Frustrated with USPS tracking?

[Orioles1954]

Three parcels in Oxford, MS with no movement since 12/16. Will send refunds on Monday totaling around $125. Won’t kill me but still sucks.

[Fballguy]

I've had two packages missing since November. One coming to me and one I sent. Finally after nearly two months of patience, the buyer of the second packaged asked for a refund. Totally understandable, but when I went to issue the refund within ebay I kept receiving an error message directing me to PayPal. I thought this was because too much time had elapsed (about 57 days at this point). PayPal did allow me to refund, but there was no mention of the final value fee refund, so I called ebay to see how that would work.

Long story short, I knew more about the refund process than the person in Manila I spoke with. He kept repeating my situation back to me incorrectly and putting me on hold to either ask someone or find an appropriate answer in his script. He eventually came back and told me he was going to close the case against me (with no refund given at this point) and in 48 hours I would be able to refund the money within eBay. Ummmmm...ok. I hung up with zero confidence this was going to work and it didn't but the case was indeed closed now. I ended up issuing the refund from PayPal, but still no final value fee credit on my account.

And while on the subject of customer service, though the service ebay provided was woefully lacking, they are light years more helpful than those at the USPS. This is how opening a case with the USPS works. You open the case and request a call back. A rep from the DESTINATION post office calls you and says "We have no idea where your package is. Per tracking it never made it to us". Click.

Wow...Thanks I never thought to check the tracking. So amazing. And some want to raise the minimum wage?

[71buc]

I sold a card on 12/27 and shipped it on 12/28. It was out for delivery on 12/31. Buyer filed a claim on 12/08. I asked the buyer to be patient due to usps shipping issues. To his credit he did wait a week and was polite. Nonetheless eBay removed the funds from my account. I checked a moment ago and as you can see the card is still out for delivery. So I essentially paid USPS for the privilege of giving away my card.

[jayshum]

Originally Posted by 71buc

I sold a card on 12/27 and shipped it on 12/28. It was out for delivery on 12/31. Buyer filed a claim on 12/08. I asked the buyer to be patient due to usps shipping issues. To his credit he did wait a week and was polite. Nonetheless eBay removed the funds from my account. I checked a moment ago and as you can see the card is still out for delivery. So I essentially paid USPS for the privilege of giving away my card.

I had something like this happen where the tracking said out for delivery for several days. I emailed the buyer who told me it had actually been delivered but apparently never scanned as such by the carrier. Unfortunately, there's no way for you to tell if that happened and the buyer is just being dishonest about not receiving it.

[Directly]

Anyone been denied USPS Insurance Claims? I filed claim with USPS for missing/stolen contents. 1st appeal denied, This is of high concern for all of us if purchasing insurance is in vain--I guess its fortunate for me its only a 650.00 claim, and not 5,000--be aware USPS has some other serious issues at this time.

[Bigdaddy]

My property taxes took 26 days to arrive at the county treasurer's office - a 40 minute drive from home. Needless to say, I had not factored that into the date I sent them off.

[Orioles1954]

Originally Posted by Directly

Anyone been denied USPS Insurance Claims? I filed claim with USPS for missing/stolen contents. 1st appeal denied, This is of high concern for all of us if purchasing insurance is in vain--I guess its fortunate for me its only a 650.00 claim, and not 5,000--be aware USPS has some other serious issues at this time.

I always buy insurance with Ebay's private insurance. It saved my butt for $1,200+ once and was easy to work with.

[obiwan1129]

I had a pocket schedule I ordered get lost. The seller was very gracious and refunded me. I felt bad as it was an old schedule, it ain't coming back.

I've been selling some comics to fund my baseball card buying. Those have been going out Priority Mail which seems to be more reliable. The cost is significantly more...but now I am worried about some of the cards I've bought that haven't come in yet. I was hoping things would settle down a bit this month post Christmas...but that doesn't seem to be the case.

