eBay

fatgrandmafinds · ‎08-24-2022

I am totally freaking out here. I had several packages going out this morning and threw everything into one big bag, stopped at the post office and dumped them all in the chute, then ran the rest of my morning errands. I usually check the tracking status of my items in the evening to make sure everything was scanned and when I did that tonight I realized one of them was a UPS package. I don't ship USPS ground anymore because they've destroyed a couple of ground shipments so every now and then I have a UPS shipment but not often which is why I spaced it this time.

Should I hit the post office first thing in the morning to see if it's still there? I searched Google and lots of folks say this happens a lot and USPS will generally hand the packages to UPS and there's no way to call individual post offices these days so it's not like I can pick up the phone and call tomorrow morning. I searched the tracking number and UPS hasn't scanned it so it seems my post office might still have it. Does anyone else have experience with this happening?

I did send a message to my buyer and let her know what's going on in case there's a delay in her receiving the item. Ugh!

richard1rst · ‎08-25-2022

@fatgrandmafinds wrote:
Again, there aren't phone numbers for the individual post offices (there's only an 800 number for all of them) so calling isn't an option. I just wondered if this has happened to anyone else and how they handled it or what happened.

That is not true.

Go to:

https://tools.usps.com/find-location.htm?location=1366701

enter the zip code of your post office and you will get something like this (this is obviously mine just for example)

"Laissez-faire capitalism (AKA The Great Material Continuum) is the only social system based on the recognition of individual rights and, therefore, the only system that bans force from social relationships." ~ Ayn Rand

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annadryl · ‎08-24-2022

I would just call them first thing in the morning so they know. Maybe someone will hold it for you. I know my PO would, I am sure there are some that won't.

fatgrandmafinds · ‎08-24-2022

Again, there aren't phone numbers for the individual post offices (there's only an 800 number for all of them) so calling isn't an option. I just wondered if this has happened to anyone else and how they handled it or what happened.

richard1rst · ‎08-25-2022

@fatgrandmafinds wrote:
Again, there aren't phone numbers for the individual post offices (there's only an 800 number for all of them) so calling isn't an option. I just wondered if this has happened to anyone else and how they handled it or what happened.

That is not true.

Go to:

https://tools.usps.com/find-location.htm?location=1366701

enter the zip code of your post office and you will get something like this (this is obviously mine just for example)

"Laissez-faire capitalism (AKA The Great Material Continuum) is the only social system based on the recognition of individual rights and, therefore, the only system that bans force from social relationships." ~ Ayn Rand

annadryl · ‎08-25-2022

I guess this is Old School, but in the front of my local phone book there are various local gov't offices phone numbers. They still have phones of course. Look under US Federal Government offices.

richard1rst · ‎08-25-2022

@annadryl wrote:
I guess this is Old School, but in the front of my local phone book there are various local gov't offices phone numbers. They still have phones of course. Look under US Federal Government offices.

I know you mean well but that is almost funny.

When I moved in in '04 the phone company delivered phone books to me for free once a year. For about 3 years. I haven't seen an actual phone book for about 15 years.

"Laissez-faire capitalism (AKA The Great Material Continuum) is the only social system based on the recognition of individual rights and, therefore, the only system that bans force from social relationships." ~ Ayn Rand

annadryl · ‎08-25-2022

Received my new book a few days ago. I use it mostly for food delivery. So I'm not joking, but maybe that's just here. Ask Alexa or something I guess? Google it?

Seriously, a Post Office will have a phone though, and the number (a local one) is still available locally without having to access the global community.

varebelrose · ‎08-25-2022

A good example of why its recommended to have the labels scanned and get the reciept in hand, before leaving the PO. You would have caught this before it went any further. Anyways, yes, they have a phone... call them or drop by when they reopen. It will still be there 99.99%.

a_c_green · ‎08-25-2022

@fatgrandmafinds wrote:
Should I hit the post office first thing in the morning to see if it's still there? I searched Google and lots of folks say this happens a lot and USPS will generally hand the packages to UPS and there's no way to call individual post offices these days so it's not like I can pick up the phone and call tomorrow morning.

That is pretty much the case these days, yes. If you're waiting in line at a post office sometime, listen very carefully and you may hear a phone ringing endlessly in the background. They generally don't want to answer because (1) there are people actually at the counter who are waiting for service, and (2) it's going to be some complaint or question about missing mail that's going to take an employee some non-zero amount of time to look up on their intranet system, explain the results to the caller, listen to them carry on a bit longer, etc.

I can't really blame them for not wanting to answer. If I have any kind of USPS issue, I go there in person.

As for your problem, I think they're most likely to hand it over to UPS. Second possibility is that your carrier will bring it back to you on his regular round. The last thing they're going to do is sit on it. Every package that comes in has to go out (someplace), or they will quickly run out of storage space. You can stop by first thing in the morning and ask, although the overnight crew may have already dealt with it. Good luck and tell us what you find out.

fatgrandmafinds · ‎08-25-2022

I usually put the USPS packages in one bag and UPS in another when I have two different shippers but I got distracted and put everything in one bag. I have a really messed up back and standing is torture for me so that's why I don't usually get packages scanned when I take them in.

Anonymous · ‎08-25-2022

@fatgrandmafinds wrote:
I have a really messed up back and standing is torture for me so that's why I don't usually get packages scanned when I take them in.

Both services offer a pickup service. Why not use it?

fatgrandmafinds · ‎08-25-2022

Well, let me eat my bowl of crow while I wait for them to open so I can call 😂. If I don't get an answer after 9 am I'll drive over and try to get my package back. You can bet this will not happen again.

fatgrandmafinds · ‎08-25-2022

Yeah, no. We don't get phone books anymore. They're a waste of paper and with the way Phoenix has grown it would be a like a 4 volume set of encyclopedias.

fatgrandmafinds · ‎08-25-2022

I've used the pickup service from usps a couple of times but we live on a route where our mail carrier changes daily and some of them aren't very reliable. One carrier completely ignored the small pile of packages I'd scheduled a pickup for and I had to holler at him as he headed to our neighbor's house (thankfully, he hadn't left yet) and played dumb when I asked why he left the packages. The other time the carrier picked them up but the packages weren't scanned into the system until the next day. I guess my point is, I don't trust them.

fatgrandmafinds · ‎08-25-2022

Well, I wanted to edit my original post but can't do that so I'm updating it here. I called the post office 4 times this morning and got the 'pick up, hang up' action the first time then no answer the other 3 times so I drove over. Waited in line and found out (from a very smug postal worker) that they send UPS packages to the main hub in downtown Phoenix and they're supposed to go to UPS from there but he couldn't tell me anything more. So I'll be refunding my buyer the shipping she paid and if the package isn't in the UPS system by Monday, the 29th I'll refund her for the item too. Then I'll have to cross my fingers I don't get negative feedback.