The AliExpress seller gave the wrong Aliexpress tracking number. Postal tracking: TS

Looking ahead, I will say that the story is not about tracking postal item using the track number, namely checking the track number itself for correctness.
Why is this necessary? Indeed, in most cases this is not necessary, but there are times when it would not hurt to check the track number.

Rarely, but it happens, the seller by mistake or even worse, intentionally gives the buyer a “left” tracking number to track the parcel. Large, individual stores do not engage in such deception of customers, but some dishonest sellers from large trading platforms like aliexpress or dhgate They may well practice this.

Let's say we placed an order, the seller sent it and gave the tracking number of the parcel. Let's start checking on the site postal service, but they write to us that information on this tracking number was not found. This continues for some time. The seller naturally pretends that he does not understand what the problem is and says that he sent everything honestly. In this case, you just need to check the track number for correctness (validity). It happens that it is really not the seller’s fault, it’s just that the postal service does not enter data about the parcel into the database on time.

The track number of an international postal item is assigned to the parcel according to the rules of the International Postal Union and always consists of 13 characters (four Latin letters and 9 digits). First two latin letters indicate the type of postal item, the last two letters are the country from which it was sent, eight digits are the original identification number, the ninth digit serves as a verification number and is calculated using certain mathematical operations. The tracking number can be checked manually by performing certain mathematical operations on a calculator, or using a special file.

Now I will tell you how to check the correctness of the track number using an xls file. For the file to work, Microsoft Office must be installed on your computer. S10CheckDigitValidationTool.xls . This file was taken from the website of the International Postal Union.

Please pay attention! The track number of postal items delivered by private express services (DHL, FedEx, UPS, etc.) cannot be checked in this way! They are not subject to the International Postal Union standard and can contain any combination of characters in the tracking number.

The check is very simple: open the downloaded file and enter in the top field the track number that you want to check. Click the button to check.

In the first example, I took the real tracking number of the parcel to check and the program immediately responded that it was valid (correct).

In the second example, I changed only one digit in the correct track number and the program immediately recognized it as not real.

In the third example, I entered the correct track number in the field, but added (or could have removed) another character at the end and the program immediately let me know that the track number cannot be more or less than 13 characters.

As you can see, everything is very simple! Of course, such checking of the track number for correctness (validity) is not a panacea, but it allows you to recognize an outright fake tracking number.
Thank you! Happy shopping everyone!

Over the past few years, the number of sites on the World Wide Web has been actively growing, allowing sellers from Chinese trading platforms, including AliExpress, to generate so-called fake (synonyms: false, fake, unreal) track numbers. After placing and paying for an order, the buyer can receive from the seller a certain tracking number and a link to the website to track it.

By periodically visiting the fake service and making inquiries about his order, the buyer will receive some new shipment statuses, and he will have the impression that his parcel is on the way.

The scheme for generating false shipment movement statuses is very similar to the real one. For the first 3-5 days there will be no statuses, and then the appearance of movement will be generated with a schedule similar to the plausible one. Alas, the generated data will not have any connection with the real route of your parcel (if it exists at all).

Example

Look at the example of a fake website in the picture:

If you change the numbers at the end of the number RT104589516FI to RT104589534FI , the result will be similar, but the second number does not exist in principle, we came up with it:

You can test it yourself:

Why does the seller provide the buyer with a false track number?

The main, but not the only, reason for this behavior of sellers is the desire to save on delivery. Most often, people buy fairly cheap goods on AliExpress. Since there are an order of magnitude more such sales than expensive goods, it is easier to earn a rating on them, and only then, having a high rating, you can sell and earn money on more expensive things.

Earnings from the sale of cheap goods do not cover the cost of sending them with a normal tracked track, and sometimes the price of the goods itself is less than the cost of sending. We, as buyers, want delivery to be free for us. Therefore, sellers, in order to earn at least something or not trade at a loss, have to use the services of cheap carriers that do not provide the ability to track shipments.

The functionality of the AliExpress trading platform is designed in such a way that the seller must indicate the tracking number of the shipment so that he can then receive money for the ordered product. So the “poor” sellers have to indicate a fake tracking number when filling out a required field in the order card. Previously, sellers provided such numbers out of the blue, but now this practice is no longer common, as buyers have become more demanding and want to be able to control the route of the ordered goods. Buyers can identify a completely implausible track number themselves.

Thus, there were favorable circumstances for the development of fake parcel tracking services. They are a great help for sellers in situations where it is not practical for them to ship with tracking.

By by and large, there is nothing wrong with the fact that sellers, if they are decent, of course, use such services. After all, they also remain in the black without overpaying for the real tracking service, and buyers receive the goods cheaper. Although it would be much more honest to indicate that the parcel will not be tracked due to its cost, and the user himself would decide whether to contact the seller or not, using information based on reviews and ratings (including using our service).

