USPS Problem (PWCC Vault)
 

I sold a $300 US card on eBay and I shipped it to the PWCC Vault on the 5th of May. The last scan was on the 11th of May - two weeks ago. It looks like it just vanished.

I know there can be delays now because of covid-19. I've had some parcels delayed by a couple of days, however, this seems to be a different problem. Again, two weeks, and not a single scan. :confused:

Any suggestions?

I don't think you should worry yet. 90% of my orders make it in a timely fashion. But the other 10% seem to be in limbo (dormant without moving) for a couple weeks. There has been an explosion of packages within USPS (other shippers too) in the last month. But keep us posted please.

I ordered a signed poster from Canada and USPS tracking shows it cleared customs in Chicago on May 2nd and no updates since. My post office says it will eventually show up, and after doing some research online I found dozens of other people with similar experiences happening right now.

Jason

That just happened with me as well. It hasn't been updated in two weeks. You have to file a missing package claim.

https://www.usps.com/help/missing-mail.htm

Good luck!

How was the item shipped?? First Class?

Yes.

If you haven't already, call USPS and run a trace on it....I'm sorry.

Your not alone with slow service

Tracking History
May 8, 2020
In Transit to Next Facility

Your package is moving within the USPS network and is on track to be delivered to its final destination. It is currently in transit to the next facility.

May 4, 2020, 4:40 pm
Departed Post Office
WEIDMAN, MI 48893
May 4, 2020, 11:16 am
USPS picked up item
WEIDMAN, MI 48893
May 3, 2020, 11:07 pm
Shipping Label Created, USPS Awaiting Item
WEIDMAN, MI 48893

Karma, but best of luck.

I have a package on its way to me that was send via FEDEX Smart Post, which is a combination of FEDEX and the USPS. It is just coming from two states away, which is usually a two day ship. It has been nearly three weeks and the package is still inching its way along.

Things are running slow, that's for sure. I bought 5 bats from a guy in IL (I'm in Wisconsin). They mailed out May 8th. They finally got an "arrival at origin facility" today. That's 17 days. For Priority Mail. Still in IL. And still likely won't be here for another 2-3 days at least.

So things are moving...sort of. But slowly.

Most of my purchases have arrived in a reasonable amount of time. I did have this one that had me worried but finally arrived. I think some of the larger hubs that had issues with workers not showing up because of Covid created a backlog. The seller filed a missing package claim and was told that it was in Detroit sitting in a bin with about 800 other packages. The backlog was because of being understaffed.

Shipped April 23rd and arrived on May 20. I also sold a card that took about the same amount of time to arrive in San Francisco areas. You most likely will be fine.

May 20, 2020, 2:27 pm
Delivered
NORTHPORT, MI 49670
Your item was delivered at 2:27 pm on May 20, 2020 in NORTHPORT, MI 49670.
May 20, 2020, 9:00 am
Available for Pickup
NORTHPORT, MI 49670
May 20, 2020, 8:03 am
Arrived at Post Office
NORTHPORT, MI 49670
May 20, 2020, 4:49 am
Departed USPS Regional Facility
TRAVERSE CITY MI DISTRIBUTION CENTER
May 20, 2020, 1:40 am
Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
TRAVERSE CITY MI DISTRIBUTION CENTER
May 19, 2020, 3:00 pm
Departed USPS Regional Destination Facility
DETROIT MI NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER
May 19, 2020, 2:14 pm
Arrived at USPS Regional Destination Facility
DETROIT MI NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER
April 29, 2020
In Transit to Next Facility
April 25, 2020, 9:31 am
Arrived at USPS Regional Origin Facility
DALLAS TX NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER
April 23, 2020, 10:00 pm
Departed USPS Regional Facility
CORPUS CHRISTI TX DISTRIBUTION CENTER
April 23, 2020, 8:46 pm
Arrived at USPS Regional Origin Facility
CORPUS CHRISTI TX DISTRIBUTION CENTER
April 23, 2020, 1:00 pm
USPS picked up item
SHINER, TX 77984

Sent my Dad some hand sanitizer and masks. It took over a month for him to get it in Michigan. Had a board member send me some cards from the NE and it took well over three weeks for that. Things are just running really really slow.

Shipped Insured-signature required
 

Sold a few modern cards this week in the $500 range--shipped Priority Mail insured with signature required--shipping cost more but its all one can do!--

Thank you everyone for posting. Be safe.

