USPS has messed up the shipment of a package and I have no idea what to do!!

[rustictrollop]

Hope someone here can help with this.  My stress level is through the roof.  I sent out a Buyer's items on Nov. 14/17, with guaranteed 4-7 day delivery.  I checked the address on eBay & PayPal...they matched.  I've been following the tracking progress, as the Buyer wanted her package by the 25th of Nov.  It was going to Winston Salem, NC, and arrived in Greensboro NC on Nov. 19th.  For some reason the tracking shows that the package was re-routed to a "new address" and ended up in Walnut Cove, NC, then was sent back to Greensboro.  I have no idea what is going on!!  I sent a message via eBay to the Buyer to alert her and to contact me, hoping she could shed some light on the "new address" info.  She contacted me and it appears she is now **bleep** off...rightfully so.  I have NO IDEA what I am supposed to do now, as the package is bouncing back and forth between two postal stations, which makes no sense, and not being delivered to the Buyer.  Here is the tracking info off the USPS site:

November 23, 2017, 9:43 pm 
Arrived at USPS Regional Facility 
GREENSBORO NC DISTRIBUTION CENTER  
Your item arrived at our USPS facility in GREENSBORO NC DISTRIBUTION CENTER on November 23, 2017 at 9:43 pm. The item is currently in transit to the destination. 

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November 23, 2017, 5:19 pm 
Departed USPS Regional Facility 
GREENSBORO NC NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER  

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November 23, 2017, 9:16 am 
In Transit to Destination 

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November 22, 2017, 9:42 am 
Forwarded 
WALNUT COVE, NC  

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November 21, 2017, 6:55 am 
Arrived at Unit 
WALNUT COVE, NC 27052  

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November 20, 2017, 9:22 am 
In Transit to Destination 

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November 19, 2017, 8:22 pm 
Arrived at USPS Regional Destination Facility 
GREENSBORO NC NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER  

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November 19, 2017, 9:35 am 
In Transit to Destination 

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November 18, 2017, 9:35 am 
In Transit to Destination 

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November 17, 2017, 9:35 am 
In Transit to Destination 

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November 16, 2017, 9:35 pm 
Arrived at USPS Regional Facility 
CHICAGO IL INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION CENTER  

So basically, the package is in the right state, but not getting to the right address.  The post office I use always checks the delivery addresses while processing the packages to make sure they are legit.  I now have to deal with an increasing upset Buyer, and a package that is in limbo.  Any suggestions would be helpful.  Thank you!!

[jokabofe]

Like I said, I can't guarantee results, but it has a weird affect on the shipping centers when I've done it. It's almost like they say, "Oh **bleep**, someone actually wants this, let's stop playing around with it" or something lol.

Good luck!

[rustictrollop]

I actually just finished doing what you suggested, and will hope for a good outcome.  Fingers crossed that USPS comes through for me, and my Buyer.   I will also make the leap and try to call the Greensboro outlet (I'm in Canada) in the morning to see if I can light a fire or three.  I'm just at a bit of a loss to understand why any reasonable Buyer, with the facts and tracking information clearing showing what's going on, would lay the blame on a Seller who did everything they were supposed to do, correctly.  No words.

[secretsquirrelisnowhere]

I once had that happen to one of my packages. I moved into a new house and set up my Ebay for that address. First month was ok but suddenly my packages took a side trip. The last occupants had just put in a forwarding order and the automation scooped up my mail with the past people's mail. It was a mess, but it got straightened out.

[creativecrisis]

I had a similar situation last year. The package bounced around for awhile and eventually was returned to me. My post office re-sent it for me, and it reached the buyer the second time. No one could figure out the problem; fortunately, I had an understanding buyer.

Calling the local post office is a good idea, if you're able to do that. Postal employees can see more details in their internal tracking system than shippers have access to. Hope this works out for you, and that the buyer will be a little more patient!

[phcd1]

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@rustictrollop wrote:

....I sent a message via eBay to the Buyer to alert her and to contact me, hoping she could shed some light on the "new address" info.  She contacted me and it appears she is now **bleep** off...rightfully so....

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I don't know what compels sellers to message their buyers over stuff like this. You should almost ALWAYS let sleeping dogs lie. If something is wrong, they'll message YOU, trust me.

[rustictrollop]

I don't know what compels sellers to message their buyers over stuff like this. You should almost ALWAYS let sleeping dogs lie. If something is wrong, they'll message YOU, trust me.

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Actually, the Buyer had messaged me first, but some glitch has put a delay on my message notifications saying they are not available, so I did not see her message.  I'm actually glad I messaged her now.  This morning she seems to appreciate my efforts to locate her missing package (which apparently has finally been recovered and is on its way), and should a neg.  appear in spite of my best efforts, at least I can fight it with some evidence.  NORMALLY, I will let the sleeping dogs sleep. 

[a_c_green]

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@rustictrollop wrote:

So basically, the package is in the right state, but not getting to the right address.  The post office I use always checks the delivery addresses while processing the packages to make sure they are legit.  I now have to deal with an increasing upset Buyer, and a package that is in limbo.  Any suggestions would be helpful.  Thank you!!

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Okay, first of all, the package is not in limbo; it's on the move. It appears from looking at the tracking that when it arrived at the Destination Sort in Greensboro, it was then misrouted to the Walnut Cove PO instead of one of the Winston-Salem POs, probably due to a sorting error. Walnut Cove recognized it as misdirected as soon as they received it, no doubt, so they tossed it in with the forwarded mail going back to Greensboro. 