It’s worse when you run into a scammer who uses the services of sites that track fake numbers. But this situation is not terrible if you do not leave the process to chance after payment.

Regardless of whether the package was lost (delayed) on the way or the fraudster did not send anything at all, you must not miss the Buyer Protection guarantee term on AliExpress and on time. At the same time, if the seller used a fake tracking number and you did not receive the parcel on time, you will receive a 100% refund of the money you paid for the product.

We suggest that you familiarize yourself with the list of the most popular services with fake track numbers among sellers on Aliexpress:

17 Post Service

Track like: ************, instead of * any 12 digits.

Track like: *******, instead of * any 7 digits.

HongkongExpressPost

Track type: RT*********FI, instead of * any 9 digits.

World-Shippingpost

Track type: WS*********CN, instead of * any 9 digits.

Faspeed

Track type: RS*********CN, instead of * any 9 digits.

WeDo Logistics

Track type: WD*********CN, instead of * any 9 digits.

EMPS

Post Air Mail

Track type: *********, *********, instead of * any 9 digits.

Post-e-Tracking

Track type: ********, instead of * any 9 digits.

Mty Tracking

Track type: NP*********, instead of * any 9 digits; or ***********, instead of * any 11 digits.

Tracking numbers from the above list will not be validated on the official websites of postal services, both the sender's and the recipient's countries. But they will be regularly “tracked” on the corresponding resources that generated them.

What to do if the seller gave you a fake tracking number?

If you received a false tracking number from a seller with a good rating and a large number reviews, and your purchase costs no more than $10, no need to worry. With a high degree of probability, the seller sent your order by cheap mail without tracking the parcel (this method is also called by unregistered mail).

Most often, such shipments reach the addressee. Just remember to keep an eye on yours. by mailbox near the house for notifications from the post office, and also check email, so as not to miss notifications from AliExpress about the approaching deadline for buyer protection for such an order.

If you did not receive the parcel within a reasonable time (a month and a half of waiting) - feel free to open a dispute. In addition, if, despite the high rating, in lately After your order, you began to receive many reviews about non-receipt of goods from your seller, then this is also a signal for you to open a dispute. This option is possible when a fraudster hacked into the account of a respectable store and carried out his shady business.

The most important thing: if you are not sure that the parcel tracking site “issued” to you by the seller is real, just use other, “universal” services to find out the status of the parcel. We invite you to use the appropriate tool on our website.

Conclusions

Now let's summarize why sellers on AliExpress provide fake track numbers:

The seller decided to save on delivery and sent the order as an unregistered shipment. At the same time, for the peace of mind of the buyer, and in accordance with the rules of the AliExpress system, he indicated a fake track number.
Account The seller was hacked by scammers who sell “air” on behalf of a respectable store with a high rating on AliExpress.
The seller is a scammer and is trying to take advantage of the inexperience of some buyers who make a purchase and do not take action in time to return their own funds.

Have you come across fake parcel tracking sites? Share your story with us in the comments. And if you have something to add to our article, be sure to tell us about other fake resources.

When shopping through the World Wide Web, we really want to get a quality item, and most importantly, not to be scammed out of money. In order for you to sleep peacefully, the sellers send you a track number by which you can track your precious parcel. But, there are cases when the seller knowingly gives the wrong track number, or could simply make a simple mistake (we are all human and this can happen). In this article we will try to help you find answers to some questions.

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How to find out the tracking number of an Aliexpress parcel

Many of us are accustomed to the fact that when ordering, we need to wait for a notification from the mail. Sometimes time passes and there is still no notification, we start to get nervous, run to the post office and find out if the package has arrived. You don't have to do this at all. Sellers, after sending the parcel, give us a tracking number, which you can use to find out, without getting up from your couch, where your parcel is located. Please note that the tracking number is not given to you immediately after payment, it is given only after the seller sends your order, and it may take up to 7 days to process the order.

Where can I look for the tracking number? To do this, you need to log into your personal account on. Once you have logged in, you need to go to the My Orders tab.

After you have entered your orders, you will see everything that you have already ordered, and you will be able to view the details of each. If you carefully view the proposed screenshot, and in your order click on the button: Check tracking, you will be given the location of your parcel.

After you click on the More details icon, on the new page, you will be provided with information with the track (on the left) and the location of your parcel, which is automatically displayed on In addition, under the automatic status of your parcel, you will be shown the site where you You can do the tracking yourself.

Some Chinese, but this is rather an exception to the rule, can send a track to your email, but you shouldn’t really hope for it.

Can they send a parcel from Aliexpress without a tracking number?

