Anyone Had USPS Tracking Issue with Freight Forwarder?

[craftforgedesigns]

Hello everyone,

I shipped an item through USPS first-class about a week ago now. I dropped the package off with 9 other packages of the same item in the parcel pin inside the post office prior to normal business hours. The other 9 packages were delivered days ago, but this one still shows that USPS is waiting on the package.

I became aware of the situation when the buyer contacted me wanting to know why I hadn't shipped the package. Not wanting to make a buyer unhappy, I created another label and was about to ship it again when I noticed the address was a little odd. I did some research and found that the address is for BM Cargo, a freight forwarder in Florida known for various nefarious activities.

The zip code comes up on zip-codes.com as an alias that the post office recommends not using for shipping. I know the tracking information typically updates when the package hits certain regional USPS facilities. Has anyone had a bad address or freight forwarding cause the shipping information to not update for over a week?

I did file a missing package case with USPS, but haven't heard anything back yet. Just looking for some advice from fellow sellers on whether or not I should risk sending another package at this time.

[dhbookds]

The address is going to have nothing to do with tracking........  It sounds like your PO "never received" the item if it has never been scanned at all..    I'd probably wait til Tues. just to see if the USPS request does any good, but I've had one that never scanned and just had to make good on it........  No way you can prove you actually shipped it.........

[a_c_green · Accepted solution]

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@craftforgedesigns wrote:

I did some research and found that the address is for BM Cargo, a freight forwarder in Florida known for various nefarious activities.

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They're not "known" for nefarious activities any more than any other business; it's just no one goes on-line to post an announcement that everything went fine for them, only if a mishap occurred. By that standard, your local plumber is probably just as notorious if judged only by his Yelp reviews. 

The problem here is not the destination but the trip. Your package was not scanned at all, anywhere, which suggests that it never left your post office. If they had simply missed their normal Acceptance scan but otherwise got the package on its way, it would have been scanned someplace along the way when passing through one of several automated conveyor scanners, and the first in-network scan will be logged as an Acceptance regardless of where it takes place.

I'm thinking that your package might still be at the bottom of the drop chute bin. I would take your tracking number to your post office, ask them to doublecheck their in-house intranet system (which has more info on it than you can see on their public-facing website), and also ask them to check the bin just in case. (You might want to check your own vehicle, too. This would not be the first time that a missing package turned up under someone's seat.) Good luck and let us know what you find out.

[craftforgedesigns]

Thank you for the reply. It definitely leaves us with no options when the post office never scans it because like you said, there is really no way to prove it was shipped. I'm would like to wait until Tuesday, but then I run the risk of upsetting the buyer even more by delaying the ship time. It is always a trade off with these these situations.

[craftforgedesigns]

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@a_c_green wrote:

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I'm thinking that your package might still be at the bottom of the drop chute bin. I would take your tracking number to your post office, ask them to doublecheck their in-house intranet system (which has more info on it than you can see on their public-facing website), and also ask them to check the bin just in case. (You might want to check your own vehicle, too. This would not be the first time that a missing package turned up under someone's seat.) Good luck and let us know what you find out.

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I'll definitely explore this option as well. Hopefully it will turn up at the post office. It was driving me crazy that it hadn't arrived at the buyer's location because I was sure I had sent it so I checked the car and tore the house apart looking for somewhere I may have dropped it. No luck.

[mr_lincoln]

@craftforgedesigns  ... " dropped the package off with 9 other packages of the same item in the parcel pin inside the post office prior to normal business hours. ... "

Unfortunately, without standing in line and getting the acceptance scan and leaving with a receipt there is no guarantee the Post Office will process the package, maybe it was stolen, etc.  While maybe most of the time that works it is not fool-proof ...

[craftforgedesigns]

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@mr_lincoln wrote:

@craftforgedesigns  ... " dropped the package off with 9 other packages of the same item in the parcel pin inside the post office prior to normal business hours. ... "

Unfortunately, without standing in line and getting the acceptance scan and leaving with a receipt there is no guarantee the Post Office will process the package, maybe it was stolen, etc.  While maybe most of the time that works it is not fool-proof ...

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I do like to get the receipt to avoid situations like this. I always check the bin to ensure the packages actually fall into the secure area to mitigate the risk of theft, but I agree that it is not a fool-proof system. I always drop the packages off on my way into work, so the post office is not open when I arrive. I will say that this is the first issue I've had in over 250 shipments so the risk is minimal. Of course it was the more expensive than normal shipment that got lost 😒.

[nkmipgolf]

This happened to me once. I got the tracking number receipt and then nothing for 4 days ( heading to Saudi) . Called the PO complaint dept and they would look into it. 3 days later tracking showed up halfway there.