If you look at the map, Walnut Cove, Winston-Salem and Greensboro are basically three points of a triangle about 17 miles apart from each other. I believe it should turn up in Winston-Salem (at the correct PO this time) sometime today, as it looks like only about a half-hour drive from one place to the other.

As for tracking updates, unfortunately you can no longer get them sent to you from usps.com for intermediate scans (e.g. from one sorting facility to the next), only for delivery-related scans, though you should at least get a heads-up when the package arrives at its destination PO. 

Note that signing up for the updates has absolutely no effect on the package movement itself; all you're doing is adding a notification flag to its record in the tracking database, but what you are getting with that is a near-immediate notification of an event that is going to happen sooner or later anyway. It will turn up again, no worries, and I'm betting that it will be sometime today, tomorrow at the latest. Good luck and keep us informed!

[rustictrollop]

Calling the local post office is a good idea, if you're able to do that. Postal employees can see more details in their internal tracking system than shippers have access to. Hope this works out for you, and that the buyer will be a little more patient!

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I just called the USPS in NC, from Canada, and spent 1 1/2 hours on the phone, in an endless loop, then on hold.  Finally had to give up because no one took my call, and the canned music was horrible.  That was frustrating for sure.

[a_c_green]

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@rustictrollop wrote:

I just called the USPS in NC, from Canada, and spent 1 1/2 hours on the phone, in an endless loop, then on hold.  Finally had to give up because no one took my call, and the canned music was horrible.  That was frustrating for sure.

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Yes, here in the U.S., this is Black Friday, the first Christmas shopping day after Thanksgiving, and the first day that people start thinking about mailing Christmas stuff as well, so the post offices are rather slammed. (I was in mine this morning.) They're not giving priority to answering the phones today (if ever). You've done all you can; just be patient.

[rustictrollop]

It sounds crazy, I know... but if you click on the button on the USPS page to get text updates for the package, it will sometimes get it out of the loop it's going on. Don't ask me how, don't ask me why, but someone told me that secret and I didn't believe it... until I tried it on several packages that were stuck in customs in foreign countries and some that were getting bounced around like yours, and for some odd reason requesting text updates gives USPS a kick in the pants and they seem to fix whatever the issue is. I won't guarantee that it will work for you in this situation but you have nothing to lose by trying, and I swear that it's worked for me.

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I used your method, multiple times.  Not sure if that did the trick, or some minor miracle just happened, but this morning tracking has been updated to show that the package arrived at the correct postal depot in Winston Salem, and then went out for delivery.  And the Buyer also messaged me this morning, showing appreciation (thank goodness), that I'm am trying to help.  Hopefully this will soften the possibility of a neg or neutral ........would be my first ever 😞

Hopefully, later today, I will receive a positive message from the Buyer that the package arrived and all is finally well.  Hopefully!!

Thanks so much for your help!

[rustictrollop]

Okay, first of all, the package is not in limbo; it's on the move. It appears from looking at the tracking that when it arrived at the Destination Sort in Greensboro, it was then misrouted to the Walnut Cove PO instead of one of the Winston-Salem POs, probably due to a sorting error. Walnut Cove recognized it as misdirected as soon as they received it, no doubt, so they tossed it in with the forwarded mail going back to Greensboro. 

If you look at the map, Walnut Cove, Winston-Salem and Greensboro are basically three points of a triangle about 17 miles apart from each other. I believe it should turn up in Winston-Salem (at the correct PO this time) sometime today, as it looks like only about a half-hour drive from one place to the other.

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I noticed the 'triangle' once I looked at the map, and the Buyer confirmed that Greensboro is 30 minutes from her home.  The tracking updates have finally kicked in and are showing positive movement into Winston Salem and onto final delivery.  Will update once I get positive confirmation.  

Thank you!

[memphiskansasgirl123]

op, i would call the post office and askif someone requested a change in the shipment and if this was the case will your account be billed.    are you in the ebay guaranteed shipping program?  your buyer may have sabbatoged the delivery date to get the product or shipping free.   Call the post office for a detailed explaination.

[rustictrollop]

op, i would call the post office and askif someone requested a change in the shipment and if this was the case will your account be billed.    are you in the ebay guaranteed shipping program?  your buyer may have sabbatoged the delivery date to get the product or shipping free.   Call the post office for a detailed explaination.

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Excellent points.  I had wondered about the possibility of "sabotage" myself...  Prior to the sale, the Buyer had asked me to discount the shipping cost, but since I make nothing extra on shipping (and explained this to her very clearly), I did discount the cost of the items slightly to help the sale along (they cost me almost nothing, so not a big deal).   My shipping and BIN cost on similar items is less than the competition in most cases, so she had to know what a deal it was.   I sensed she was "fishing" from the get-go.  Will see what happens once she receives the items.  At least I have a "paper trail" of her messages through the eBay system.   And I did make sure to check her FB, both sent and received.  

[starroute-us]

@rustictrollop

The buyers receiving PO would have any change of address or forwarding information on file.

Google their phone number by the zip code you mailed to, ask for a supervisor. (no 800 number)

*If* the buyer has a forward on file, ask the PO to send you that info via email.

Then I would forward that info via an ebay message to the buyer to explain why their package is delayed in a polite manner.

[ed8108]

Once a package has been placed into the Care and custody of USPS, the seller has lost all control over the mail article.

Buyers must recognize when a mail article is delayed, misdirected, scans are not timely or inappropriate, etc, there is nothing that the seller can undertake to correct the situation. Perhaps ebay should consider advising buyers to direct their frustration and complaints not to the seller but directly to the carrier.

This would hopefully result in service

Improvement.