So that is where all of my packages go..

[lgonzalez28]

I came across this article from April while researching a package that has been accepted at the distribution center in the recipient's city days ago, only to have the post master tell me 'it's here somewhere, but we can't find it yet". 

I never really thought about where they end up months later, just figured it was a literal blackhole. 😋

This would be interesting to attend. 

https://local12.com/news/nation-world/the-secretive-facility-where-usps-sends-and-sells-your-lost-ma...

[scga912]

Thank you for causing me to lose 30-40 minutes of my day lol.  I ended up perusing GovDeals some.  Atlanta is doable, but the current auction is happening too soon for me to make a trip out of it.

[mr_lincoln]

@lgonzalez28   Great thread and  good find on your part ... here's one I like from the article, " ... It has a staff whose job it is to open packages and try to track down the owners. Anytime they don't find the rightful owner, within a few months, the USPS gets to auction it off and pocket the profits. ..."

I would love to see the effort put forth to try and find the owner of a package they open LOL!  I guess I assume these are packages that have no label or return address?!?  So how are they going to figure out who it belongs to?  They aren't.

... it's all about money ...

[scga912]

@mr_lincoln 

Packing slips?

Lots of non-sellers never include information inside the box. 

Many sellers don't either.

[mansons2005]

General Reply:
Speaking from experience, we once had a piece of jewelry go missing between the distribution centre and the destination PO. We opened a "trace", during which we provided a lot of requested information, and a day or so later we received a phone call asking a few more questions - which it turned out were to verify what they had on hand at the dead letter office in Atlanta. A few days later we received our Yurman bracelet in the mail.
I imagine the system doesn't work as well very often, but it apparently does work on occasion.

[a_c_green]

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@nobody*s_perfect wrote:

In spite of all those clues, it was deemed undeliverable, so apparently that PO wasn't much into doing detective work, or maybe there's some specific process.

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Sounds like they weren't even trying. Our carrier would have figured it out in a heartbeat. Any regular carrier learns the addressee names soon enough (heck, there were probably other mailpieces on that same day going on that same route that could have been used for comparison), and the ZIP+4 alone would be enough to identify whose route it was.

[mr_lincoln]

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@scga912 wrote:

@mr_lincoln 

Packing slips?

Lots of non-sellers never include information inside the box. 

Many sellers don't either.

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I don't, never have ... the article says they "try" ... if a packing slip exists there's no "trying", just stick a label on it with the address and ship it out ... 

[lgonzalez28]

In defense of the Usps in this one instance, I opened a case. 

A few hours later, after usps working hours, I received a call from the post master in a small town in CO where the package was last scanned.

He said the office was small enough to put me on hold while he searched. 

He did not find it, but first thing in the morning, asked the regular carrier whom knew the address immediately. The carrier was looking in to it today personally. 

I live in South Florida, we don't even have local numbers that are working. 

I was quite impressed by the effort. I guess it makes a difference where you live. 

Fingers crossed it's found, but having reached out to the buyer days ago without a response, it may have just been delivered.

We shall see.

[patd3283]

Before going on line we attended some of the auctions in Atlanta.  They were huge & well attended.

People showed up with 18 wheelers and bought huge boxes (rounds) of books then used fork lifts to load them.

Most coins, cameras, etc brought good prices.  I kept thinking about all the sellers who had to refund and buyers who did not receive their items.

It is hard to believe so much stuff was 'lost'.

[nobody*s_perfect]

Don't forget that USPS is paying out insurance claims on lost Priority and insured packages. Items are valued at their most recent sold price, which is far more than USPS will recoup at those auctions.

[1manstuff-anothermanstreasure]

USPS processed over 6,000,000,000 packages in 2018.

Not hard to imagine how many packages are lost every year.

[lja440]

The alternative would be to send it to a landfill.

That's why it is so important to pack well, include a packing slip (I would say only 1/4 of my eBay packages arrive with a packing slip) and secure and protect your labels well. 

Thursday it was raining buckets. I had several packages that I took pictures of with my phone because there wasn't enough label to scan them or put in the numbers manually. We had to match them up to mark them delivered using the addresses and what numbers we could match after I got back.

One in particular was  T shirt in a manila envelope (it got so wet it disintegrated) the label was the classic eBay label with the receipt part folded under. The seller attached it with ONE STRIP OF TAPE vertically. That's it. It did catch enough of the address to see where it went but the rest and the first part and last part of the barcode was pulp. 

[lgonzalez28]

I need to start including a packing slip, but can't figure out how on the mobile app which is usually the way I print labels in a hurry when purchases are made just before the carrier arrives.
Is there a way to print these from the app?

[lja440]

I don't know I use my desktop for printing. I find the app to be problematic for listing, I always just use it and take pictures I then finalize them on my desktop (my camera died when I forgot it in my hot car). The few times I tried to use just the app I was unhappy with the listings.

[lgonzalez28]

Thank you. 

I may just print an extra label and slip it in when using the app.

Better than the lost package purgatory, I guess.

[mansons2005]

General Reply
and TOTALLY off topic?
Years ago (MANY years ago) when you mailed a parcel you were instructed to make sure it was double wrapped in brown paper and tied with string (there were little placards at the PO illustrating How-To). The most important instruction was to include a piece of paper INSIDE the parcel with the sender's and recipient's name and address, as well as writing it on the outside of the parcel. The kicker was that the piece of paper could ONLY contain the sender's and recipient's name and address - any message made that piece of paper a LETTER and you had to pay extra postage to include a letter.

On the other hand, you could write a letter and send it in an UNSEALED envelope (just tuck the flap in) for a penny cheaper than regular postage. I think it was called Fourth Class mail.

There! More useless knowledge from a Baby Boomer's Daddy.......................