eBay

jluelf · ‎06-08-2018

Hi,

I'm a Canadian with a PO Box in the US which I use for most of my online purchases since its usually cheaper to ship there. Recently I bought an item on eBay which I'm planning to pick up in a couple days. Problem is, It doesn't actually say delivered. According to the USPS tracking info, the last message is a "Reminder to Schedule Redelivery of your item", whatever that means. It first says "Arrived at Post Office", then "Available for pickup"?. Is this referring to the package having been sucessfully delivered to the PO Box and therefore waiting for pickup? I'm confused as to why I'd be getting a reminder to reschedule since it's a PO Box and they can deliver it at any time. Ill attach a screenshot of the tracking info.

nobody*s_perfect · ‎06-09-2018

Since it has already been scanned as "Available for pickup" , perhaps that option on the scanner is the closest thing they have to "come and get it before we send it back."

lja440 · ‎06-09-2018

I am a mail carrier in the US. If it is small enough to fit inside the PO Box we scan it delivered. If it is too large then a Form 3849 is scanned and placed in the PO Box. This prompts a Pick Up or Reschedule delivery notice to be placed on the tracking.

Seriously if it were up to me we would have some more scan choices, like:

Sorry I had a airhead moment and missed your package I will bring it tomorrow.

The sender tried to cheat on postage and now your package has arrived Postage Due.

lacemaker3 · ‎06-09-2018

Another possible reason they might not have put the package into your PO Box, is they may need you to sign for it. They put a card in your box, telling you to come to the counter to pick it up.

I have found that sometimes, if the seller bought extra insurance, then the PO adds a signature required to the package, even if the seller didn't ask for it.

berserkerplanet · ‎06-09-2018

>>If it is small enough to fit inside the PO Box we scan it delivered. If
>>it is too large then a Form 3849 is scanned and placed in the PO Box

Not all PO's must be doing that, unless a form 3849 is a wrinkled, reused, yellow card with my PO box number on it, that I take out of the #1 letter sized PO box and to the counter to get my pkgs. (PO is in 60k+ population town in middle of a 2.5million+ metro area)

My last delivery had a key in the PO box and pkg was in a Parcel locker. They must have started using them again recently*

*There were break-ins a couple of years ago and they stopped using the parcel lockers, followed by a problem with homeless living on the counters inside, which resulted in the lobby doors getting locked at 9pm, which really messed up my routine of picking up my mail at 10 pm after tennis - the tennis courts are right next to the PO (Informed delivery helps with that somewhat). Locking the doors must have cleared up the issue and the lockers are back in use again which is great for me since that PO closes early and it's tough for me to be there during retail hours)

Anyway, I've never seen a Pick Up or Reschedule delivery notice on any of my tracking to date - only I think "Available for Pickup" or "Delivered PO Box", and with this last one, "Delivered Parcel Locker".

muttlymob · ‎06-09-2018

Not all PO's must be doing that, unless a form 3849 is a wrinkled, reused, yellow card with my PO box number on it, that I take out of the #1 letter sized PO box and to the counter to get my pkgs. (PO is in 60k+ population town in middle of a 2.5million+ metro area)

I have read that some POs are running out of the 3849 forms, or that some managers are very stingy in handing them out. The 3849 was changed last year and there may be some printer issues with the new ones. And possibly all the old ones were thrown out when the change was made. Perfect storm of poor planning/poor execution kinda thing.

7606dennis · ‎06-09-2018

@lja440 wrote:
I am a mail carrier in the US. If it is small enough to fit inside the PO Box we scan it delivered. If it is too large then a Form 3849 is scanned and placed in the PO Box. This prompts a Pick Up or Reschedule delivery notice to be placed on the tracking.

Seriously if it were up to me we would have some more scan choices, like:

Sorry I had a airhead moment and missed your package I will bring it tomorrow.

The sender tried to cheat on postage and now your package has arrived Postage Due.

I thought the new system of billing the sender pretty much eliminated the postage due problem as far as electronically printed postage goes. I suppose it's still an issue those that use stamps.

"It is an intelligent man that is aware of his own ignorance."

muttlymob · ‎06-09-2018

I thought the new system of billing the sender pretty much eliminated the postage due problem as far as electronically printed postage goes. I suppose it's still an issue those that use stamps.

