Home › Forums › Shipping: The Final Frontier › Large number of lost packages
- This topic has 47 replies, 21 voices, and was last updated 1 month ago by
almasty.
-
AuthorPosts
-
-
12/04/2020 at 12:54 pm #83979
Earlier this week I got a message from a buyer saying their item had not arrived on time. I checked the tracking and noted it was still in Indiana despite being shipped pre-Thanksgiving. I asked them to wait and the item eventually started moving again yesterday.
Over the past 12 hours I’ve had 3 additional buyers contact me about the same issue. I’ve now realized that nearly every First Class package I shipped on the week of Thanksgiving has yet to leave the local sorting facility. An alarming amount of them also say that USPS is still awaiting the item despite having each package scanned at the counter upon dropoff, which resets the tracking history on eBay to pre-shipment status. Of the small handful that escaped the jaws of the local PO, at some point in tracking there’s an entry that says “USPS Awaits Item – Indianapolis” even if the item was in another state just moments before.
Is anyone seeing the same problem? How should I proceed?
-
12/04/2020 at 1:07 pm #83982
Yikes. We’ve seen people discuss before about a USPS truck catching fire or some accident that destroys packages.
Have you contacted the Post Office near you?
-
12/04/2020 at 1:14 pm #83983
The procrastinator in me wants to give it an additional day since the first instance of a lost package eventually broke loose and started moving, but if more buyers start noticing I’ll probably have to. Unfortunately they’re pretty carefree around here about tracking issues and just refer to the tracking history on usps.com, or tell you to fill out a form. Won’t stop me from trying, though.
-
12/04/2020 at 1:18 pm #83984
Yeah, just because the tracking seems dead doesn’t mean its not moving. Sometimes they just forget to scan. Tough to tell.
As far as buyers, we just communicate with them and keep them updated. 99% of buyers will be cool for quite a while. If a buyer gets grumpy, they can open a case and let eBay take time to work through the process. Its all about buying time.
-
-
12/04/2020 at 1:37 pm #83985
Not sure what advice to give ; I have one similar issue right now. And it seems that first class is taking about 9 calendar days for my items mailed around the Thanksgiving holiday.
For me, it seems that eBay enters into a state with slow sales and only cranky / impatient buyers.
Today a buyer opened a “request” or claim on eBay and eBay put the funds on hold. Buyer states that he did not receive his item yet. Buyer never messaged me about a problem.
The purchase was on Nov 26, Thanksgiving day, and item was mailed Friday Nov 27 via first class mail from Atlanta area to Denver. Today is only Dec 4, so the item has been in transit only 7 calendar days. But the tracking does look stalled out here in Atlanta.
If buyer had contacted me thru messages, I would be doing some buyer hand-holding, but he jumped straight to opening a claim. So I don’t need to respond for a few days (per eBay instructions). Perhaps the tracking will show progress by then.
-
12/04/2020 at 1:53 pm #83986
yep, i’ve been seeing this too for ebay and Broad Porch packages. i think USPS is slammed, plus the postal holiday in the middle of the week last week didn’t help. my carrier (it was probably a sub) didn’t pick up any of my packages yesterday! it’s like extra holiday package delays already.
-
12/04/2020 at 2:06 pm #83988
Since about March 2020, I have been sending email notifications to all buyers with the tracking numbers AND getting USPS counter scans for almost all packages. Seems that this is helping out some. Nothing like having a timely acceptance scan.
But @indysales, you are correct that sometimes bogus entries in the scan history, especially when you review it on eBay.
@Ryanne, Yes they are slammed and a holiday day “off” makes it worse catching up.Also, I thought eBay would be helping sellers out on this. Why do they let a buyer open a claim in only 5 business days?
-
12/04/2020 at 2:51 pm #83989
I had one of these too. Mailed before thanksgiving, stalled in my city for 2 weeks before moving again to its destination.
-
12/04/2020 at 3:07 pm #83990
I have a personal package with prescription drugs that has tracking stopping at Phoenix distribution center this past Wednesday. I have one Rx in that package that I will be out of before the weekend is over, I had to call the online pharmacy to get authorization for a 10 day Rx from my local pharmacy.
