Ok, what the heck is up with USPS?

[chipper01work]

I sold 5 things late Saturday and Sunday. Two of those items I dropped in a blue roadside box on Sunday morning. One other I dropped in a blue roadside box 20 miles from my home on Monday morning. The fourth was a large package and I dropped it off at a USPS satellite drop off place that is inside a business that was open MLK day Monday on my way home from work. I have never used this place before and was intrigued that the lady scanned it in and then told me "it won't go anywhere until Tuesday since today is a holiday". I told her that was fine by me I just wanted to get it dropped off (too large for my holding area for pickup scheduling and PO is closed Tuesday when I get off work. The fifth package I scheduled a pickup for today at my home.

I got up this morning at 4am for work and I was wondering if and what the scan she did would be listed as so I decided to see if it read anything on the eBay tracking. To my shock it was showing the item as being at the processing center my mail goes to that is 120 miles away! This prompted me to check the packages I dropped in the blue boxes on Sunday and Monday and they all show the same thing "arrived at regional origin facility- Warrendale, PA, with different time stamps on them. For this to be actually possible the PO had to pick those 4 items, located in 3 different places, over 20 miles apart on a Federal Holiday. 

Anybody have any ideas?

[callahanmagic]

@ ... ... you need to drop off at your local post office, get the Acceptence Scan and receipt...." @mr_lincoln

I'm with you.  Have not dropped off any shipments (packages or letters) in any usps blue boxes.

Rather stand in line for the acceptance scan + receipt. My own piece of mind.

Just do not want to 2nd guess the usps working/scheduling policies.

-

Lucas

*still rollin' with the punches*

Sophie - Forever Sidekick - April 2007 to Sept 05, 2017

[lookng2015]

Forget USPS, wth is going on with eBay?

I have so many that don't show delivered on eBay but do when you use the tracking # at USPS.

[mistwomandancing]

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sam9876 wrote:

USPS employees are working every day of the year.

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Yup.   People aren't getting mail delivery and the retail counters are closed, but behind the scenes the USPS is still at work!!!  The USPS never sleeps and is working 365 days a year around the clock. 

[chipper01work]

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@callahanmagic wrote:

@ ... ... you need to drop off at your local post office, get the Acceptence Scan and receipt...." @mr_lincoln

I'm with you.  Have not dropped off any shipments (packages or letters) in any usps blue boxes.

Rather stand in line for the acceptance scan + receipt. My own piece of mind.

Just do not want to 2nd guess the usps working/scheduling policies.

-

Lucas

*still rollin' with the punches*

Sophie - Forever Sidekick - April 2007 to Sept 05, 2017

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I guess the moral is that we all have to do what works for us. Without blue boxes and scheduled pickups i am out of business. I start work before the po opens and leave work after it closes 5 days a week and i am not spending my lunch break at the po.

[mr_lincoln]

@callahanmagic  Agreed, not every Postal area is as dedicated as the OP mentions that theirs is.

[callahanmagic]

@mr_lincoln + @chipper01work

My thoughts of using the blue boxes is Now coming back to bite me!

Big Chill down south (Louisiana) for us today.  Thought nothin' about it after car thawed out.

Headed out to local PO - along the way, power outages on traffic lights. All the three neighboring

POs closed due to the extensive power outages. 

My handling time is 1 biz day.  

i) Purchase/Payment date is 01.16.17 (8.18 PM) for one package.

ii) Purchase/Payment date is 01.17.17 (2:40 AM) for three packages.

I'm debating whether to use the blue boxes today or wait till tomorrow for the POs to open. 

I may have to stomach that ding/defect on my one day handling time matrix on that one package.

Weather persons forecasted it will warmed up to 50s after another night of chill.

Meantime, have put the store on vacation.

-

Lucas

*still rollin' with the punches*

Sophie - Forever Sidekick - April 07 to Sept 05, 2017

[mr_lincoln]

@callahanmagic  Sorry about the big chill down your way ... we live with it for several months up here each year.  Well, if the POs are closed not much you can do ... but if they are open take it in and ship it so it gets on a bulk truck and "maybe" gets a scan at the bulk center intime to avoid the late acceptence scan ...

[partial*eclipse]

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callahanmagic wrote: ... I'm debating whether to use the blue boxes today or wait till tomorrow for the POs to open.  ...

