Has anyone else been having problems with USPS? I had bought a yo-yo from someone on the forum, which was supposedly delivered to me yesterday, but when I came home from work, the package wasn’t there. I was really looking forward to it, and am extremely frustrated. I called them and got a case number and am supposed to wait until 5:00 PM for a call back (which they haven’t done.) This isn’t the first time I’ve had issues with them. I’ve been selling various things on ebay and packages “vanish” in transit. I’m currently in a dispute with them over 5 different items that people haven’t received for the past 2 months, besides the yo-yo that didn’t arrive at my own doorstep. I now have to write a letter to the Vice President to “escalate” my case, which should have done quite awhile ago, right? Can anyone relate to this? Share some possible thoughts?
I sent a 54 to someone a month ago… He hasn’t received it yet and I had to replace it 
It’s stuck at the sorting facility.
Did you get tracking? I can’t understand how you are responsible for their obvious negligence.
I did, that’s pretty much how I know. I can’t seem to figure out how they lost it, the label was printed out. I did call them and they sent a letter to the Mail Recovery Center.
I have been selling and buying on Ebay for 10+ years. I have NEVER had a problem with a package not getting to where it was supposed to. I have only had delays from 3rd class mail that may take anywhere from a week to a month to get where it is going. Eventually, however it will arrive.
Lets think about this. Would ANY delivery service be in existence if packages that were entrusted to them for delivery did not arrive at their destination? The USPS has been successfully delivering packages for 200 years. Any suggestion that a lost package is anything but an ultra-rare occurrence; would make me suspicious.
I thought the same, but don’t forget they are rapidly in decline and are losing billions of dollars. It seems to be getting more and more difficult to compete with UPS and DHL. It wouldn’t surprise me if in the next 10 years they are history. The only reason they are still in existence at this point in time is because they are government funded. If it was a private corporation, you wouldn’t be seeing such careless behavior, as what’s been happening to me and yoyospirit, and others. Not to mention that the customer service line could use some updating.
5 books that I had sold on half.com (ebay) had been lost in the mail (tracked). Coincidence? Maybe, but 5 items and this current yoyo issue is too much for a span of 2 months. It’s obvious why people are choosing UPS.
Dang…
I have nothing but good things to say about USPS. They amaze me how quick they are sometimes.
I’ve ordered packages from Japan and had them to me in 3 days. o.o
Must be a regional thing. It used to be flawless, like I said this just started happening to me 2 months ago. 5 books and one yoyo vanished? What’s going on?
I bought a Code2 from someone on the BST, and got a valid tracking number from the seller, and it seems to have gotten lost somewhere. It said “Depart sort facility” and that was the last I know of. This was last november. I also bought something off of ebay, and it also got lost, so the seller had to resend it.
That’s pretty much what happened to mine.
Mine was actually delivered; just not to my house.
I’ve had problems with tracking. It always says it has been delivered but when I go to ask someone if it has arrived, they always say it hasn’t. It always arrived the next day. I remember when I used to like USPS. I doubt that they are gonna be around in 10 years, it used to be so perfect and know its rapidly going downhill.
The reason that the USPS is in existence IS the US government. Why don’t you call UPS and get a quote to ship something to a small eskimo village in Alaska? How about a package to the Leper colony on Molokai? The USPS exists because without government assistance it is simply not cost-effective to serve the whole of the United States. UPS only serves those markets where it makes money to do so. Not in a market that is profitable? Sorry.
That is the farce that is the “non-profitable” Post Office. Of course they are not profitable. How can you make money delivering a $25 package via float plane to the outer Aelutian Islands? That is the job of the Post Office. To provide a reliable, relatively speedy service at a rate that citizens can reasonably afford. If we have to subsidize this service, I believe it is worth it so that all American addresses are treated equally in the eyes of commerce.
If you are indeed losing as many packages as you say - then I would think the problem is outright criminal behavior in your area. I have yet to have any problems with the USPS itself or its systems and security. Quite the opposite - I am constantly amazed at how efficient and punctual as they are with everything I send.
Geezer, you seem to be taking this personally. I will come out and say it, I was the one who sold the yo-yo to the original poster and I had to call and badger the Post Office as well about the yo-yo not being delivered. This was the first time I personally have had an issue but it is not the first time I have heard of a package being lost. I know of one person who was getting the only orange peel finish, nickel plated 54 in existence and it was lost in the mail during delivery.
