Shpping delays & scanning issues

[Deleted]

Hi all, I haven't been here in awhile.  I was wondering in anyone else is having problems with USPS?   First they started giving me trouble about box sizes.  They are measuring everything and looking for something that is 1/8" off so they can charge more.  So I switched all my bigger stuff to FedEx.  That worked out to be a great switch (so far) because its cheaper and ebay is giving a 20% discount on fees for stuff shipped FedEx or UPS.  But my smaller stuff is giving me fits now.  Pre pandemic I stood in line and had everything scanned while I watched.  Our post offices are packed most of the time and I don't want to stand crowded in line with a bunch of coughing people.  So I've just been dropping stuff in the bin.  Now I have things that aren't getting scanned right away.  I also have stuff that hasn't been scanned in 7-10 days and appears to be stuck in sorting centers.  My sales are good but this stuff is killing me.  I'm getting dinged by ebay for late scans and late delivery.  I'm going to have to start standing in line again to make sure stuff is at least scanned on time.  I guess I'm just venting mostly but wondering if this is happening everywhere.  I know USPS is jacked up but I thought recently US Today said mail was running on time again.  It isn't here in the midwest. 

I have filed inquiries with USPS for some of these packages.  I don't think it helps, but it shows up on the tracking.  I figure it might help to keep buyers calm. 

[kritter]

Check out the Sellers Board on ebay. Multiple threads on this same subject so it is happening across the country in some places more that others.

I am standing in line if I want something scanned.

[Pantlandia]

I drop 100% of my stuff in the blue boxes, rarely do I have scan issues. However, yes, lately there have been more issues than I've ever had before. I got my first 1 star on Mercari because the buyer didn't believe I'd sent it at all and even after it got its first scan 3 days later up in Seattle. But, yes, even my post offices are having issue and mine have an excellent track record of scanning stuff from the boxes.

[Deleted]

Dec 7, 2020 16:48:02 GMT kritter said:

Check out the Sellers Board on ebay. Multiple threads on this same subject so it is happening across the country in some places more that others.

I am standing in line if I want something scanned.

I'll have to check out the ebay boards.  I only look at those about once a year.  I trust the people on here, so I asked here.  Its so frustrating.  I ship 7 days a week during the holidays and I ship everything within 24 hours.  
I'm heading to the post office in a little bit and I'll stand in line.  If I get the one nice clerk I might get some insight into what is going on at my local PO.   

[Deleted]

Dec 7, 2020 16:55:37 GMT Pantlandia said:

I drop 100% of my stuff in the blue boxes, rarely do I have scan issues. However, yes, lately there have been more issues than I've ever had before. I got my first 1 star on Mercari because the buyer didn't believe I'd sent it at all and even after it got its first scan 3 days later up in Seattle. But, yes, even my post offices are having issue and mine have an excellent track record of scanning stuff from the boxes.

I had someone open a case and leave a snarky message last night.  I guess I don't blame them.  The item had never been scanned and I mailed it on 11/30.   Luckily, a scan showed up last night.  It was scanned at a sorting facility in Ohio.  I had 3 other packages scanned at the same facility yesterday.  My packages normally go to Indianapolis.  So they must be diverting mail to other facilities.   Maybe they will get caught up soon.  

[Pantlandia]

Dec 7, 2020 17:25:25 GMT @snoopynmore said:

Dec 7, 2020 16:55:37 GMT Pantlandia said:

I drop 100% of my stuff in the blue boxes, rarely do I have scan issues. However, yes, lately there have been more issues than I've ever had before. I got my first 1 star on Mercari because the buyer didn't believe I'd sent it at all and even after it got its first scan 3 days later up in Seattle. But, yes, even my post offices are having issue and mine have an excellent track record of scanning stuff from the boxes.

I had someone open a case and leave a snarky message last night.  I guess I don't blame them.  The item had never been scanned and I mailed it on 11/30.   Luckily, a scan showed up last night.  It was scanned at a sorting facility in Ohio.  I had 3 other packages scanned at the same facility yesterday.  My packages normally go to Indianapolis.  So they must be diverting mail to other facilities.   Maybe they will get caught up soon.  

I'm in Portland and my first scan was in Seattle, which is 3 hours away. I guess this guy thought I'd driven up there to mail it 3 days after it was actually mailed. This azzhat left feedback saying my stuff was 90% damaged and unusuable and that I was rude. I looked at his account the other day and he's selling all the CDs that I sold him (I have all the boxes I sold inventoried, so I knew exactly what I sold him). Mercari, like eBay, won't do anything despite the outright lies.

[kritter]

My packages normally go to Indianapolis.

community.ebay.com/t5/Shipping-Returns/USPS-in-INDIANAPOLIS-HAS-SHUT-DOWN-ARE-THERE-MASSIVE-PROTESTS-OR/m-p/31401576#M353160

[somany]

I am scheduling pick-ups, and the gal who is currently on my route thought scanning the pick up ticket took care of all the packages. I had a very pricy item not get scanned, and I was freaking out so I followed up on it. Since then, she has been very diligent to scan everything. I hear the beep of the scanner right outside my door.