Several days have already passed since the sending, and you don’t have the tracking number, and no one has provided you with information about the tracking number, so don’t sound the alarm and think that you were simply “dumped.” If the product is too cheap (up to 2 dollars), then the seller could send your order without a track. And why all? The answer is very simple, the track number costs money. Here you see the product on different prices, but the product is the same. There may be a catch here; one product simply includes the cost of a tracking number. Don’t worry, you still have trump cards in your hands on how to get your money back.

If the tracking number was given incorrectly, why, possible scenarios

Now time has passed after sending and you were given a tracking number, you, like everyone else, decided to quickly check where yours is, but an unpleasant situation happens here, the sites tell you that the tracking number is not correct, or you see that the package goes to another city. This can happen for several reasons.

The track number costs money and when the package is cheap, the seller can give someone else’s track.
The seller is a scammer.

If you see that the parcel is not going to your city, then write to the seller, find out why this happened and ask for your tracking number. Conscientious sellers respond quickly to messages and immediately explain the situation. It happens that on holidays, sellers are busy and simply make mistakes. If the seller does not give you a track, demand that they send you a new parcel, with a new track. If this does not help, and the seller begins to prevaricate, open a dispute, specifying the wrong tracking number as the reason.

How long after receiving the tracking number, if it is incorrect, make a fuss

You will be able to open a dispute within 6 days after sending your parcel. But, as practice shows, in 6 days the picture of your movement is not entirely clear. Wait a few more days, write to the seller, don’t hesitate to find out the situation, because every dispute affects the seller’s rating, and they really value it. It is better to open earlier so that if your order is sent again, it will have time to arrive.

How not to miss the time to open a dispute

In each advertisement, sellers indicate in what time the package will be delivered to your country.

If you are interested in the delivery time of this or that product from your list, you need to go to your personal account, go to the My Orders tab, and there you will immediately see in what time the package will be delivered to you.

Delivery deadlines are already running out, but still no? You have two options:

write to the seller and ask for an extension of protection
open a dispute

The second option is usually used when the seller does not want to make contact at all. You need to open a dispute 5-7 days before the end of consumer protection. Therefore, you should monitor from time to time how many days are left until the end.

What is better, a dispute with the seller or immediately open a dispute

No one wants to ruin their mood by sorting things out with sellers, but it’s still worth putting yourself in their position, especially when the seller has good ratings, it’s not a fact that he decided to deceive you. It’s still worth clarifying all the questions in a personal conversation, and if the seller does not want to meet you halfway, or even ignores your messages, apply for a full refund.

How to prove that the wrong tracking number was issued

In order for the site administration to make a decision in your favor, you naturally need to prove that you are being deceived. To do this, you need to provide screenshots of all available evidence in the dispute itself.

This situation is described in more detail in the video clip.

How to get your money back

Sooner or later, each of us will want to give up and get our money back. There can be a lot of reasons for this. Everyone has their own: someone found a product cheaper, someone accidentally paid for the order, and someone didn’t want to buy this particular product at all.

So, after you've paid for yours, but still decide that you don't need it, you don't have much time to cancel the purchase. You can cancel your purchase while the order is being processed. That is, after you have paid, 24 hours pass to verify your payment, then the seller is given a certain time to pack and send your goods. It is within this time frame that you need to cancel. You need to go to the main menu, then go to My Orders and opposite the product that you can cancel, you will see certain icons, including Cancel Order.

The next step is that you need to indicate why you canceled. You must select the option that suits you from the list.

After this, the seller approves your cancellation of the order, and your money will be returned to your account shortly. But, there are a few snags. Such refusals are very unprofitable for sellers, especially since the goods have already been paid for; they can simply write to you that yours is on the way and not approve the cancellation. Don’t be upset, ask the seller for a scanned copy of the declaration, or any documents that can confirm the shipment. And here it’s worth looking at the seller’s behavior; if he wants to deceive you, then there will be no evidence.

There is one more nuance, you need to know that if your seller does not send the parcel within the time specified by him, then penalties are imposed on him, so every seller does not strive to send the parcel as quickly as possible.

If the seller is a scammer, where to go?

The first thing you should do if you suspect something is wrong is to open a dispute; after opening it, sellers very often begin to write you private messages, asking you to close the dispute, thereby offering a bunch of carrots in the form of coupons, discounts, money transfer, or sending a new product. Don't be fooled! After you close the dispute, you will no longer be able to open it again, and your blood cried.

Trackchecker program to help the customer

The TrackChecker program is very popular among customers. This program makes life easier for buyers of the Chinese giant and allows you to find out how goods are moving. You need to download the program from the World Wide Web and install it on your computer. During installation, agree to all the points, and click on the button: Next. The program is in Russian, so it will be very easy for you to understand it.