[IndyDave]

I received a package this morning that my cousin mailed in Cleveland on December 17 - two day priority. So 33 days to go about 300 miles.

The tracking show that the package took a detour to Grand Rapids on its way to Indy - after be "in transit" for nearly four weeks.

I think that's the list of the holiday packages I sent or was waiting to receive. I still do wonder if I'm going to get any more Christmas cards.

[D. Bergin]

I finally got a card in a couple days ago from Florida (I'm in CT), that was sent out to me on December 12th or so, according to tracking.

I didn't even bother contacting the seller, since I've had a bunch of my own packages I sent out seemingly taking weeks to get where they're going. So far my buyers have been patient, but I understand you can only wait so long.




I've also taken several Postal Adjustment hits in the last couple months. A couple were for Priority Regional Rate Boxes I sent out that were pulled, and reclassified as non-regional rate boxes (I know damn well I sent them out in regional rate boxes)............and a couple were really big hits where they seemingly found a few extra inches on some bigger poster boxes I sent out, and nailed me with balloon charges (I'm always very careful with these). We're talking $20-$30 hits here.

Also, when I scroll down my Stamps.com history, There's an unusual number of "Out For Delivery" and then "No Delivery Scans" listed right after, going back a few months. I'm basically at the mercy of my buyers being honest with me in many cases.

[D. Bergin]

I just had a buyer receive a package yesterday (January 21st) that I shipped out 1st Class Mail on December 9th, from CT to VA.

Package was "in transit" from the Springfield, MA hub to the Dulles, VA hub for almost 40 days without any updates. Luckily the buyer was very patient and I held their hand through the process after they contacted me.

Coincidentally, it didn't start moving until right after the buyer contacted me and I put in both a tracking update request for both myself and the buyer, and followed that up with a "Search for Lost Package" request.

[ramram]

I understand that the large increase in packages as well as Covid are creating havoc with USPS but what doesn't make sense is the packages moving all over the country in an illogical path. That points to a much greater problem.

Rob M

[jchcollins]

What's concerning to me is that things have gotten somewhat better since the Christmas rush, but there are clearly still problems. We are closing in on February. Where does it end?

[LJACards]

Sold a card on ebay that took 28 days to go from missouri to ohio

i bought an item from indiana and the seller shipped with 2-day priority shipping. The item took almost 3 weeks to get to me after being stuck indianapolis for 15 days. The seller put an intercept on the item because it seemed to be lost and they refunded me. a week later it randomly it shows up at my door..so i had to refund the refund.

USPS is a complete joke and needs major rehaul. I am sure there are other companies who would love a shot at delivering on time.

[Mike D.]

Originally Posted by LJACards

USPS is a complete joke and needs major rehaul. I am sure there are other companies who would love a shot at delivering on time.

I’m not sure many companies would be lining up for the USPS gig. Unlike Fed Ex or UPS, who could just reject packages when they got overwhelmed (as they did this year, further flooding USPS), USPS has to take everything. Then they deliver to every address in the country (no matter how remote) 6 days a week.

[Yankees1964]

Originally Posted by Mike D.

I’m not sure many companies would be lining up for the USPS gig. Unlike Fed Ex or UPS, who could just reject packages when they got overwhelmed (as they did this year, further flooding USPS), USPS has to take everything. Then they deliver to every address in the country (no matter how remote) 6 days a week.

Exactly. Not to mention it would cost multiples more than it does now. Of course leaving all the machines in place that we pulled and scrapped by the new PMG would have made the huge COVID increase easier for them to handle too.

[Mike D.]

Isn’t USPS also not really allowed to make a profit? So, no “make a little extra and then reinvest” like a lot of businesses go.

[Schlesinj]

Not totally related to baseball cards, but quick public service announcement that both credit card bills and payments are all going to be delayed, so pay attention to getting fees and late charges. The credit card companies are aware, of course, but you may need to make a phone call to get things waived.

[sportsnut25]

To really rub some salt in the wounds, the tracking portion of the USPS website has been unavailable this evening.

