USPS - Holiday Slowdowns in Full Force Already?

[OhioLawyerF5]

I have a card on the way to Ohio from Alabama. It made it to Indianapolis in 3 days, which usually means 2 days before it hits my mailbox. Instead, it headed to Pennsylvania and has arrived and departed from Philadelphia 3 times in the last 4 days. Who knows when it will arrive as it passed by my house last week.

[D. Bergin]

Damn, thought I was getting off easy. Been awhile since I've had an issue. Packages I've sent out have got where they're going, and packages I've bought have gotten to me in a timely manner.....until now.

Won a 1970's Non-Sport BBCE Wrapped Unopened Box on Ebay. It's a box I don't see pop up often, and thought I won it at a great price, so looking forward to getting it.

Got the "Ebay Delivered Package" notice in my E-mail. Excited, I run up to my Mailbox....and this is what I find waiting for me.



I believe this is the 2nd Ebay purchase in 20+ years or so...that just showed up as an empty box for me.

[jp1216]

That's terrible! Did they deliver a box - knowing it was cut open and empty?

[D. Bergin]

Originally Posted by jp1216

That's terrible! Did they deliver a box - knowing it was cut open and empty?

Yup! Even put a sticker on it that says "Received Unsealed".

Not sure exactly where on it's journey that sticker would have been put on the box.

[D. Bergin]

Screenshot of the tracking. Apparently it was noted as a Damaged Box the morning before it was put on the truck and delivered to me.

[perezfan]

"Visible Damage" has never once shown up on my USPS tracking. I have received countless crushed, mangled, man-handled, flattened, tattered, torn and rain-soaked boxed from them. And have never seen that particular disclaimer in the tracking.

Sorry it happened to you, and hope you get proper resolution.

[todeen]

Originally Posted by todeen

Ordered a GU patch w/MLB authentic sticker on ebay around Nov 1. On Nov 4 the seller shipped with tracking, leaving Brooklyn NY. On Nov 10 I brought it to the attention of the seller that the item still showed no handling by USPS. He worked with his local post office, and after a week they called it a lost package. Seller refunded my money.

But! On Dec 31, tracking was picked up in LA. Today it was supposed to be delivered. I got the email notice it was on my front porch. I eagerly rush home to find my missing prize. And....it's not there! UGH!

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Update to my previous post....

went to my post office today after a second day of non delivery. My PO staff member used a computer to find the tracking and an image of the package. She said it appears that the tracking number assigned to our missing package was "canceled", and then the PO regenerated it for a new package that was shipped to a completely different person with a completely different address. Somehow our canceled tracking piggy backed on the new package (on ebay) to make it look like our package was mysteriously found and delivered. She said our package is still missing.

Sent from my SM-S926U using Tapatalk

[OhioLawyerF5]

Well my card that left Indianapolis, traveled past Ohio, spent the week going in and out of the sorting facility in Philadelphia, has now passed Ohio once again, and returned to Indianapolis. Quite the journey this card is on.

[Exhibitman]

I was just forced to refund an eBay sale that went missing in the St. Louis package center.

I often cringe a little when I get a package from a seller that has "eBay", a card seller, or an auction house's name splashed all over it; I am sure that they make attractive targets for dishonest package handlers. Cards should be shipped like porn: anonymous packaging.

[jingram058]

Got 2 things with Christmas gift cards:

1 shipped by Post Office. Tracking never moved beyond "package in possession of Post Office". 6 days later it just showed up.

What is the purpose of tracking if it doesn't work?

1 shipped by UPS. Came 3 days after purchase, with regular tracking updates, in between Christmas and New Years. No issues at all.

[bcbgcbrcb]

Well, now nearly two weeks after Christmas and packages still moving much slower than usual. What’s the excuse now?

[BRoberts]

Feeling for you, buddy.

[tjisonline]

Originally Posted by D. Bergin

Screenshot of the tracking. Apparently it was noted as a Damaged Box the morning before it was put on the truck and delivered to me.

