# Question on usps tracking number



## Hien (Mar 25, 2019)

I have a problem that maybe someone can explain for me
I try to clear some old emails today 03/25/2019
Some how an old ebay email comes up announcing I won a flask and to pay
(a 2007 Mem Larry Heur that I won)
Because I don't think I ever potting any of Mem Larry Heur flask out.
neither any seedling or dying plants. In horror, I thought perhaps I forget to pay the seller,
so I track all the emails , turns out i did pay the seller.
so I check the tracking Number , and the usps website saying " the label was created but not in the system yet " That means the seller never sent me the item ?
What I need to know is:
Could the USPS resuse the number ? or once it is created they never use the number again?
That means the seller never sent me the item ? that 12 years how did I miss this?
*9101785091401095178992*
https://tools.usps.com/go/TrackConfirmAction_input?strOrigTrackNum=9101785091401095178992


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## Ray (Mar 26, 2019)

No, the USPS does not reuse numbers.

That tracking information can mean one of two things: either the seller printed the label but did not ship it, or the USPS picked it up, then lost it before scanning it into the system.

The carrier is _supposed to _scan upon receipt, but sometimes - especially if they are particularly busy - they wait until later, for example when unloading their vehicle back at the PO. I have also seen situations in which the carrier collects a dozen packages, but only scans 11. Fortunately, that last one usually shows up somewhere else down the transit line.


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## xiphius (Mar 26, 2019)

Ouch. That's sad.

I've had the same thing happen to me twice before when buying things through EBay. After about a week, I contacted the sellers asking when they were going to ship out the item. Both times I was told that it was shipped and that USPS must have lost it. In both cases, the sellers happily sent me a replacement item (which I did receive). I never received either of the originals that were sent. Whether they were eventually misdelivered by USPS, or still sitting in a warehouse somewhere, is anybody's guess.

My guess would be that it probably got lost in transit and was never scanned in. Sadly, 12 years is probably a little long to contact the seller and tell them you never got it .


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## Hien (Mar 26, 2019)

Thanks for your answer Ray,
That clears up one piece of information, heading more toward the item never sent.
last night I track all of the feedbacks on ebay , and I gave feedbacks for all other sellers whom I bought from both before and after this particular seller, strangely enough this is one seller I never gave a feedback.
Perhaps I was waiting for the item, then too busy with work, forgot about it !
For some reason I remember all of my deflasking painful failures of multiple kovachii flasks, godefroyae flasks, dendrobium flasks etc.. and not any plants from this flask or how they died!


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## Hien (Mar 26, 2019)

xiphius said:


> Ouch. That's sad.
> 
> I've had the same thing happen to me twice before when buying things through EBay. After about a week, I contacted the sellers asking when they were going to ship out the item. Both times I was told that it was shipped and that USPS must have lost it. In both cases, the sellers happily sent me a replacement item (which I did receive). I never received either of the originals that were sent. Whether they were eventually misdelivered by USPS, or still sitting in a warehouse somewhere, is anybody's guess.
> 
> My guess would be that it probably got lost in transit and was never scanned in. Sadly, 12 years is probably a little long to contact the seller and tell them you never got it .


 Actually, I did not want to claim anything after such a long time,
Initially I was in horror that I would forget to pay the won item, that is why I bother to search to make sure that I did not forget to pay, once found that I indeed paid full, I became curious of why I don't seem to remember anything about any Mem Larry Heur demise (while I remember clearly all of the other failing deflasks' attempts)
You hit a point there, it could be sent to another buyer, say the seller absently minded at the time and addressed 2 packages to another buyer, and skip mine address.
I could see that happened, because one time I received from another seller a very very expensive paph (that I did not buy/win) tagged along inside the box with the plants that I bought. Because the value of the plant is so out of ordinary, I suspected it was no way a bonus gift plant, I had to contact the buyer to find out who that plant supposed to be sent to, and forward it to him.


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