I may have to stomach that ding/defect on my one day handling time matrix on that one package.

Weather persons forecasted it will warmed up to 50s after another night of chill.

Meantime, have put the store on vacation....

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As the earlier part of this thread indicates, mail is sometimes picked up from the blue boxes when nothing else is operating. IMHO you have nothing to lose by trying it. And rather than putting the store on vacation you could just revise your handling time a bit, since things will be thawing out soon.

[callahanmagic]

Just came back after dropping off the 4 packages : PM (1097) boxes into the Blue Box outside the local PO.  (POs still closed). Well, there's always the 1st time for everything - I suppose. 

Will open store tomorrow.  

Meantime, hot cocoa ... + Godless on Netflix!

-

Lucas

*still rollin' with the punches*

Sophie - Forever Sidekick - April 07 to Sept 05, 2017

[callahanmagic]

@chipper01work, @partial*eclipse, @mr_lincoln + ya'll ...

I've confirmations that all the 4 packages that was dropped off into blue box outside my closed PO (due to extensive power outage) earlier today, are in the system.  USPS tracking showed all 4, were in USPS possession as of 5:55 PM (CT).

My thanks to the USPS continuous services despite bad weather conditions. 

-

Lucas

*still rollin' with the punches*

Sophie - Forever Sidekick: April 07 to Sept 05, 2017

[partial*eclipse]

Thanks for the update!  We love a happy ending!  

[chipper01work]

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@callahanmagic wrote:

@chipper01work, @partial*eclipse, @mr_lincoln + ya'll ...

I've confirmations that all the 4 packages that was dropped off into blue box outside my closed PO (due to extensive power outage) earlier today, are in the system.  USPS tracking showed all 4, were in USPS possession as of 5:55 PM (CT).

My thanks to the USPS continuous services despite bad weather conditions. 

-

Lucas

*still rollin' with the punches*

Sophie - Forever Sidekick: April 07 to Sept 05, 2017

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That's fantastic news! Glad it worked out for you. It works out for me all the time. As I mentioned earlier, I shipped over 200 packages last year. If I had to guess I'd say less than 10 of those were dropped off at the PO. The only way I do that is if it is Saturday morning and I am close to a PO. The rest are blue box drops, scheduled pickups, post it note on mailbox (for items too big for blue box that were paid for after I went to bed, (i prepack)) and satellite drop off areas. I had one item that was not scanned in time out of 200+ and it did not scan until delivery and was late but was shipped on time. It was a first class package dropped in a blue box 20 miles from home. If not for the reliability of my local PO's I could not operate. Your mileage may vary.

[callahanmagic]

Had to update.

Especially @chipper01work's OP about blue boxes collection of packages + I have never used

them at all due to paranoia prejudices. Always had packages scanned + paper receipt at the counter.   I'm grateful to know that this can be an alternative in case of emergency such as today. 

Stay + Keep Warm, Ya'll!

-

Lucas

*still rollin' with the punches*

Sophie - Forever Sidekick - April 07 to Sept 05, 2017

[partial*eclipse]

Location matters a lot when it comes to getting the scans that USPS says they do (and which eBay belives all PO's do).  Some regions are much better than others.  In 3 different locations in the Boston area, I've found that I can mail my packages in the corner blue box and  get at least 2 scans before midnight.

[chipper01work]

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@callahanmagic wrote:

Had to update.

Especially @chipper01work's OP about blue boxes collection of packages + I have never used

them at all due to paranoia prejudices. Always had packages scanned + paper receipt at the counter.   I'm grateful to know that this can be an alternative in case of emergency such as today. 

Stay + Keep Warm, Ya'll!

-

Lucas

*still rollin' with the punches*

Sophie - Forever Sidekick - April 07 to Sept 05, 2017

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I'm still smiling that it worked out for you. It's a great tool, even if you only use it in emergencies. I have very little choice due to my "real" job and am very thankful for the outstanding service the USPS offers in my area. Without it I could not sell with anything less than a 5 day handling time. I use 1 and 2 day depending upon the item. Large low value items are usually 2 day and small or high value and especially small, high value are 1 day to save the fvf's. I used to do everything 1 day but when ebay butchered the TRS+ discount I quit that in my next heartbeat.