Searching for information takes only a few seconds. After entering your tracking number you will be given full information about the movement of your long-awaited

In any incomprehensible situation, you should contact the seller, but before following the lead of the sellers, it is better to double-check all the information.

try to save on delivery of cheap goods and provide false tracking numbers. This allows them to make it look like the product is actually on its way. Such tracks, like regular ones, show the first statuses after a few days. But they have nothing to do with the actual path of the parcel. In this case, a logical question arises - what to do if the seller Aliexpress gave false?

Why do sellers send false track numbers?

This is a normal situation when sellers Aliexpress They try to earn their rating by selling the cheapest goods. Moreover, their cost may be even less than the cost of delivery. Therefore, very low priced items are sent without tracking. Although the system Aliexpress requires mandatory provision .

Therefore, something has to be done and false data is entered into the required field for the track number. But the buyer thinks that they are real and they can be used to track the goods. Although the deception will be revealed quickly if the number is taken out of nowhere. Moreover, more experienced buyers conduct a validity check.

If the buyer is new, then he calmly follows the link with Aliexpress to a false service and tracks the goods there. Moreover, it will even pass all validity checks successfully. And in general, many buyers will calm down on this, since it is clear that the goods are moving. So it's good for everyone. The seller was able to save on shipping the goods, and the buyer is calm, as the statuses are updated.

Which parcel tracking services are fake?

If your track number or company name is in the list below, then we can say with confidence that your order has been shipped without tracking:

Track number type: RT123456789FI

The tracking number contains only 12 digits: 123456789012

Track numbers look like this: WD123456789CN

Has a tracking number next view: RS123456789CN

Track number WS123456789CN

Tracking Number: S1234567

If the purchase costs more than $10 and you were given a false one, then you should think about it, because they rarely save on such things and most often buyers are given the opportunity to track the goods. Therefore, there is a high chance that you have run into a scammer.

How to detect a fake track number on Aliexpress?

How to detect a fake track number on AliExpress?

Now let's determine how to recognize a fake one.

International postal rules establish generally accepted rules and include 13 characters:

The first two letters indicate the type of shipment, and the last two letters indicate the country
The parcel number itself is indicated by 8 digits, and one is considered a verification number. It appears as a result of special mathematical calculations depending on the codifier. It is she who indicates whether it was made by the postal service or whether it was taken from somewhere unknown.

To manually check this yourself, you need to know the formula or be a mathematician. But ordinary people made the task easier. Just download a special file. It is obtained from the International Postal Union website. It's easy to check with it:

Click on Enter
Write yours on the top line

Currently, orders from online stores are very popular. various countries peace. In this regard, there is a need to track your orders using track numbers on special services, Internet resources, and also using special programs.

But there are also cases when you need to check the track number for correctness, or in other words, check the checksum of the track number. This need arises if the seller provided you with the tracking number of the order, and he for a long time is not tracked on any resources.

This situation can happen in following cases:

the seller mistakenly gave the buyer the wrong track;
the seller specifically provided an incorrect track number;
The dispatch service delayed entering information about the parcel into the database.

How to check the correctness of the track number

The track number is a unique combination of letters and numbers, which consists of 13 characters. For example, RK012823058CN.

The first two letters are the type of parcel, the first eight numbers are unique code parcels, and the ninth digit is checksum, it will need to be calculated, and the last two letters are the code of the country from which the shipment was made, or the code of the postal service itself.

In order to check the checksum of the track number, there is a simple mathematical method:

each of the first eight digits of the number must be multiplied by 8, 6, 4, 2, 3, 5, 9, 7, respectively;
the resulting numbers are added together;
the result of the addition is divided by 11 to obtain the remainder;
the remainder is subtracted from 11;
the result that is obtained is the verification code.

The result of the calculation (checksum) must match the ninth digit of the track number; such a track is correct.

If the calculation results in an incorrect track number checksum, then the shipment with that number will not be trackable.

In this case, there are the following options:

The seller can send inexpensive goods by parcel without tracking (since track numbers cost extra money). In this case, you will have to wait for a mail notification from the post office, and not miss the deadline for protecting your order, so that, if necessary, you have time to open a dispute with the seller;
There are times when the seller does not have the product you ordered in stock at at the moment, and he is waiting for it to arrive. In this regard, the seller gave the buyer an incorrect track number with an error in calculating the checksum in order to gain time;
the seller is a scammer and most likely did not send you the package at all. Then you need to open a dispute for a full refund and indicate the reason - the wrong tracking number.

In any of the above cases, you must first contact the sender and try to find out the reason why you received an incorrect track number checksum. The seller, for example, could accidentally or inadvertently give the wrong track. In this case, he will provide you with the correct number and the problem will be solved.

You should also take into account the fact that track numbers are not instantly added to a single database and the information itself in tracking systems is updated at different time intervals. For some sending services, updates occur 2 times a day, and for some, for example, 5-6 times a day. Therefore, you should be patient and wait a couple of days.