USPS delays, tracking not updated, numerous orders

[gotclubs]

Hello All,

I know the pandemic is messing a bunch of things up lately but I am curious to see if others are noticing longer than normal delays with USPS priority mail. This week I have had (that buyers have brought up to me) 10 packages drop off of tracking. It seems they end up arriving but instead of 2 days it is taking 8-10, with a 4 day drop off in tracking updates.

Is anyone else experiencing this right now or am I somehow getting very unlucky?

[lex-talon]

Media mail packages are very slow going these days. I shipped a book to a buyer(April 7) who lives 28 miles from me and so far, no movement. First class & Priority packages are arriving on time.

[cntryair]

I am having Priority and First class packages being shipping to all kind of random cities. Not sure what is going on with the Denver Processing Center. Probably happening on about half of my shipments.

This really delays the shipping arrival as that "random city" needs to send it back out to the correct part of the country. i.e., shipped a package from Denver, CO to New Jersey. Package ended up in Portland, OR. Took several days to get the Portland Processing Center to get it rerouted back to New Jersey.

Lot and lots of examples.

[catzrule7]

I stopped going to the Post Office when our governor put in the "shelter in place" order and started requesting pick ups from our carrier.  That has been going awful.  When they actually take the packages, they rarely bother to scan them --- even though I leave a nice note (and granola bars, candy, etc.).

I currently have four packages that still only show that I've printed a label but were shipped several days ago. I sometimes worry if they are throwing my packages somewhere.  Starting tomorrow I am going to just take the health risk and go take my packages at the Post Office.  If none of my "missing" packages show up, I'm looking to be out a few hundred dollars. Because the carrier never scanned them, I cannot even submit for insurance.  I figure it is either this or close down my store until the world gets a bit more normal.

(Won't even discuss the packages that are "in transit" for over two weeks with no updates! ..... had to refund)

[mysalonsavings]

Yes, I have a INR now where buyer claims she did not receive. Tracking shows as in transit. 

[eenus-56]

I mostly ship First Class, not Priority, but I'm experiencing a lot of delays as well. I have 10 items right now that I shipped on the 11th and 13th that all just show "Pre-shipment" without any acceptance or in-transit scans. So far, my Priority Mail packages are getting scanned and delivered as usual. But I'm not confident that'll continue to be the case.  First-class letters are also taking much longer than usual to arrive.

[dhbookds]

knock on wood........ours are going fine, getting delivered on time........

[catzrule7]

And, then, we are going to have to refund when INR is claimed by the buyers.....AND probably get a "mark" on our accounts for not shipping on time.  

I'm going to give it another week and then I may just shut down my store for a while.  I'm going to lose way more money covering all the lost packages AND the postage than I make on the ones that actually get to their destinations.

I know there are so many worse things going on right now, but all of the "missing" packages are keeping me up at night and stressing me out.

[kathy507]

I have had several packages delayed or "lost in transit"  recently

The post office does not even refund the postage when they lose a package, let alone cover the cost of the item and all the selling fees, unless the package is insured.  But the cost of sending things priority mail can be a sale stopper, especially if the item is less than $10.00.

I think it is only right they refund at least the postage cost if they lose a package with a tracking number but they do not see it that way.

Does anyone know what happens to mail they later discover in a postal employee's basement/garage that they failed to deliver?  Does it get returned to the sender or forwarded to the addressee?

[7606dennis]

---

@lex-talon wrote:

Media mail packages are very slow going these days. I shipped a book to a buyer(April 7) who lives 28 miles from me and so far, no movement. First class & Priority packages are arriving on time.

---

The delay in delivery of MM may probably be partly owing to the cancellation of many airline flights and the fact that MM items go on a space available basis.

[golfingaddict]

The delays are sporadic.  They seem to affect certain service centers or sorting centers.  The last few really bad ones I had were to the Detroit area.  The items seem to just "stall" and tracking reads "in transit"  This has affected both priority and first class.  I do not use parcel select or media mail.

ebay just announced an 'extra day' reported by the post office

Except that ebay stills has ridiculous estimated delivery times on my sold items.  One sold today, with two day handling.   (which means I should ship it by Tuesday the 21st.) estimated delivery time shown to buyer was the 21st.  So that means that I have to ship on Saturday or it will likely arrive late 

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Announcements/USPS-extends-delivery-estimates-by-1-day-there-is-no-act...

ebay says they will protect us but it does not protect from the INR case when tracking shows no movement despite shipping on time and having tracking validated on time.  Once a few days passes without movement the INR case can be closed and you are slammed with a defect as well as a case on service metrics.

At this point, it is a no win situation.   

Packages are going to be late and there is no way to predict which ones or when it will happen.

[heyyoufoundit]

@cntryair: Interesting what you said about Denver. I live there and service has been Horrible lately. I'm only a small seller, but I've had to refund more buyers in the last month or so than probably in the last 5 years! Basic flat envelopes sent with tracking that take over a month to arrive, or never arrive...

This is an old article, but I thought it was kind of funny, or relevant. This guy was caught stealing thousands of pieces of mail. Got off with no jail time, just probation. And then he turned around and got a job delivering for Amazon!

https://denver.cbslocal.com/2019/08/29/postal-worker-stealing-mail-englewood/

[1931tb2]

Unfortunately sounds about right with that person stealing mail getting a slap on the wrist. 

[mamabeardsley]

I have had two in two days. The tracking information says,"in transit" and is nowhere near the shipping destination.

[mamabeardsley]

Postage picked up from your home should be scanned by the carrier. I reported the lack of scans to my local Post office Postmaster and the problem was rapidly fixed.