Warning: No seller protection with basic shipment tracking (letter/small parcel)? My experience!
Summary: vulpius1 warns about eBay's seller protection practice for basic shipment tracking after a case was decided in favor of a buyer even though the tracking showed successful delivery. It was discussed that the German legal framework shifts the transport risk to the buyer once the item has been handed over to the shipping service, while eBay's policies apparently do not take these laws into account. Various participants question the clarity and communication from eBay regarding seller and insurance protection for parcels and small parcels. The discussion addresses misunderstandings between eBay seller protection and shipping providers' insurance. vulpius1 emphasizes that, although small parcels now offer shipment tracking, they remain uninsured and there is no coverage in the event of loss.
Hello everyone,
I want to warn you about eBay seller protection with basic shipping tracking (letter/parcels) and ask
whether you’ve had similar experiences.
This is about the case where a buyer reports an “item not received” even though the shipment was successfully delivered according to tracking.
The background:
A shipment was paid for by me on Aug. 11, scanned on Aug. 12, and according to tracking delivered on Aug. 13.Shipping was handled completely through the eBay shipping manager.
As is well known, eBay has for some time promised full seller protection for DHL letter shipments with basic tracking (and since 01.08.2026 also for DHL parcels)
if shipping was booked through eBay’s own shipping manager and the status says “Successfully delivered.”
The reality: a trap for sellers
In practice, this protection gives private sellers a false sense of security.As soon as the buyer opens the case and it is escalated to customer service after 4 working days, the following happens:
Automatically, the system does immediately give you a positive rating for this transaction (“Order delivered on time and without issues”).
Nevertheless, customer service decided the case in favor of the buyer.
The absurd reasoning from support:
“Since we cannot confirm successful delivery, we are now closing this case and will fully refund the buyer’s purchase price.To continue selling successfully on eBay in the future and benefit from our seller protection, I recommend that you always choose a shipping method with tracking.”
The receipt madness:
Before that, support had requested additional proof: “the original postal receipt showing the buyer’s delivery address. Please take a photo of the receipt.”I then uploaded the original PDF stamp with matrix code, tracking number, date, recipient and sender address.
This document was not accepted. Apparently, support expects a printed DHL branch receipt, like the kind you only get with parcels.
The fact that the tracking number is already permanently and automatically linked to the recipient address by the eBay shipping manager (and included in the matrix code) is completely ignored. Shipping to a different address is technically impossible with this label (with this tracking number). The shipment can only have arrived at the buyer’s address.
Conclusion:
There is NO seller protection with basic tracking for letters and DHL parcels!If the buyer claims not to have received anything despite the shipment status “Successfully Delivered,” the eBay customer service will refund the purchase amount + shipping costs to the buyer. And advise the seller: “To continue selling successfully on eBay in the future and benefit from our seller protection, I recommend that you always choose a shipping method with tracking.”
The legal situation in Germany:
As a private seller, according to the legal basis, I only have to prove: “sale by shipment between private individuals (§ 447 BGB)”, that I properly sent the item. In a sale from private to private, the transport risk passes to the buyer as soon as the seller hands the item over to the shipping company.
If the buyer claims, despite proof of shipment, that nothing arrived, they cannot legally demand either compensation or a refund from a private seller.
But, since when has eBay cared about laws!
vulpius1
OP2 weeks agoOk, we now have tracking for DHL Päckchen S and M.
But what happens if the recipient (buyer), despite tracking and the status "Delivered," opens a case because of an item not received? Who gets the ruling in their favor?
perfect-sally
·2 weeks agoYou may get the law on your side in court, but not on eBay.
Since then, it has been that when a delivery confirmed by tracking showed as delivered, the request about an item not received was closed again immediately. But with eBay, you never know whether anything has been changed, since a lot isn't communicated.
miriam@ebay
Hello @vulpius1 and everyone! I’d like to clarify the topic a bit more, because for the regular seller protection in an item not received case, proof of delivery is generally required.
However, there is a special rule for letters with basic tracking: If the order value including shipping is no more than €20, the Internetmarke with matrix code was purchased via the eBay shipping platform and used within the handling time, then at least one scan is enough to show that the shipment was handed over for dispatch. In this case, eBay seller protection applies even without a delivery scan.
Seller portal: eBay seller protection for Internetmarken with matrix code from Deutsche Post
For DHL Päckchen S and M from the current pilot, this €20 special rule does not apply. These parcels do have integrated tracking that can serve as proof of dispatch or delivery, but there is no additional seller protection analogous to the rule for letters.
Added: A DHL parcel with tracking can generally qualify for the normal eBay seller protection if the tracking shows the required delivery
I hope that makes the difference between letters with basic tracking and the DHL Päckchen S/M a bit clearer.
@vulpius1 we have now upheld your appeal and our customer service will be retrained.
So you all can see this here -@perfect-sally , @petersmodellbahnstuebchen , @lidor3073 , @chrissi519 , @kometenhuhn , @hoffigr and @voli-maus .
Best regards
Miriam
perfect-sally
·2 weeks agoHello @miriam@ebay thanks a lot for the info.
