Thinking about dropping USPS. Too many delays!

[casey-86]

I'm considering dropping USPS altogether. When I see tracking for several of my packages go back and forth between locations and to places they have no business going to before arriving very late to the destination I can't help but think they don't have their operations in order. This really started becoming a problem this past December and has for the most part remained consistent. This isn't fair for me and it isn't fair for buyers. Shipping prices are already higher than they should be (yes even with discounts) and for packages to be 2+ weeks traveling like they're on some kind of road trip unsure of where they are going just isn't acceptable. If the USPS doesn't improve by the start of summer I think I will be going with UPS and FedEx.

Has anyone else been having problems with USPS shipping lately?

[gator08041971]

I shipped an order today USPS Media Mail.  There was even a warning about possible delays in the shipping purchase page.

However, nearly all of my packages have been shipping and arriving fine.  I get an occasional one that might take an extra day or two, but that's been it.  And I have been shipping mostly USPS GA or MM depending on the item.

Any item that looks like it will be late, I reach out to the buyer the day it was due to arrive and let them know its running late ahead of them knowing or contacting me.  In every case, I have not had any issue with those buyers, many thanked me for the update and understood.

But I do know that some routes can be more troublesome than others, especially when shipping to a buyer from Florida.  Those almost always have a high chance of being delayed.  Though I had one shipped to a forwarder that is out for delivery and on schedule having been shipped USPS GA.

So while things have been a bit rough the past few months, I have not stopped using USPS yet.  I do offer alternative shipping on some items if a buyer wants to choose a different carrier or option.

[ltldpr]

I'm blaming the routing issues on artificial idiocy (ai). USPS dumped millions of dollars into ai for "routing" back in 2023. Late 2023/early 2024 is when I started experiencing delays and off course side trips for packages. 

I can't see a human repeatedly making the same mistake regarding your repeat customer and the temporary disappearances at the same spots in the same routes. I CAN see a programmed piece of, eh hm, software doing it though (software that supposedly learns on the fly - it has learned where to drop the ball and it keeps dropping it at the same spot). The same human might make the same mistake a couple of times, but not every time, and would eventually stop making it.