-
12/04/2020 at 3:26 pm #83991
I have one such case I’m dealing with now after several months of smooth sailing. I suggest responding to the claim with a message as soon as you can – as long as you keep the communication going with the buyer and they don’t escalate/call ebay, the claim will stay open and they won’t get refunded. The goal of this being to give the package some additional time to arrive and thus avoid a situation where you refund, but then package arrives, and so you are out the money.
Here’s what I said in my first message back to the buyer in this most recent situation (Priority Mail package):
Hi,
Thank you for alerting me of this issue. First, I want to make clear that no matter what, you will either receive the knife or get a full refund. The only question is when.The earliest that USPS will allow me to file a lost mail insurance claim (and thus not be out any money myself) is this coming Monday. Would you be willing to wait until then to get a refund (assuming the tracking hasn’t shown any movement before then)?
In the meantime I will file a missing mail search request with the USPS, which sometimes gets packages moving again.
Then I sent another quick message 2 days later just to check in, even though nothing had changed.
I also submitted a service request with USPS, which sometimes does work (not this time), and the second step would then be a missing mail search. However, since the 15-day waiting time to submit an insurance claim for a lost package with USPS ends on Monday, I’ll probably skip the missing mail search. Whether these USPS requests/searches do anything at all in terms of getting packages moving is debatable, but they are useful for delaying the point at which the buyer demands an immediate refund.
-
12/07/2020 at 9:14 pm #84066
Time to follow up:
Most of the packages were knocked loose and ended up finally leaving Indiana. Roughly 75% of those ended up getting delivered between my first post and now. My theory is that there was a delay in syncing the tracking in addition to a delay in shipping. No proof, just a guess.
The last big issue I’m dealing with now are the truly “lost” packages. USPS opened and closed a service request of one package without notifying me of the closure. I’m unsure if that means it was located, I need to open a missing mail request, or what. I’ll be exploring options tomorrow. With orders that had free shipping, I’ve encouraged buyers to claim their voucher ($5 or so?) for their next eBay order. I ship all First Class items with free shipping, so everyone who missed the expected delivery date should qualify.
So far there’s only been one upset buyer. They’d been pretty aggressive about getting the item and I believe had a case opened to locate it. I was prompt in getting back to them on the search, asked them to wait, etc, etc, but when the item arrived it was damaged/”non-working”, and they left feedback accordingly. With how badly they wanted it I’m sure the wait just made it worse. I offered a return but they’re already AWOL. Not a long-term eBay user either, so just someone passing through that decided to leave a mark on their way out.
eBay has been closing INR cases as the items have arrived, so good on them.
It’s funny – after this incident I’m now checking every package that goes out to make sure it’s not just sitting at the PO doing nothing.
-
12/07/2020 at 9:57 pm #84069
@indysales What is this First Class lost shipping voucher you speak of?
-
12/08/2020 at 10:45 am #84079
If eBay has shown a buyer a guaranteed delivery date and the package does not show by that date, the buyer can claim a voucher.
-
12/08/2020 at 11:25 am #84083
I thought this was only if you were in the guaranteed delivery program. You have to have one day shipping and opt into the program.
-
-
-
12/08/2020 at 10:06 am #84077
I’ve had the same issues as the OP. I too live in Indiana, and my packages tend to get stuck in Indianapolis. I’m guessing the Indy sorting facility really just doesn’t have time for scanning, as many of the packages end up getting to their spots. But I do have many that were sent before Thanksgiving that are still stuck in Indy.
I’ve had luck going to the USPS site and filing a missing mail claim – though it’s a lengthy process for each package. But I have found that once I do that, the package usually gets delivered within a day or two.
https://www.usps.com/help/missing-mail.htm
I just skip down to number 3 and start filling in the form. It works well, and does get things moving. I use this when buyers send me a note. After filling out the form, the tracking shows that a missing mail report was filed, showing the buyer that I’m trying to do something. They have all been very nice and did not blame me for late mail. Eventually all packages arrive.
Good luck
-
12/08/2020 at 10:52 am #84080
@temudgin Thank you; how do I walk a buyer through that process? I have had to refund 2 buyers in the last 6 weeks for late delivery issues.
