Holiday Postal Woes - 2023 Edition

[jchcollins]

Was really hoping I wouldn't find myself in this boat yet again this year, but here we are on Christmas Eve eve, at 2:30 in the afternoon after today's mail run, and yet again I'm shaking my head.

I have one package (not a huge card, but a '63 high number) sitting at the hub up the road in Greensboro, NC for nearly 72 hours now. Original "expected by" date was Thursday, 12/21. The same thing with packages just sitting at this hub happened to me back around Thanksgiving with an SGC return, when after 72 hours I opened a case with the USPS online, and mysteriously the next day things got moving again. I get the holiday rush and understand if things are occasionally a day or two late around Christmas; but I guess what I don't understand, is how
my packages can zip through the hub in Philadelphia in like half an hour, but here in NC they are doomed to just sit for days? On another front, a lot of set commons coming to me in an eBay envelope from FL was marked "Out For Delivery" in Sarasota (wrong city, wrong state...) on 12/18, and then put back into "Origin Processing" in Tampa the next day. I care less about these, but purchased them in what I would have considered plenty enough time for holiday delivery. Needless to say, I haven’t seen them yet.

I also have several more expensive items currently going outbound, but at least those are well insured. I have been scared to check their progress often over the last few days, honestly.

Is this just what the USPS is good for anymore around the holidays? Should I pony up for FedEx or UPS next year if I expect anything different? Any similar experiences?

Happy Holidays everyone. Hope all your cardboard (and cardboard delivery) dreams / expectations come true!

[Republicaninmass]

3 days, still in the state of WA!


Arrived at USPS Facility

CHELAN, WA 98816

December 22, 2023, 5:07 am



Arrived at USPS Regional Facility

WENATCHEE WA DISTRIBUTION CENTER

December 22, 2023, 12:05 am

Departed USPS Regional Facility

SPOKANE WA DISTRIBUTION CENTER

December 21, 2023, 9:08 pm

Arrived at USPS Regional Origin Facility

SPOKANE WA DISTRIBUTION CENTER

December 20, 2023, 8:23 pm

Accepted at USPS Origin Facility

DAVENPORT, WA 99122

December 20, 2023, 7:08 pm

[Eric72]

Originally Posted by jchcollins

...Should I pony up for FedEx or UPS next year if I expect anything different? Any similar experiences?

My personal experiences with FedEx have been drastically worse than USPS. So, my expectations with FedEx are different, though that isn't necessarily a good thing.

[jchcollins]

Originally Posted by Eric72

My personal experiences with FedEx have been drastically worse than USPS. So, my expectations with FedEx are different, though that isn't necessarily a good thing.

Sad to say, this matches my recollections from a few years ago as well. I think they are all kind of nutso this time of year.

Have not used UPS in a very long time, but about 20 years ago or so they left a baseball related item (it was a '73 Angels media guide with Nolan Ryan on the cover...) sitting on my front porch in the rain. Since then, I've never knowingly used UPS to deliver anything for my collection.

[Kurri17]

Well, I have experienced all of these things as well. But, this last one has really affected me in that I won't ship from a site that goes through my local PO. Probably nine months ago I sent an envelope with several cards to Newfoundland, CA. Six or more weeks go by and he never receives it. So, I send something else in compensation. A few days later I get a message and photo from him. The pic was of the original envelope I sent which had arrived, but lying beside that opened envelope was the contents, which rather than the cards I sent were opened envelopes, all obviously birthday, graduation, birth announcement cards sent from people in my town. They had been opened, the contents stolen (gift cards, cash, I assume), and then all stuffed into my envelope, which had been opened obviously, and shipped off. So, it was certainly an employee at my local PO. Why don't I go to the Postmaster you ask? Well, been there, he simply won't see you. And, once there is a complaint coming from my address, I fear 'lost mail' retaliation. I often receive 'package delivered' notices, only to not receive them for another day or two. They just cover themselves by marking it delivered. So unfortunate that the PO, like so much other customer service, had diminished so badly.

