Am I getting scammed or is USPS really that bad? Ebay related

[oneofsix]

This recently happened to me as well- bought a vcr from Ebay. Seller shipped it 2 day priority mail from NJ. Once it got to the Fayetteville main post office/hub, it sat as "in transit" for 5 days. We're not one of the hard hit states, that I know of. I had to ask the clerk at our little PO to check on it twice; second time it was waiting for me the next day at our PO.
She also shakes her head.

[Burnt Fingers]

One thing to keep in mind.

If the package is compromised then the package is sent to a unit where they will repair or repackage. Most of the time these small units of the sick, lame, and lazy are several days behind on getting stuff done.

[bedbugbilly]

Right now, USPS service is terrible - wish someone could explain how it went downhill in what seems like a month.

OP - we mailed a box "ground rate" from here in AZ to NY. Normal delivery is up to 10 days. I talked with the person we sent it to and after almost three weeks, he had not received it. I went on-line to check the tracking (we though he had received it already) and the tracking shows "no information available" - that was on a Sunday night. I checked on Monday morning and it shows "in transit" but that was it. I called local PO where we had mailed it - asked what was going on and I gave him the tracking number - he looked it up and told me it was last scanned in Jersey City, NJ. I then asked him why when I looked it up, all it said was "in transit" yet he could look it up and tell me it was last scanned in Jersey City. (And I used the USPS site to look up the tracking). His answer - "I dunno". He then told me that everything was "slow". Western states were being sent to a sorting center in the Republik of Kalifornia - then sent out from there. 1st class mail and Priority were being pushed out first and then what space there was, was used for Ground Parcel. He said that Priority Mail was sometimes taking up to 10 days to get delivered. HUH????

I had 1st class mail business envelopes (property tax statements) mailed from me in Michigan on July 1 - I did not get there here in Arizona (south of Tucson) until July 23rd!!!!

We recently had absentee ballots mailed to us here in AZ from MI for the primary election - they were addressed to our Arizona address. Last Friday, the Township Clerk called us in the morning in a frenzy - they evidently had made it to our local PO here - were stamped "UNDERLIVERABLE" and returned to MI. We had to have the Clerk send PDFs of the ballots and do it like they do for those in the Military - print off - sign, date and fill out - scan and send back.

Sorry - but it seems like the USPS has suddenly gone off a cliff - it was not this bad during the height of the pandemic - so what has changed? The Socialist Democratic Party wants to do "Mail in ballots" for the November election - REALLY??? Why all of a sudden is there an issue in getting mail delivered in a timely manner?? I know there are a lot of good postal employees who work hard - but like a lot of other professions - there are those that don't. And gee . . . teethe Postal Workers Union endorsed the Socialist Democratic Party many weeks ago . . . so has the USPS become "Politicalized"?

Funny . . . . our Absentee Ballots we're clearly marked on the outside of the envelope as "Absentee Ballot Enclosed". Our postal carrier . . . who has delivered mail to the wrong address . . who has recorded that boxes have been delivered to us (and neighbors) but no boxes show up . . . knows that we are not supporters of the Left . . . nor anyone else who flies an American flag on their house on our street. So . . . it certainly makes a person "wonder" just what the heck is going on . . . but then again . . . the USPS is run by the guvment . . . need anything else be said?

OP - I hope your box shows up - call your PO and ask them what the heck is going on and give them the tracking number - ask them to check it and see where it is. I am still wondering how I could use the USPS site to check the box we sent and have no locations show up but they somehow could find it out when I called the PO and gave them the tracking number . . . .

[Mr Peabody]

I had that happen recently, it kept showing delayed in transit. A 2 day trip took almost a week. I read this morning that the new Postmaster General has stopped all overtime for the postal employees. If they can't do it today it sits till tomorrow, or later.

[Pigboat]

This is the contact information for US postal Service Consumer Affairs. The names might have changed but the numbers should still be good:

https://about.usps.com/postal-bullet...l/kit_021.html

[BucketBack]

Sorry, but the SENDER buys the insurance and they have to file the claim.

Was going to post that. The buyer can ask Ebay for a refund, and Ebay always believes the buyer.

[gwpercle]

USPS is having problems delivering .
My wife works for a Private Mail Center and every morning , for the last 20 years goes to the post office to pick up the Mail Centers mail ... so the post office doesn't have to deliver it to the mail center .
Things down there are all fouled up because of C-19 and incompetence ... some days they don't have it ready for pick up and one day they sent it out with a mail person to be delivered wife says she's never seen them so fouled up .

