Has USPS delivery been a little slow lately?

[insearchofancestors]

Last week I got a 1/2 DSR on shipping time. It was the first one I've received.  I'm working on running reports to see who it was.  The thing is, I ship the same day or the next morning.  I can't be any quicker than that.  To see if shipping time/delivery is off, I began tracking a Priority Mail package that was sent last week and after 6 days it still hasn't reached its destination. I hope this isn't happening regularly.  Is anyone else having late deliveries or getting your shipping DSR dinged?

[steiffprincess]

The post office has been horribly slow, I've shipped forever and cannot remember when it's been so bad.....I think the main culprit is the constant closing of sorting centers. When I ship I always send an email directly to the buyer and manually input their email along with mine on the "send update" option on the USPS site. This lets the buyer know exactly where the package is, worked well for me last week and I could see a package was"out for delivery" and then "undeliverable." I called the destination post office (never call the 800 number) and a nice clerk figured it was an apartment building.....turns out the buyer never changed his address w/ebay or PayPal, I called him and he picked up his package. Of course, the post office is blaming bad weather. Also, check the difference between priority and express, for a package with expensive insurance that is a short distance the fees are similar with better delivery. And, if you send an over-sized package express you don't get hit with the extra fee. I am an occasional seller on eBay so maybe I have more time to dance with the post office, couldn't put up with it if I sold volume.

[tobinnkollinsmommy1987]

I have been having the same issue I have been considering offering shipping costs back to keep customers from leaving bad feedback. I sent a poster out on the first and as of today the 12 it's still not been delivered. Oh and it went from ny to ca (where the customer lives) and then back out to Iowa where it's been In sorting facility for 5 days. I also sent my brother a phone from ny to fl 2 day priority on the 4th and it's out for delivery today. I don't know what's going on with usps but this is getting crazy. Maybe this is happening so we all have to buy one day guaranteed service or money back.. 😒

[landh_2013]

I bought some shoes, they shipped 2/18/14 went to the sorting center in Shreveport - never left

No update since, and its been 21 days

The shoes were shipping to California. "2" Day Priority

I am not counting on them ever showing up at this point

Usps is a mess

[landh_2013]

Tracking Number: 9114901159815223862478

in-transit Expected Delivery Day: Thursday, February 20, 2014

Product & Tracking Information Postal Product: Priority Mail 2-Day™

Features: $50 insurance included USPS Tracking™

Depart USPS Sort Facility SHREVEPORT, LA 71102 February 18, 2014 , ????

Processed at USPS Origin Sort Facility SHREVEPORT, LA 71102 February 18, 2014 , 11:15 pm

Dispatched to Sort Facility ALEXANDRIA, LA 71302 February 18, 2014 , 3:31 pm

Acceptance ALEXANDRIA, LA 71302, 11:50 am

[kimmydoo82]

I bought a small item off eBay on February 20th, it was sent "priority mail". Shows it left Kentucky the next day , then nothing, for 2 1/2 weeks!!! Finally showed up this past Saturday. The customer service at usps is not nice at all and I felt like I inconvenienced them. Them, dummy me, just bought something else off eBay last Wednesday, sent "first class", and exactly one week later, still nothing, and no updated info with the tracking number, just shows it leaving FL. I can honestly say I won't buy anything else off eBay unless it ships FEDEX or UPS. Much better luck with them.

[bigmeanriver2012]

Expected Delivery Day: Thursday, March 13, 2014 Product & Tracking Information Postal Product: First-Class Package Service Features: USPS Tracking™ Date & Time Status of Item Location

March 13, 2014 Depart USPS Sort Facility TAMPA, FL 33605

March 12, 2014 , 6:15 am Processed through USPS Sort Facility TAMPA, FL 33605

March 10, 2014 , 6:23 pm Dispatched to Sort Facility BROOKSVILLE, FL 34613

March 10, 2014 , 4:13 pm

Acceptance BROOKSVILLE, FL 34613

March 10, 2014 Electronic Shipping Info Received

[timnj1]

Pretty much everything I am shipping in the last week or so has taken at least 2 extra days up to 10.  I am handling more emails about shipping than selling.

[cybercitymall]

Yes! I had an entire bin of orders picked up by usps on March 5th. There was absolutely no tracking activity on all the items until March 13! Then it took several more days for all the packages to be delivered. This kind of stuff has been happened a lot lately. What the heck is going on at these facilities? Layoffs? lazy workers? We cannot be blamed and have our shipping time DSR destroyed over this!

[swbrains]

March 13, 2014 Depart USPS Sort Facility TAMPA, FL 33605

March 12, 2014 , 6:15 am Processed through USPS Sort Facility TAMPA, FL 33605

March 10, 2014 , 6:23 pm Dispatched to Sort Facility BROOKSVILLE, FL 34613

March 10, 2014 , 4:13 pm Acceptance BROOKSVILLE, FL 34613

I usually buy much more than I sell on eBay, and I've seen tracking much like the one posted above from many origin states -- the package that should be delivered to its destination in 3 - 4 days spends the first three days at various sort facilities in the ORIGIN state before ever leaving that state.  

And this doesn't seem to be an exception in my cases.  In the majority of recent packages shipped to me via USPS during the last month or two, I've noticed they have taken well over 5 days to go from states like SC to FL.  I know there has been bad weather, but I've also noted that the times when this was happening there were no active storms in those areas (particularly here in the south where it only rains a little or gets chilly, but no ice/snow).  I remember years ago that a letter or small package sent via USPS would take 5 business days to cross the country from CA to NJ.  Now it seems to be the same delivery time to send something just two or three states away.  I've been forced to order things from sellers in my own state and it still takes 3 - 4 days to receive it even though the post office received and sorted the package the same day or next day.