-
12/08/2020 at 11:37 am #84084
Sharyn is correct, the seller has to be in the program. Assuming guaranteed delivery was offered to the buyer, that date will be shown on the “Order Update” email they receive with the header that their order “is being shipped”. Underneath the guaranteed delivery date shown in the email is the sentence “You can always let us know if your item is late” with the words “let us know” hyperlinked. If they click on that link they’ll be taken to a page where they’ll be offered to claim a voucher. There are probably other ways to get to it.
I was in the guaranteed delivery program but then dropped out of it probably because I went through some long handling time periods.
-
-
12/08/2020 at 11:06 am #84082
I’ve also had quite a few packages reset the clock and state “USPS is awaiting the item”, even though there are previous scans recorded.
I guess the Post Office has to maintain it’s “on time” delivery statistics.
I personally haven’t seem any lengthy package delays, since before the election.
-
12/08/2020 at 11:55 am #84086
ELK GROVE VILLAGE IL DISTRIBUTION CENTER last tracked my shipment.
On reddit there are postings regarding packages not moving for weeks at a time. Here is one example…
“USPS sorting hubs that have a very high number of lost mail reports, or where packages get stuck for 2 weeks or more at a time, colloquially are referred to as “black holes”. If your mail gets through one on time and unscathed, consider yourself the luckiest man alive. You can have a package arriving 100% on time and even ahead of schedule, and then it gets sucked into a black hole and is never seen again, or gets delayed several weeks.
You will know a black hole hub when you see one because there will be hundreds upon hundreds of lost mail questions posted online tied to that particular hub, some going back to 2005 for the Jersey ones.”
Here is my latest experience…
Shipping to:
Fountain FL 32438-2106November 21, 2020, 12:42 pm
Departed Post Office
DELAFIELD, WI 53018November 26, 2020, 11:00 am
Arrived at USPS Regional Origin Facility
ELK GROVE VILLAGE IL DISTRIBUTION CENTERNovember 30, 2020
In Transit, Arriving Late
Your package will arrive later than expected, but is still on its way. It is currently in transit to the next facilityDecember 12, 2020
The buyer contacted me asking for a delivery update. -
12/09/2020 at 12:24 pm #84109
I had to refund one anxious buyer yesterday as the first class tracking had / has stalled. Buyer agreed to refuse the package when it finally arrives, so perhaps I may recover the merchandise.
Time to re-think having 1-day handling for USPS items right now. For a few items, I bumped up to 2-day handling even though I will still ship faster than that.
-
12/09/2020 at 2:01 pm #84115
I have 3 day handling time on my store. I live walking distance from my post office, so I can walk there, but they have changed their hours (Shortened) and so I have left the 3 day handling time. I accidentally left a FedEx package at the post office and now-it is NOWHERE to be found. Anyone know what steps I should take from here? The clerk at the post office told me she had it, and then she could not find it. I went back a few days later, still. No one knows where my package is. Can I hold the USPS responsible? What do I tell the buyer? Oh my gosh. My sales have been uber slow and now this. Many of my packages are in limbo. ugh.
-
12/09/2020 at 3:58 pm #84116
Since this happens every day, FedEx and Post Office just exchange each other’s packages when Fed Ex does their routine drop off / pick ups at the post office. It’s quite possible Fed Ex picked it up and it might start tracking soon. But, given it’s 2020 and all shipping companies are in in chaos, who knows. I’d give it a few days and check Fed Ex tracking.
-
12/10/2020 at 8:08 am #84141
The one time I made this mistake, USPS shipped the package to the buyer via parcel mail and made it postage due at delivery! I talked to the post master and there is NO handoff to fedex at least at my local post offices.
Now I double check every single label – even free priority envelopes and packages. I also write “FED EX” on my fed ex packages in big black sharpie just to make sure I don’t mistakenly drop them at the post office.
-
-
-
12/09/2020 at 9:21 pm #84129
Earlier today, on the news, I saw that someone dumped bags of USPS mail in trash cans. Oy vey! Update: I went to my local post office. The clerk who originally told me that I left my FedEx package there, told me today that the package likely went to the main branch and that it will be a while until the buyer gets it. With the increased incidents happening across the U.S., I can only fathom how many people won’t ever see their packages. My question then becomes…if I refund the buyer, they are eventually going to get their package. And the refund, if I refund them. So I will be out the cash and the merchandise plus I’ve now paid for the shipping as well. I know I am not alone. How will ebay handle this, being that there will no doubt, be hundreds, if not more sellers in my situation. Add to that, the defect rate has to go through the roof for us all.