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by Kurri17

Well, I have experienced all of these things as well. But, this last one has really affected me in that I won't ship from a site that goes through my local PO. Probably nine months ago I sent an envelope with several cards to Newfoundland, CA. Six or more weeks go by and he never receives it. So, I send something else in compensation. A few days later I get a message and photo from him. The pic was of the original envelope I sent which had arrived, but lying beside that opened envelope was the contents, which rather than the cards I sent were opened envelopes, all obviously birthday, graduation, birth announcement cards sent from people in my town. They had been opened, the contents stolen (gift cards, cash, I assume), and then all stuffed into my envelope, which had been opened obviously, and shipped off. So, it was certainly an employee at my local PO. Why don't I go to the Postmaster you ask? Well, been there, he simply won't see you. And, once there is a complaint coming from my address, I fear 'lost mail' retaliation. I often receive 'package delivered' notices, only to not receive them for another day or two. They just cover themselves by marking it delivered. So unfortunate that the PO, like so much other customer service, had diminished so badly.

I will say you made the correct decision by not complaining to the Postmaster. I have a few friends that deliver the mail and they tell me stories on almost a daily basis. My favorite recent one involved 2 friends, the mailwoman and the guy receiving the mail. I don't know the details but the mailwoman delivered a letter telling my other friend they would no longer deliver their mail until they shoveled their sidewalk. Best part is she delivered the letter but not his mail he was waiting for. Even better there was no snow.

I have noticed for the last month that some of my letters/packages took way longer than normal to arrive. I had a few things go to Chicago that usually takes 2 days take over a week.

[jchcollins]

Sad to hear some of this. The USPS around here is fortunately reliable 99% of the time. The holidays are just bad, though. It's like the local hub in Greensboro is not staffed to continue moving things on to their destination post offices during the holidays. My solution for the moment is simply not to buy or send anything (anymore) of consequence after Thanksgiving Day until after Christmas, and maybe even the new year.

This latest envelope which caused me to start this post finally arrived today, the Tuesday after the holiday when it was supposed to have been here last Thursday, the 21st. Greensboro sat on the package for about 86 hours, much as they had done with my SGC order in November. Finally, after the hoopla of the Saturday that was Christmas Eve was over, they moved it on to my local post office at 9 am on Christmas Day, where of course it sat until this morning. Nothing about that makes sense to me.

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by jchcollins

Sad to hear some of this. The USPS around here is fortunately reliable 99% of the time. The holidays are just bad, though. It's like the local hub in Greensboro is not staffed to continue moving things on to their destination post offices during the holidays. My solution for the moment is simply not to buy or send anything (anymore) of consequence after Thanksgiving Day until after Christmas, and maybe even the new year.

This latest envelope which caused me to start this post finally arrived today, the Tuesday after the holiday when it was supposed to have been here last Thursday, the 21st. Greensboro sat on the package for about 86 hours, much as they had done with my SGC order in November. Finally, after the hoopla of the Saturday that was Christmas Eve was over, they moved it on to my local post office at 9 am on Christmas Day, where of course it sat until this morning. Nothing about that makes sense to me.

Many of us including myself complain about the USPS for good reasons. I can say I have been on eBay for 25 years and have bought and sold a lot of cards on here. I have also done a lot of buying/selling/trading with friends over the last couple decades. In the many thousands of things I have sold and purchased only one time has the package completely disappeared. I give them a lot of credit for that. On the other hand I have had hundreds arrive weeks late and even a few months late.

Overall I believe they do a great job but I reserve the right to throw a hissy fit like a spoiled little kid anytime a package doesn't arrive on time.

[jchcollins]

Originally Posted by bnorth

Overall I believe they do a great job but I reserve the right to throw a hissy fit like a spoiled little kid anytime a package doesn't arrive on time.

Agreed. I've been on eBay 25 years as well. I've only had two packages outright lost in that time. One (outside of eBay) was a trade a few years back, where the trader's end on it's way to me suddenly just "stopped" tracking. Filed a report and went through all the motions; never heard anything from that again. Anyway, that guy wound up getting a fairly nice '59 Topps Roger Maris for free.

The other time was maybe 5 years ago when I used to get packages delivered at work (hint - extra steps = extra risk - avoid!). It was marked delivered, but surprise surprise - neither the carrier or my mail room staff had it. Gee wonder what happened. Someone pocketed themselves a nice graded Fleer Update Puckett RC - is what happened...

All in all not terrible for nearly 3 decades worth of buying and selling, and eBay actually wound up reimbursing me on the Puckett. But I too reserve the right to complain...