I had stopped using pick-ups for so long because I never knew what time my carrier would get there, and I always hated to leave when they were still sitting outside my door, but now that I am staying home most of the time, that isn't a concern.

I do have an item that I am waiting for that is stuck in transit in Austin, Texas. I am hoping it breaks loose since it's something I had been watching for for awhile.

[kritter]

A new twist at my post office today. The window for questions is along the long hallway where all the post office boxes are and where the line had stretched waiting to get to the counter today. When I got alongside that window the station master was there waiting with a scanner and a printer to waylay all the people that had packages with prepaid postage.

He said that according to the union, he can't work a counter position but he can scan prepaid postage packages in. Definitely a big help and hope he continues doing it for the next couple of weeks.

[Deleted]

Dec 7, 2020 18:28:01 GMT kritter said:

My packages normally go to Indianapolis.

community.ebay.com/t5/Shipping-Returns/USPS-in-INDIANAPOLIS-HAS-SHUT-DOWN-ARE-THERE-MASSIVE-PROTESTS-OR/m-p/31401576#M353160

Thank you! 

[Deleted]

Dec 7, 2020 20:15:15 GMT kritter said:

A new twist at my post office today. The window for questions is along the long hallway where all the post office boxes are and where the line had stretched waiting to get to the counter today. When I got alongside that window the station master was there waiting with a scanner and a printer to waylay all the people that had packages with prepaid postage.

He said that according to the union, he can't work a counter position but he can scan prepaid postage packages in. Definitely a big help and hope he continues doing it for the next couple of weeks.

They used to do that at the 2 post offices I go to here.   Sometimes they'd be set up in a little booth and would call out for anyone dropping off prepaid.  I have seen that since last Christmas. I'm frustrated with the post office, but I'm mad at ebay.   They are giving people delivery estimates that are unrealistic and they are holding sellers to standards that we have almost no control over.  How amy I supposed to get USPS to deliver something by the date ebay promised?


As a cherry on top, for the first time ever, I can't find something I sold.  uggghhhhh!!

[Deleted]

Dec 7, 2020 19:08:24 GMT somany said:

I am scheduling pick-ups, and the gal who is currently on my route thought scanning the pick up ticket took care of all the packages. I had a very pricy item not get scanned, and I was freaking out so I followed up on it. Since then, she has been very diligent to scan everything. I hear the beep of the scanner right outside my door.

I had stopped using pick-ups for so long because I never knew what time my carrier would get there, and I always hated to leave when they were still sitting outside my door, but now that I am staying home most of the time, that isn't a concern.

I do have an item that I am waiting for that is stuck in transit in Austin, Texas. I am hoping it breaks loose since it's something I had been watching for for awhile.

I can't do picup.  Everything would be stolen off my porch.  Our mail carrier has a hard enough time getting the mail to the correct addresses.  I wouldn't trust him to scan my stuff anyway. 

[sunsetpainter]

Hi @snoopynmore !  IIRC, you are in NE Indiana, right?  If you have stuff going west and it passes through Elk Grove Village IL, you can pretty much count on any first class packages hanging up for 2 - 4 weeks.  They are so jammed up there with people off from Covid.  I've had more packages go missing or taking over a month to be delivered just this summer than I have in the last 10 years!  I hadn't heard about the Indy stuff going on.  Now I'll have issues with stuff going west AND south!  Yikes!

[chapeaunoir]

This azzhat left feedback saying my stuff was 90% damaged and unusuable and that I was rude. I looked at his account the other day and he's selling all the CDs that I sold him (I have all the boxes I sold inventoried, so I knew exactly what I sold him).

Fuuuuuuuuuuq...!  No matter where you go, there they are. 

So far so good here (north of Seattle - we're served mainly by the Kent, WA sorting center), some things a little slow, but I'm shutting down at the end of the week. 

[zoesam]

Dec 7, 2020 21:15:41 GMT @snoopynmore said:

Dec 7, 2020 20:15:15 GMT kritter said:

A new twist at my post office today. The window for questions is along the long hallway where all the post office boxes are and where the line had stretched waiting to get to the counter today. When I got alongside that window the station master was there waiting with a scanner and a printer to waylay all the people that had packages with prepaid postage.

He said that according to the union, he can't work a counter position but he can scan prepaid postage packages in. Definitely a big help and hope he continues doing it for the next couple of weeks.

They used to do that at the 2 post offices I go to here.   Sometimes they'd be set up in a little booth and would call out for anyone dropping off prepaid.  I have seen that since last Christmas. I'm frustrated with the post office, but I'm mad at ebay.   They are giving people delivery estimates that are unrealistic and they are holding sellers to standards that we have almost no control over.  How amy I supposed to get USPS to deliver something by the date ebay promised?