Been "COVID" buying a lot here lately...and almost all have come regular time. That said I have had two delayed with zero explanation. One shipped without tracking...two months later it randomly showed up. The other had tracking...just stopped exactly like yours. Then...randomly showed up. So both ended well...I guess...lol.

Signature required no longer means signature required in COVID times. Many post office employees are no longer ringing doorbells to get people's signatures. Maybe you want registered?

I get 2-10 packages a day. This has not been uncommon over the last few months. Have had it happen several times on packages I have received. Luckily all have shown up. I wouldn’t worry yet I’d give it another week than push it. Of course if the buyer is understanding. If he’s acting like a wild man I’d push the post office a little more to look into it.

Do file a missing package claim; it’s one of the few things you can do.

I recently had three packages that were not even scanned into the system for more than two weeks. I despaired, thinking they had been stolen. But they all ultimately showed up to my great relief, though one took a month to get there.
I write only because it was comforting to know that others were in the same boat, and that it turned out okay. Given that yours are in the system, I think they’ll get there in the end. Good luck.

I had two out-going an two incoming that all showed stalled tracking for over 30 days. All finally arrived. On both shipped items from me the buyers requested refunds after two weeks which I did. Only one has repaid me when they arrived.

The addition of Amazon shipping and as my carrier told me they are now delivering many UPS packages has just over-loaded the system during this crisis. It will all settle down eventually.

Sign up for text or email updates. Usually does the trick. Most of the packages I am shipping seem to do OK but everyone that I have been expecting have been getting here at least a week late.

Good luck and don't worry too much.

Jeff

This is what concerns me. The buyer can file with eBay or Paypal and request a refund on "lost" mail. If you have a tracking number, but an item is taking a few extra weeks, will eBay/Paypal just side with the buyer and force the refund? I assume that USPS isn't going to pay out insurance claims on delayed mail either. I can see buyers winning a claim with eBay/Paypal, getting a refund, but the package eventually makes its way to the destination, so the seller can't file an insurance claim either. Anyone run into this yet?

Just had this happen on an international shipment that left the country mid-March and didn't register any tracking updates for two months. Buyer finally reached out to ebay for a resolution, and ebay responded within minutes with a refund, which they funded because they found me not at fault. Two days later the buyer messages me to say the package finally arrived. There is an option to appeal a decision by eBay for which they give "tracking indicates package was delivered" as a potential justification for an appeal, but even though I feel it's wrong for the buyer to get the item and the refund too, I'm hesitant to appeal it lest ebay somehow decide to refund them out of my pocket instead.

In another recent instance, a shipment to Canada has been MIA for about two months, and the buyer asked ebay to step in. I was hoping for a similar result, but this time ebay refunded the buyer out of my pocket instead because I "failed to provide tracking that showed the package as delivered." Again, the decision came back within minutes of the buyer escalating the issue. I'm hoping it turns up in the 30 day appeal window so that I can try that avenue, but I have a feeling I'll end up eating this one.

I've had a good track record since everything broke, but it's not been a good week for me internationally.

I have had big trouble shipping going through Michigan...at least 1-2 weeks delay lately with anything going in or out of the state.

Same here. I guess 3 USPS processing plants in MI were hit with a Covid outbreak a month ago and they haven't caught up.

I just received 2 cards that were 5 weeks late past their due to arrive date. I waited patiently until I finally requested 1 refund through EBay. (The other seller already refunded me)

Of course, both cards arrived just days apart last week after I had already been refunded.
I have since repaid those sellers back and apologized for the inconvenience, if there was any?

Curious, since both refund requests were through EBay, does this paint the sellers in a bad light?
Should I let EBay know the cards were received or is refunding the sellers good enough?

It's been very hit or miss with the USPS since about mid-March. Luckily I've had all of my stuff come through - but there was a Marichal rookie back in April that just went into the ether for about 5 days and I thought it was lost. It finally got scanned at my local hub about a day before I was going to start the process with eBay, and arrived the next day. Who knows.

***UPDATE***

The tracking status has not changed. PWCC still never received it, and after making the buyer wait two months, I have decided to refund him. That means $300 USD loss for me - ouch! :(:(

I just want to add a few more things here: the buyer was very nice to me. He never opened a case against me. He just left everything up to me. I really took advantage of his kindness by making him wait that long! :D

Secondly, the folks at PWCC have also been very kind to me as well. No matter who I spoke with, he would always check for me, and try to give me some advice on what I should do. Again, there was only so much they could do here.

