eBay

inhawaii · ‎12-26-2020

Package way late. Package going from HI to CA shipped 12-2. It ended up in Memphis, TN somehow. I initiated a trace on 12-19. Today it says the trace is "closed" what does that mean?

Baby Come Back - Player

va-8501 · ‎12-27-2020

If you go to USPS.com, then on the top banner of menu items go to far right side "HELP" and click on "Find Missing Mail". Go to option (2) Complete a Help Request Form, instead of option (3) submit a missing mail search request. Oddly, option (2) the Help Request Form is the one that caused a 'Package Research Case' to appear in the tracking history. Option (3) has never caused anything to appear in the tracking history for me.

Counter intuitive, a help request generates "PACKAGE RESEARCH CASE" entries to appear in the tracking history, but Missing Mail Search Request does not.

To make it more confusing, the Missing Mail Search Request is retained in a USPS database and can be looked up on USPS.com, even though nothing shows up for it in the tracking history. On the other hand a help request generates a "PACKAGE RESEARCH CASE" in the tracking history, but there is nowhere on USPS.com where you can look it up, at least I couldn't find it.

You have to conclude that USPS has intentionally made this confusing.

inhawaii · ‎12-27-2020

Thanks for all the info.

I told the buyer (who has been very understanding) that if she doesn't receive her item on Monday the 12-28-20 that would fully refund her and to keep the item if/when it ever arrives.

Baby Come Back - Player

rustydalmatian · ‎12-27-2020

Your package is still in Memphis. I have had stuff bounce all over the country lately. This will not be fixed until the times become more normal.

outdatedrecreated · ‎12-27-2020

It means USPS is incompetent, welcome to earth.

va-8501 · ‎12-27-2020

The infuriating thing about USPS and Ebay is that they have known about these delays since late summer. The media was reporting on it. USPS knew they had far less employees available due to COVID, c'mon man, this didn't start last month. Industry analysts predicted a significantly higher shipping volume this Christmas because people wouldn't be traveling with gifts to be delivered face to face, instead significantly more would be shipped.

It was the making of the Perfect Storm, and everyone saw it coming.

In August there were huge lines in my post office. I had a conversation with one of the postal workers there and said it's going to be worse than ever this year because people won't be traveling, they will be shipping. He agreed and said, yes we know.

So what did USPS do?

They raised their rates, but continued to show 2 and 3 day Priority Mail delivery on their web site and shipping labels all the way up to Christmas, knowing full well, it was a bald face lie. And ebay took those false delivery times into their system, also knowing full well that they were a bald face lie. The rest is history.

And who's paying the refunds for INR cases?

Not the liars at USPS, not the prevaricators of falsehoods at ebay.

Then to rub salt in the wound, seller dashboards are getting slammed and losing their TRS status because of the late deliveries.

buyselljack2016 · ‎12-27-2020

@va-8501 wrote:
If you go to USPS.com, then on the top banner of menu items go to far right side "HELP" and click on "Find Missing Mail". Go to option (2) Complete a Help Request Form, instead of option (3) submit a missing mail search request. Oddly, option (2) the Help Request Form is the one that caused a 'Package Research Case' to appear in the tracking history. Option (3) has never caused anything to appear in the tracking history for me.

Counter intuitive, a help request generates "PACKAGE RESEARCH CASE" entries to appear in the tracking history, but Missing Mail Search Request does not.

To make it more confusing, the Missing Mail Search Request is retained in a USPS database and can be looked up on USPS.com, even though nothing shows up for it in the tracking history. On the other hand a help request generates a "PACKAGE RESEARCH CASE" in the tracking history, but there is nowhere on USPS.com where you can look it up, at least I couldn't find it.

You have to conclude that USPS has intentionally made this confusing.

I am down to one final holdout package in Florida. (I put all accounts on time away early in the month)

I am temped to do a "package research case" on it to get someone in Miami to explain to me why the package has "arrived", and "processed through" 3 times, but can not seem to get taken out for delivery to the FF.

Just a bit leery of the "open & close" showing up on the tracking. I don't want to alarm the buyer. I have already message the buyer assuring they that I am watching the situation, and that they will get their item, or a refund.

As it would be, this item is on the higher $ end of my usual selling. When it pushes $100 I start to stress.

vintagecraze50 · ‎12-27-2020

Package traces would seem completely futile amidst the mountains of packages that they are currently handling.

vintagecraze50 · ‎12-27-2020

Yep, that may be it. FED Ex has their major east/west coast hub in Memphis. Most packages go there first. Another major hub is Las Vegas for the far West.

va-8501 · ‎12-28-2020

The reason I opened a USPS research case was to get a scan in the tracking history within the last 10 days so it would qualify under ebay's nitwit new policy for issuing refunds. The way I understand it is, if there is a tracking scan in the 10 days before the buyer opened an INR, ebay will give the seller 10 more days after the seller asks ebay to step in. So, if there was no scan within 10 days from when the buyer opened an INR ebay considers the item lost and will force a refund in 3 days.

bigdeals.etc · ‎12-28-2020

@inhawaii wrote:
Thanks for all the info.

I told the buyer (who has been very understanding) that if she doesn't receive her item on Monday the 12-28-20 that would fully refund her and to keep the item if/when it ever arrives.

FYI, I've had quite a few packages go to Memphis that were bound for other states. They've all stayed put there for awhile... maybe decided to do a bit of sightseeing before moving along.