USPS Media Mail

Discussion in 'Marketplace Discussions' started by The_Shocker, Jul 27, 2020.

  1. bholz

    bholz Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    Well, the package from WI that had no status updates since the 15th finally got scanned in Philly today. Will be interesting g to see how long it takes to go from there to Delaware and then finally to my PO in the Philly suburbs.

    Btw: not just media mail. My wife just got delivery on a 2 day priority package that was 2 weeks late!
     
  2. bholz

    bholz Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    Well, no real business would allow the inefficiencies that the USPS suffers - and stay in business. I would hope things are different now, but I remember going to a bulk mail center to support the small parcel and bundle sorter after delivery circa 1989. The facility bought 2 machines because they said they processed so much mail. The shift ran out of mail to process in less than 2 hours with significantly less mail processed than they had been claiming for years on end. The second machine was never used, just stripped for parts. This was the case in nearly every facility I visited.
     
  3. zongo

    zongo Forum Resident

    Location:
    Davis, CA
    This is precisely correct. On every count.
     
    riverrat and Quakerism like this.
  4. chazz101s

    chazz101s Forum Resident

    Does a forum resident know of an easy way to make USPS care about something like this shown below in boldface?

    (No, I'm not being facetitious.)

    BTW, it's 28.2 miles between the GSO distro center and my local USPS station! (Somebody, plz, call the Pony Express.)

    Note: USPS delivery has occurred for our house today and, of course, no CDs. Earlier, the USPS info promised delivery on Jan 5. And Jan 4.

    Free S&M with your media mail these days!

    //////////////

    Scan History

    Jan 06
    In Transit, Arriving Late


    Jan 02

    2:04 am
    Departed USPS Regional Facility
    GREENSBORO NC NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER


    Jan 01

    1:21 pm
    Arrived at USPS Regional Destination Facility
    GREENSBORO NC NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER
     
  5. grsmnkey

    grsmnkey Forum Resident

    Location:
    U.S.A.

    It likely is loaded to leave and scanned as departed, but still sitting in the Distribution Center Yard. Nothing you can do.

    If you talk to a supervisor in Customer Service, the most they can do is verify that. More than likely they will tell you due to covid-19 and an influx of packages, there will be a delay.
     
    chazz101s likes this.
  6. chazz101s

    chazz101s Forum Resident

    Thank you. You sound as if you are an employee? Are you? (I was, more than once, long long ago. . . .)

    Still amazes me how suddenly USPS "service" has gone to hell in a handbasket. As I have written before in this thread, the devolution of the Postal Service seems purposeful, planned.

    And it looks as if there's not a damn thing that customers can do.

    But eBay? Other huge online sellers? Those organizations must be getting lots of pain from these USPS snafus!

    Thanks again, grsmnkey.
     
  7. grsmnkey

    grsmnkey Forum Resident

    Location:
    U.S.A.
    Not an employee, but very friendly with local employees. I have 5 packages out there across the country in the same situation at distribution centers.

    Almost seems like a conspiracy.
     
    chazz101s likes this.
  8. Muzyck

    Muzyck Pardon my scruffy hospitality

    Location:
    Long Island
    U.S.P.S. must be doing a last in / first out approach in Jersey. I have a few items that "arrived" there before Christmas that have not moved while three other media mail items have been in and out. A total cluster.
     
    chazz101s likes this.
  9. jhw59

    jhw59 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Rehoboth Beach DE.
    Trenton is a black hole. It took weeks for packages that went through there to arrive and one still hasn't after almost 6 weeks. So, it's now "Trenton makes, your packages it takes"
     
  10. Dan

    Dan Senior Member

    Location:
    WNY
    Ordered something from Discogs in NJ on 12/9/2020 and it arrived 1/2/2021 in NY.
     
  11. Joseph.McClure

    Joseph.McClure Forum Resident

    Location:
    Memphis, TN
    I had a package sit in Memphis for 4 weeks before it moved (was delivered).
     
  12. kwadguy

    kwadguy Senior Member

    Location:
    Cambridge, MA
    Two items I dropped off at the post office (in the drop box) on 12/12/20 got their FIRST scan in the system on 01/06/21.
     
  13. ScramMan2

    ScramMan2 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Portland OR
    One of my two 'long losters' is in town.
     
  14. I dropped off a package on Dec. 2 in Little Rock, first scan Jan. 4 after I refunded it. Trying to collect now has been difficult, he says he now has problems with his PayPal account and can't pay. If I can accept a credit card some other way, maybe he will pay, but I don't have anything set up to accept credit cards and don't know how to do that.
     
  15. kwadguy

    kwadguy Senior Member

    Location:
    Cambridge, MA
    I had a Dec 2 package that took until Dec 27 to get delivered.

