USPS delivery problem

[dougscats]

I always get great advice from this forum, so here goes:

I used the PayPal shipping service for the first time last Monday, April 6, in order to ship from home. I printed out labels for first class mail with tracking for two small packages and put them in my mailbox to be picked up, which they were.
Unfortunately, they have not been delivered.

When I check the tracking, the Status says Pre-Delivery, as if I had never mailed them.

Yesterday, Easter Sunday, I filed a missing mail claim. USPS replied that they’d get back to me within one business day.
Today, I left a written message to my mailman and asked him to ring my bell so that I could ask him about it, but I haven’t heard from him yet.

I should mention that postal service has been messed up for the past couple of weeks due to the covid-19 emergency. I received a couple of packages a week or so late. Breezy Point, where I live, is part of NYC but is not the inner city. I highly doubt that the packages were stolen by a pedestrian as that’s never happened in my 35 years here, though of course it is a possibility.

Both I and the recipient are naturally anxious about this. As I’m responsible, I’ve promised him a refund if he doesn’t get the card delivered. But I’ve asked him to be patient and wait. I haven’t spoken to the other recipient, but the same would apply to him.

I’d appreciate any advice in this matter and would also like to know what you think would be a reasonable length of time to ask them to wait.

Thanks.

Doug