Now I'll really be guessing if my package will come Monday or will be delayed since it hasn't been scanned in 47 hours.

[jchcollins]

Today's package that finally arrived (a Seaver RC, I was sweating bullets...) was kind of the last straw for me and the USPS with anything shipped of value. It wasn't anything super horrible, but for Priority Mail Insured, $23 - the package was 3 days late, and got maybe half the tracking scans it should have from just outside of St. Louis to me in Winston-Salem, NC. Lately my regular, First Class packages have been both getting more scans en route, and arriving on the whole quicker than Priority Mail.

Clearly not the end of the world as I got the card and am happy, but I will gladly pay the same or more to do FedEx 2 day for cards I sell / buy over a certain price point from here on out. Peace of mind with the USPS just seems to be a thing of the past. I get no updates on shipping for 2 solid days AFTER this package is supposed to be here already, and then wake up this morning to more stories on NPR, etc. about how screwed up the Post Office still is, and to expect more delays. Whatever, I'm done. Yeah, yeah - I get there are legit reasons - but this also isn't rocket science, and has been a festering problem in many areas of the US even before the onset of COVID. Yes, 99% of my USPS stuff does get here eventually, but if I can pay comprable or even more elsewhere for a quicker turnaround and more reassurances, it's time for me to go that route.

[UKCardGuy]

I'm curious, why doesn't everyone just switch to UPS or Fedex? A UPS ground package from Dallas to Florida with $200 insurance costs $13.10. It's not that much more than Priority Mail. UPS isn't perfect, but it seems much more reliable than USPS these days.

[perezfan]

Originally Posted by UKCardGuy

I'm curious, why doesn't everyone just switch to UPS or Fedex? A UPS ground package from Dallas to Florida with $200 insurance costs $13.10. It's not that much more than Priority Mail. UPS isn't perfect, but it seems much more reliable than USPS these days.

I've incurred far more damage over the years with UPS. And I'd rather be boiled in oil, than go through their futile claims process. USPS (even with all their current issues) is still the least expensive and best way to ship, IMHO.

[jchcollins]

Originally Posted by UKCardGuy

I'm curious, why doesn't everyone just switch to UPS or Fedex? A UPS ground package from Dallas to Florida with $200 insurance costs $13.10. It's not that much more than Priority Mail. UPS isn't perfect, but it seems much more reliable than USPS these days.

I'm totally with you, but I prefer FedEx. UPS once left an Angels Media Guide with Nolan Ryan on the cover out in the pouring rain to be ruined on my front stoupe. I've learned my lesson for good at this point with the USPS though. They may be better than nothing, but at least lately they aren't making the grade for what I require to ship anything high dollar.

[carlsonjok]

Originally Posted by UKCardGuy

I'm curious, why doesn't everyone just switch to UPS or Fedex? A UPS ground package from Dallas to Florida with $200 insurance costs $13.10. It's not that much more than Priority Mail. UPS isn't perfect, but it seems much more reliable than USPS these days.

I've never had an issue with USPS more significant than misdelivered items that show up a few days late. I have, however, had a bad experience with UPS.



This is what I found when I went to the UPS store to pick up a 1963 Fleer card I sent in to a Sandy Koufax signing a few years back. The card ended up being fine. And, I am aware that one cannot draw a trend line from one data point, but holy moly they abused that envelope.

[bnorth]

I have a new one I have never seen before. Tracking has shown this for a week.
SHIPMENT RECEIVED ACCEPTANCE PENDING
ORLANDO, FL 32824

[tschock]

Originally Posted by UKCardGuy

I'm curious, why doesn't everyone just switch to UPS or Fedex? A UPS ground package from Dallas to Florida with $200 insurance costs $13.10. It's not that much more than Priority Mail. UPS isn't perfect, but it seems much more reliable than USPS these days.

As some have already noted, and I can vouch as well. Over the years I've had a few packages from the USPS get damaged, but the packages I receive via UPS (with some regularity) look like the employees pretend the package is the copier from Office Space.

