USPS shipping delays

[greatlakesretailplus]

Anyone else having issues with USPS tracking showing packages not moving?

I have 15 packages I have already requested USPS to locate this month, they did and the packages moved to the next distribution center and have been sitting there for 4 days again..

If this doesn't work out in my favor we are going to take a HUGE hit against our seller account (negatives etc) while possibly being out the items and having to refund a good chunk of money.

I am starting to get buyers asking where their items are and all i can do is send them the info USPS sends me, i have gone as far as contacting the post master general for my state and talked directly to them that is how i got them moving the first time.

As a example this is a email i got from USPS on a item that was finally delivered after 13 days..

Dear Anthony

Thank you for contacting the U.S. Postal Service. This is in response to your recent inquiry regarding your package.

The Postal Service is experiencing unprecedented volume increases and limited employee availability due to the impacts of COVID-19. According to our records, your package was delivered after you opened your inquiry. If you have not received your package, please notify us by reopening your service request on USPS.COM, at https://usps.force.com/emailus/s/.

Thank you for your patience and understanding. We regret any inconvenience this matter has caused.

Sincerely,
Your United States Postal Service

[oldwestgold]

There is no STATE Postmaster General as you mention you have contacted. No such thing.  Reach out to your Districts Consumer Affairs. File an online missing mail complaint. Not sure who you are referring to. I am shipping 5-6 a day all over the US and find no delays. If you are having delays at a specific USPS Processing Plant or ? I would highly recommend writing your Congress person.  I have and it works - if you have a Congress person who cares. Good luck.

[oldwestgold]

FYI - Mail service standards have decreased recently by the PMG in DC. Delivery times are not the same they were compared to last years.

[mkaczorsee]

Our local postmaster told us the “slowdown” was not supposed to start until  October 1st. 

However, I sent a priority package 11 days ago one state away.  Still not delivered. 

So, I have to believe the approved “slowdown” has already started. 

[greatlakesretailplus]

I ment that post master in our district.

[greatlakesretailplus]

I would say ebay needs to change their estimated delivery times then...

This is getting to be a hassle in my opinion.

If my label says 2 or 3 day delivery time and it take 14 days it is kinda a problem  

[sakura_des]

I've had a package tracking showing it was stuck in some USPS warehouse in another State for two weeks.  The buyer never complained to me not getting the package and I never asked the buyer if he got the package.  I'm guessing the package was delivered but the tracking was inaccurate.   

[max-list · Accepted solution]

---

@greatlakesretailplus wrote:

I would say ebay needs to change their estimated delivery times then...

This is getting to be a hassle in my opinion.

If my label says 2 or 3 day delivery time and it take 14 days it is kinda a problem  

---

You are so right. It's happening to all of us sellers. Unbelievable how it hurts our business and makes the buyers angry at the sellers, not ebay.

When I ship I send the buyer an email telling them "I shipped your item today. The post office is having major problems now, so please expect a delay. Check your tracking at USPS.com as ebay's tracking system does not always show the true tracking location".

Then if it's late I print screen the usps tracking page of where it is and the dates and send them that. It will say something like "Your package is running late".

[misc456]

Same here. It's taking at least 10 days or more for my customers to receive there packages.

[greatlakesretailplus]

Ya the message to the buyer is a good idea but in my experiences buyers just don't care what I tell them if that delivery date is passed without a delivery i hear about it.

I wonder if we will get any protections from Ebay over these shipping errors.

We work hard to keep our feedback 100% so if we are going to get a negative over this with it being no fault of ours Ebay better be protecting sellers 

[greatlakesretailplus]

This is really going to hurt sellers in sale and reputation in my opinion

[greatlakesretailplus]

I have 4 packages that have been in Detroit distribution center for 6 days as of today, not moving...

They were in the Grand Rapids distribution center for 4 days

Items were shipped out on Sept 6th...still not delivered

[b86fiero]

---

@greatlakesretailplus wrote:

I have 4 packages that have been in Detroit distribution center for 6 days as of today, not moving...

They were in the Grand Rapids distribution center for 4 days

Items were shipped out on Sept 6th...still not delivered

---

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Detroit area distribution facilities / hub are famous for delays and lost packages.  Been going on for years.  Was a holiday season nightmare last year for sellers and buyers.

Ohio congressman on TV news again recently after complaining to Postmaster General DeJoy about the high number of complaints he's received.  Not only about lost mail, delayed mail but prescription medicines arriving weeks after they were due.  Ohio Congressmen and Senators have demanded something be done about those facilities.  The Toledo area sorting / distribution facility was closed a few years ago due to a USPS cost cutting move and all of northwest Ohio mail now goes to facilities. 

Last year during the holiday crush semi trailers loaded with packages sat for weeks there before being unloaded and processed.  Not only did USPS park full semi trailers at and near those facilities, USPS actually parked over 100 of them at the closed Toledo facility. 

USPS still owns and uses the Toledo facility in a small way but refuses to reopen it even though all the equipment is still in the building.  Elected official, both state and local, have been very vocal about the Detroit area hubs and tv news did show the usable equipment in the building. 

Last holiday season I had over 100 packages delivered late due to the Detroit hub.  Talk about a whole bunch of angry buyers, lost merchandise and refunds I had to give.  I am expecting another nightmare USPS delivery delay season starting any day as people begin early buying of holiday gifts hoping to receive them before Christmas this year.   

And yes, I am aware of Covid issues, understaffing and lazy employees contributing to the problems.

[b86fiero]

State Representative and Toledo elected officials also enraged over Fed Ex delays in delivering prescription medicines.  Insulin is arriving weeks late, ice packs meant to keep it cold are melted or warm, other packages missing in action.  UPS similar delivery delays.

Fed Ex and UPS both are blaming delays on lack of employees. 

Anyone looking to supplement your income, they're hiring.   

[threshold.sales.group]

OP, 

You are not imagining things, the USPS system has slowed down in the last week or two.   Appears some distribution centers are once again warehousing overflow packages and slowly processing them when volume permits.  A small scale repeat of last year's disaster, but this is only September.