-
12/10/2020 at 2:51 am #84136
Less than a month ago I had a package that seemed to get lost after being shipped from my location (using USPS First Class Mail). The buyer had contacted me asking “where is my package”?? I attempted to reassure him that it would get to him eventually but he didn’t want to wait and so was given a full refund. He also received a request from me that if and when the package arrived that he “refuse delivery” of the item and it would be returned to me at no cost to him. He said “sure thing”, “will do”. He was refunded. After another 5 days the USPS tracking showed that the package had been delivered….and I never heard another word from the buyer and of course, never got the item back!! So, the buyer got his money back as well as the item! Guess who the loser was……fortunately, I was only out $18.00 and the lost opportunity to resell the item.
Today, I got another query from a different buyer asking where his item was – it was shipped USPS Priority Mail on Dec. 4, 2020 (going to Utah from California) and while it is has only been 5 days the buyer was miffed because it hadn’t arrived. I wrote to him explaining that the USPS has been having some problems lately with delays in deliveries and I asked him to be patient and to give it another 5-7 days. I’m not sure what I’ll do if his package is not delivered after another week….this item’s cost/value was over $100.00. I don’t want the same thing to happen with this purchase that happened with the previous one mentioned. (Refund money then buyer eventually gets the item and feels no need to return the item to the seller). Sometimes selling on eBay is so very frustrating…if it’s not the USPS messing up on timely deliveries then it’s the impatient, demanding buyers who want their item NOW.
Thanks for letting me vent my frustrations.
-
12/10/2020 at 7:44 am #84138
There’s an official process to give a refund to a buyer when a package is lost or takes too long.
The buyer needs to open a case with eBay. eBay then sets a clock for the seller to respond and make the situation right. Eventually, if the package doesnt arrive, the seller gives a refund.
The point is that the official eBay process gives the buyer/seller a way to work out the issue, while also slowing everyone down so the package has time to arrive.
We never just give a refund as soon as the buyer starts complaining.
-
12/10/2020 at 11:37 am #84152
Eliza,
For priority mail packages, you can submit a USPS insurance claim for a lost package if it hasn’t been delivered by 15 days after it was shipped. There is also a posted ebay policy that refunds are only required if tracking shows the package hasn’t moved for 4 days. I don’t have time to find it now – I’ve posted it on the forum before. I don’t think ebay necessarily follows this policy, but I cite it if I need to to keep a buyer patient for a little while longer if there’s still time before I can submit a claim with USPS.
I feel fortunate that I’ve been able to keep buyers patient for long enough until their package arrives (including a case just this past week). I make sure to check in with them regularly and know that I’m “on it” (submitting USPS service request, and then missing mail search) and letting them know that they absolutely will get a refund if they don’t get the package eventually. Yesterday I decided to be a bit proactive and saw that there were two packages from over a week ago that had no tracking updates for almost a week, so I submitted a service request for one of them. Sometimes that gets things moving.
If anyone adamantly demands a refund within a week of being shipped out, I’d simply tell them all the reasons why the USPS is slow right now, plus the shipping service they paid for offers no guarantee of fast arrival at any particular time.
-
-
12/10/2020 at 10:19 am #84147
eBay has published an official notice.
I skimmed over it, but it does seem to just be restating rules that already existed (essentially what Jay and others above said about not refunding at the first sign of trouble and instead working through INR cases.) Seems estimated delivery dates will also be extended.
My #1 worry is that eBay won’t signpost this delay well enough and “Where’s my package???”-type messages will continue to increase as we get closer to Christmas.
As a courtesy, I refunded 2 buyers yesterday. I exchanged several messages with both and I simply couldn’t make them wait any longer, as tracking was 100% frozen in Indiana. Both were under $20.
-
12/12/2020 at 1:43 pm #84213
I feel eBay should refund us all a month of store fees and let us just take a month vacation from selling. I have $800+ worth of items sitting at the Indianapolis sorting facility that I will likely have to refund via eBay but will all likely be delivered at some point in the next month or so. I shipped all around Thanksgiving, and they all have not moved or shown any indication of tracking since that time. I put in a lost package on an item that a customer contacted me on, and they reviewed and USPS ended my claim after 1 day, sending me a form letter saying that things are taking longer than normal to process. Still no movement.