[Orioles1954]

Really weird. I just sent out a batch on Saturday night. Half of them have already arrived at their destinations....some as far away as California! So strange.

[sportsnut25]

Originally Posted by UKCardGuy

I'm curious, why doesn't everyone just switch to UPS or Fedex? A UPS ground package from Dallas to Florida with $200 insurance costs $13.10. It's not that much more than Priority Mail. UPS isn't perfect, but it seems much more reliable than USPS these days.

I use UPS exclusively these days for things I mail out. Location by me never has more than one other customer at the counter where as post office always has a line taking at least 15-20 minutes to get through.

Unsure how much more it costs me for the most part, but today it cost me about $1.20 more at UPS than USPS would have charged me (according to online cost estimator).

Never had an issue with UPS, items always arrive when they say it will and in the same condition the package was mailed.

[thecatspajamas]

Originally Posted by bnorth

I have a new one I have never seen before. Tracking has shown this for a week.
SHIPMENT RECEIVED ACCEPTANCE PENDING
ORLANDO, FL 32824

Possibly a result of the sender using a SCAN form whereby multiple packages are tied to a single bar code on a form generated by the shipper's postage software so that they can be dropped off and "received" at the post office counter with a single scan rather than waiting for them to be scanned individually?

[Fballguy]

It definitely depends on what part of the country you're shipping to/from. I've had packages delivered in 3 days recently and then others that take two weeks to make it out of the shipping state. Pennsylvania seems to be a cluster**** right now.

The only thing I've shipped that ended up lost throughout this entire ordeal was going to Michigan, which coincidentally I also had a package coming to me from and it also never showed up.

[jchcollins]

Originally Posted by Fballguy

Pennsylvania seems to be a cluster**** right now.

So is St. Louis. I've had packages from CA come to me in NC quicker than those originating in the midwest.

[Kutcher55]

I'm waiting on a package that has been sitting in Sioux Falls, South Dakota since January 12th!

Now granted it's just a 1971 Bobby Murcer PSA 6, but I would appreciate if someone in that office would kindly get that package moving toward the east coast.

[jchcollins]

Originally Posted by Kutcher55

Now granted it's just a 1971 Bobby Murcer PSA 6, but I would appreciate if someone in that office would kindly get that package moving toward the east coast.

Shortly before Christmas, I had a '71 Dick Allen that didn't even get an acceptance scan for 10+ days before mysteriously showing up at a regional hub in New England after the seller printed the shipping label. By that point I was supposed to have had it for a week already. The rest of the journey down to me in NC was fairly uneventful.

[mikemb]

Sorry to bring this topic up again.

Just about all the items I have ordered or sold have been delivered timely. I think the post office is doing a great job.

But I recently ordered a book of stamps on March 16 (coming to New Jersey).
Here is the tracking (read from the botttom up)

Tracking History

March 24, 2021, 8:52 pm
Departed USPS Regional Origin Facility
KANSAS CITY MO DISTRIBUTION CENTER
Your item departed our KANSAS CITY MO DISTRIBUTION CENTER origin facility on March 24, 2021 at 8:52 pm. The item is currently in transit to the destination.

March 24, 2021, 7:14 am
Arrived at USPS Regional Origin Facility
KANSAS CITY MO DISTRIBUTION CENTER

March 23, 2021
In Transit to Next Facility

March 20, 2021, 9:55 pm
Arrived at USPS Regional Destination Facility
KEARNY NJ DISTRIBUTION CENTER

March 18, 2021, 11:53 pm
Arrived at USPS Regional Destination Facility
JERSEY CITY NJ NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER

March 18, 2021, 9:12 am
Arrived at USPS Regional Destination Facility
KEARNY NJ DISTRIBUTION CENTER

March 16, 2021, 7:52 pm
Departed USPS Regional Origin Facility
KANSAS CITY MO DISTRIBUTION CENTER

