USPS Lost 24 Packages of Ebay Orders, how do I protect my seller rating/balance refunds?

[pauld5999]

I had a USPS package pick up on 1/8/24 where USPS picked up 24 packages from my house, all scanned into USPS systems at the time pick up 

Since 1/8 nothing has happened on any of the 24 packages; no further scans or movement at all. 

I have opened a Missing Mail search for all 24, I contacted my local post office about it (they were not helpful at all besides confirming the packages were picked up and actually hung up on y and would not answer calls back), I opened a case with OIG as I feel something is not right/potential theft within USPS and I have open Customer Service requests as well with the are office; nothing has helped at all and there is no change in status on any of the listings

Buyers have started opening Item not received cases and a few have been refunded already by ebay

I am worried that if I proactively refund buyers ebay would not reimburse if the packages do eventually deliver but I am also concerned that all of the Cases opened against me will effect my top rated seller status with ebay

Is there any advice on how to handle with Ebay? Welcome to any advice on dealing with USPS that I have not tried as well! Thanks 

[sextons-sweet-deals]

Just tossing out a couple questions because I have never done scheduled pick-up.

1. Are these packages actually scanned by the carrier at pick-up or more of just the printing of the shipping label (showing shipped) and scheduling a pick-up? 

2. Does the carrier actually scan or just pick-up and take back to local office?

3. Could it be possible that a porch pirate saw all those packages?

I personally deliver my packages to USPS with the purchased shipping labels from on-line and get a receipt to show that they have it in hand to avoid issues. 

[redlinear]

That's going to be a wrecked USPS truck

[simba6]

That's a lot of packages.   Call the 800 number on the USPS web site. They can pull up a lot more info than what is on line.  They will look into it.  They do seem to be very serious about missing mail.

[dirk12955]

Over the years we've seen media reports of stuff getting dumped instead of delivered.

Fed-Ex,  UPS,   USPS  delivery people that simply don't want to do their jobs.    

An things happen,   floods,   fire,  Tornado's ,   Blizzards,    The PO isn't immune.

The OP said,   "It wasn't my regular mail carrier who picked them up"

    I find that fact to be very interesting and disturbing.

My USPS issues over the years have always (It seems)  happened when my regular 

carrier is on vacation.   

[12345jamesstamps]

The hubs are in Carol Stream and Glendale Heights in Illinois. I would do some kind of google search to see if anything strange is going on there.

I would refund those that do open a claim....but I would not contact any buyers "did they receive their package"....it's possible some packages did not get scan...and got delivered.

What if the scan gun or whatever they used broke or froze during the cold weather?

Did you actually go to a post office with tracking numbers to see what might be happening?

Can't take anything online or by phone to get answers.

[a_c_green]

---

@redlinear wrote:

That's going to be a wrecked USPS truck

---

I had a similar incident a couple years back, where everything I shipped that day left my post office and promptly vanished. After over a week of complete silence on the radar, during which more-recent sales went all the way to delivery, I took a couple of tracking numbers in to my PO, and learned that everything they had shipped out on that day was missing. It finally transpired that the entire trailer had been parked at the local sort facility as they had no staff available to unload it, and once they did get people back in to work, they were grabbing random trailers off the lot to unload in no particular order.

I had a productive talk with our local postmaster, who was senior enough to make some calls and complain up the chain of command, including detailed demands on what needed fixing, such as unloading trailers in first-in-first-out order by date of arrival. No similar mishaps since then. Knock on wood.

[dolcetreasures]

eBay doesn’t care what the issue is, they will hold you accountable for every problem outside of your control and punish you accordingly even though it is likely the result of one incident. They simply don’t care, don’t have anyone there who can intervene with the awful, illogical seller metrics they use. 

[blueapples_22]

I would like to offer you some hope.  USPS lost 5 of my packages over Christmas.  Just stopped tracking, 2 of them after they were scanned in at the post office.  I'm guessing you sent these USPS Ground Advantage, which comes with $100 worth of insurance.  You can file a claim on the USPS website, it will ask you for all the information and you should take a screen shot of the proof of sale (value) and attach this with each claim.  As long as the packages are marked "received" by USPS you are good.

24 is a lot of claims, but this will be the best way to get your money back.  As an added bonus they also give you a refund on the shipping label.

Good luck.

[albertabrightalberta]

"USPS picked up 24 packages from my house, all scanned into USPS systems at the time pick up "

---

@pauld5999 wrote:

None have received it, all 24 are in exactly the same status; picked up and then nothing after that

It was not my regular mail carrier who picked them up and all of my shipments since have flowed through the same post office without issues

---

Since you say the items were scanned at the time of pickup and that it wasn't your regular carrier, it's possible there is a rogue employee. (Other possibilities have been mentioned too.)

If it's indeed a rogue employee and if so, they're probably (now) aware, you should call your local Palantine, IL sorting hub. 

From the acceptance/picked up scan, they can identify the carrier who scanned those packages and can follow up with that person. 

This way, if there's theft going on, they are now aware of it.

Call directly, NOT the 800 number and speak to the postmaster. It's best to call very early in the morning, between 5 and 7 am, before the carriers arrive and they get too busy to answer the phone: 

I'm not sure which of the following is the correct one but if you call the wrong one, they give you the number of the location that handles your zip. 

