Priority Mail Problems

[molechess]

All my eBay purchases that have been shipped USPS priority mail since November have taken 7 days to be delivered, except one package that took 6 days. I now know why. The post office contract with Amazon to deliver their packages now means other people who ship USPS priority mail are left of the plane, bus, or whatever, if necessary in order to please Amazon. This ain’t right. I pay a premium for priority mail, and do not expect to have my packages sit in a postal facility for 5 days because I choose to purchase off eBay instead of Amazon. This amounts to picking winners and losers. It also penalizes those who do not purchase from Amazon with slow and thus overpriced shipping. Does eBay management know this?The USPS is not hiding this, they freely admit Amazon comes first because of their contract.

[kim_y_buran]

I have seen nothing of the sort. Yes, deliveries were a bit slower, as should be expected during the holiday season, but nothing of the sort you describe. And I live in a large metropolitan area with a notoriously bad USPS hub.

[molechess]

I have the tracking numbers to back up what I say.

[molechess]

I also talked to 3 USPS employees regarding the problems with a package that was shipped PM last Thursday from IN. to me. Still don’t have it. These 3 openly and freely admit that Amazon comes first due to the contract. Quote from my postmaster, “Amazon is our bread and butter”.

Do you work for the post office?

[thallidguy]

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@molechess wrote:

I have the tracking numbers to back up what I say.

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So what? 

You have proof of your own individual experience, but what happens to you doesn't prove a system-wide problem. What happens to you could just as easily be a local problem, or a run of bad luck. USPS has closed so many distribution centers recently that the entire network has had to be rewired, and local kinks are almost bound to happen.

I have not noticed anything like what you describe.

[missjen831]

It has nothing to do with amazon Ans everything to do with what time of year it was. The holiday season.....guess that didn’t occur to you.

[thallidguy]

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@molechess wrote:
I also talked to 3 USPS employees regarding the problems with a package that was shipped PM last Thursday from IN. to me. Still don’t have it. These 3 openly and freely admit that Amazon comes first due to the contract. Quote from my postmaster, “Amazon is our bread and butter”.

Do you work for the post office?

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Which counts as "three low-ranking postal employees making excuses to a disgruntled customer," not an actual statement of USPS policy. If you have ever dealt directly with customers — especially unhappy ones, there is an art to telling them whatever just to get them to go away, so you don't have to be rude and tell them to go away and let you do your work.

You want to talk about using one case to prove a thesis? I have documentary proof that a First Class Package that I sent on December 20 to fill an Etsy order (and shipped in an eBay-branded mailer) was delivered 120 miles away on December 21. Is that proof that there was no holiday slowdown at all?

[kim_y_buran]

@molechess wrote:
Do you work for the post office?

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What's up with the accusations?

[pargran3]

Heck, I had a media rate package go from Iowa to Virginia in one day during this holiday season.

There are no hard and fast rules. If there is room it goes.

If one area is having a really bad experience then it is the area not nationwide for heaven's sake.

Yep, tis true that a complainer will get whatever soothing pap required to get him or her off the phone. And it means what? Nothing.

The rate of delivery will probably pick up for the OP now that the volume that particular distribution centr could not handle goes down.

Radine

[couldabeenworse]

I too would be displeased if my priority mail packages were routinely taking 7 days to arrive.

Fortunately for me, I have not had that problem in either sending or receiving.  I ship a lot of perishable items priority mail, so I keep pretty close tabs on travel time.  Some parcels I shipped around Black Friday took 5 days, most of the rest of December everything was maybe a day longer than normal.

Have you checked the tracking to see if there is a consistent point of holdup?  Since there are not a lot of complaints from others about this, it would seem most likely that the problem is at your post office or maybe the nearest processing center.

[molechess · Accepted solution]

No accusation, a simple question. I came here looking for answers/solutions about the recent (since November) issues i am having with what in the past has been exceptional service using USPS priority mail. Today, I escalated my concerns to a higher level at USPS. They admitted delays.

I have 400 positive, 0 neutral, 0 negative feedbacks. Most importantly, I have not had to have ebay cheat by erasing negative feedback left for me by others. My feedback score is honest and has not been manipulated in any way. I probably have been involved in maybe 300 or more priority mail transactions. I am not a rookie. How many of you can claim the same?

Most of you peope have attacked and basically called me a liar, for telling you about my problem. Most of you have been zero help and totally worthless and a total waste of my time. I suspect all but a couple of you work for ebay, USPS, or Amazon, or are connected and profit from them somehow. Those of you who have attacked me for tellng you the truth and askng for help can simply go to hell. Thanks for nothing. The few of you that have tried to help, I say Thank you.

Regards

[kim_y_buran]

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@molechess wrote:
No accusation <...> I suspect all but a couple of you work for ebay, USPS, or Amazon, or are connected and profit from them somehow.

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Alrighty then.

[pargran3]

Yeah, I didn't see anyone calling the OP a liar.

Oh well. 

I did have a thought since it looks like the OP ships economy rate free in most of his or her listings would be that the OP is upgrading to priority but shipping in plain boxes. It does help to stick a priority sticker on all sides of a plain box just to be sure the package is receiving the proper handling.

And dang but those paychecks from Amazon, eBay and the USPS sure are slow getting to me (as in I have never gotten one).

Radine

[27flamingolane]

I ship from Florida to all over the U.S.  I have experienced one extra shipping day for a very few of my Priority Mail packages during the holiday season, which is to be expected due to high volume.  98% of my packages arrived on time, as scheduled, with absolutely no delay.  Appears to be a local/regional problem in OP's area.  I agree that a postal customer is told what they want to hear to expeditiously move them along.  Sorry you are having this issue in your area OP, it must be frustrating for you.  Hang in there.