Mail delivery-Rant

[GrampaJim]

Anyone else having issues with the post office delivering the things?  I have a customer screaming at me for an order I send USPS Priority on 12/6/2020 from Wisconsin to Pennsylvania.  It took 11 days to reach the distribution center in Pennsylvania and has been sitting there ever since.  Very frustrating.  I am tempted to switch to UPS, but their costs are usually higher and the mail is more convenient.  Fed-Ex is a big no - higher prices and really poor delivery.

Edited December 30, 2020 by GrampaJim

[dgman]

Jim, I ship Priority mail, from California to all over the country everyday. I have not had any problems whatsoever. On the other hand, I ordered something for Christmas for my wife two weeks before Christmas. I requested Priority mail. The next day I got notified that a mailing label had been created and was in pre-shipment. I checked every day to see the progress of the package from Minnesota to California. Everyday it said it was still in pre-shipment. I finally emailed the company. I didn’t hear from them for two days. It seems they printed the label, but forgot to fulfill the order! Not USPS’s fault. Anyway, I got it two days before Christmas. The funny thing is, the day after Christmas, I received a duplicate package!

Since Priority mail provides tracking, I always  monitor the packages I send, and they always arrive on time. It must be your local area with the problem.

since writing this, I noticed you changed the title of your post. Did you ship it Priority or first class?

Edited December 30, 2020 by dgman

[Badgerboy]

USPS is horrible right now.  I am paying more to ship UPS.  My step sister sent me a small package on 12/15 priority 2 day delivery.  It arrived yesterday, 12/29.  Checked my math a couple times and that’s not 2 days.

[GrampaJim]

2 hours ago, dgman said:

Jim, I ship Priority mail, from California to all over the country everyday. I have not had any problems whatsoever. On the other hand, I ordered something for Christmas for my wife two weeks before Christmas. I requested Priority mail. The next day I got notified that a mailing label had been created and was in pre-shipment. I checked every day to see the progress of the package from Minnesota to California. Everyday it said it was still in pre-shipment. I finally emailed the company. I didn’t hear from them for two days. It seems they printed the label, but forgot to fulfill the order! Not USPS’s fault. Anyway, I got it two days before Christmas. The funny thing is, the day after Christmas, I received a duplicate package!

Since Priority mail provides tracking, I always  monitor the packages I send, and they always arrive on time. It must be your local area with the problem.

since writing this, I noticed you changed the title of your post. Did you ship it Priority or first class?

I ALWAYS ship priority.

They claim 1 to 4 days and I have one that is going on 4 weeks.  The Post Office says its because of people being out with COVID and larger than normal shiping volume.  Fine, I understand your problem, now how are you going to fix it?  Like my old boss used to say, "What's your get well plan"   They have none!

[new2woodwrk]

I mailed an item same way and paid for the 4 day delivery. I mailed it on November 30 from Florida - it arrived in New Jersey December 16th!

I sent another package UPS on December 21 and it arrived in Illinois on December 24! Cost a little more, but it had to get there by xmas and I was NOT going to trust the USPS again!

[kmmcrafts]

Yes, it is something to do with certain areas and certain distribution centers.. I've never had much issues in the past at all.. but so far this year I have 4 issues going on right now.. One is a item I ordered ( bubble wrap because my local Samsclub is sold out) and I ordered several weeks ago. It's been sitting in PA for a couple weeks now.. I'm not sure whether to order more or wait it out.. LOL

I've got a couple orders missing that was sent out first week of Dec. but they are both international shipping. Both are just ornaments that I may just send out replacements. 