I realize most shoppers will pick the lowest-cost shipping method, but I always check to see if there is an alternate "expedited" method and will gladly pay more so I can have some reassurance that the package will be delivered not only in a timely manner, but also on a specified date that I can count on.  If UPS or Fedex is offered, I'll always pay extra to use them.  

With that said, I do avoid Fedex "SmartPost" like the plague.  I've never had good results with packages sent that way. Often times, they'll sit for days or weeks at a hub waiting for a full truck that's planned to come my way.  I realize it's marketed by Fedex as a low-cost method for packages that are NOT time-sensitive, but I'll always avoid it whenever possible.  No package should ever take more than a full week to travel across the country.  It seems as technology gets more advanced (automated sorting, tracking, etc.), service gets worse.  But I believe that's a result of cost-cutting elsewhere to raise profits internally.  The cost is the same to the customers, but the companies are making more by providing less service for the same or higher fees.  Seems to be the way of the world these days. 😞

[captainsavin]

paper, I can attest that USPS mail is just insane. It used to take 1-2 day to get a subscription newspaper to a town 25 miles way. Now we are lucky if it gets there in a week. That is totally unacceptable.

As for Christmas deliveries this past year, I didn't order anything via USPS. UPS here ran maybe a day slow, mostly not (and I and my husband order a lot online), but Fed Ex took a package all over the country. It was actually at the Fed Ex station at one point, less than 50 miles from my house, then brought it to a town 25 miles away, sent it to Tennessee, 2 states away, and all over. Won't use them again. If it says delivery by Fed Ex, I don't buy it.

[ladieshighfashions]

I can see it being slower but i have noticed it here on the mainland.

[nychos]

---

@sweetjeans wrote:

Yes, a package of minewent to san fran instead of the east coast, took 3 times longer than it should've. Then today, a customer contacted me because her 2 day package wasn't 2 dayand she needed today. I've called customer service and they have no live person to talk to as they are too busy because of the weather, is all they can say! I just wonder if the overnight stuff is getting there.

---

Same, check out this progress - I could drive there in about 30 minutes:

OUT FOR DELIVERY

Mar-28-14, 09:22 AM, BROOKLYN, NY 11210

SORTING/PROCESS COMPLETE

Mar-28-14, 09:12 AM, BROOKLYN, NY 11210

Arrival at Unit

Mar-28-14, 09:04 AM, BROOKLYN, NY 11210

DISPATCHED FROM SORT FACILITY

Mar-28-14, 05:03 AM, FLUSHING, NY 11351

Processed at USPS Origin Sort Facility

Mar-28-14, 01:50 AM, FLUSHING, NY 11351

Depart USPS Sort Facility

Mar-28-14, 00:00 AM, FLUSHING, NY 11351

Processed through USPS Sort Facility

Mar-26-14, 18:00 PM, SANTA CLARITA, CA 91383

Depart USPS Sort Facility

Mar-26-14, 00:00 AM, SANTA CLARITA, CA 91383

Depart USPS Sort Facility

Mar-25-14, 00:00 AM, MELVILLE, NY 11747

Processed at USPS Origin Sort Facility

Mar-24-14, 20:20 PM, MELVILLE, NY 11747

Accepted at USPS Origin Sort Facility

Mar-24-14, 19:05 PM, BABYLON, NY 11702

[rixstuff]

I think that I have figured out why the PO is broke and why packages take so long:

1. several of my packages (not all) have gone from my current PO to my PREVIOUS PO where I no longer live and havent for over a year and a half THEN to the sorting center THEN out of state.

2. Packages take the way wrong way route to get places.  Observe:

So seven days to get from DC to LA is still kinda long but worst of all? THIS PACKAGE IS GOING TO ITALY!! I live on the EAST COAST and Italy is a 6 hour plane ride from my city!!  Why did it take so long to go to a PO on the WRONG SIDE OF THE COUNTRY?  And it still hasnt left the country yet!!

Processed Through Sort Facility

2014-03-29, 01:07:00, ISC LOS ANGELES CA (USPS)

Depart USPS Sort Facility

2014-03-29, 00:00:00, LOS ANGELES, CA 90009

Arrived at Sort Facility

2014-03-28, 22:19:00, ISC LOS ANGELES CA (USPS)

Processed through USPS Sort Facility

2014-03-28, 22:19:00, LOS ANGELES, CA 90009

Depart USPS Sort Facility

2014-03-23, 00:00:00, MERRIFIELD, VA 22081

Processed at USPS Origin Sort Facility

2014-03-22, 18:08:00, MERRIFIELD, VA 22081

Accepted at USPS Origin Sort Facility

2014-03-22, 16:53:00, ANNANDALE, VA 22003

[brl2001]

It took 5 weeks to send a Registered  envelope size item to Israel. The tracking system placed it in the Sorting Facility-US Customs for 4 weeks 

[romabo123]

It has been awful lately. I usually email the USPS. Around Christmas, they used the busy because of Christmas excuse. After that everyone was having weather issues everywhere, so that was the excuse they used. Lately it's been mostly nice in most places and stuff is still running late. First Class Mail isn't there on day 5. I watch my outgoing tracking numbers. When I start seeing a delay I sign up on the USPS Tracking sight for notification emails to come to me. When they are "late" by USPS standards (5 days or more) I fill out one of their complaint forms and usually after filling out a complaint, the package starts moving again. I usually message the buyer too, and tell them the date I sent it, let them know it is in transit to them, and that the USPS has been really slow lately. At least then they can see that I'm on top of things, and the package isn't slow because of me.