Anyone else livid about the increasingly poor customer service from USPS?

[rainbowranchmom]

Anybody else about had it with the Post Office?

Four packages were broken last month and, of course, the USPS system is so unwieldly and user-abusive that the claim system is useless.  Lost all that tiny profit and can't afford  to buy gas let alone food this month.

Also Lost my discount last month because the Post Office did not scan the packages on time and EVEN LEFT two here despite pick up requests and my fault = I lost one item here. 

AND the USPS just did it again. The relief relief carrier "didn't know" so he didn't look in the big white USPS tote bungee corded to my mailbox and left one must-ship package behind. I have only been selling since 2005 and 2009 here at this address. What is so difficult? What do I do to get their attention? I already leave candy or protein bars or fruit and gifts every day. Guess what, I won't do that anymore. I can save the money to pay for the Post Office breakage although a .79 candy bar doesn't come close to the cost NOT PROFIT of an antique??? Guess who loses - again?

AAARRGGHH.  I am so angry and I had no choice but drive to the Post Office so eBay wouldn't penalized me for not up-scanning the package in time even if I was on 2 lines of my gas tank being EMPTY. I asked for the Post Master and this guy named Robert was useless.  eBay, if you are listening, do you realize that we sellers are losing our discount, our seller status and are penalized because of the crappy USPS service. I have started using FedEx often but they are usually so expensive and the possibility to recharge the seller later without notice made my bank account bounce so that is not a good solution. That cost the extra FedEx fee plus $41.00 bounced debit charge.

eBay - stand up for us. We are really between a rock and a hard place here - DeJoy's USPS is lousy and no longer reliable and full of excuses . . . if you aren't careful, you are going to lose sellers, eBay. We can't afford to subsidize the USPS budget nor survive their deplorable "service" which is an oxymoron - they are NOT a service in any definition of the word service. Help, please.

[wastingtime101]

I've had a lot of issues lately with substitute carriers, but it's my choice to use USPS or another service. I've worked with my regular carrier to find out what days they don't work then make arrangements to bring packages to the PO on those days since the subs won't scan.

Four broken items in a month? You're not going to want to hear this, but that's a really high rate of breakage and unless you have visual evidence of packages with tire tracks or giant holes from forklifts, the issue may lie with how you're packing. Packages go through sorting systems and are dropped from conveyor belts at high heights with other heavy packages falling on top. Items need to be packed well enough to stay in-tact during rough handling.

[yuzuha]

I see you sell some fragile items... are you double-boxing them? Because if not, that would be why they're getting broken. Fragile things need to be double-boxed to protect against impact from being dropped and tossed around during the sorting and shipping process.

[vintagecraze50]

I became livid with USPS during the Christmas pandemic disaster, and although I am currently not livid. I do not trust their service and do not use them anymore.

[rainbowranchmom]

Been selling full time since 2009 and part time since 2005. I do double box, use miles of bubble wrap and you can check my feedback - this is new - I thank you for your obvious conclusion but yes, 4 broken items in ONE MONTH. Maybe the post office is the problem. I stand by my "lividity." I would send by FedEx but they can back-charge you without notice and then you incur bounce check fees. Bottom line, I think I am done. I am too small and old to put up with this. I can't make enough money anymore to deal with the high prices out there. Time for something more dramatic, huh?  Wish we had a reliable post office  or that EBay could or would take some action.

[rainbowranchmom]

Which shipping service do you use? How do you prevent the back-charging without notice that bounces my check book? Thanks.

[rainbowranchmom]

Yep, I double box - been doing this since 2005. In all that time, I have never had 4 items crashed in one month. Maybe 4 damaged boxes in ten years . . . 

[oldwestgold]

There's your clue. You obviously are not packaging your items correctly. If you continue to do something the same way you will continue to get the same results.

Secondly, any responsible seller here makes sure they get a scan from the PO clerk when you drop off. If you continue to allow that to happen, then that is on you also for not bringing it to the Manager or PM's attn. USPS employees, like any employee, get paid to do a job. They do not get to pick and choose what they want to do, especially in the USPS. They have some of the strictest rules for their service and employees.

I have shipped over 100,000 packages via the USPS in the past 40 years and have only had one lost or damaged. I have shipped valuables to glass items. Now if I can do it, anyone can do it. I continually get incredibly poor packaged items from sellers on ebay - yes I buy a ton also every month. I am not stating you are one of those, but if you have that many damaged items, then yes - you need to review your shipping practices IF you want this to change. What delivery company you choose will not change the damaged items you continue to have.

Have a good day!

[oldwestgold]

We have the best delivery system in the world with the USPS.  The USPS handles more delivery items in one day than UPS and FedEx combined do in one year. It sounds like you have two options. Change delivery companies or retire from eBay. I highly doubt you will do either.  Good luck

[oldwestgold]

Just what action do you believe eBay could take? Simply makes no sense. eBay cannot tell you how to package and surely cannot tell the USPS what to do. What have you done to correct the issue? Have you taken your broken items and boxes up to your Postmaster and asked them what is going wrong? Work the problem. Venting here may help you personally, but does nothing to fix your problem of damaged shipments.

A lot of sellers on eBay do NOT treat their presence as a business. Instead, some still operate under the garage sale theory. And that's ok if that's all you want out of being here as a seller. I made that realization over 15 years ago here. I asked myself what would Amazon or Walmart do? How would they handle this problem or customer? Once you begin to think and act like a "business" then problems do not become personal. They are a part of your business that require thought and action to correct. Shipping is one of those things buyers expect to be on par. Not used boxes, not pieced together cardboard envelopes. They want their items to be received just as they get from Amazon. I once had a large envelope reused and sent to me with my eBay purchase which had USPS stamped RETURN - DECEASED and the guys name and address still on it. Needless to say, I was not impressed with this seller.  Just my pet peeve on items I get from a few sellers.  Have a good day.

[oldwestgold · Accepted solution]

Having nothing for sale sure helps.

[mr_lincoln]

@rainbowranchmom 

-What type of items were broken?

-You had 4 damaged shipments last month ... what is the average per month that you are seeing?

-We're fortunate, our area has a lot of little towns and each has its own little Post Office.  Our local post office is good but of the handful of damaged shipments we've had over thousands of packages the damage most likely happened at one of their bulk mail centers. 

-We don't use the carrier pick up option ... we take our packages to the Post office for scanning and shipment.  Does that cost time and money?  Yes BUT it eliminates a number of potential issues ... like some of the ones you shared.

-eBay would have little impact trying to negotiate with any carrier to make sure they handle packages without damaging them ...

-I don't use FedEx ... they over charged me a number of years ago by TWICE what the Buyer paid so they lost my business ... not to mention there is no free pick up here and their hub is a 30 t0 40 minute round trip.

That's more time and a whole lot more money in gas.