The only thing I needed to see in your tracking history was Philadelphia distribution center. That center is known to open boxes especially if you think it’s cards.

[tjisonline]

Originally Posted by D. Bergin

Screenshot of the tracking. Apparently it was noted as a Damaged Box the morning before it was put on the truck and delivered to me.

The only thing I needed to see in your tracking history was Philadelphia distribution center. That center is known to open boxes especially if someone think it’s cards.

Did the shipping label contain any wording about about sports, cards, etc… I stopped using USPS years ago. My father worked for USPS (35 years ) and has nightmare stories. Theft was rapid before 2003 (mainly if a worker thought it was cash or jewelry ) so he can only imagine what it’s like now.

[D. Bergin]

Originally Posted by tjisonline

The only thing I needed to see in your tracking history was Philadelphia distribution center. That center is known to open boxes especially if someone think it’s cards.

Did the shipping label contain any wording about about sports, cards, etc… I stopped using USPS years ago. My father worked for USPS (35 years ) and has nightmare stories. Theft was rapid before 2003 (mainly if a worker thought it was cash or jewelry ) so he can only imagine what it’s like now.

No, there was not.

Also, as much as I want to blame USPS, I'm starting to think it was a horrible packing job from the seller.

The picture I showed above, of the opened box. It slid open like that on it's own. It was not taped closed. I suspect if was never properly taped closed. It looks like the seller re-used an old box that was sent to them (nothing wrong with that), but neglected to put any additional tape on top of the old tape job. You can see on the side (which I've blurred out most of it), they didn't even properly block out the old Shipping and Return address, before they slapped another label on a different part of the box, to send it out to me.

It looked like they had a bunch of other BBCE boxes that sold at the same time. Most of them, more expensive then mine. Hope they shipped those out better then mine.

Also, their response to me after I sent them pictures and an explanation, didn't exactly give me confidence this won't be a long drawn out game of chicken.

I'll quote below:

Let me contact Ebay. I have never had it happened before.

[Ben Yourg]

My wife said the "Postmaster General"said prepare for
the mail to get even slower.
I had a package get lost not too long ago.
I had a tracking number but its' last seen location said it was lost
I lost it at a distribution center.
Go online to USPS customer service.You need to talk to a person..
They found mine.

[BobbyStrawberry]

Originally Posted by Ben Yourg

My wife said the "Postmaster General"said prepare for
the mail to get even slower.

It's almost as if having people head agencies whose sole mission is to stop the agency from functioning properly is a bad idea...

[obiwan1129]

Just cover your ears.

Originally Posted by BobbyStrawberry

It's almost as if having people head agencies whose sole mission is to stop the agency from functioning properly is a bad idea...

[jingram058]

DeJoy was hired to manage USPS out of existence.

[BobbyStrawberry]

Originally Posted by obiwan1129

Just cover your ears.

That was quite a scene.

[bcbgcbrcb]

It’s now a full two months removed from the holiday season and the USPS shipping times have been no better over these past two months than they were during November and December. Every single package coming from PSA to Florida (when I am the buyer/recipient), thanks to ebay’s for wonderful authenticity guaranty program, takes more than a week to arrive and averages close to 10 days. At the same time, every package going from FL to PSA (when I am the seller/shipper) gets there the second or third business day after shipping. Any thoughts as to why this is?

[bcbgcbrcb]

Never mind, PSA is shipping everything going through the post office via Ground Advantage. I ship everything Priority Mail. I believe that PSA was shipping everything priority mail also when the authenticity guaranty program started but I’m sure that cost cutting measures have brought about this change. Just another way that customer service takes a back seat to the almighty dollar. That’s the way of the world these days though, isn’t it?

[BRoberts]

Originally Posted by bcbgcbrcb

Just another way that customer service takes a back seat to the almighty dollar. That’s the way of the world these days though, isn’t it?

Agreed. USPS etiquette is terrible.