So if I understand that correctly, there is no seller protection for the parcels.
So why does it say under the ebay postage option (in the selection) for parcel sizes S and M: ebay seller protection?
According to you, that doesn't exist at all then. That's contradictory to me.
Regards
Thomas
petersmodellbahnstuebchen
·2 weeks ago@miriam@ebay
Hi Miriam,
I completely agree with @perfect-sally . Then this note shouldn’t appear when creating a shipping label for parcels via eBay and should be removed as soon as possible.
Best wishes from the Baltic Sea
Peter
miriam@ebay
Thanks for your heads-up, @perfect-sally and @petersmodellbahnstuebchen - Correction: The note about eBay seller protection for S & M parcels is correct, because you benefit from tracking for inquiries about items not received as proof of shipment, which was not available before. The important thing is that the shipping label has to be purchased through eBay.
All further details here > New pilot: DHL S and M parcels now with tracking via eBay
Best regards
Miriam
vulpius1
OP2 weeks agoYou’re constantly mixing apples and oranges in this discussion!
You don’t seem to know the difference between eBay seller protection and the shipping company’s insurance.
Here’s a clarification:
Insurance coverage (the legal liability in the event of loss) is generally provided by DHL or Deutsche Post, not by eBay.
Insurance coverage amounts to up to €500 for parcels, and up to €20 for letters with basic tracking.
DHL parcels with tracking remain uninsured in principle according to DHL’s terms of carriage.
But you do get proof of delivery, which forms the basis for eBay seller protection. Tracking primarily serves as digital proof. If the parcel has arrived according to the tracking, you are protected at eBay against the claim “item not received.” That is eBay seller protection!
Important! If the new eBay parcel with tracking gets lost in transit, it remains without a delivery scan, and there is neither DHL insurance coverage nor eBay seller protection!
hasjana
·1 week ago@vulpius1
that is not correct
for letters with basic shipment tracking there is no liability on the part of the post office / DHL
the up to €20 is from the post office for registered mail with proof of delivery, up to €25 for registered mail handed over to the recipient
the eBay seller protection, on the other hand, applies to letter mail franked via eBay with a total value (item and shipping) of up to €20
hoffigr
·2 weeks agoI think that in the future, shipping goods by letter mail will be phased out anyway.
Post and DHL are parting ways as of September 1st, and from January on there will also be new size and weight limits for large letters and maxi letters. At first that's a positive thing because they’re bigger and heavier, but they themselves write about the separation between documents and goods.
kometenhuhn
·2 weeks ago · EditedAt the same time, the homepage also refers to the following
"1. Simplicity works better:
Immediately clear what belongs where – documents and small goods* as a letter (max. 3 cm, fits in a mailbox), thicker shipments as a parcel
*in international letter shipping, goods are generally – with a few exceptions – excluded."
This can’t really be avoided either, how would you test that with all letters.
For me, this reads as if shipping goods - as a large letter - up to max. 3 cm would still be possible, but larger goods - e.g. Maxibrief - would no longer be possible, or would have to go as a parcel.
perfect-sally
·2 weeks agoAs is well known, eBay has for some time now promised for DHL letter shipments with basic tracking (and since 01/08/2026 also for DHL parcels)
Question for everyone reading along: did I maybe miss a notice from eBay? Because I have never heard that parcels now also
have basic tracking
seller protection also applies to parcels
Does anyone know anything about this? Thanks
petersmodellbahnstuebchen
·2 weeks ago · Edited@perfect-sally
Hi Thomas,
if I buy the labels through eBay, tracking and seller protection are also shown to me for the parcel:
Kind regards from the Baltic Sea
Peter
hoffigr
·2 weeks ago · EditedI wanted to write to you the other day when you claimed the opposite (or rather the old status), but I’m not allowed to post on MhM anyway. The parcels have detailed tracking, but I’m not exactly sure about seller protection.
Here’s the link to the info: https://community.ebay.de/forum/ebay-news-44/topic/neuer-pilot-dhl-p%C3%A4ckchen-s-und-m-jetzt-mit-sendungsverfolgung-%C3%BCber-ebay-11848/
perfect-sally
·2 weeks ago · EditedThis is something completely new to me, that small parcels have tracking and for abroad you haven’t been able to add that for a long time either. I also can’t find anything about it on DHL’s website.
And Google says:
Important facts about parcel shipping
No tracking: A parcel bought in-store or with a regular letter/parcel stamp has no shipment number and cannot be tracked.
Exception online postage: If you frank a parcel online via the DHL Online Franking or the Post & DHL app, you often eceive a basic information or the status that the shipment has been electronically announced or handed in – however, this is not continuous real-time tracking like with a parcel.
The only thing I see with the eBay franking is that apparently there is seller protection. But there is no information up to what total price, and I also don’t read anywhere about basic tracking, only about a drop-off receipt but nothing about shipment tracking.
chrissi519
·2 weeks ago · EditedYes, eBay has launched a pilot project:
Tracking: DHL Päckchen S & M now have tracking, but only if you buy the label directly through eBay’s shipping platform!
