Since late 2020, USPS has lost close to 10% of my packages annually. Anyone having similar issues?

[suckerfreegear]

Most of my orders are for smaller electronic parts, so complete cost with shipping was usually 10 dollars or less. I purchase the labels through Ebay with tracking every time.  I think maybe one or two would get lost out of a 100 orders pre pandemic. I had a very lax refund policy and would just send a new item or refund the cost if the item was a few days late. I could easily eat these costs and still have a profit.

Enter 2021-22, Now close to over 10 per every 100 orders within a year I send are either late by weeks to months or completely lost. As the orders are usually 10 dollars or less its just so much of a hassle to file a claim and they make you wait etc. to get it fulfilled. I had to change my refund policy as well because I would usually refund right away but every time I refunded or sent a replacement part and the original item showed finally showed up... I had never had a customer return the original item or refund. I also am not going to go after a customer for 10 dollars or less, as it just takes so much time and is petty to me.

So are you guys/gals having similar issues with USPS and what do you do to deal with it? I'm about ready to throw in the towel with selling small items on Ebay and it's not them it's USPS. UPS or FedEx would be too cost prohibitive in shipping costs to do this.

[simply-the-best-for-you]

Wowza.  Nope.  I've had 1 lost pkg since 1997.   During the pandemic I had one that sat on a truck in Philly for 4 weeks.  In addition to the 2 weeks it had been traveling, but we knew where it was & my buyer, while frustrated, was great about it. 

[katzrul15]

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@suckerfreegear wrote:

Most of my orders are for smaller electronic parts, so complete cost with shipping was usually 10 dollars or less. I purchase the labels through Ebay with tracking every time.  I think maybe one or two would get lost out of a 100 orders pre pandemic. I had a very lax refund policy and would just send a new item or refund the cost if the item was a few days late. I could easily eat these costs and still have a profit.

Enter 2021-22, Now close to over 10 per every 100 orders within a year I send are either late by weeks to months or completely lost. As the orders are usually 10 dollars or less its just so much of a hassle to file a claim and they make you wait etc. to get it fulfilled. I had to change my refund policy as well because I would usually refund right away but every time I refunded or sent a replacement part and the original item showed finally showed up... I had never had a customer return the original item or refund. I also am not going to go after a customer for 10 dollars or less, as it just takes so much time and is petty to me.

So are you guys/gals having similar issues with USPS and what do you do to deal with it? I'm about ready to throw in the towel with selling small items on Ebay and it's not them it's USPS. UPS or FedEx would be too cost prohibitive in shipping costs to do this.

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THAT would be a lot of lost packages.  I have had (1) and USPS helped me locate it and get it to the correct customer's house.  

BTW - might your user name have something to do with this perhaps??  lol   You are kinda advertising FREE items with your user name!  😉

[collectfest]

Geeze thats awful,

Not here, 99% delivered although I had my 1st delivered to the wrong house last week. My only issue is they won't scan so I have to do it.

I'd talk to your postmaster but provide proof. Get some ides from them on how to proceed. They won't really respond to venting. 

Good luck

[coolections]

Are you not adding the tracking numbers into the Ebay claims? I do not ship in high volume but with that said have never had a package lost in years weather selling or buying.

[a_c_green]

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@suckerfreegear wrote:

Enter 2021-22, Now close to over 10 per every 100 orders within a year I send are either late by weeks to months or completely lost. As the orders are usually 10 dollars or less its just so much of a hassle to file a claim and they make you wait etc. to get it fulfilled. I had to change my refund policy as well because I would usually refund right away but every time I refunded or sent a replacement part and the original item showed finally showed up...

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It's not totally clear where your packages are disappearing, but it sounds like you're saying that they vanish from tracking along the way...? How long are you waiting before refunding the buyer for an item that seems to have disappeared? What Shipping methods are giving you the most problems? I looked at a few of your listings at random and saw a few First Class Package listings, but I'm wondering what your Economy Shipping method(s) are. 

On a different note, for the items that apparently never reappeared, is it possible that your labels are getting detached from the package? Do you have a packing slip inside with the shipping address as backup?

[dhbookds]

No troubles with USPS..........we mail 800 or so a year between 2 of us......... and might have 1-2 lost a year, if that.....(knock on wood)..........most of our stuff is substantially larger than small parts.........and that may be the reason........

[suckerfreegear]

Economy shipping is USPS, It's all printed on a DYMO label maker with tracking. I wish I could post tracking numbers as proof but I understand I can't due to privacy issues. Also it's not my local post office that's the issue. Lots of times the items are stuck at going out for delivery mostly at other US states and a few times it said delivered and buyer claimed the item was never received. It's shipped in a 5x7 padded envelope that's bright yellow plus item is usually wrapped with additional foam or padding, so it's not very small.

I should clarify, the total of 10% of my packages being lost is combined between Ebay and Reverb which is another online musical gear market place. So it's about 7% on Ebay and 3% on Reverb. 

One I had to refund today, was shipped April 1st and has been stuck on "out to delivery" since the 10th of April. I sent him a refund today as it has been 30 days since the original order, which is my new policy. 30 days for refund on item not delivered from purchase date. My old policy was about 5 business days for either replacement item or full refund. 

[simply-the-best-for-you]

When you say "economy" does that mean parcel select or just FC/Priority?  

Like I said, I've only had 1 pkg truly lost, since 1997, but I do not use economy methods, just FC or Priority & the rare MM pkg.   Now, if you ask me about misdeliveries, that's different.  I've had a fair number of those & def on the increase, both as a sender & as a recipient. 

[albertabrightalberta]

I think my last lost (never to be recovered) package was in 2010. Everything before and since has been delivered (based on tracking) although there have been a few attempts by scammers who didn't realize that I shipped with. tracking.

[suckerfreegear]

I understand contacting USPS for help but it becomes very time consuming for a small item and every time it was cheaper to just eat the cost.

As for the username, I started this company in the early 2000's, I was in my late teens early 20's so I was marketing to an entirely different and much younger demographic at that time. I'm actually in the process of renaming the company while keeping the SFG acronym to minimize confusion for my older customers.

[theteamsetguy]

You must be the unluckiest seller on ebay. I ship out 300 plus packages a month and I get a lost package maybe a couple times a year.

[iart]

Out of the last 5000 sales we lost 1, maybe 2. Not counting going though GSP, where they have lost a few over the last couple years - but they made it right.

[buyselljack2016]

I would say my lost rate runs at about .0003 %

All smalls.  Accepted. Tracked a bit, then dropped off the face of the earth.  Last one a 4x4x4 that vanished in Memphis.

Had one last year that was "out for delivery" and the delivery never got updated. The buyer did not take advantage of the omission of the missing scan.

[annadryl]

I sell the same types of items in small polys or bubblemailers 1st class and I've never had one completely lost. I've had a couple get stuck along the way. I'm not high volume but the service with USPS has been great overall. If your local PO is good all I can think of is there must be a checkpoint (nearest hub?) which is AWFUL. I know they're low value items but I'd be on them with PO every time. 10% is dreadful, I mean not even an option for me if the service was that bad. Hope you can figure it out~