usps packages 5 days overdue what are my options to avoid any problems?
Sent out a few packages the 11th with a delivery date of the 18th. A few days after shipping they all said "In Transit to Next Facility, Arriving Late". It hasnt been updated in a few days. On eBay it's passed the expected delivery window. It was all shipped using priority mail I'm wondering what my options are. I'm starting to get nervous so can't imagine what my customers are thinking.
They are expenisve items SD cards, and some camera accessories so don't have any extras to ship and do't really wana issue refunds at this point. Wondering what my current options are. I was gonna file a missing mail claim but think I need to wait 15 days after expected delivery.
22 comments
libbywebst
·5 months agoYou can open missing mail claim with USPS which might get the item moving. And you don't have to wait until it's past the delivery date. As far as ebay goes, as long as the item is still in transit, you're fine that it's past the "estimated" delivery window. Not sure how much you shop on ebay (versus selling) but as someone who buys a lot here, delayed delivery is very common. 99% of people understand that once the item is in the carrier's hands, it's out of your control. I have opened missing mail claims and sent buyers messages letting them know that I'm watching the tracking, too. That's good customer service and most buyers appreciate it. Usually, the mm claim gets the item moving again.
12345jamesstamps
·5 months agoWait until a buyer(s) sends an email.
Don't 'open a can of worms'.
Not everything gets a scan as 'delivered' but gets delivered.
erikstuff
·5 months agoIf you're concerned, you might just drop the customer a note along the lines... "The Post Office seems to taking its time with your package. It was mailed on (enter date) and tracking (show number) shows it is "In transit." It should arrive shortly. Best regards...
It gets the customer looking at the Post Office instead of you and shows you're looking out for them.
I've sent a few of those out and customers seemed to appreciate it.
lb23cavaliersmvp
·5 months agoNot sure if this has already been mentioned but we always check tracking for items we mail and if delivery is delayed, despite mailing at the PO within 1 day of receiving payment, we always send the buyer a message with the current info and tell them that we will keep them updated. We've yet to have a buyer open a case as long as it is clear that we have fulfilled our obligations and are keeping them posted.
jbbowers12012
·5 months agoHi, As a seller - often times when we see that one of our customers orders is moving a bit slow. We will message our buyer. "Hi, As we track all of our sales until they are in the hands of our wonderful customers, We can see that your recent purchase from us is running a bit behind schedule. Be assured that your package is "in-transit" & should arrive at your palce soon. Of-Course we will continue to monitor this situation from our end & message you with any further information. So sorry for this inconvience! Thank You for your patience!" It just seems to be the right thing to do & may have rescued us from a few INR cases. Good Luck!
duffy4444
·5 months ago@snazzplatypus :
This may not help you currently, but in the future it wouldn't be a bad idea to notify ALL of your domestic customers that the USPS system has been having problems getting their act together. So message them something benign but very informative like this:
"Greetings, and thank you for your order! It will be sent out to you today.
The USPS may still be experiencing a rash of nationwide delays, often weather-related, in processing mail to its destination, sometimes even a week or so overdue. So we are requesting that our customers be aware of this and have an extra amount of patience if orders are taking a bit longer to be delivered than expected by eBay's estimated delivery date.
So far, all of our customers have received their orders, but a few have been up to a few days late.
Let's hope that the current spate of USPS delays gets cleared up soon.
Cheers, (Duffy)"
Upon shipping, I've been sending this out to EVERY ONE of my domestic customers for the last few years, and have had zero complaints or overdue delivery inquiries from them. I usually receive a reply from them thanking me for the heads-up. Sometimes they even tell me about their own experiences with USPS incompetence. (I don't send the message to international customers, as I use eIS for that and let eIS deal with any problems.)
Another benefit of sending something worded like the above message is instilling the confidence of good customer service to customers.
Perhaps the use of something like this can work for you. It certainly has for me 100%.
Cheers, Duffy
cambriachick
·5 months agoFrom your screenshot, it looks like the tracking was updated yesterday, so they are moving along. Just keep watching them. If buyers contact you, give them the tracking number and tell them they're moving through the system. It's a good thing you're conscientious, but don't make yourself trouble by contacting the buyers now.
gator08041971
·5 months agoI know not everyone agrees, but I always reach out to my buyers when I see the package is not going to arrive at its expected date. That's so the buyer knows I'm aware of the package progress. To date, I have not had a negative experience keeping in touch with a buyer in that regard. In fact a recent feedback only emphasizes how important a little communication can be when a buyer is waiting for their item to arrive.
I had multiple packages delayed because of the big snowstorm that upper MI got hit with last week. And I let every buyer that had purchased during that time know there would be a delay and touched base when I saw their expected arrival date was going to be missed.
