I'm seller. Five 1st class packages from the same mail date missing. No tracking. What can I do?

[rizzobryant2016]

I find the blue box mailboxes convenient and always drop off my small 1st class packages in them. I dropped off 5 packages Monday before pick up time inside the mailbox. Now there is no tracking for any of the 5. They all say "Pre-Shipment Info sent to USPS AWAITS ITEM" I have used the same mailbox since then and those following packages have tracking updated.

Are my 5 packages just gone? Did the mail carrier pick them up and forget to scan them? Are they in a truck somewhere? Is there anything I can even do to try and track these down since there is absolutely no trace of them?

Thanks!

[wastingtime101]

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@femmefan1946 wrote:

FWIW - I use the red Canada Post mailboxes for almost all of my shipments.

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You guys in Canada leave your doors unlocked. Your drop boxes are probably safer than those in the US. 

[gjs_16]

Unfortunately your convenience could be creating a lot of extra work for the Post Office.

I use my own mailbox for outgoing parcels and I always print a SCAN sheet.

The USPS Shipment Confirmation Acceptance Notice, known as a SCAN Form, is a piece of paper with a master barcode that includes all the packages associated with a group shipment. At the time of pick-up, the USPS employee scans the barcode on the SCAN form to disseminate tracking info for all the packages rather than scanning each package individually. This single step saves a lot of time for USPS employees.

[fashunu4eeuh]

Hi, if there is tracking numbers for each of your packages, you can contact the PO and inquire about them. Sometimes they have more information than what shows up when you or I check the status of our items. Your experience is why I stand in line to get that acceptance scan. It is a pain to do so, but I get nervous without the scan. Below is a link to the USPS page that can direct you on next steps to locate the missing packages. Good luck.

https://www.usps.com/help/missing-mail.htm

[showmecurrency4u]

Never just drop a off in a box. 

[jayjaspersgarage]

"Okay thanks. But I would think with 1st class mail one of them would be delivered by now at least."

I suppose it depends how far the item has to go.  If a carrier ends a shift early and misses seven blue box pick ups without reporting it the post office might get a replacement carrier out to the missed boxes within a day or two.  Then late at the end of day three or four your package is dropped off with 1500 other pieces of mail to be sorted.  That takes another day.  

If you walk into the lobby of the post office and use the snorkel box in the lobby during closed hours your item will be in the hands of the employee who scans the incoming pre-paid items one hour after opening.  If you go in after opening before 10:00 A.M. the item is scanned almost immediately.

Read my feedback.  Generally from California to the east coast in less than four days; sometimes three days to Florida.  A little extra effort makes happy customers. 

[dbfolks166mt]

It depends on the class of postage you used. 

[johnrj1226]

If  the packages  are not scanned into the USPS system as being "accepted"  it is hard to say  if they have  possession or when they were in possession of them.

[lepke1979]

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@wastingtime101 wrote:

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@femmefan1946 wrote:

FWIW - I use the red Canada Post mailboxes for almost all of my shipments.

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You guys in Canada leave your doors unlocked. Your drop boxes are probably safer than those in the US. 

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They live in igloos up there. They have no doors to lock.

[lepke1979]

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@rizzobryant2016 wrote:

Okay thanks. But it's been 6 days and 5 packages. I would have thought 1 would have hit the last leg or two by now.

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Not necessarily.

If anything I guess you can find out if they have picked up the mail from that box yet. It might day daily, but it's possible they only empty it every few days.

[baantiques]

This sort of thing has been an issue with the USPS for a year.  I ship another method whenever practical.