    Fortunately, I haven't had any buyers who have initiated a refund through eBay. I would push off any refunds unless you have no other choice, given the realities.
     
  16. ScramMan2

    ScramMan2 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Portland OR
    Media Mail dropped Dec 14 arrived today Jan 8. Sat on a trailer in Oxford MS for over two weeks while Memphis TN was overloaded. Shame on the USPS for such shoddy service.

    I've given refunds myself, and also have done returns but for the most part the people I've sold items to have been understanding.
     
  17. 30 days without scanning, eBay is going to force a refund if requested and give me a black mark if I don't voluntarily do it before eBay has to step in.
     
  18. kwadguy

    kwadguy Senior Member

    Location:
    Cambridge, MA
    The buyer has to complain and file a case. If you resolve it at that point, you're good. You don't need to get in front of a buyer filing a case.
     
  19. I issued a refund because the buyer filed a case after waiting 25 days, without the package being scanned. I have disputed requests before, the seller loses 100% of the time if the package hasn't been scanned for 30 days, no question, so I issued the refund right before eBay forced the refund. A few days later it finally popped up in the tracking system.
     
  20. That probably looked a lot like this package I shipped, arrived Oxford, MS Dec. 15, departed Dec. 29.

    January 7, 2021, 12:39 pm
    Delivered, In/At Mailbox
    ROBESONIA, PA 19551
    Your item was delivered in or at the mailbox at 12:39 pm on January 7, 2021 in ROBESONIA, PA 19551.
    January 7, 2021, 7:12 am
    Out for Delivery
    ROBESONIA, PA 19551
    January 7, 2021, 7:01 am
    Arrived at Post Office
    ROBESONIA, PA 19551
    January 7, 2021, 2:39 am
    Departed USPS Regional Facility
    LANCASTER PA DISTRIBUTION CENTER
    January 6, 2021, 4:22 am
    Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
    LANCASTER PA DISTRIBUTION CENTER
    January 6, 2021, 3:22 am
    Departed USPS Regional Facility
    HARRISBURG PA DISTRIBUTION CENTER
    January 6, 2021, 2:45 am
    Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
    HARRISBURG PA DISTRIBUTION CENTER
    January 5, 2021, 7:34 am
    Departed USPS Regional Facility
    MEMPHIS TN DISTRIBUTION CENTER ANNEX
    January 4, 2021
    In Transit to Next Facility
    January 1, 2021, 2:02 am
    Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
    MEMPHIS TN DISTRIBUTION CENTER ANNEX
    January 1, 2021, 12:11 am
    Departed USPS Regional Facility
    MEMPHIS TN NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER
    December 31, 2020, 10:35 pm
    Arrived at USPS Regional Origin Facility
    MEMPHIS TN NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER
    December 29, 2020, 7:10 pm
    Departed USPS Facility
    OXFORD, MS 38675
    December 15, 2020, 5:17 pm
    Arrived at USPS Facility
    OXFORD, MS 38675
    December 15, 2020, 1:24 pm
    Departed USPS Regional Facility
    LITTLE ROCK AR DISTRIBUTION CENTER
    December 15, 2020, 10:39 am
    Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
    LITTLE ROCK AR DISTRIBUTION CENTER
    December 15, 2020, 10:18 am
    Departed USPS Regional Facility
    LITTLE ROCK AR DISTRIBUTION CENTER ANNEX
    December 14, 2020, 8:53 pm
    Arrived at USPS Regional Origin Facility
    LITTLE ROCK AR DISTRIBUTION CENTER ANNEX
    December 14, 2020, 7:38 pm
    Accepted at USPS Origin Facility
    LITTLE ROCK, AR 72212
    December 13, 2020, 4:48 pm
    Shipping Label Created, USPS Awaiting Item
    LITTLE ROCK, AR 72212
     
  21. kwadguy

    kwadguy Senior Member

    Location:
    Cambridge, MA
    Yup, not much you can do there, unless you can get the buyer to work with you.

    Your buyer doesn't sound like that kind of person "I am having trouble with PayPal..." Yeah, sure.
     
  22. He just asked for my address and said he will mail a check, I hope eBay doesn't censure the message, removing my address.

    This buyer requested a refund, $70 item on Jan. 3rd. I pointed him toward the tracking, refusing the refund unless it appears the package has been lost. I think eBay was scheduled to step in on Jan. 7.

