I purchased a lens from teds cameras eBay on Monday.
On Tuesday I received an email from eBay saying the item has been sent.
Logging into my account today however there is no tracking number available.
The estimated delivery date is this coming Tuesday
Ah ok thanks!
It's also still possible to post parcels and letters that don't have tracking numbers.
Tracking number is provided by seller, and the seller may also choose not to provide one. It's optional.
The allocation of a tracking number does not mean the item has been shipped either. You can actually waltz into Auspost and grab yourself a big roll of tracking labels (stickers) for free. At least, I think they're free, since I get them all the time when I post things for my store.
Takes as long as the seller decides to put one in, they might not even provide you with one