USPS Not Scanning Packages

[czarstar]

Our USPS Carriers for the most part do a great job picking up our packages in the rain, heat, cold.. and get them off and carry them away, One step is being missed, scanning my packages.  Seems some about 2% of our packages are not getting scanned until they get to state and sometimes only at time of delivery..  To my wonderful surprise eBay thinks I live in Guam, Portland and may other locations other then my shipping address in NC.. No matter we still take the hit for late packages..  And of course talking to customer service at eBay is a bust..  Anyone else having this issue?.   It seems talking to the postmaster and carriers, have little to no effect..  No matter what it has taken me from a 8 year in a row top rated to above standard.. another way for eBay to get more money.  

[earthfirstbotanicals]

I'm new to selling and this has issue has cost me TRS status. I chalked it up to busy holiday season but it is maddening nonetheless. I found that USPS failed to scan some of my items for up to 6-days predictably causing late delivery issues. 

I am only shipping 10-20 items a day so I can carry a single tote into the post office with a scan sheet, but that doesn't scal at all.

EFB

[tina06457]

My P.O. flat out refused to scan any packages/scan sheets from 12/20 until 12/26. They would not scan for anyone for any reason. I now have 5 dings for late shipments even though they arrived before their due dates. Ebay needs to take this into consideration at holiday time. 

[fuzzymae]

At least your items are arriving on time.  My local P.O. scans when they feel like it, and moves packages when they want.  If anything, it has gotten worse since Christmas!  I had the same problem with incoming packages this season, things spending days at the local distribution center, then a couple of days "out for delivery."  AND they're raising rates again next month.

[laidbacklarry]

Post office lost one of mine as well

IHave 3 cameras pointed right at box

watched them pick it up

and no scans

and package missing

they have done nothing at all

What can be done about this

[postingid2017]

I don't have many pkgs to ship on any day, but when I do have a sale, I bring the pkg(s) in with the scan sheet and have them scanned.  I did try the package p/u but was a nervous wreck of having pkgs stolen/not scanned so I bring them to the PO.  I time them and bring them after 4.  My PO is opened until 7 p.m.,  so after 4 is good, no lines.

I've always had trust issues w/the PO so I bring mine in.  My clerks do not seem to mind because the timing is not during "peak hours" for them so scanning is not a problem/issue.

[kc11671]

Add me to the list of sellers who lost their TRS because of late deliveries, not late tracking entries.  I notice 1st  class packages are pretty much ignored.  I delivered 19 packages to the P.O. today and the one priority mail item got scanned within a reasonable hour and the other ones (1st class) have yet to be scanned.  

[annadryl]

I found this image online and put it on blank labels for the packages. It's actually helped a lot here, but of course if they don't wanna scan... they won't. It depends on where you are. It's not a priority and they'll blame everything including workload, short staff, budget woes etc. What bugs me is that ebay is well aware and use it against us. I lost TRS just like many many others. It's a hazard too if you get an antsy buyer 

[1avid_collector]

I dropped off a package, with prepaid shipping label attached, at our local post office yesterday at 2:30pm. It was scanned in and I got the acceptance receipt. Now, more than 24 hours later, the tracking on USPS website says only "Shipping Label Created, USPS Awaiting Item".

I know this is an old and often-cited issue with USPS, but it underscores the inexcusable incompetence of USPS and its lousy tracking service circus. Are they using a tracking server from the 1960's running on scrambled punch cards, or did they upgrade recently to a PC from the 1980's running DOS from a floppy disk?

If you took the staff who manage the USPS tracking system and turned them upside down to sweep down a pig pen, I'll bet they would stick their tongues out. Welcome to Incompetence and Stupidity, Inc.

[1avid_collector]

Oh, and then there's the package I dropped off at the same post office this morning, again with prepaid label printed and purchased on USPS website. Nearly 6 hours later, no acceptance update, tracking only shows:

Status Not Available

"The tracking number may be incorrect or the status update is not yet available. Please verify your tracking number and try again later."