The APV won't catch all types of postage due - eg, misuse of media rate, misuse of priority supplies. And the APV probably isn't catching all postage due for weight and/or dimension issues either.

berserkerplanet · ‎06-09-2018

>>I have read that some POs are running out of the 3849 forms...

Googled 3849 form - "Oh, one of those!" - I have never gotten a 3949 for a PO box delivery, and I've had this PO Box for 18 years. Don't think I've seen more than 1 or 2 in the last 15 years at a physical address either.

At home pkgs left on porch (no sig req so no undeliverable reason), and at office, seems like carriers haul stuff back and try next day (they walk letter mail rounds, and then swing by with truck if pkg deliveries - maybe a learned behavior since we are often not in - and they don't bother filling out and making extra effort to leave 3849 in that case), or sometimes leave with suite next door (unspoken policy that pretty much works as very little inbound is critical)

The notices stuffed in my box are blank yellow card stock, maybe 3"x7", and IIRC, sometimes just my PO box number handwritten in big digits with a sharpie on one side, or crossed out lines with a PO Box number and a date (like an old library book checkout card sort of. Reused many times and well worn. Lotech but works fine.

Unless the parcel lockers go Dodo again - breakins re-occur, or they decide to monetize that bay in the lobby with real paying PO boxes (rough guesstimate of $10,000/year in potential PO box real estate wasted on free parcel lockers for existing PO boxes), I'll probably never see one.

Got a pkg delivery today that went to a parcel locker (tracking last entry after "Sorting complete" shows "Delivered, Parcel Locker"), which solves my "closes at 2 pm on Sat and I can't get there 10 miles away in the next 6 minutes" issue.

lja440 · ‎06-10-2018

We used to use just yellow cards too but with the roll out of the new scanners we have to scan one when a package is only attempted. I like this as it also gives the customer an idea of what is waiting pick-up.

Like if it were me with the PO Box. I got 4 packages last week. 2 record lots which there is no hurry to work them into my inventory. One lot of mica pigments for some projects, I was excited to get some new colors but still not a time sensitive item, AND the netting for over my peacock run. VERY time sensitive as Tofu knows where the weak spots are in the old bird net (fooled him I bought some that is for ball backstops). This net was also a month on back order.

We do still have the cards and the new 3849's (we have plenty) are post- it type. The clerks just stick it on the yellow card. Or they put in a plain yellow card if the item does not have tracking. The clerks do so because the cards are bright and can be spotted through the little glass window.

berserkerplanet · ‎06-10-2018

Interesting.

I finally did the informed delivery thing for my PO Box and that along with the parcel lockers that are back in use makes it very manageable and convenient (that PO is in a town 10 miles* of the path of my daily travels, I don't get much mail there, and usually only check on nights when I'm playing tennis at the park next to that PO). With informed delivery, I can let lettermail pile up in the PO Box if it's not something I'm expecting or need, and can save trips to the PO and be sure that when I do go what I need is there and ready to pick up.)

*I realize you are the wrong one to be whining about an extra 10 or 20 mile trip to.

>>Tofu knows where the weak spots are in the old bird net

Didn't realize you kept eBay community member tofu in a bird run in your yard. That may explain some things

>>We do still have the cards and the new 3849's (we have plenty) are post- it type

Wonder why my big city, metro area PO doesn't use them in the PO boxes? I may ask if they do the same the next time I'm in the bigger main PO where I do my mailings.

Snapped some photos of the parcel lockers when I picked up a package on Sat at 6:30PM just in case anyone is wondering what the parcel locker setup looks like (at least at my PO)

The PO where I drop off my shipments has about half the number of PO boxes as this branch (and they are combination lock PO boxes), and has no parcel lockers.

lja440 · ‎06-11-2018

LOL That is a huge box section. Ours at the main PO is only 6 feet wide, at the retail office it is maybe 3 feet wide and 4 feet tall. Neither has any parcel lockers.

Tofu, he came with the name and knows it. He has mangled or deformed toes, totally missing 3. It is short for Toes all f---ed up. He gets around like a normal bird but as the lady who had him got a all white one and Tofu is dominate she wasn't having any luck getting unusual chicks (Her peahen is pied and Tofu is the most common blue). She wanted to rehome him and I had the space and housing.