No updates on USPS tracking since purchasing postage one week ago

[swbaird167]

I sold a small item a week ago, printed postage, and dropped it off at the counter of my local post office. Since then the tracking has not updated from "Shipping Label Created, USPS Awaiting Item". The expected delivery date shown to the buyer is tomorrow. I went to the post office and asked about it and they said that since it shows as not having been dropped off I can't file a claim for it being missing. Should I reach out to the buyer about the situation? How to go about it if yes? Since there has been literally no activity on the tracking since purchasing can I cancel the label? General thoughts on what to do here?

[12345jamesstamps]

Nope...I would let buyer contact me first. Just because you see no movement doesn't mean its not being shipped.

I lot of my shipments are not getting scanned but have been delivered. I have quite a few since February that do not say "delivered" but have gotten positive feedback from the buyers. Go figure.

Have to wait to see if buyer contacts you first...and then take it from there.

[westslopect]

I have been dealing with this issue off and on for the past three years.   What happeins is when the package is picked up from a drop off point (ie: mailbox, blue box, hopper at a post office) if it doesn't receive an initial scan by the Postal worker before it enters their processing system it will not show as received.   Eventually when it is about to be delivered all of the tracking catches up in most cases.

They cannot or refuse to fix this issue, so if you actually had a package go missing and if it was insured you the shipper would be without recourse.   When I have mentioned this to USPS numerous times all I hear back is silence.    Hope this helps.

[12345jamesstamps]

I was doing the talk today and asked the question about tracking with the eBay employee talk today.

If item does not show "delivered"in tracking....buyer can ask for a refund even if item has been delivered but doesn't show as "delivered" in tracking....per eBay talk today.

In question is something sent out and gets scanned somewhere but doesn't show scanned at the end.

One thing I forgot to ask is when the winter weather is like -20 degrees(just a number) are these scan guns working properly in such cold weather during delivery such as a mailman or UPS or FedEx where the scan gun is in this kind od weather. Interesting thought.

[simba6]

If the buyer did receive it, you don't want to give them any ideas.  Call the 800 number on the USPS web site. They can pull up a lot more info than what is on line.  I have had a number of packages get unstuck that way.

[1786davycrockett]

@swbaird167 

"I sold a small item a week ago, printed postage, and dropped it off at the counter of my local post office. Since then the tracking has not updated from "Shipping Label Created, USPS Awaiting Item". "

As other eBay sellers have commented on previous threads, many post offices across the United States during the past year have deliberately "side-stepped" the hand-tracking scans -- and some of the USPS workers have admitted that their supervisors have informed them to "skip" the scan, to save time for other chores, since the latest Postmaster-General (appointed under a previous administration, by the way) has drastically cut back work hours, overtime and delivery schedules, as well as eliminating sorting machinery.

(Just as an example -- in the northern suburb of the Twin Cities where I live, our mail delivery schedule is now only FOUR days a week, instead of SIX -- and mail is frequently mis-delivered.  Occasionally, if the USPS truck driver accidentally drops envelopes outside the truck window, the driver does not attempt to retrieve them, but simply leaves them abandoned on the ground.  Packages are often left in puddles of water.)

So I would not advise any eBay seller to just "drop it off at the counter," since there is a good chance that it may never get scanned -- leaving sellers wide open for INR claims -- even if the buyer actually receives the item.

Stand in line at the counter to get a scan, or use the self-serve scanner available in many USPS lobbies.

This ain't your daddy's USPS anymore. . ..

[dbfolks166mt]

     When you "dropped" it off at the counter did you obtain a scan receipt? I am guessing the answer would be no so my next question would be why? 

[oszika]

Wait patiently. It will be -most likely- delivered, then eBay will calculate and show your Late Shipment Rate. Isn't nice? It happened with me, 0.15% late shipment rate... that's eBay.

[swbaird167]

Thank you, I'll wait for them to contact me. I've also had a package not show delivered but gotten positive feedback.

[swbaird167]

My local post office never shows up on the tracking. Usually the first scan is from the local major sorting hub. The insurance thing is what's unfortunate.

[swbaird167]

That was my concern about contacting them. I've had packages get stuck before and gotten lucky with patient buyers but in all those cases there was some tracking history.

[swbaird167]

That's probably true regarding the drop off scans, usually the first scan is from the sorting hub. The self serve scanner I try to use but it's often broken for days at a time or has a line. I also don't see how it would help a claim as there's no proof that you actually put anything in the bin afterwards. Standing in line for a person is also not realistic as it's often quite a wait. For reference, after shipping and fees I'm clearing less than $3 on this item.

[swbaird167]

I didn't think (and still don't) it was worth waiting in line for 20+ minutes. They were busy.

[swbaird167]

Not thrilled about that prospect. Would cancelling the order help? I'm making less than $3 after everything so if the worst that happens is I lose my item that might unfortunately be the best outcome.

[1786davycrockett]

@swbaird167 

"I also don't see how it would help a claim as there's no proof that you actually put anything in the bin afterwards. "

First of all -- if there is at least the initial scan, it is proof for eBay that you attempted to ship the item on time, which has a positive effect upon your  Seller Dashboard score, for "Tracking uploaded on time and validated," which is critical for your monthly seller performance grading by eBay:  if your score goes below a certain percentage, you may find yourself in trouble with eBay.

Secondly -- for what earthly reason would any seller deliberately scan a package in the USPS lobby -- and then NOT put it in the shipping bin?!?  Sounds like a deliberate attempt to lose an INR claim!  Besides, if the system is working in the manner in which the self-service lobby drop-offs are intended, those items which actually get dropped into the shipping bins are supposed to receive a secondary USPS validation scan, generally within 24 hours, but often earlier.  That's also a statistic built into your Seller Dashboard score.

Finally -- many buyers are now eagerly looking forwards to that initial tracking scan, as confirmation that their items have actually been shipped.  While the tracking scans are intended to be more a security function for the sellers, the buyers definitely have a vested interest, especially if there are any unexpected delays or detours.

And I'm sorry that you find waiting in line so burdensome.  Many of us do so on a daily basis, not just at the post office; but at the grocery store, or gasoline stations, or the drugstore, or restaurants, or movie theaters, or sports and music events, or church, or funerals, or weddings, or driving in traffic, or -- life in general.  

Perhaps we all need to be just a little more patient with the little bits of life that we've been given.