March 16, 2021, 3:44 pm
Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
KANSAS CITY MO DISTRIBUTION CENTER

March 16, 2021, 3:14 pm
Departed USPS Regional Facility
KANSAS CITY MO DISTRIBUTION CENTER

March 16, 2021, 12:17 pm
Arrived at USPS Regional Origin Facility
KANSAS CITY MO DISTRIBUTION CENTER

March 16, 2021, 11:02 am
Accepted at USPS Regional Origin Facility
KANSAS CITY MO DISTRIBUTION CENTER

Mike

[sportsnut25]

Originally Posted by mikemb

Sorry to bring this topic up again.

Just about all the items I have ordered or sold have been delivered timely. I think the post office is doing a great job.

But I recently ordered a book of stamps on March 16 (coming to New Jersey).
Here is the tracking (read from the botttom up)

Tracking History

March 24, 2021, 8:52 pm
Departed USPS Regional Origin Facility
KANSAS CITY MO DISTRIBUTION CENTER
Your item departed our KANSAS CITY MO DISTRIBUTION CENTER origin facility on March 24, 2021 at 8:52 pm. The item is currently in transit to the destination.

March 24, 2021, 7:14 am
Arrived at USPS Regional Origin Facility
KANSAS CITY MO DISTRIBUTION CENTER

March 23, 2021
In Transit to Next Facility

March 20, 2021, 9:55 pm
Arrived at USPS Regional Destination Facility
KEARNY NJ DISTRIBUTION CENTER

March 18, 2021, 11:53 pm
Arrived at USPS Regional Destination Facility
JERSEY CITY NJ NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER

March 18, 2021, 9:12 am
Arrived at USPS Regional Destination Facility
KEARNY NJ DISTRIBUTION CENTER

March 16, 2021, 7:52 pm
Departed USPS Regional Origin Facility
KANSAS CITY MO DISTRIBUTION CENTER

March 16, 2021, 3:44 pm
Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
KANSAS CITY MO DISTRIBUTION CENTER

March 16, 2021, 3:14 pm
Departed USPS Regional Facility
KANSAS CITY MO DISTRIBUTION CENTER

March 16, 2021, 12:17 pm
Arrived at USPS Regional Origin Facility
KANSAS CITY MO DISTRIBUTION CENTER

March 16, 2021, 11:02 am
Accepted at USPS Regional Origin Facility
KANSAS CITY MO DISTRIBUTION CENTER

Mike

That's both sad and hysterical at the same time!

[bnorth]

Looked today and seen this on so figured I would share the silliness.

[bobcatfunds]

I've had quite few items marked as "delivered", but not actually delivered until the next day.

(...at least I got them.)

[Snapolit1]

I’ve prob sold 100 cards since the fall. Serious drama with 8 or 9 of them but every card eventually got to where it need to go. Had more issues with priority than first class.

[sportsnut25]

Originally Posted by bnorth

Looked today and seen this on so figured I would share the silliness.

Have had that a few times myself recently.

One similar one for me was

USPS awaits item from sender
USPS gets item in Town A
USPS moved item to Town B
USPS awaits item from sender

[Fballguy]

Here's a fun one. From Pennsylvania to Houston by way of Puerto Rico.

[cannonballsun]

Originally Posted by 71buc

I sold a card on 12/27 and shipped it on 12/28. It was out for delivery on 12/31. Buyer filed a claim on 12/08. I asked the buyer to be patient due to usps shipping issues. To his credit he did wait a week and was polite. Nonetheless eBay removed the funds from my account. I checked a moment ago and as you can see the card is still out for delivery. So I essentially paid USPS for the privilege of giving away my card.

The exact same thing happened to me.

[Oscar_Stanage]

Seems this is a pretty common issue, but its annoying when it happens to you!
I have received a few Canadian packages, but never experienced this. USPS says it still in customs. US customs says it means it is with USPS.. Either way, it has not moved in a month.