One thing to watch out for if you do international shipping. The items sometimes gets caught up in customs due to customs tax charge's. The customers will say they didn't get their item.. claim it's not at their local P/O and it's not.. because it is setting at the customs place. ALWAYS enter the tracking number to the destination place's local mail carriers site.. You can see what is happening to the package. In my case it was in the UK so I looked up Royal Mail website and seen it was sitting in the customs customer pickup. It told what facility it was at and that X amount of tax was due before it could be released.. Many scammers over there know this.. they claim the package is lost.. get a refund and then go pick up their package with the refund money..  The local post office won't barely look into it.. I did my own research and found that the package was at the specific location and had X amount tax due. I screen shot the royal mail website that showed all the info and the customer had no choice but to go pay the tax and pick it up.. Our local P/o workers are too lazy to look into these international mail packages.. they will say to you that they have no way to track a package once it leaves US soil.. But those weird looking tracking numbers that usually start with LZ^^^^^ they work for the local mail system to the country they are going to.. Look them up.. The postal clerks either aren't trained right or just won't look into a package.

Anyway, sorry you're going through this fiasco you're not the only one..  They have been busy this year and I've done very well this year because many people shopped online..  yes Covid has a lot of workers out of the workforce..  I've sent out more than double ( almost triple ) the amount of packages this year.. and I suppose with the amount of business and packages I've sent having 4 lost is probably not too bad.. considering the circumstances this year with Covid and the over loaded P/O. Just glad I am not a one of a kind type seller.. and have all these lost packages.. at least everything lost is just a small cheap ornament rather than a $100 clock or whatever.

You can go to the postal website and file a lost package claim.. that sometimes gets their butt in gear to "look for the package" as they don't want to payout the claim..  If you mailed priority through etsy label system then the package automatically has $100 insurance coverage. That doesn't help the impatient customer but there is only so much a seller can do once it leaves our hands and into the postal workers hands it's out of our control.. I don't think the UPS and FedEx is having any better service during this crazy busy time.. Short of delivering it ourselves there's not much one can do.

[Dan]

No problem here. Maybe it's the banana bread or Christmas cookies my wife bakes for him. 

I had a package shipped via UPS that crossed within 60 miles of me twice before we received it. I don't under stand the logistics. 

Edited December 31, 2020 by Dan

[preprius]

Sorry,   I just had to put some fun somewhere...

 

Tis the season to be ranting,

fa il il il , fa il,  fa il,     

I "Fail"  to deliver the song correctly.

fa il il il , fa il,  fa il,     

Oh my Delt-a is vib - brat  -  ing  and is really really nois-y

fa il il il , fa il,  fa il,     

I will return it using U S P S. 

fa il il il , fa il,  fa il,     

They failed to deliver

fa il il il , fa il,  fa il,     

2020 is almost Over

fa il il il , fa il,  fa il,     

 

[John B]

Here in Oz, there have been all sorts of problems with the post. Most get sorted rather quickly, but because of Covid and the impact that has had on some states and their sorting centres, less planes flying, and an unprecedented demand for online purchasing, there have been quite a few delays.
I must say though, that Aussie Post has done it's best with posties working 7 days a week and longer hours to try and get on top of it.

Edited December 31, 2020 by John B
spelling

[Roberta Moreton]

Pandemic, Christmas, Amazon. I feel sorry for my mailman. 

[chevysman21]

A friend of mine mailed something for me through USPS on Dec 4 2020 from Ohio to Canada and it is still in Ohio...going to have to get him to start a claim for it to get it moving.

[BadBob]

I had two packages this year that were delivered slowly. One was a priority mail package that didn't get delivered for almost three weeks from Florida to Michigan.

When you print a label, the USPS tracking will show it as in pretransit if the local post office doesn't scan it when they pick it up. It will show in pretransit until it gets scanned somewhere else. I have had this happen two times.

My online sales were up 50% this year, my usual trend. I don't see a big boost from COVID-19 shoppers or Christmas. I have never seen the Christmas shopping bump. My best month for 2020 was August. Oddly, I always sell something between Christmas and New Years' day.

