Why does USPS have so many "missent"?

[chenx711]

I do pay attention to the tracking details of my packages and I find the "missent" percentage is around 5%.  Does USPS still use human to sort packages? The following is the most recent example:

1. Jan 9, 2023

   9:38am
   MISSENT

   KEYES, OK 73947
2. Jan 9, 2023

   9:12am
   ARRIVAL AT UNIT

   KEYES, OK 73947
3. Jan 8, 2023

   12:00am
   In Transit, Arriving On Time
4. Jan 7, 2023

   2:30am
   PROCESSED THROUGH USPS FACILITY

   AMARILLO TX DISTRIBUTION CENTER, 79120
5. Jan 6, 2023

   12:00am
   In Transit to Next Facility
6. Jan 5, 2023

   3:39pm
   PROCESSED THROUGH USPS FACILITY

   METRO NY DISTRIBUTION CENTER, 11714

[lesegouts]

Have had one or two in all my years here. 5% seems way too high.

[stainlessenginecovers]

Nowhere near 5%. Maybe .005% (20,000+ packages 11 years) and they as well as any other carrier hasn't used 'humans' to sort since the 1960's. 

[pargran3]

Expressing this as a percent really is meaningless unless we know how many packages you are shipping.

I  have had one, maybe two, missent packages in twenty years. I guess I would have to qualify that with I do not babysit tracking so may I don't really know. 

[ms.rodriguez*]

They use both.  A box can easily get tossed or deposited into a truck or bin or sack going to a different zipcode.  This was what probably happened to your box. I say that they mis-send less than 5%.  For the holidays, they have more packages so more boxes can get missent.   Hang in there. If the buyer is pressuring you, let them know that sometimes a box takes the scenic route and to please be patient. If they open a case, do NOT refund.  Come back here for instruction.

[chenx711]

Thanks folks for replying. I just checked (or like the above poster put it, "babysit") my first page or order history (200 orders) and found 2 missent. That's not a trivial amount but again, it may just be a holiday thing.

[wastingtime101]

I ship a pretty decent volume and encounter plenty of missent tracking scans. USPS will catch it at the next facility and turn the package around back to its destination. Delays sometimes happen and most buyers will understand. It usually causes no more than a few days delay - sometimes no real delay at all. Out of all the missent packages I've seen, only one buyer (maybe two?) ever sent me a complaint about it. Those instances were because the buyer saw the tracking scan and thought I shipped it to the wrong address.