Luckily the issue was resolved but I was furious that the yo-yo I sold was lost in the mail. All I can say is I chanced into working with a cool buyer who understood that it wasn’t my fault. That being said, if it had not been resolved by early next week I was prepared to issue a full refund even though irdaprez never asked for one.
I had a problem with this just today. It says it has been delivered but it’s nowhere in sight.
I hope tomorrow that it’ll come and it was just a mishap in tracking…
I want to add to this briefly in that I had two throws that were ‘delivered’ on Tuesday, but never made it to my possession. This was especially disappointing because one of those was a Walrus Canvas, that was a special purchase and was a birthday gift. Now I’d like to categorically state that I don’t know if it was simply stolen or not delivered, but my mail gets left behind a usually locked door. USPS can’t and won’t help, and I understand that without signature confirmation then I have really no recourse. It is of course nice to vent a little on a thread like this. It also is just a little crushing to be so excited about a gift like that and not have it arrive.
I also understand YoyoGeezers point of view that packages can’t be routinely lost by USPS or they wouldn’t be in business. There are a couple of caveats I feel to that argument, (and I don’t disagree entirely with what you said YoyoGeezer) which are that losing packages on the basis that we experience is a very small fraction of their business as a whole. In fact non-commercial business is probably a small fraction, although getting larger I would imagine as more businesses shift to private corporations like UPS and Fedex, and so their loss percentage must still be microscopic. The other caveat is that while USPS will take a substantial loss on mail going to remote locations, they will try and use profit on the far more frequent and more mundane mail trips to cover that loss, in a loss-leading sense rather than anything else.
I fully concur however that it would be a crying shame were USPS to be sold off and unsubsidized. I think for what we pay for shipping they do an exceptional job, despite the occasional package loss if that’s what these really are. If anything I would rather see an increase in cost to ensure a continued USPS type system, but I think in the cold light of day once my blood has stopped boiling, that I will simply make sure I accept my part in the shipping process and cough up a few more pennies for signature shipping when I buy new.
In the past month, I lost a bape 54 in the mail, then almost lost a orange 54, luckily that one turned up. I swear, if I lose my Trinity, Speed Freak, or BVM, I’m marching down to the USPS office and giving them a very long rant.
My experience has been almost perfect until very recent, maybe the last six months. With over 600 Ebay transactions, both buying and selling, sending and receiving from USPS, I have never seen a package that was tracked (or not) and not delivered.
But, I had a few recent issues with them ,which were delays, and they only related to Priority mail. I mailed 2 boxes to my Secret Santa, at the exact same moment. He received one in 3 days, but he got the other package 5 days later. A total of 8 days. That was via PRIORITY.
I have had priority packages, mailed from the state of Massachusetts, to the state of Massachusetts, that took 5 days to deliver. As a result, I am not a fan of priority mail. It is too inconsistent. I prefer to use First Class with tracking, and find it consistently better. I refuse to pay extra for priority, if the package will get there in a week, and they can tell me “no guarantee.”
When I know I probably won’t be home to receive a package, I give my P.O. Box address, so the item is safe until I pick it up. I would not want a box left sitting on my front stairs or porch. I have never had a package, even international packages, that never got to me, or my recipient.
I have read about some of the USPS issues recently. They are cutting costs, closing locations, and I think it has affected efficiency with the system. Also, they face a ton more mail than in the past, due to the rate of online purchases. I, for one, shop mostly online. Until they adjust to the current trends, and have proper funding to do so, I think they will continue to have issues.
I think anyone with past issues receiving mail, should disclose that to anyone shipping to them. Then, the shipper can offer to charge them for a “signature confirmation,” where the package must be signed for. Also, the shipper can offer to purchase “insurance” in the event the package gets lost.
So I have one concern with the insurance part of the USPS delivery system which someone can perhaps enlighten me about - the packages that I had go missing are described as delivered, which they may or may not have been. If the package is ‘delivered’ and yet does not make it into my hands do I have any grounds for claiming on the USPS insurance?
I have done some research on this. If the item status is “delivered,” it will not qualify for an insurance claim. In that case, a package delivered, but not received, might be the subject of a “postal theft,” or general theft by someone in your area. It is best to call USPS to be advised of your options through an investigation, postal police, and so on. If it is not an isolated incident, you have to do something to secure your packages in the future. Use an alternative address until it gets resolved.