[kmmcrafts]

I mailed 583 packages in the month of December.. and almost all of them made it to the customer on time.. but maybe 1/8th of them was a day or two later than normal mostly right near the beginning of Dec.. They must have been slammed with deliveries those first couple of weeks... Working short staffed because of Covid in some locations.. Not to mention having to take their precautions to protect themselves from getting it. It's been a tough year for everyone.. many work place changes.. building partitions to separate workers so business's could continue on as safely as possible.. I had 4 packages out of nearly 600 that are still in limbo somewhere.. one of those packages is something I ordered ( my bubble wrap that I discussed in my previous post reply ) so in all that is going on and the amount of business they had to deal with.. in my honest opinion they did very well considering the circumstances they had.. 

My friend purchased a watch from Detroit area.. he lives in Battle Creek.. maybe a 3 hour drive.. it took nearly 20 days for him to get it.. On around the 14th day he contacted me and asked what I would do.. I'm a pretty patient person.. I said give it a few more days.. The day I told him to file a claim was the day it actually showed up.. The tracking number never got into the system.. showed it was just a label had been created but nothing further than that.. The seller had several 100% feedback ratings etc.. and told my friend that the mail picked it up.. but checking with the postal worker with the tracking number they told him it looks like he never mailed it out.. yet it showed up still saying ( label create )  If a package gets skipped from being scanned at any of the checkpoints.. it typically gets stuck at that location even though it has been scanned through other locations after that one skipped spot.. Not sure why that is but that seems to be my experience..

Too many impatient people are quick to leave a person a bad feedback on shipping times when it really is not the sellers fault.. It's kind of just part of selling online.. when looking at feedback.. many times I will take that with a grain of salt if there is a few complaints on shipping times.. Unless they have only a few feedbacks and the majority are about shipping.. it could be a red flag then..  

[kmmcrafts]

24 minutes ago, BadBob said:

I had two packages this year that were delivered slowly. One was a priority mail package that didn't get delivered for almost three weeks from Florida to Michigan.

When you print a label, the USPS tracking will show it as in pretransit if the local post office doesn't scan it when they pick it up. It will show in pretransit until it gets scanned somewhere else. I have had this happen two times.

My online sales were up 50% this year, my usual trend. I don't see a big boost from COVID-19 shoppers or Christmas. I have never seen the Christmas shopping bump. My best month for 2020 was August. Oddly, I always sell something between Christmas and New Years' day.

Just a few months ago we were discussing how my etsy orders etc. was declining from last year but my website was gaining that lost traffic... Well now etsy is showing total views is up 33% Visits up 27% Orders up 85% Revenue up 60% 

Amazon was really slamming me with business this year.. etsy was busy and so was my website.. but I think Amazon may have outdid my etsy if sales percentages etc.. it was definitely a very busy year for me.. way above a normal year. I think because of Covid but maybe not.. Every year I have had growth in business and revenue but not like this year.. I think it will be tough to beat it next year.. actually betting it's a decline next year.. LOL .. If I am any busier next year and have a growth trend.. I may need to hire help, LOL

[GrampaJim]

Etsy is the only place I sell.  Visits were up 46% and orders up 50%, but revenue was up only21%.  Different mix of products.  This is just a side hustle since I am an old retired guy, LOL.  It keeps my house from being filled with the stuff.  I am not looking to do more, it cuts into my nap times. 

[teachnlearn]

The 'present' administration tried to mess up mail delivery by rearranging hours delivery schedules and disassemble sorting machines. Depends where the sorting machines were left in pieces. The disassemble the sorting machines in Kansas City Mo which is a major sorting spot. Had a check returned from a realtor a few miles away by mail and we received it a month later. Different US areas different overloaded centers. RJF

[BadBob]

18 hours ago, GrampaJim said:

Etsy is the only place I sell.  Visits were up 46% and orders up 50%, but revenue was up only21%.  Different mix of products.  This is just a side hustle since I am an old retired guy, LOL.  It keeps my house from being filled with the stuff.  I am not looking to do more, it cuts into my nap times. 

• Orders up 75%
• Conversion Rate up 50.4%
• Revenue up 45%

I'm not making a profit yet, but I'm a lot closer than last year.