    January 6, 2021, 6:01 pm
    Delivered, In/At Mailbox
    JOLIET, IL 60435
    Your item was delivered in or at the mailbox at 6:01 pm on January 6, 2021 in JOLIET, IL 60435.
    January 6, 2021, 9:26 am
    Out for Delivery
    JOLIET, IL 60435
    January 6, 2021, 9:15 am
    Arrived at Post Office
    JOLIET, IL 60436
    December 30, 2020
    In Transit to Next Facility
    December 26, 2020, 8:41 pm
    Departed USPS Regional Destination Facility
    CHICAGO IL NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER
    December 24, 2020, 8:13 am
    Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
    CHICAGO IL NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER
    December 23, 2020, 7:20 pm
    Departed USPS Regional Facility
    MEMPHIS TN NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER
    December 22, 2020, 2:35 am
    Arrived at USPS Regional Origin Facility
    MEMPHIS TN NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER
    December 15, 2020, 11:17 am
    USPS in possession of item
    LITTLE ROCK, AR 72211
    December 15, 2020, 8:33 am
    Shipping Label Created, USPS Awaiting Item
    LITTLE ROCK, AR 72212
     
  23. chazz101s

    chazz101s Forum Resident

    Forgive me, y'all, for returning to this source of pain and hurt, but today my USPS account tells me that these CDs have showed up AGAIN in Jersey City. (My eBay Order Date = Dec 16! This package of CDs, originally headed south, passed through Jersey City the FIRST time on Dec 30. . . .)

    I realize that the USPS could care less about consumers like me, but surely eBay must be getting plenty of static over this?

    Plenty of people paid for expedited delivery and then got major delays. Is there any recourse for USPS services sold and not fulfilled?
     
  24. WarEagleRK

    WarEagleRK Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chattanooga, TN
    I opened a ticket today for an item that shipped to me on December 13th and hasn't scanned since December 30th in Dallas. I got a reply back within the hour informing me that "As of 12/30/2020 tracking still shows in Texas.[​IMG]" So they replied to tell me the one thing that I can access on their site.

    I reply back to them and of course it is a no reply email address. So the ticket is closed.

    I shouldn't be sending things out last week and getting them delivered early yet still have things from 6 weeks ago out in the wild somewhere.
     
  25. tmtomh

    tmtomh Forum Resident

    It's well-known that USPS has been overwhelmed since the end of November, and the delays have nothing to do with USPS "not caring about us." The causes of the unprecedented delays have been well-documented:
    1. Covid-related staff shortages associated with the rapid resurgence of the pandemic in October-November in many parts of the country;
    2. Huge Covid-induced spike in online shopping/mail order; and
    3. The straw that broke the camel's back starting late Nov: Fedex and UPS unexpectedly started refusing to pick up orders shipped out by several large retailers, in order to prevent their own systems from becoming overloaded. All that unplanned overflow went to USPS, which as folks know cannot refuse to accept shipments.
    Folks here already know - or by now should know - that Media Mail is not only a slower method but also a lower-priority method. That's why it's cheaper. So if 10s of thousands of First Class, Priority, and Media Mail parcels suddenly pile up at a USPS distribution hub, the Media Mail parcels generally are going to be the ones that sit there the longest, while the First Class and Priority parcel backlogs will get worked on first. That's why Priority parcel delivery times went from 2-4 days to something like 9-15 days in most cases, while Media Mail delivery times went from 5-9 days to something crazy like 21-60+ days. As long as the backlog of higher-priority packages wasn't cleared, there simply was not the space, personnel, and hours in the day to get to the Media Mail backlog. A good chunk of Media Mail basically ground to a halt for a little while.

    I don't mean to sound unsympathetic - I've had my own USPS headaches during this time. I bought a CD online on Nov 24, it was shipped on Nov 25, and it still hasn't arrived yet - it went to my area Network Distribution Center, "just 10 miles from my house," then sat there for weeks, then went back to a distribution center one state over from where it had originally been shipped from, then sat there for a while, then cam back to my area distribution center again. It happens - and in these unprecedented times it is happening more, because the system is overloaded.

    And I've noticed that even some First Class parcels I've been shipping out lately are not getting acceptance scans and are only showing up in the tracking system when they arrive at the distribution hub closest to the recipient's location. USPS staff are doing the best they can in an insane situation. Meanwhile, we all go along our merry way ordering and ordering and ordering physical media that for sure makes us happy and improves quality of life but is by no means essential. So if we want to know why the system is so overloaded now, we can all take a step back and look in the mirror.

    There's nothing to do about it. We just have to wait it out. Asking USPS to find our delayed packages in their system is a fool's errand right now - the same situation that is delaying the packages is making it impossible for USPS staff to investigate those delays on a case by case basis.

    Things are already improving now that the holiday crush is over, but some Media Mail packages sent during the worst time in Nov-Dec are still in backlog, and overall mail delivery is still delayed somewhat, albeit less than it was a month ago. The overwhelming majority of our missing packages will arrive eventually.
     
    Last edited: Jan 13, 2021

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