Silk Road forums

Discussion => Shipping => Topic started by: Hendrix99 on May 14, 2013, 01:55 am

Title: A question to all you vendors who dont like giving tracking #s out
Post by: Hendrix99 on May 14, 2013, 01:55 am
I Can not figure this out , maybee Im missing something, When I Order and pay for express shipping with tracking# I absolutely love when a vendor just shoots me the tracking # without having to ask/beg for it,  But some vendors refuse to give tracking #s when you pay for it.  I dont get this, what is the reason for this?  Is it cause you dont want the buyer seeing where the package came from, cause that makes no sense cause if he really wants to he will when he gets it, he can still check it. Now Alot of us have to go further then the end of there driveway to get the mail and when theres no damn tracking # you dont know when its coming so you go check every day with great dissapointment when its not there.  It sux cause it would be less heat if You wernt going every day even when you got no mail.  when you got the Tracking # you just wait till its there before you go?

No I know its common knowledge not to bother checking the tracking # right of that bat because it takes a bit to register online or what ever and also not to check it a million times or thru tor. so  I would think most buyers listen to this cause they dont want to get attention either.

SO WHAT AM I MISSSING???

Please  if your a vendor who does not provide tracking to those who pay for it please enlighten me, maybee Im missing something obivious, It just bugs me that I cant figure it out!

Thanks
Title: Re: A question to all you vendors who dont like giving tracking #s out
Post by: jameslink2 on May 14, 2013, 02:06 am
I think some of it stems from the belief that hitting the usps tracking site while anonymized via TOR will flag the package. The earlier they flag it the more information they can collect.

I personally get tracking on all my packages and will provide the tracking number 4 days after shipping if asked, but that is just me.
Title: Re: A question to all you vendors who dont like giving tracking #s out
Post by: Jack N Hoff on May 14, 2013, 02:16 am
I think some of it stems from the belief that hitting the usps tracking site while anonymized via TOR will flag the package. The earlier they flag it the more information they can collect.

I personally get tracking on all my packages and will provide the tracking number 4 days after shipping if asked, but that is just me.

Bingo
Title: Re: A question to all you vendors who dont like giving tracking #s out
Post by: jameslink2 on May 14, 2013, 02:23 am
I think some of it stems from the belief that hitting the usps tracking site while anonymized via TOR will flag the package. The earlier they flag it the more information they can collect.

I personally get tracking on all my packages and will provide the tracking number 4 days after shipping if asked, but that is just me.

Bingo

SR Vendors protecting there buyers. (From themselves)  ;D

We all know how tempting it can be to hit the tracking site multiple times a day to see where it is.
Title: Re: A question to all you vendors who dont like giving tracking #s out
Post by: Hendrix99 on May 14, 2013, 03:07 am
Thanks for the Responses guys , I just find It Frustrating not Knowing when the hell my package is going to show or if it was even shipped!! but I can understand what you are saying, They dont know the buyer and Have no way of knowing if hes tweaking out and checking it 1000 times a day (sorry no offence to to you tweakers I used to run with the devil myself for a few years so Im just using an example Im not blaming Meth users) or if hes a responsible SR buyer such as myself who takes precautions

anyways +1 for the responses fellas
Title: Re: A question to all you vendors who dont like giving tracking #s out
Post by: tabun on May 14, 2013, 03:31 am
I think some of it stems from the belief that hitting the usps tracking site while anonymized via TOR will flag the package. The earlier they flag it the more information they can collect.

I personally get tracking on all my packages and will provide the tracking number 4 days after shipping if asked, but that is just me.

Bingo

SR Vendors protecting there buyers. (From themselves)  ;D

We all know how tempting it can be to hit the tracking site multiple times a day to see where it is.

Is this true? Is there any proof of it? I have checked tracking #'s of packages I ordered from legal websites such as amazon and ebay over and over in the past and never had anything opened and examined before it made it to me.
I was told that vendors didn't want to give tracking #'s because the post office scans the # at drop off time and there are cameras at the post office, so that creates a time stamp to check video for the ID of the sender. I find this absurd because the same thing can be accomplished once the package is received and the receiver can READ the tracking number off of the package!
Title: Re: A question to all you vendors who dont like giving tracking #s out
Post by: lunarpursuit on May 14, 2013, 03:42 am
I think some of it stems from the belief that hitting the usps tracking site while anonymized via TOR will flag the package. The earlier they flag it the more information they can collect.

I personally get tracking on all my packages and will provide the tracking number 4 days after shipping if asked, but that is just me.

Bingo

SR Vendors protecting there buyers. (From themselves)  ;D

We all know how tempting it can be to hit the tracking site multiple times a day to see where it is.

allll of this, exactly.
Title: Re: A question to all you vendors who dont like giving tracking #s out
Post by: dabdiego on May 14, 2013, 04:20 am
Sounds to me like you need to have a littlle faith in your vendor, maybe ask him for a heads up on?
Title: Re: A question to all you vendors who dont like giving tracking #s out
Post by: CHROOT on May 14, 2013, 04:30 am


Is this true? Is there any proof of it?

Yup. It was speculated in here for years that checking a tracking through Tor would set off a red flag. Just a few months ago it was confirmed that DHL was indeed flagging packages checked through Tor.