Important: The parcels are therefore not insured (no liability by DHL).
perfect-sally
·2 weeks agoActually, I missed that.
Many thanks @chrissi519 👍
But if eBay actually then provides seller protection with liability up to €500, I'm almost certain that if things with seller protection get out of hand, the project won't be continued, because the seller protection services are then goodwill services from eBay, and eBay surely has nothing to give away. On the contrary, they'd have to bleed even more, since they're already paying more than enough fees so that others can sell for free, and I assume the project is also partly financed by the fees.
chrissi519
·2 weeks ago@perfect-sally uh, either I misread it or missed something too.
"Which items are suitable for parcels with tracking?
DHL parcels with tracking are particularly suitable for shipping light and lower-cost items, where simple and transparent tracking is desired.
For higher-value items, sellers still have access to DHL parcel products on the eBay shipping platform – including liability up to €500."
--> That sounds to me like this: the €500 insurance only applies to DHL parcel products and not parcels. 🤔 Parcels aren’t insured. So for simple and small items, you could ship them as parcels. For expensive items, better send them as a parcel with insurance.
perfect-sally
·2 weeks agoThe question remains up to what total price ebay grants seller protection. For letters, this applies up to a total price of €20 including postage. For parcels, I’m missing this information.
lidor3073
·2 weeks ago@perfect-sally @chrissi519
Here again are the official answers from @miriam@ebay :
I basically think the pilot project is very good too - the only thing that bothers me is that goods are not insured.
At least Hermes parcel offers insurance coverage up to 50 euros.
Or is there some low insurance coverage if you buy the labels through eBay? @miriam@ebay
I’d rather not use the service. Too much hassle, and it keeps being mentioned here with the shipping labels bought via eBay. I’d rather do it through the shipping providers.
perfect-sally
·2 weeks ago · Edited@lidor3073 many thanks! 👍
Also clarified, parcels up to €20, but analogous to letters it’s not if Miriam writes goods valued at up to €20 - postage still has to be added.
For letters, the value incl. postage must not exceed €20.
And I probably won’t use either of them anyway, it’s too vague for me and the constant back and forth if something actually does happen is too much hassle for me. I’d rather have proper tracking and that’s that.
lidor3073
·2 weeks ago@perfect-sally I read it like this: No insurance up to 20 euros, like the stamps bought via eBay. No seller protection. Only a tracking number, but ONLY for the shipping labels for parcels S & M bought via eBay as proof of delivery. ☝️ Watch out at the platform edge! Can get expensive.
lidor3073
·2 weeks agoHermes and Post & DHL are a regular part of it for me. And nothing else.
Conclusion: With this pilot, you ONLY get the number, but ONLY if you buy parcel labels via eBay! Everything else like insurance and seller protection is omitted!!!
foren32
·2 weeks agoAt DHL parcel drop-off points, they now print you a posting receipt on request, but definitely still without shipment tracking.
mobatreff
·1 week agoHello,
I run a DHL parcel shop and can’t confirm that. When I accept a parcel with the scanner, I can’t print a posting receipt on request. The scanner does that automatically, BUT only for parcels that were bought via eBay or other sales platforms like Vinted. The option "Print posting receipt - Yes/No" does not exist in the scanner software.
For all other parcels, there is no posting receipt, so for parcel labels that were bought online from DHL or from me in the parcel shop.
For packages, on the other hand, a posting receipt is always issued in general, regardless of where the parcel label was bought.
vulpius1
OP1 week agoThat's right! This only works for parcels that are booked through the eBay shipping system. But from Jan. 2027, it will apparently apply to all DHL parcels.
foren32
·1 week agoSorry, no, that's not how it is, I don't buy labels through eBay and yet drop-off receipts were not only offered to me for a DHL parcel, but when I objected "receipts are only available for parcels anyway," they were even printed out and shown to me!
vulpius1
OP2 weeks agoAnd I already have the next case, where a young Moroccan also wants his money back because the product would be "inferior" and would not work. Which, of course, is absolute nonsense. But, "product not as described" - so refund please!
petersmodellbahnstuebchen
·2 weeks agoHi @vulpius1
what does such a case have to do with the eBay seller protection?
This does not exclude buyer protection.
Kind regards from the Baltic Sea
Peter
voli-maus
·2 weeks agoYou don't even have a legal notice or any WRB, @vulpius1
vulpius1
OP2 weeks agoI’m also a private seller!
voli-maus
·2 weeks agoSure?
*www.theodium.de*
·1 week agoIf someone is already offering the third brand-new portable power station within four weeks for a good 380 euros, you can safely assume that this is commercial trading rather than a private sale.
vulpius1
OP1 week agoCommercial trade necessarily implies an intent to make a profit.
Since the power stations were offered at a lower price than they were purchased for, commercial trading can probably be ruled out.
*www.theodium.de*
·1 week agothat's one way to explain it too ;)
kometenhuhn
·2 weeks agoWhat was the value of the goods?
vulpius1
OP2 weeks agoEUR 11.85 value of goods.