--------------
March 10, 2021, 7:08 am
Processed Through Facility
ISC CHICAGO IL (USPS)
Your item has been processed through our facility in ISC CHICAGO IL (USPS) at 7:08 am on March 10, 2021.

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

Originally Posted by Wid_Conroy

Seems this is a pretty common issue, but its annoying when it happens to you!
I have received a few Canadian packages, but never experienced this. USPS says it still in customs. US customs says it means it is with USPS.. Either way, it has not moved in a month.


--------------
March 10, 2021, 7:08 am
Processed Through Facility
ISC CHICAGO IL (USPS)
Your item has been processed through our facility in ISC CHICAGO IL (USPS) at 7:08 am on March 10, 2021.

The exact same thing happened to me, except going the other direction. An extremely valuable package, too. That Chicago International Sorting Center is so ineptly run. USPS blamed Canada customs, who had no record of the package ever making it across the border. This was in May of 2020. All is lost. USPS can't be bothered searching any more and told me as much in an email. I haven't used them for packages since.

[Oscar_Stanage]

Originally Posted by BillyCox3

The exact same thing happened to me, except going the other direction. An extremely valuable package, too. That Chicago International Sorting Center is so ineptly run. USPS blamed Canada customs, who had no record of the package ever making it across the border. This was in May of 2020. All is lost. USPS can't be bothered searching any more and told me as much in an email. I haven't used them for packages since.

i dont get it... its a package with a barcode. Given it is on mass scale, but how hard is this really?

[Fballguy]

Had a postal worker today tell me to not waste money on priority mail. They're not even hiding it any more. It's over Johnny.

[Mark17]

Originally Posted by Fballguy

Had a postal worker today tell me to not waste money on priority mail. They're not even hiding it any more. It's over Johnny.

Priority flat rate boxes are often cheaper than standard packages because weight doesn't matter, and the automatic insurance that comes with Priority has paid off for me in the past 2 months as well. So Priority has some advantages, sometimes, besides the supposed speed.

[tab]

I have had a few packages get stuck in St. Louis over the years as a buyer. They all eventually showed up and I have been pretty patient. One item was a part for my boat a couple years ago. The package disappeared all summer long and never showed up till fall. I never did get the boat out that year. I was patient and had completely forgot about it when it showed up.

Now that I finally try my luck at selling on ebay I'm already having issues. I sold two cards and sent them both off the same day. I live in Illinois package A was going to California. Package B was going further north in Illinois(yes the same state I live in). Package A made it to California and arrived early. Package B is stuck in St. Louis for a week now.

This is very frustrating considering I had a 100% score on ebay since 1999. I just assumed there was a problem in St. Louis with USPS did not know it was all over.

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

I received a PWE with a December 7 postmark. I didn't think anything would break my previous 2021 record of 77 days for a one-way trip for letter mail, but this nearly doubles it at 140.

[Tere1071]

Last week I sent out two eBay packages, a return of a near set of 1971 football cards and a magazine. Due to the pandemic and my family's wishes, I schedule pick-ups as much as possible. The carrier picked up both items but failed to scan either. The magazine was scanned at the post office and made its way to the buyer. The return is still identified as "pre-shipment info sent USPS awaits item." Friday I sent a request for assistance to check on the status of the package to see if it left the building. I've had this happen a few times in the past where out of nowhere a package arrived at its destination-late. It's nerve-racking nevertheless.

Phil aka Tere1071

[Fballguy]

The frustrating thing, it seems to me anyway, is that there are ebbs and flows of delivery. Things will zip thru relatively quickly for a while and then with no explanation grind to a halt.

I've got 11 packages either coming or going right now and nearly all are facing a delay. It's like a horse race to see which one crosses the line first and they all seem to be fading down the stretch. I've got one that arrived in Houston (my town) on Thursday. During good times, that would mean possibly that day or likely the next, it would show up at my door. Now? No tracking update since it arrived on Thursday and no packages at my door.