USPS Service Concerns for Delivery of 1st Class to Eastern United States

[309kevin2576]

I live in Illinois and having USPS delivery problems of 1st class packages to customers in the eastern united states. I mailed a package to Virginia on March 16th and it hasn't arrived as of March 29th and now my customer wants a full refund. Last USPS tracking information is dated March 20th. I've had numerous packages that have arrived late 2 to 3 weeks late and customers were patient knowing the problems with USPS but this customer isn't patient. I've considered blocking sales to all eastern states as I can't continue to absorb the loss.

Any one else having problems shipping to the eastern states?

[biggymoe]

I am in Nebraska and have been experiencing this for several months.  As you said, it is always to the East.  My shipments to the West seem to be getting delivered quickly and my feedbacks reflect that.  Part of it is probably due to staffing issues, because of Covid, some of it is because of weather conditions, but.......  I have begun cringing when I get a sale heading East.  Hopefully it improves soon.

[frogtoes1960]

I am also in Illinois and delivery of 1st class mail is a concern although it has started to pick up a little better with the weather changing and Covid staffing is better. I have had two contacts so far tell me they were still waiting. one package showed up about 4 days after claim opened and the other said delivered at mailbox to a person so who only knows who got that.  Could the day you take it to the post office make a difference? 

[toysaver]

First Class packages have taken a back seat and estimated delivery times were officially increased a day or two just recently.   I have a package that has been over a week from Wisconsin to Wyoming.

"The Postal Service notes that it has not met its First-Class Mail service targets (delivery within one to three days) for the past eight years, calling the present service standards “unattainable.” So it proposes grounding air transportation delivery in favor of ground transportation, which it claims will be less expensive and more reliable. But as a result, certain First-Class Mail delivery standards would now be a day or two later. "

5 ways that DeJoy’s new USPS plan could affect your mail delivery - MarketWatch

"I've considered blocking sales to all eastern states as I can't continue to absorb the loss."

I'd love to know how you would do this.  I could do without the extra 12% shipping fee loss when I ship heavy packages to the West Coast, it can be as much as a $5 reduction in profits.  If I could I would limit most sales to the Midwest.

[lagarto_electronico]

From my experience, I would recommend NOT ever using 1st Class with USPS anymore.

Ever since the pandemic, Priority Mail is effectively what 1st class used to be.

1st class is now a service USPS provides to make your shipments disappear into an alternate dimension.

If you do use 1st class, get insurance with it. Otherwise, good luck with that.

[chapeau-noir]

You can't block just certain states.

I've continued to use first class with no problems - a few lags sometimes, but no problems.  Anything spendy I upgrade to priority.

[bigdeals.etc]

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@309kevin2576 wrote:

 I've considered blocking sales to all eastern states as I can't continue to absorb the loss.

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How would you even do this? I guess you can manually cancel orders for buyers but then again that's whole other problem.