I just changed all handling times to 15 days, and probably won’t sell anything in the next few weeks – but to be honest I feel that’s better than just giving things away. I assume this will end soon enough, but maybe not until after the new years. Sigh. So much for the holiday surge. I did well in November, only to give it all back in December.
Good luck all
-
12/12/2020 at 2:30 pm #84216
One can’t really blame eBay for the USPS issues. But they need to give sellers some extra help right now on this.
My experiment: I just put my secondary selling ID into “Time Away” state until Dec 18 with the items still available for purchase. Buyers can still purchase but should expect a delay. So now eBay is giving potential estimated delivery dates of Dec 26 & later. Sort of the same thing as bumping up the handling times.
I hope this leads to a lower stress level. The packages can still ship with my normal 1-day handling time.
-
12/12/2020 at 7:33 pm #84228
Using Time Away is a great idea. Doesn’t impact TRS status but gives breathing room for packages that get stuck. Knock on wood I have been fortunate so far – I ship many First Class Packages but there’s one Priority package to AZ that has been stuck for a week….
-
-
12/12/2020 at 3:20 pm #84219
I agree, ebay is not the one to blame. I think we should all give “credit” where credit is due. It is the “post office” who is dropping the ball! We need to have them own this. Politics has gotten in the way and is affecting us all. Both sellers and buyers. The sad part is that we, as sellers are ultimately the ones who literally pay-as per usual, the little guys. I think I’m putting my store on vacation as well. It hurts. Especially me, I’m a tiny seller. I have been busting my butt to list til I am blue in the face. For what? In researching items to list, I noticed quite a few folks stores “away”. Made me wonder, but now I completely understand. For me losing $30. plus the item sent, it’s a big deal. Right now, this is my only income and I have not had a sale alllll week. Even then, sales have been uber slow for me. There “has” to be some recourse for us as sellers. Not sure ebay would help us out-although they are in a better position than most of us to do so. However, I still don’t blame ebay.
-
12/12/2020 at 3:22 pm #84220
Just had a thought. If “all” ebay sellers put their store on vacation…it “may” drive a point home. Not sure how we’d accomplish this, but it is an idea.
-
12/12/2020 at 3:37 pm #84221
While I agree, it’s not eBay’s fault at all. But, they are the ones with the power. As individual sellers we have no power. But eBay is huge, they provide a lot of business to the post office, so I feel it’s up to them to pressure the post office to protect their sellers. eBay makes a LOT of money off of us, with really not a ton of work. They provide the platform, and there are a ton of people at eBay, but we are the ones sourcing, listing, selling, and giving a percentage to eBay.
I don’t feel anybody is going to protect us, that’s the way it is. It’s still a very great business with really no overhead to start-up and try. So it’s great. Just frustrating right now as I have no choice but to put things on hold or just lose more money. Oh well. On to 2021.
-
12/12/2020 at 3:48 pm #84222
@god_622, you make a valid point. Agreed. I just put my store on hold, painful as it is.
-
12/12/2020 at 4:46 pm #84223
The problem is that eBay isn’t doing anything directly to notify buyers of a potential delay. Buyers are now contacting me and demanding refunds because I missed *MY* “guaranteed” delivery date. Stuff like “You advertised a delivery date of X. What’s happening????” is bothersome and just introduces extra stress that eBay could prevent by just letting buyers know there’s a problem.
As far as I can tell, the only thing eBay has done to help in this situation is add a bit of text to the Tracking page of an order that says something about delays due to higher volume. Judging by the last two complaints I’ve had, buyers aren’t even aware of how to get their tracking number for an order (“Why haven’t you shipped this yet?”), so chances of them even arriving at this page are slim.
Maybe the oddest part about all of this is that when someone opens up an INR case, it’s like eBay forgets there’s even a tracking number associated with the order. Why do I have to give them the tracking number again? Why even allow them to open up a case if they know there’s a problem with delays?
