USPS lost package survey
Just from my own experiences it appears to me that the USPS is more likely to lose a larger package than a smaller one. My latest one is 40 x 18 x 2. How can you possibly lose a package that big?
I have had 6 or so go missing in the last year or so and I think every one of those but one was on the larger size.
Anyone else seeing this?
26 comments
oldwestgold
·10 months agoIf you are having so many problems, use your free will. Ship with a different delivery service.
SUGGESTIONS:
Have you talked with your local Postmaster or Manager to discuss the problem? You can also call Consumer Affairs to discuss with someone there.
Have you reviewed how you are packaging items? Using boxes strong enough, since you sell heavy metal items? Labeling them correctly? I believe I saw one of your items for sale was an old oil container with oil still in it. These require proper hazmat labeling.
Have you checked where some of these are getting lost or damaged? Each scan generates an internal GPS location that can then be inserted into Google Maps to show right down to the color of the mailbox or facility it was last scanned.
Did you know that a USPS employee can drill down to the exact kind and piece of equipment at any time to track your package, if it has a barcode? They can then send an email to the manager of that facility requesting someone to go physically look in the container if stuck.
So many options are available to you, other than wasting it here, receiving only guesses and hyperbole from people. Almost everything in life has a chain of command or procedures to follow to troubleshoot a problem. The USPS is no different. Give it a try. It might help you.
bashort
OP10 months agoso what happens when a missing mail report is filed?
simba6
·10 months agoI have had USPS deliver to the wrong address a few times but a call to the post office got me the items. I did have Fedex lose an ATV tire however.
jonathanbrightlight
·10 months agoI know we have found that boxes that are both heavier and larger are more prone to damage, so we have a soft limit on how heavy we'll pack a larger box (I don't know the details of what weight to size we do because I'm not the one packing, but I'm aware that there is a guideline our shipping team follows). If heavy boxes get damaged in way that makes the shipping label unreadable or it's even pulled off the box, then it would be considered lost. Just another possibility.
stephenmorgan
·10 months agoThat sounds reasonable that larger boxes may get damaged easier and loose their shipping label.
tools*
·10 months agoI print two identical 4x6 thermal shipping labels for every package for just this reason. One goes on the package and one goes in the package, so it can be identified if something happens to the outer label.
bashort
OP10 months agoYou really think that someone is going to actually open the package and see if they can figure out where it is supposed to be going?
I have thought about printing 2 identical labels and just putting them both on the outside? Is there a possible reason this could cause a problem?
oldwestgold
·10 months agoYou really are missing an opportunity to learn something here. You just refuse to. Attacking people for replying to your post is normal for some here with too much time on their hands.
tools*
·10 months agoI would imagine that packages that end up in the dead letter office, or whatever the USPS calls it now, have to be inspected for clues as to their intended destination. Wouldn't it be convenient if the package contained a label that tells them exactly where it's supposed to go?
oldwestgold
·10 months agoBINGO! In fact, my third-party insurer requires two shipping labels as you describe. I also place a 4" piece of tape across the address and half the barcode label to protect it.
mamacassidy
·10 months agoI temporarily worked at a small post office sorting center during covid. Here was my experience:
The smaller packages came in from each local post office in a bin that is dumped on a conveyer belt and mechanically sorted. Because of bar codes and modern technology, these rarely got lost.
Large or heavy boxes were moved from the truck to the appropriate box/ bin by hand. People literally picked them up, looked at the zip code, and walked them over to the correct bin.
So at that time, human error was the reason for most lost boxes.
As I mentioned, this was a few years ago, and since then, they've closed a bunch of the smaller processing centers and opened these enormous hubs. I've seen videos of these new hubs, but I've never been inside one. The conveyor belts I've seen on these videos look massive, so I don't know if they can accommodate the larger/ heavier boxes now or if people are still handling them one-by-one.
tsme35
·10 months agoHad 5 lost earlier this year, 3 showed up after putting in a USPS search, 2 showed up after refunding buyer. USPS took SO long on the insurance lost claim, I lost out on both, they were under review for over 3 weeks and that was after they were missing for 2 weeks already. Lucked out and one buyer sent his payment, the other ghosted me.
Can't wait until ebay's refund policy kicks in(if it really does) but knock on wood, nothing lost since April.
toysaver
·10 months agoThe only package I ever had go missing in my tenure was a child size Rainbow Brite toy oven. It was in a box that was about 30" x 24" x 24". The item was a replacement for a fire damaged toy. It was found after about a week. The buyer obviously wanted the item and not insurance money.
What I was told at the time and believe to be true to this day is bigger packages may be pulled off of trucks if their space can accommodate dozens of smaller parcels. It's a rare occurrence but when it does happen I don't think there's a designated place for the overload.
bashort
OP10 months agoThat is close to what I am thinking, take a few of these larger ones, chunk them in a dumpster and clear out some space. I actually hope that is what happened, I hate it when it shows up 2 weeks after refund
toysaver
·10 months agoI don't think they get put in a dumpster but become the equivalent of a persona non grata.
bashort
OP10 months agoIf the USPS will not tell me why they are losing packages I will come up with my own answer
oldwestgold
·10 months agoThen why bring it up here? I suggest you look at how you are packaging your items if you are having that many go astray—this from a retired Postmaster, IT Mgr, Plant Supervisor, etc. of 33 years. I have shipped 20,000 packages plus over the past 30 years and have had only two get lost or damaged. I know, I know - you will probably state you are doing everything correctly, and I am full of **bleep**. Then you should expect to get the same results. Have a good day.
bashort
OP10 months agoSo what could I possibly do to make a package going to Alabama from Illinois get stuck in Houston Tx?
Or have one going from Illinois to Indianapolis get stuck in Washington DC never to be heard from again?
bashort
OP10 months agoBecause this is a ebay discussion board.
oldwestgold
·10 months agoDoubtful anyone with a $50-$70+k job with great benefits and job security would risk their job for a package, not knowing what is in it. More likely, the sender is not packaging them correctly, especially since they are an odd shape. Would you?
oldwestgold
·10 months agoBashing the USPS doesn't help you get answers to your problem. If that was your intention, then ship UPS. It's very lame to go that route. So old.
oldwestgold
·10 months agoThat's not true, about the larger items being pulled off a truck for smaller ones. Employees couldn't care less about the size. Most everything is containerized and not loose in the truck, starting right from the receiving Post Office.
inhawaii
·10 months ago25+ years on ebay.
17,000+ items sold.
I can count on one hand the number of packages the usps has lost.
bashort
OP10 months agoThat was my experience also until the last year or 2.
kandf_vintage_finds
·10 months agoI guess I'm fortunate. The USPS has never lost any of my packages. I use them 99.9 % of the time.
Unavailable member
·10 months agoI had a total of 8 packages go MIA in about 11 moths, no acceptance scans... nada. Nothing as large as your item. They were all Media mail in 7 x 7 x 1 white cardboard envelopes. I was reimbursed for all shipping labels on those missing items. None ever turned up.