USPS Refusing to Deliver A Package

[raven-labs]

I bought a comic book on Ebay and USPS won't deliver it. They say I have to go to the post office and pick it up.

I'm a frequent Ebay buyer and I've had hundreds of packages delivered here over the years. If it doesn't fit in the mailbox they leave it on the porch.

I've had the occasional bad delivery such as things left in the grass, on vehicles, under trees, sticking halfway out of the box, wrong house, wrong street, and other random locations. But 99.9 percent of the packages wind up on the porch.

When I get that tracking scan "Available for pickup" I've learned to ignore it, because 99.9 percent of the time it means they didn't get around to it and they're going to bring it the next day.

But this time it's been 3 days and it still didn't get delivered. No explanation why not, apparently they just don't feel like it.

I even filled out an online form to request a redelivery, still nothing. I've never done that before, I didn't even know that form existed until yesterday.

So I researched this on Google and apparently, this is news to me, USPS doesn't have to deliver your packages if they don't want to (they still keep the money you paid for postage though).

I know this is really going to reduce my Ebay buying a lot. Very few things are worth me driving down to the post office and standing in line. I've done it before, and it's REALLY unpleasant. Unless a seller is using Fedex or UPS I would think twice. That's a deal breaker for me.

Maybe some people are going to ask is this a hard delivery, so here's the setup: there's a regular sized mailbox by a gravel driveway. The USPS truck (if the person's in a good mood that day, I guess) pulls in the gravel driveway, drives about 15 feet. About a 20 foot walk to the porch across grass. That's it. No gates, no dogs, no fences.

I am curious if anybody else is having problems like this.  Seems like a vulnerability that this is Ebay's default delivery method and it's entirely up to the whims of ornery, underpaid, overworked people who don't want to be there in the first place.

[titipeo · Accepted solution]

Could it be, and this is just my thought, that seller sent it media mail and the PO is holding for additional payment since comic books cannot go on media mail. 

[12345jamesstamps]

I had my mailman refused to delivered a small package. It was a return from a buyer with tracking.

I called this buyer out because he had 2 eBay account IDs with the same address.

He was bidding on my auctions...One of his account went very high on bids...his other account was very low with bids. Kept all other bidders from bidding to his high bids. Last day he retracted all his high bids and won auctions on low bids.

     Anyway, instead of returning my stamps...he sent a dark plastic bag with something gooey in it...mailman didn't mail it in my mailman...and when I went to post office I also refused it from the clerk.

    I also got a post card from Iceland  in a plastic bag where it got chopped in half...showing only my address but was still mailed.

It's possible there's an issue with your package...never assume never is wrong.

Good Luck.

[raven-labs]

The more I think about it, this actually might be the right answer... the guy did send it media mail I think.

They already tried to deliver it though... which means, did they expect me to pay the shortage?

Only, I was home and I didn't hear any knock on the door? So he didn't try very hard did he?

It's not signature required. I already asked the seller.

So how was it "delivery attempted"... it's a 20 foot stroll then drop it on the porch.

How can you attempt to do that and fail?

Yes if it's postage due that could explain it... but why is there not a scan for that? If it's postage due they should say that on the tracking.

Because "ready for pickup" over 99% of the time is a bogus scan. They don't expect you to come and pick it up, it just means their work day was over and they didn't get finished delivering everything.

Since they misuse that scan so much, it needs another scan for when they REALLY expect you to show up at the post office. They should have a scan for "postage due" or "signature required".

What I've learned over the years is a lot of these scans are just random nonsense. People didn't get around to doing something, and they HAVE to scan something, so they just pick one from the list. The tracking system is fictional. I've had things marked delivered that weren't here, and then they show up one or two days later. It's pretty chaotic.

[wastingtime101]

Have you called your post office to ask why they're holding it for pickup and ignoring your redelivery requests?

[kathiec]

Seems like a vulnerability that this is Ebay's default delivery method 

Ebay doesn't have a default delivery method, because eBay doesn't ship anything. Each individual seller chooses the delivery service they want to use. And delivery service problems seem to be very dependent on locale. I never have issues with USPS. FedEx, on the other hand, can be very problematic for me. I think if you have problems the best solution is to check listings and avoid the ones that ship with your particular problem carrier. 

[mudshark61369]

@raven-labs,

Instead of calling the USPS customer service 800 or 888 number try looking up your P.O.'s phone number online " Phone number for 12345"  and ask to speak to the postmaster. Ask him why the package has not been delivered.

If you haven't been home when the carrier has come and there is postage due that could be why there have been delivery attempts and not a drop off.

FYI, eBay does not have a default shipping service. What carrier is used is entirely up to the seller.

[raven-labs]

USPS is the carrier on way over 99.6 percent of the packages that I've received, which is many hundreds of packages. It is the de facto carrier of choice, and this is a nit picky irrelevant comment.

[raven-labs]

Ok that first paragraph was actually helpful.

The second thing is just silly. USPS is used almost all of the time. It is the de facto carrier of choice.

So much so in fact, that the new "Ebay Standard Delivery" is... you guessed it... ===> USPS

[raven-labs]

I've never figured out how to actually get anybody at the post office on the phone. In fact, I was under the impression you can only get a national voice mail line. Another person said you can get a local number, I might look into it.

[raven-labs]

I don't think this is what's happening in my case, but it was sure interesting.

However I did consider the package might be damaged.

In which case I don't want it, I'll just let them send it back.

[safan80]

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@raven-labs 

From now on ask sellers to add a UPS option before buying. United States Postal Service can use many reasons not to deliver packages and mail. Any seller who refuses just don't buy from them. You may miss out on a deal, but not having to deal with the United States Postal Service over stupid problems is priceless. There are videos on youtube of postal workers behaving badly and destroying property. 

@raven-labs wrote:

I bought a comic book on Ebay and USPS won't deliver it. They say I have to go to the post office and pick it up.

[yuzuha]

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@raven-labs wrote:

USPS is the carrier on way over 99.6 percent of the packages that I've received, which is many hundreds of packages. It is the de facto carrier of choice, and this is a nit picky irrelevant comment.

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Most likely because EVERYONE has access to USPS no matter where in the US they live. UPS and FedEx are entirely location-dependent-- there are many, many places that do not have a convenient drop-off location.

Additionally, neither of those are cost-effective for lightweight items.

[slyders_finds]

Even worse if they put in a priority cardboard envelope(perfect size for comics) and wrapped it in brown shipping paper to be sneaky, the buyer is going to get hit with paying priority rate difference.  

[zrminid]

There is likely some postage due and if so, you should refuse the item and return to seller. IIRC, it is against Ebay policy to send packages postage due and is a valid reason to demand a refund.