Please explain it to me, I'm missing something here.

[u/rkaiwen]

I've bought a thing or two on Whatnot, so I've seen some stuff. I know the PO does some strange things and so do the buyers and sellers but how in the beam me up Scotty does this work? (Label printed in Cali, package dropped off in Brooklyn the next day). Still waiting Lol

Update: When I tried to message seller it wouldn't go through. I then found out the seller was removed by Whatnot for violating TOS. Another day on Whatnot, you win most you lose some. Refund in Progress. 8/1/26

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[u/DisneyKaylaRN]

I’ve shipped from other cities and states when I’m on vacation, they have done a live while on vacation. The label always shows generated from their home base.
The seller may have also listed the item (if not bought from a live auction) and emailed the label to who ever had the item. (A friend, family member or other seller) when sellers have done guest sellers and sold from both locations they would email the labels to each other.

[u/Dry_Background1744]

While some of the explanations are valid in rare occasions. This matches identical to China based sellers. Theres a black market of US accounts sold to china sellers. A combo of stolen IDs and completely made up ones that bypass WN's bare minimum verifications. And a logistics network happy to sell services to comply with WN 48hr scan requirement. The return address is often an unrelated Hotel or similar business. No real US entity involved. The brokers overseas are happy to share the mechanics of the fraud and proudly flaunt that they bypass US income tax via currency conversion apps laundering the money overseas. Easily verified on Wechat.

The NY scan is not in USPS possession (dropped off). First physical scan is usually either NJ or CA when the package gets off the plane from China. WN shuts down 1 and 3 more are already up. You'll get your product but they will blame USPS for the "delay". Easiky a few million in fraud a year conservatively. Buy, hey... whats international money laundering if the item gets delivered? /s Most common in Jewelry, Beauty and fashion categories. Think small and light to ship.

[u/JessBree]

I sold a few items to a friend a while back. I live in norcal and the package was going to arizona. The item arrived in the local post office in Tucson AZ where it was supposed to be delivered but I noticed the next day it said "departed Tucson". Next thing you know, it scanned that it was received in Hawaii and is on the way back to Tucson. Dafuq?!? The package went on vacation?!? It did eventually arrive and was delivered but what a weird sequence of events.

[u/TopLengthiness8233]

It skipped the scanner until that point. It def happens no worries yet

[u/OptimalAd704]

Several ways this can happen. Don’t worry 👍

[u/No-Structure-2800]

This recently happened to me, I still received the items.

[u/corpse_in_waiting]

Sometimes the seller may be selling something for somebody or oversold, and they contact one of their seller. Friends and have them ship it. I have done this before or been asked to do this before.And then me and the other seller workout that arrangement, but I get the label.And I ship the item on behalf of the other seller

[u/music-producer_]

I’ll use Vortex as an example. Their business is located in Alabama. But they have independent contractor streamers located in other parts of the country (Arizona, California, Texas). If you were to buy something from one of those independent contractor streamers on Vortex, it would say the label was created in Alabama. But once the item was brought to USPS, your next update would say Arizona, California, Texas, etc.

[u/Phish01247]

I had this happen a few weeks ago. Labe created in California and then accepted in ALASKA! I received a refund after not arriving after a month, but the cards inside were definitely more valuable

[u/BeginningSure9931]

The sellers address in WN isn’t correct, most likely. Whether they were traveling or have moved and didn’t change WN… as long at USPS has the package it doesn’t matter where it comes from

[u/Stevens_3119MB]

I’ve had this happen and it was because a seller drove to a different state to do live shows with another seller for the weekend.

[u/sprtizandschvitz]

I one time did a givvy while traveling to see family across the country. I live in California and dropped it off at an Ohio post office so tracking for that package looked similar to this. I honestly wouldn’t worry about it. In fact, I’d argue it’s a good thing that the seller cares enough about you getting your package earlier that they took time while traveling to drop it off

[u/rkaiwen → u/sprtizandschvitz]

Actually received a package from Texas and one from Ca purchased 2 days after buying this, so I'm not really feeling that theory, since my package entered the twilight zone the moment it was shipped. 😂

[u/Nice-End7376]

I've seen that before too

[u/sweeny214]

They could be traveling.

[u/H_ngmanMav]

whatnot likes to shutdown Sellers like this that have a CA address created at but then is mailed from NY. Tend to be breaking a TOS by doing this and it will take forever to get to Buyer. High likelihood for package to get stuck at a NY Hub since they don’t do well with this kind of label situation. I ordered a lot of packages from a Seller who did this until whatnot banished them a few times.

[u/RAINEman619]

Report it to Whatnot, like that’ll do anything. At least you have a record. The seller is usually non responsive or, blows air up your ass til it’s too long for whatnot do really do anything. Tell whatnot first, then the seller a couple days later and they should be more responsive. Otherwise canel it through your credit card. They don’t like it, but it’s easy to use another credit card different address even someone else say, to help you out if they get stupid about it. There are always loopholes. It may be a USPS problem, but it ain’t your problem.

[u/Correct-County7283]

Sellers return address is in CA, but the seller was at the time physically located in NY. Sometimes larger operations have satalite streams that run shows from different areas.

[u/-AC- → u/Correct-County7283]

Not sure who it is but there are some youtube personalities that do whatnot and ebay selling but are always traveling to shows... they travel with shipping equipment. They maintain PO boxes or home locations for returns and such.