BTW, the tracking number I entered is correct -- I double- and triple-checked it. Maybe USPS has decided the way to upload scans to the tracking server is via carrier pigeons...

[berserkerplanet]

Local (large) PO here has pretty much quit scanning anything dropped off in the APC, Blue boxes, or on the counter there until 5-7pm, or if not scanned there, they get scanned at the distribution center later in the evening. Doesn't matter if dropped off at 5 am - still doesn't get scanned until at least 5-6pm.

If I drop things in the Blue Box out back of the office they get picked up at 5:50pm and almost always get a scan then, and if not, get one at the distribution center.

It doesn't matter about your 6 hours later - it only has to be scanned by midnight to meet the eBay requirements.

[czarstar · Accepted solution]

You can Email your complaint to the postmaster Gerneral and let them know of the post office issue, It easy to do at the USPS web site..  

[chung-lee-2]

I am still trying to wrap my head around this     "  another way for eBay to get more money.  "  How on Gods green earth does ebay get more money for the usps screwups ?

[a_c_green]

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@chung-lee-2 wrote:

I am still trying to wrap my head around this     "  another way for eBay to get more money.  "  How on Gods green earth does ebay get more money for the usps screwups ?

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I believe it's because the OP says that they have lost their TRS status due to late shipping (i.e. lack of shipping validation) and have fewer discounts as a result of that.

I'm puzzled by a different line: "To my wonderful surprise eBay thinks I live in Guam, Portland and many other locations other then my shipping address in NC.." Not sure what that's about...

[mustang_mom44820]

@annadryl...I had just such an "antsy buyer" last week. I had a shipment come from CA to me in TN and tracking showed "in transit" but no location info, until it arrived at my door. As it was a 100 yo diamond ring...I was nervous. It arrived fine and on time, thank goodness.

In reverse, I had a buyer in CA. Package was sent on time and tracking showed "in transit" the entire time but gave no location of the package. I explained to the buyer that with the holidays, that they weren't uploading tracking as well as usual. Also told him about my experience from CA to TN, that it arrived on time and I could pretty well guarantee that he was just having the same experience that I did.

He still filed a dispute after 2 days...even though the item showed as USPS in possession and in transit. As I told him it would, it arrived on time. Dispute was closed in my favor. Not a huge deal, except that it took a lot of my time responding to his messages and reading the veiled threats that ebay sends. I held up my end - not my fault that USPS didn't upload tracking. It was frustrating too, because it was over fourteen dollars and some change. He acted like it was the Hope Diamond.

I lost 76 bucks in November because an international shipment got lost in France. Tracking just stopped on November 4th, while "on it's way to its destination". That is frustrating because I lost the item and the money...due to no fault of my own. I try to help customers out by shipping directly and not through Erlanger, to try to save them money....plus Erlanger has lost 3 of my packages since October. I'm to the point that I'm going to notify my regular international buyers that I'll still ship to them but stop offering international shipping, otherwise. $76 .00 was a big hit to a relatively small seller like me...this is my livelihood.

And what about the "automatic credit" if you overpay for shipping? I know for a fact that I've overestimated shipping on several packages, to make sure that they get there but I've never, ever gotten a credit for overpayment. 

Has anyone else gotten that supposed credit that started 08/01/17, if you overpaid for postage?

I'm just really frustrated with USPS right now. I'm lucky that I live in a small town and I know the girl that scans my packages - even if I just drop them and leave, she scans them in quickly. I am going to start asking for a receipt from now on, though.

I don't do bulk printing of my labels - I'm too scared that I will mislabel an item and of the mess that would cause. Do you have to do bulk printing to get the scan sheet that I've seen some of you referring to? This post is the first I've heard of a "scan sheet".

Thanks for letting me rant and ask a couple questions...long time reader, first time poster...lol.