Search the forums, the evidence is mounting that it's a really really bad idea to check tracking through Tor.
Title: Re: A question to all you vendors who dont like giving tracking #s out
Post by: tabun on May 14, 2013, 04:59 am
Yup. It was speculated in here for years that checking a tracking through Tor would set off a red flag. Just a few months ago it was confirmed that DHL was indeed flagging packages checked through Tor.

Search the forums, the evidence is mounting that it's a really really bad idea to check tracking through Tor.

So checking tracking with your regular browser while at McDonald's or Starbuck's (anywhere with free WiFi) would be just fine then.
Title: Re: A question to all you vendors who dont like giving tracking #s out
Post by: Toska on May 14, 2013, 10:34 am
Can't they (police/post office) see if the tracking number has been checked? I always thought this was the case but could be wrong. So if you check the tracking number it makes it harder to deny you didn't order it or were not expecting it.  I guess if you check at a random place then it could be anyone though. 
Title: Re: A question to all you vendors who dont like giving tracking #s out
Post by: pharmacypowder on May 14, 2013, 04:29 pm
I do NOT provide tracking numbers to customers that order express for a couple reasons. Firstly, even though I ship to the USA I am a Canadian vendor and only ship express (orders with tracking) within Canada. This is for several security reasons one being that if a USA customer were to order express from Canada they would have to sign for it instead of it just being dropped in the mailbox which most people are not ok with obviously and there are also security issues on my end (plus it just to damn expensive)

So, anyway, if a customer places an order and chooses express post I have it written very clearly that I do not provide tracking and this is for the simple reason that there is no reason for me to give you the tracking number because Canada Post guarantees the delivery date of their express packages so I can give the customer an exact date of delivery without giving him the tracking number and having to worry about him checking it every 10 minutes (you'd be surprised how many people actually do this) and I also do not have to worry about them checking it using tor. It does not matter how much a customer promises me they know how things work and they won't check it a lot or won't check it through tor....I do not personally know them so how can I trust them just because they can type words into a computer screen?

Many of us do not even know for sure if checking the tracking all the time and checking it through tor is really THAT big of a deal but I personally would rather be safe than sorry and ensure all my customers receive their orders safely...
Title: Re: A question to all you vendors who dont like giving tracking #s out
Post by: CHROOT on May 14, 2013, 08:18 pm
If I was a vendor I would allow tracked packages, but, only as a form of security for terms of resolution and refund rates. Higher refund rate if you get tracking because I can prove you didn't scam me. The tracking would only be provided to SR support in case of a resolution issue. My 2 cents

Most vendors subscribe to this philosophy.

Ever since USPS clamped down on tracking this January, it's become a major hassle, and it's important to realize that tracking is a tool for vendors, not for customer convenience.

It's to keep scammers at bay, which is why most don't give out #s.
Title: Re: A question to all you vendors who dont like giving tracking #s out
Post by: Hendrix99 on May 14, 2013, 10:33 pm
Thanks for all the responses guys. This all makes perfect sense and I could See myself doing the same now. Its just when you try a new vendor and He doesnt give you any info at all so you have no idea. Ive actually had lots of vendors not give me a tracking # and your right if Stuff shows up within the expected time frame its no big deal, its when its gettin to 1-2 week mark and you dont even know if it was actually sent or not !! Frustrating

But I Totally agree with what you vendors are sayin after reading your point of view

Title: Re: A question to all you vendors who dont like giving tracking #s out
Post by: genghar on May 15, 2013, 02:34 am
There are websites that can check for you.  You go on that website on TOR, they look it up with their own servers.  Unless they have their own policy to report TOR use, you'll be fine.

http://www.packtrack.com/
Title: Re: A question to all you vendors who dont like giving tracking #s out
Post by: CHROOT on May 15, 2013, 05:36 am
There are websites that can check for you.  You go on that website on TOR, they look it up with their own servers.  Unless they have their own policy to report TOR use, you'll be fine.

http://www.packtrack.com/

Amazing workaround. They track 83 different companies #s all anonymously routed through Tor. And it's free. God bless the Internet.
Title: Re: A question to all you vendors who dont like giving tracking #s out
Post by: NW Nugz on May 15, 2013, 01:27 pm
There are websites that can check for you.  You go on that website on TOR, they look it up with their own servers.  Unless they have their own policy to report TOR use, you'll be fine.

http://www.packtrack.com/

Amazing workaround. They track 83 different companies #s all anonymously routed through Tor. And it's free. God bless the Internet.

Super easy for package tracking sites to forward IP address (Tor) to USPS when requesting the package location. Assuming it is anonymous is what LE would want you to do if it is not. If it is anon., they would probably want you to think it was not anon.. I have no idea. Seems risky though. Tracking a package is bad for the address it is going to and real bad if the receiver wants to say they had no idea that was coming. You can try and say it was a random person on a laptop at your local McDonalds, but that's not usually real persuasive. There are better cover stories, of course, but you need to think them up and not mention 'em here. Very few would make tracking a package smart.
All that said, if a domestic Priority package is like 8 days late I give out the tracking. Sometimes sooner if the buyer seems to understand these dangers well. Then again for me to think they understand these dangers, they pretty much need to agree checking the tracking is a bad idea before day 8ish. ;-)