 

[BadBob]

13 hours ago, teachnlearn said:

The 'present' administration tried to mess up mail delivery by rearranging hours delivery schedules and disassemble sorting machines. Depends where the sorting machines were left in pieces. The disassemble the sorting machines in Kansas City Mo which is a major sorting spot. Had a check returned from a realtor a few miles away by mail and we received it a month later. Different US areas different overloaded centers. RJF

I think there is something around Michigan that is a significant bottleneck from what I see here. Anything I shipped to that area this year took much longer than it should have. Priority mail didn't make a bit of a difference that I could see.

[puzzleman]

On 12/30/2020 at 10:20 AM, GrampaJim said:

Anyone else having issues with the post office delivering the things?  I have a customer screaming at me for an order I send USPS Priority on 12/6/2020 from Wisconsin to Pennsylvania.  It took 11 days to reach the distribution center in Pennsylvania and has been sitting there ever since.  Very frustrating.  I am tempted to switch to UPS, but their costs are usually higher and the mail is more convenient.  Fed-Ex is a big no - higher prices and really poor delivery.

You got me beat! I mailed 5 letters (first class) on 12/9 and as of yesterday only one has been delivered!

bb

[nrscroller]

HI all

I ordered some magnetic stuff from Etsy and it was shipped by our beloved post office on Dec 21st and still haven't seen and don't even get text updates at all. Post office sucks right now.

nrscroller

[puzzleman]

On 1/1/2021 at 6:12 PM, nrscroller said:

HI all

I ordered some magnetic stuff from Etsy and it was shipped by our beloved post office on Dec 21st and still haven't seen and don't even get text updates at all. Post office sucks right now.

nrscroller

 I live in GA and the USPS has no problem putting political flyers in my mailbox daily. Not first class postage either!

bb

[GrampaJim]

Finally!!  I mailed it on December 6, it was delivered on January 4.  SOOOO glad I paid for Expedited delivery. SARCASM

Package sat in the Lehigh Valley PA. distribution center for 3 weeks. 

Edited February 7, 2021 by GrampaJim

[kmmcrafts]

I wonder if they reimburse your money on late packages? I've never had to deal with something like this personally.. until this year.. and all my items was first class that had issues.. But paying extra to get a item shipped quicker they should at least offer to refund the extra cost of shipping priority over first class etc.. Though sometimes that is only a $0.05 change on some packages and not worth the trouble.. LOL

I have received all my ordered stuff finally and I have one customer not get their item but it was a first class package and an international one too.. she says she'll wait a while.. I didn't insure it and I offered to send another out or refund.. she so far says she'll wait a bit longer.. but still wants the item..

Another refund / return request for a late package from Amazon.. I kind of hate selling on there because Amazon makes you accept the return if it's late.. the package was only a couple days late.. but I had to send out the refund.. I don't have to accept the return but do have to issue refund.. even if it's the mails fault.. Thing is I have 3-5 days processing time before i even have to mail it.. Because of how Amazon works I make sure to get orders in the mail same day or next day it's ordered.. even though I have 3-5 days to get it in the mail.. that usually covers slow mail.. but in this case one ( so far) didn't make it. The customer has to complain so most should have got their complaints in by now..   

[Scrappile]

I of coarse do not do a lot of mailing, like people that sell their products, but what I do do is have a great local Post Office.  Employees are always friendly and helpful.  I have had a box or two temporarily misplaced for a short time but they have worked hard at tracing and finding it.  My only complaint would be, I have a P.O. Box and they really over stuff it sometimes if I don't pick up my mail few days,,,, they have the option of an overflow box they can use... There has been a time or two when it looked like there was a contest to see if they could get just one more item in my box.....  I also have the option of renting a bigger box, but this doesn't happen often enough to make it worth while..  All in all I give my local mail service an "A".

Edited January 5, 2021 by Scrappile

[GrampaJim]

Sarcasm. 

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