Actually, it was about a previous purchase; the item assigned here was only sold on 12/7/2026, so how can the buyer already be writing to me about it on 9/7/2026❓
The email names the correct item, namely the one here ⬇ , and the previously mentioned message also belongs to it.
Maybe someone can explain this to me.
Best regards
samantha@ebay
·2 weeks agoHello @lolly030
In the message from 09.07.2026, the buyer is referring to your order from May, and the inquiry is going through this order number. The same applies to the one from 12.07.206.
I'm not quite sure what you're getting at.
Thanks for the tag @petersmodellbahnstuebchen
Best regards
Samantha
lolly030
OP2 weeks agoHello @samantha@ebay ,
so once again..... I receive the purchase confirmation email with the order number:18-14647-27925, sale on 19.5.2026.
On 9.7.2026 the buyer writes to me. So in the inbox, only the specified order number can be there.
Now the same buyer buys the same item again on 12.7.2026, order number:26-14859-97030.
Suddenly, above the old communication from 9.7.2026, the order number from the new order is now shown. However, all emails related to it still have the order number from 19.5.2026.
That contradicts itself..... Something isn't right there!
Take a look in my inbox, then maybe it will make more sense.
Best regards
verena@ebay
·2 weeks agoHello @lolly030 ,
which order number is shown to you in the emails for communication depends on which order your buyer is writing messages to you about. We have no influence over that.
Kind regards
Verena
lolly030
OP2 weeks agoThere is only one communication..... Why does the order number change to this one communication in the Ebay inbox?
lolly030
OP2 weeks ago · Edited@verena@ebay The messages start on 09/07/2026, they were about the order from May, and if I click on the order number now, I’m shown the order from 12/07/2026. But this order number didn’t even exist on 09/07/206, since it was only purchased on 12/07/2026.
I honestly don’t know how else I can explain this better/more clearly.
Maybe someone can also take a look at the messages about it so it becomes clear. I can’t just post the content here now.
Best regards
lolly030
OP1 week ago@verena@ebay
Is there already an explanation for this fact?
Best regards
goldeifel
·2 weeks agoSorry @lolly030 , I must have misunderstood something. Only the mentors can see whether it's a mix-up caused by eBay. An employee would have to be marked, but unfortunately I don't know which of the lovely mentors is currently present to take a closer look at the case...
lolly030
OP2 weeks agoHmmm, employees are marked??? I’ve read that a few times already. What does that mean?
petersmodellbahnstuebchen
·2 weeks agoHi @lolly030
that means you can also bring in an eBay employee here in the forum for support.
Maybe the lovely @samantha@ebay can help you out, thanks Samantha. ❤️
Best wishes from the Baltic Sea
Peter
goldeifel
·2 weeks agoHello lolly030,
it is definitely possible to contact a seller by clicking: Message seller and then selecting in the drop-down menu that opens: "not related to this item" (or something along those lines).
The text of the message is then not related to the item about which they wrote to you.
That’s also how I once made personal contact in the forum with another person, because there wasn’t an option for a private message yet, but I didn’t want to write publicly. I simply clicked on "View offers" for that person, then clicked on the first item ➡️ send message to seller, and then I was able to write my private message, even though it had nothing to do with their active items.
Maybe that explains the "inconsistency"
lolly030
OP2 weeks agoHello @goldeifel ,
of course the procedure described is possible, but it cannot be the case here, since the email for the inquiry has the correct order number.
Rather, it must have been that because of the repeat purchase, of the same item as well, the wrong order is assigned in the eBay mailbox.
Best regards