PALATINE FIN STA — Post Office™

1300 E NORTHWEST HWY

PALATINE, IL 60095-9997

Phone 847-590-8001

or 

PALATINE — Post Office™

440 W COLFAX ST

PALATINE, IL 60067-2537

Phone 847-359-1799

[retro_entertainment_collectibles]

---

@a_c_green wrote:

---

@redlinear wrote:

That's going to be a wrecked USPS truck

---

I had a similar incident a couple years back, where everything I shipped that day left my post office and promptly vanished. After over a week of complete silence on the radar, during which more-recent sales went all the way to delivery, I took a couple of tracking numbers in to my PO, and learned that everything they had shipped out on that day was missing. It finally transpired that the entire trailer had been parked at the local sort facility as they had no staff available to unload it, and once they did get people back in to work, they were grabbing random trailers off the lot to unload in no particular order.

I had a productive talk with our local postmaster, who was senior enough to make some calls and complain up the chain of command, including detailed demands on what needed fixing, such as unloading trailers in first-in-first-out order by date of arrival. No similar mishaps since then. Knock on wood.

---

Exactly,  With issue of magnitude of 24 parcels the local/regional Postmaster is the only order of help.  I'd explain the issue, text him the tracking numbers... Ask if his secretary draft a letter for him to sign acknowledging the problem as "This is my families income and my eBay account is at high riosk of suspension due to it" and I'd pick it up by hand, make copies.  Send off at least one but I'd probably do two one to eBay Legal and the other to the CEO certified/registered overnight mail.

Whilst hopefully the Postmaster works the issue I'd be contacting every single customer as I noted in prior message:

"Greetings,

   I am contacting you in regards to you're order of "widget" as I have a noticed a problem.  On day/month/year I processed twenty four orders including yours which were picked up and scanned by the US Postal Service.  Since that day there have been no further scans of any of the parcels including yours, here is the tracking number: nnnnnn.

  I have been in contact with the postal service to try to find out what has happened to all of these packages trying to work through the problem.  It is possible that perhaps weather or some form of incident such as an vehicle accident may have transpired.  Nothing like this has ever happened to me in the NN years that I've sold products at eBay.  I have shipped over 4,000 items and have a perfect 100% feedback rating and have found trying to get answers from the Postal Service a formidable task.

I am communicating with you with request of how you would wish me to proceed with your order.  I can refund the order immediately and should the merchandise arrive I would appreciate it if you contact me to let me know.  All of the twenty four parcels are insured so if they do not arrive and have for some reason been damaged or destroyed whilst in the US Postal Services charge they will hopefully reimburse my losses.

Thank you for understanding and patience, please let me know how you wish to proceed.

Thanks so much,

   Joe/sephine Q. Seller"

[retro_entertainment_collectibles]

---

@albertabrightalberta wrote:

"USPS picked up 24 packages from my house, all scanned into USPS systems at the time pick up "

---

@pauld5999 wrote:

None have received it, all 24 are in exactly the same status; picked up and then nothing after that

It was not my regular mail carrier who picked them up and all of my shipments since have flowed through the same post office without issues

---

Since you say the items were scanned at the time of pickup and that it wasn't your regular carrier, it's possible there is a rogue employee. (Other possibilities have been mentioned too.)

If it's indeed a rogue employee and if so, they're probably (now) aware, you should call your local Palantine, IL sorting hub. 

From the acceptance/picked up scan, they can identify the carrier who scanned those packages and can follow up with that person. 

This way, if there's theft going on, they are now aware of it.

Call directly, NOT the 800 number and speak to the postmaster. It's best to call very early in the morning, between 5 and 7 am, before the carriers arrive and they get too busy to answer the phone: 

I'm not sure which of the following is the correct one but if you call the wrong one, they give you the number of the location that handles your zip. 

PALATINE FIN STA — Post Office™

1300 E NORTHWEST HWY

PALATINE, IL 60095-9997

Phone 847-590-8001

or 

PALATINE — Post Office™

440 W COLFAX ST

PALATINE, IL 60067-2537

Phone 847-359-1799

---

Be surprised or perhaps not what can and does happen.  My ex is a politician and had some suspicions about mail in ballots some years back.  So she tailed a PO driver and found he was using voter rolls to remove ballots in the mail system and was putting them into an abandoned car hidden in a field.  I'll leave it to you to guess what party (uhh... Yep that one LOL) and apparently paid to do so.  Of course ya' never see that stuff in the news as party politic make they're deals to minimize the damage.

I remember we were doin' Mamazon, Anchor Tennant and this woman found one of our online stores back in the day versus buying at Mamazon.  So she want phone in order for her kid, some games.  Fine.  So end up yackin' it up and this women and her kid want max privacy, she's on the run.  So my ex who's literally expert marketing, extracting, finding info all that stuff extracts the lady why on she's on the run, you to know to help her... That's my ex, always "fight the good fight" and doesn't know how to loose.  The word "Loose" is not in her repertoire LOL.

So anyway this women married to a fella in the Nevada National GOP Committee, Vegas be exact.  Big money show... *BIG*MONEY*SHOW*

Turn out they'd set up online pharmacies (webs) selling Cialis and Viagra before it was legal do that over the counter, getting the stuff sent in from Canada and kickin' the revenues into campaign financing.  Uhhh YEP!

Now one might think, "Well stuff like that happen both sides the fence..."  Uhhh... No, *BIG*NO*.

Long short of it yep, lot of folks went down but again never saw in the media whatsoever as the behind the veil of doors the dealZZ are made.