The USPS is experiencing more problems in some areas, and as a seller, it has been a real nightmare for me. The distribution center closest to me (Kansas City, MO) is facing a lot of issues. In addition to USPS delays, I'm having trouble with tracking eBay's standard envelope shipments. I sell holy cards and prayer books, and because of the fees, eBay makes about as much money as I do off my items. Customers aren't willing to pay $4-$5 to ship a $1.50 holy card, so I send them in a card with just a postage stamp. Since there’s no tracking, there isn’t much I can do when problems arise.
For those who aren’t experiencing issues with USPS, count your lucky stars. To give you an example of the USPS chaos in my area: I’ve received multiple packages shipped to me from a town just 20 minutes away, coincidentally about 15 minutes from the KCMO USPS distribution center. One package traveled from Lee's Summit, MO, to Kansas City, MO, then to Kansas City, KS, and finally to Rochester, NY, before it ended up in Pleasant Hill, MO. Two other packages took a similar route but ended up in NJ and OR before reaching Pleasant Hill, MO. This has happened recently, and some of my eBay orders have taken up to a month to arrive at their destinations.
In fact, I’ve had three customers open disputes this week regarding items I shipped that haven't arrived. Two of those orders were sent using postage stamps, and one was shipped with eBay's standard envelope. I mailed the last package using eBay standard envelope shipping on March 5th, and from then until March 21st, it showed no tracking information. It still hasn’t arrived at its destination, but eBay has already refunded the buyer. They mentioned that I could invoice the buyer or file a claim with USPS—what a joke! I’m seriously considering shutting down my store until things improve.
mam98031 • Volunteer Community Member • Buyer/Seller since 1999