According to USPS, the parcel "might have been transferred to the manual section." It could have been delivered without a scan or is still sitting in the plant and "will definitely get delivered as soon as they are done with the manual sortation."

I don't even know what a "manual section" is, first of all. And secondly, why was my parcel transferred there in the first place? The address was correct and an invoice was inside as well.

Anyways, I just wanted to let all of you folks know what happened. It sucks, but I still consider myself lucky. What if it had been a $2,500 USD card instead?

I'm sorry for your $300 loss. I sense that you didn't purchase insurance, hence you self-insured it. I self-insure cards I sell for up to $100 - for a $300 card, I purchase $200 of insurance. If you frequently sell cards of this $ magnitude and don't purchase insurance, thinking of all the insurance $$ you have saved on past shipments may help you feel better about your current loss.

Can you supply us with the tracking number?? I never saw it on the original post.

Sorry to hear about your situation. I also encountered a bit of a problem with USPS. I think in general they're really being pushed to the limit, they aren't exactly funded properly to begin with, and with everyone ordering more packages mistakes are bound to occur.

go to your post office, ask for a supervisor, and ask them to do a trace on the package - if it has a tracking number, they can figure out where it is

any time this has ever happened to me, the above always worked and "jarred" it back loose in the system for delivery

I'm in Canada. :(:(

Well, that puts a fly in the ointment. Is it possible your card got lost in customs???

No, because then it wouldn't have made it to Rochester. Plus, the USPS rep didn't say anything about customs, so it must not be a customs problem. He thinks it either got delivered without a scan or might have ended up in the "manual section." Again, PWCC doesn't have it.

Hopefully it will turn up. There have been some major delays on items crossing the border. I had the following package coming from Canada. Check out this delay. I sure thought it was lost. Package arrived on July 2

June 30, 2020, 9:18 am
Arrived at USPS Regional Destination Facility
MEMPHIS TN NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER

May 27, 2020
In Transit to Next Facility

May 23, 2020, 2:53 pm
Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
SAN FRANCISCO CA INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION CENTER

May 22, 2020, 7:20 pm
Processed Through Facility
ISC SAN FRANCISCO (USPS)

May 21, 2020, 8:49 pm
Processed Through Facility
VANCOUVER, CANADA

I used to get packages from Japan in less than a week many times. Once Covid hit they reduced Air Mail capacity I am told and the last two took three months but they arrived. I am still waiting on some boxes of packs I bought on April 6th. I have heard there have been lengthy delays from Canada too. Good luck.

This has been happening with ebay, buyer complains about slow shipping and ebay approves the refund. Worst part is if you as a seller do not fight for your money after item shows as delivered, buyer gets item for free...ebay has really gone down the tubes for sellers...

Japan stopped shipping packages and EMS to the US on April 24th. I had an EMS shipped on April 14th that never left Japan. I had it returned to the sender and he used FedEx which costs much more but arrived quickly. I think the only things being sent from Japan are single cards in regular envelopes and they are taking weeks or months.

Even worse is if the impatient buyer files for and receives a refund, the item is ultimately delivered, but the delivery scan is not logged in the USPS system (international shipments are hit-and-miss in the best of times whether they show as "Delivered" or simply stop registering tracking updates once leaving the U.S.). Not much you can do to fight the refund if the tracking NEVER shows as delivered.

Thankfully, most of my international shipments during the pandemic seem to have been to patient and/or understanding buyers. For those that went out in March, it was a solid 3 months for delivery for the ones that I checked up on, with several relieved buyers reporting those having arrived by mid-to-late June. I don't know if that represents a rolling window on the backlog moving through the system, or if late June was the log jam finally being cleared and more-normal delivery times are now resuming.

Shipment Delays
 

I received a purchase from Japan last week ... cards that fit in a regular size envelope ... that were postmarked 3/30. So they are arriving. Just very slow.

Good info.

I had purchased sealed boxes from two sellers on the 6th of April and one of the sellers got the box back and we canceled the transaction because he was going to charge me quite a bit more for DHL. So far the other seller has not had the package returned so hopefully it arrives. I want to rip the packs!