There’s many points of failure here. Some of them are inexcusable IMO. I blame eBay for creating this unrealistic expectation of shipping times. We had delays with USPS earlier this year – what made them think the holidays would be any easier?
-
12/12/2020 at 4:53 pm #84224
I am getting massive number of complaints where packages are not moving and have gone into a black hole. I have changed my handling time from 1 business day to 3, but this is very worrisome.
-
12/12/2020 at 6:09 pm #84225
I am optimistic that the USPS problems may have peaked. Taking a day off for Thanksgiving was a tipping point for them. Perhaps they are recovering now.
One problem with the USPS dark hole distribution centers seems to be that packages are serviced in LIFO manner. Parcels that go In Last are the First to come Out. While those that went in first are buried for awhile.
As far as eBay, they set sellers up with those unrealistic delivery expectations. Today it seems those are looking more realistic. And since I offer both First Class and Priority it looks like they are showing both options for a change. We still need more help from eBay. They should be doing a better job of preventing buyers from opening cases.
-
12/13/2020 at 9:20 pm #84260
I’m closing my EBay store early. Two years ago I got stung on a Fed Ex package. EBay allowed the buyer to pay the regular rate, but I had to go into the store and pay crazy express/holiday/overnight? shipping as EBay would not allow me to print a normal label. It was a husband buying a gift so I ate the profit and told him to pay it forward. Now I always shut down until the 24th. Not worth it at my level of sales.
-
12/14/2020 at 3:40 am #84264
I just bought an inexpensive item that is coming from Michigan to California First Class Mail.
Guaranteed delivery by 12/19.
Are you kidding me? That is a very unrealistic expectation. I think I’ll be lucky if it gets here before Christmas. To guarantee such a delivery is asking for complaints.
-
12/14/2020 at 10:36 am #84276
So I went through all my sales and identified all of the still undelivered packages. I crafted a message and sent it to all affected customers explaining the situation and asked them all to message me if they still have not received their item by next Monday and we’d take it from there.
Hopefully this staves off the angry messages demanding their items…
Here is the text of my email if anyone wants to copy/paste and do what I did:
Hello,
I’ve been made aware that USPS is having severe issues with shipping delays this month due to increased volume and labor shortages. As such, I’ve went through all of my shipments to identify any items that have not been delivered yet. Unfortunately, this item is one of the items that has been caught up in the delays.
I do apologize for the delay. I ask that you please remain patient as this will be delivered as soon as USPS can clear their backlogs.
If your package has not arrived by Next Monday the 21st, please let me know we will take it from there. At this time opening a case will not speed things up any faster. If for some reason it does not show up, rest assured you will be made whole.Thanks,
Retro Treasures WV -
12/14/2020 at 1:50 pm #84291
I like Retro WV’s idea. I sent a similar message today to someone whose package was shipped on Nov 30th and hasn’t moved since December 3rd (!). Her courteous and understanding response made my day:
I appreciate the message. I have a friend who’s an etsy seller and people have been incredibly cruel to her about shipping delays that are totally out of her control. I hope you aren’t experiencing any of that. It’s all good over here. Hopefully I will get it soon. Thanks again!
-
12/14/2020 at 7:20 pm #84299
I’m afraid to send out a message like that. Afraid I might get some angry person who is not happy they have not received their package.
Today I went to the post office and decided I’d wait no matter what. That went out the door quickly when I saw how long the line was at my local post office. Add to that, there is mostly just metered parking and it was kinda too cold to wait outside, as the line was wrapped around the post office. What I wound up doing is, I recorded me dropping off mail with the name and addresses showing. I also used the drop box inside the post office (for what it is worth). I figure, going forward, if anyone’s tracking does not show, I can always send them the video showing their package going in to the dropbox. Fingers crossed.
-
12/14/2020 at 9:45 pm #84307
I’ve been incredibly lucky. Two claims of non-delivery were delivered, one to a patient buyer, one that I thought I was going to be out over $100 finally made it; now I have only one order outstanding with no word from the buyer. Yet. All my other orders show delivered. Great news!
However, today I was in the post office with a line that wrapped around the building. I made it to the counter AFTER closing time, and the line was as long by then as it was when I started. It’s unbelievable how big the issue has become! Or as Ryanne said – unprecedented! So I’m closing my store down as well from this Friday until January 11th. I can’t afford to refund folks, and I have a lot of big ticket items. If I get a bunch of large orders with Christmas non-delivery claims, I’ll be in trouble. I’d rather lose the business than lose the money.