No issues, no complaints and items have since been delivered. But that is my experience, as a seller yourself, you need to do what you think is best for your business.
mamacassidy
·5 months agoYou should file a Missing Mail Search online. This usually gets the packages moving within the system.
If they aren't found/ moving with scans after 15 days from your shipping date, you should file a claim.
I would not contact any of the buyers, I'd let them make the first move. Let them message you or open an INR and go from there.
If you bought the labels through ebay, they will reimburse you if you refund through an INR and the package gets delivered later.
snazzplatypus
OP5 months agoThanks I started out using ebay labels but moved to pirateship after reading some posts seemed like the better option.
jonathanbrightlight
·5 months agoHave any of the customers contacted you or open item not received claims? If not, I wouldn’t worry about it, but there’s nothing wrong with you keeping an eye on it. I would not take any action for now unless the customers do. If a case is opened, go into the case and click the option to update the tracking details, and you should see that the tracking number is already there, but go ahead and click the button to submit/confirm at the bottom. That will just ensure that the details are associated with the case itself, and then I also usually send a message to the buyer through that case just giving them whatever information I have at the time. eBay will typically extend the time for the case to be handled if there is tracking showing any movement within a recent enough timeframe.
snazzplatypus
OP5 months agoNo ones said anything yet but have a feeling they soon might just wanted to know what to do just incase. Thank you for the info besides ebay extending the time should I still file a missing mail claim when I'm allowed to?
soh.maryl
·5 months agoPersonally, and I know that not everyone agrees with this, I'd notify the buyers that you are aware of this and are on it, as much as you can be. Evidently no one has contacted you yet or opened an INR case
jonathanbrightlight
·5 months agoYou can go either way with that, I tend not to but I'm dealing with an account with far too many shipments daily to keep an eye on every one. A lot of people here would say don't say anything unless the customer complains, and others (as have posted since I did) would recommend reaching out to the customer. I would say if you file a Missing Mail claim, definitely also contact the buyer, so they don't see that claim if they're watching the tracking and assume there's an additional issue. You can just let them know that you're checking on it and will update them, and hopefully that keeps them from feeling the need to open an Item Not Received claim for now.
snazzplatypus
OP5 months agoAs of today it still hasn't moved. The buyer hasn't said anything yet even though I messaged them informing them I filed a missing mail request to hopefully nudge things along. While they haven’t filled anything will eBay automatically give a refund after a certain period it’s day 5 of no movement? I’m wondering if I should update my mail claim to have it shipped back to me if found and just give the customer a refund now so hopefully it has a better chance of being intercepted. It's a 300 item so not sure what to do. It was shipped priority so I think it has 100 insurance.
jonathanbrightlight
·5 months agoNo, if the buyer does not open a claim, eBay will not automatically refund anything regardless of the tracking status.
my-cottage-books-and-antiques
·5 months agoOne thing to remember----sometimes items are delivered but get no delivery scan. Your items might have been delivered, and your customer might be satisfied.
lakefor94
·5 months agoDid they happen to be heading to Hawaii?
snazzplatypus
OP5 months agoNope original destination is miami going to
1x Corrales, NM
1x Norton, MA
1x New Franklin, OH
This are all $3-400 packages
lakefor94
·5 months agoSoooo, sounds like they had a scan as leaving Miami and then arriving late, nothing else?
If so, they might have gotten "stuck" trying to get out of Miami or thereabouts?
AI says: USPS customers in Miami are experiencing ongoing delays, misrouted packages, and tracking inaccuracies, with the Opa Locka distribution center frequently cited as a bottleneck.
snazzplatypus
OP5 months agoThey all left Opa Locka awhile ago.
Corrales, NM
Moving Through Network
In Transit to Next Facility, Arriving Late (been like this since the 18th)
March 22, 2026
Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
DENVER CO DISTRIBUTION CENTER
March 18, 2026, 3:57 am
Departed USPS Regional Facility
DENVER CO DISTRIBUTION CENTER
March 18, 2026, 1:45 am
Arrived at USPS Regional Destination Facility
DENVER CO DISTRIBUTION CENTER
March 17, 2026, 11:01 pm
Arrived at USPS Regional Origin Facility
OPA LOCKA FL DISTRIBUTION CENTER
March 15, 2026, 1:29 am
Norton, MA
Moving Through Network
In Transit to Next Facility, Arriving Late
March 21, 2026 (been like this since the 18th)
Arrived at USPS Regional Origin Facility
OPA LOCKA FL DISTRIBUTION CENTER
March 17, 2026, 2:07 pm
I took off the beginning of the tracking to hide my actual location although close to miami but everything was shipped out the 11th.
lakefor94
·5 months ago@snazzplatypus you are probably in good shape. You have recent scans, all good.