I can vote by mail because I'm 70 ...but I'm putting on a mask and going to cast my vote in person...I'm afraid my mail in ballot might not get there !
Gary

[KCSO]

Same here last order sat for 3 days 50 miles from home, a letter sent next day with a 7 dollar fww came in in 6 days, no excuse no refund of the next day fee. Yes USPS is that bad.

[mdi]

FWIW; distance means nothing to the US Postal Service. I live in a small town (actually two towns separated by a river, but both use the same zip and city designation). On my side of the river there was a PO and if one posted anything there to go 3/4 mile across the river, the item had to go to a "hub" 400 miles away. So for a letter mailed in my town to go 3/4 mile north, it took 3 to 4 days traveling 800 miles...

[poppy42]

The USPS tracking is awful. FedEx and UPS will tell you every stop but USPS usually just says "shipped" and then "in transit" until it shows up at your door (or not).

Not true. When track a shipment USPS (either sending or receiving) I get info about Each stop, when it arrives, and when it leaves that stop. But that’s not saying it gets delivered to the right address! Ups, leaves my package at my door. FedEx leaves it wherever they darn well please! My house, the neighbors house, three blocks away! Personally I think they all stink but ups seems to be about the best.

[poppy42]

Op, sounds to me like the only thing that was done was that a label was created your package has not been picked up or actually shipped yet. I recently had the same experience with an item I purchased off of eBay. I would suggest that you contact the seller and explain your concerns. If you don’t get any updates as to movements within a day or so I would contact eBay and request your money back. I’m not sure what the time limit is but there is definitely a time limit as to how long you can wait before you receive a refund. I have heard of scams where are the seller will drag things out past the time limit so that you can no longer receive a refund. Don’t know if that’s the case in your situation I can only tell you what happened to me

[Burnt Fingers]

One thing that's causing havoc is the lack of commercial airline flights. USPS ships a LOT of mail that way. Or at least they used to. The USPS isn't allowed to own their own planes. They are forced to use UPS. FedEx, or commercial flights.

[BK7saum]

Sorry, but the SENDER buys the insurance and they have to file the claim.

Sorry, but that is not so anymore. Or not entirely so. Ironically, I purchased a press, which arrived damaged, and as buyer filed for the $50 included insurance for priority mail items.

Now I think shipper or buyer have the option of filing the claim. At least that is how their policy reads to me. I did file and receive the $50 insurance, though.

Brad

[Hanzy4200]

File a missing package claim. You can do so being the buyer, as can the seller. 99% chance it will show. I sold a pressure canner that was almost identical situation. Seller contacted me about two weeks after shipping, said it hadn't moved in over a week. We both filed requests, and the package showed 2 days later. The USPS is one jack wagon operation.


I will add, I do a lot of business on Ebay. Hundreds of purchases. I have never once been screwed over. In the very rare instance the item didn't show, I was refunded.

[charlie b]

We used to run a small business from our home. We ended up sending everything through USPS. Their services were far better than UPS or FedEx and we had much fewer losses.

There are times when a package gets sent to the wrong station. It happens, just not very often. Maybe one in a couple hundred. And out of thousands of packages sent we had less than 30 damaged and only three lost. 6 others were reported as lost but were later found to have been delivered (rural and overseas).

Recently I have noticed that packages are taking longer, UPS, FedEx and USPS. I had one UPS that went ground from CA to TN, then back to NM. USPS sent one from IL to WA state and then finally back to NM. When volume goes up so do the problems. "In the old days" we would see this around the holiday season with the much larger numbers of orders and backlogs in shipping.

[Tom Ruley]

I'm in the same boat with you, I placed an order from Midway USA 3 weeks ago and tracking tells me it has been in Des Moines Iowa for over a week. Pony express would have so much faster!

[Static line]

Took almost two weeks for my package to arrive from MidwayUSA. It was hung up in Ohio someplace for a week and never moved. I'm telling ya, things just ain't right!

[Greg S]

Bought a used Beowulf upper from a reputable BST on a forum. Took 6+ weeks from west TX. Seller didn't ship for three weeks and when he did, he didn't foward tracking info.

[Patrick L]

Well, I think the general consensus is that this is likely a USPS problem and not a scammer, but anything is possible. I have contacted the seller, he insists he did ship it and is working with his local PO on that end. Being the trusting fool I am, plus my own recent USPS adventures as well as those related by others here, I tend to believe him.

I have started an online request for the USPS to investigate, and I will stop into my local PO today to inquire. I notified Ebay I didn't get item, but indicated "I would like to receive the item" just to bring them into the process.

I'll keep the board posted.

[elmacgyver0]

Things are slow these days, I guess it's the new normal.
Hopefully it will show up soon.