As a buyer, I’m still waiting on items that were shipped in SEPTEMBER! I emailed one of the sellers to ask if they had heard anything, thinking that items in September were before the mad rush of Thanksgiving, and they didn’t reply, just refunded me immediately. If the item ever does come in, I will send them the money, no question, but they’ve obviously reached the point of zero tolerance that they’re not even asking for patience!
-
12/14/2020 at 10:24 pm #84308
I’ve been pretty lucky too, but I too have a lot of high priced things out there and so I decided to just increase my handling time to 15 days. I ship right away, so that gives me 15 days extra on the clock. I have still sold stuff, though it’s slowed down. I don’t know if that’s the handling time or if people are done buying for christmas. I am still getting offers, all be it very low ones, so people are still looking. One thing I shipped today is expected by Jan 7 to the buyer. Hopefully he gets it next week, but hopefully it gets there by the 7th.
Yesterday I had over 26 packages outstanding, many of them were sent on Nov 28th. On packages over $100, I put in a lost mail claim at the post office. I’m amazed at the process. As the seller I add the claim. It’s quite slow and tedious, takes a few minutes at least per item. The destination post office is in charge of finding the package (nothing to do with tracking where it is now). They call me on the phone, even though I specify to email me when I put in a claim, and just tell me that it isn’t there yet. I tell them I know, it hasn’t left Indianapolis and hasn’t been scanned in 10 days (or whatever). They just say that they will call me back. They keep calling – it’s odd. I wonder if they will call until they receive it. But some of the packages are moving.
As of right now I have 16 packages still outstanding. That means that out of 26, 10 were delivered today (yay). One of those was mailed 2 days ago. The oldest still outstanding is from Nov 28th. Of the 16 remaining, 11 are still in the origin or second post office (I live in a small town, all mail goes to Indianapolis, so Indy is the 2nd one). The one from the 28th is still in Indy. Five are close to being delivered.
So it’s moving – very slow – but all packages seem to be arriving. It’s not really speeding up for me – my packages from the last week are actually now stuck in my home town post office – which is very rare – we used to get to Indy within a day or two (at the most).
While I know it’s not eBay’s fault, eBay could stop allowing buyers to put in claims for refunds if the mail is slow. If we do our part (get it to the post office by the time we say we will), that’s all I feel we should be responsible for. I’ll work with the post office to see if I can nudge these things along, but since I can’t recall the package back to my house, they just have to be patient. Packages will arrive.
Good luck all.
-
12/15/2020 at 7:27 am #84313
Yeah I stopped after work to drop off my packages. This post office has a very large parking lot…I couldn’t get to! There was a line of cars on the main city road to get into the parking lot!!!
I happily will take the ding on “tracking uploaded on time” to not wait in that mess! I stopped by another post office that was closed on the way home and dropped my small items into the mail chute. I’m gonna run over there around 8:30 this morning to see if I have better luck.
This is a mess and a half. I’m really dreading dealing with the fallout, but I’m not willing yet to extend handling time or stop selling.
-
12/15/2020 at 9:43 am #84317
Brilliant plan by FedEx and UPS. It’s easy to meet metrics when you control the input and move the goal posts.
Restricting a customer who normally has 2500 packages a day to 200???? WHAT?
No wonder USPS is screwed. They can’t turn anything away. And this folks is one of those adverse side effects of a free market, capitalist mail system. What happens when the for profit company starts arbitrarily capping their service? What’s next – a Premium surcharge for “priority” pickup?
-
12/15/2020 at 10:21 am #84323
In all of my years of buying and selling on Ebay, I have never seen it this bad with the USPS. This might make March/April initial pandemic shipping of this year look like nothing. Couple that with the fact that we’re about to get a major snowstorm in the NE and this season’s going to turn into a wash.
For the first time during a holiday season, I’ve gone on a listing break. I don’t want to ship out items that may or may not get there. I’m continuing to have daily mail pickups 6 days a week for items that are already listed and sold, but I don’t want to add on any additional holiday type items that will probably get to their destinations by January at this point!
-
-
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.