As a cherry on top, for the first time ever, I can't find something I sold.  uggghhhhh!!

Ummm, they updated those dates months ago.  It was all over the Ebay boards & there was a special announcement.  It was months late b/c most of my problems had occurred early on in the pandemic, but it was done.   I've had months worth of problems earlier b/c my sort center was down w/COVID (state tried to shut them down), but lately has been pretty good.  I had 4-5 INR's at the time I was having all the problems, but now with Xmas, there's more delays.  

That said I started YEARS ago to ALWAYS get a scan.  That's on me.  I have several ways of doing it that don't involve standing in line cuz I refuse to do that, but it's my obligation to get the scan.   You can find alternate locations to scan or do pickup & hide the pkgs.  I have a whole system set up in case my carrier goes on vacation, so I don't lose a scan.  Along with the changes that Ebay implemented to the dates, they announced that they were forgiving some of the damage.  You may want to familiarize yourself with the announcement.  I'm not positive if it's still in effect tho.  Since I haven't had problems lately, I haven't been paying much attn. 

ETA: This time of year is when I make sure everyone who helps me get those scans during the year, gets a gift card :-) 

[Deleted]

Dec 7, 2020 22:18:23 GMT sunsetpainter said:

Hi @snoopynmore !  IIRC, you are in NE Indiana, right?  If you have stuff going west and it passes through Elk Grove Village IL, you can pretty much count on any first class packages hanging up for 2 - 4 weeks.  They are so jammed up there with people off from Covid.  I've had more packages go missing or taking over a month to be delivered just this summer than I have in the last 10 years!  I hadn't heard about the Indy stuff going on.  Now I'll have issues with stuff going west AND south!  Yikes!

Yes! I'm in South Bend.  All my packages usually go to Indy with a few going to Ft Wayne.    I've had trouble in past years with the postal sorting annex in Indy.  But this year is really something.  I understand, for the most part, it isn't the employees fault.  Although some of them act like the customers are the enemy.   I'm more upset with ebay.  They need to help us out.  I'm going to just keep listing and hopefully selling until it all crashes. 

[Deleted]

I know they updated the delivery dates months ago. But they have since rolled back. I had someone buy something on a Friday night and they were given a Monday delivery date. When I mail stuff on Satuday it doesn't usually leave my local post office untill Sunday night. How in the heck is it going to be delivered on Monday? Letters mailed to addresses within my city take longer than that.
Like I said before, I always had everything scanned in the past. I know its up to me to do that. But these are unusual times and a little support from ebay would be nice.

[zoesam]

They extended it through September, but I wasn't sure if it was still going.  I thought they were very responsive.  Just months too late for the situation here in CO :-(  But they did finally take action.  So you want them to re-implement the program?  You may want to let them know on Ebay for Business FB page, as apparently that gets more visibility than other avenues.  

ETA:  It's been very regional all along, when I was having multiple INR's, many people here were having no problems at all.  My pkgs are now arriving in 3-5 days, so going great here now & your area is having problems.  I just don't think Ebay is up on these regional sort center issues :-( 

[Deleted]

Dec 8, 2020 1:43:58 GMT zoesam said:

They extended it through September, but I wasn't sure if it was still going.  I thought they were very responsive.  Just months too late for the situation here in CO :-(  But they did finally take action.  So you want them to re-implement the program?  You may want to let them know on Ebay for Business FB page, as apparently that gets more visibility than other avenues.  

ETA:  It's been very regional all along, when I was having multiple INR's, many people here were having no problems at all.  My pkgs are now arriving in 3-5 days, so going great here now & your area is having problems.  I just don't think Ebay is up on these regional sort center issues :-( 

Yeah, I thought it was great when ebay adjusted dates and said they had our backs.   I will go to the FB page and say something.  Ebay tracks every metric.  They have to know where the delays are.  I remember when I went to Ebay Live in Chicago and someone from ebay talking about all the stuff they track.  It was interesting.  
I think ebay doesn't want to tell buyers there is a delay for fear of them going to Amazon.  But then when the stuff doesn't arrive on time, the buyers are on us.    I've always liked ebay and I still do.  It has given me a great opportunity.  But there are days when it is all so frustrating.  Today was one of them when I saw the hits I was getting.  I work hard to be a good seller and some days it feels like it just isn't enough.  I still haven't located my missing item, but the buyer was really nice about it.  I'll find it eventually and I'll send it to her for free.  

One other thing...not every package is delayed.  Some whiz right along, others sit.  There is no rhyme or reason.  Some are priority and some are 1st class.   I mailed a ton of stuff on 11/30.  Most is hung up somewhere, but some got where they were going in a couple of days.  

[chapeaunoir]

I think ebay doesn't want to tell buyers there is a delay for fear of them going to Amazon. But then when the stuff doesn't arrive on time, the buyers are on us.

That's it in a nutshell. Since so much on eBay is the same stuff you can get anywhere else, they're pushing us to have the same delivery times as Amazon who has their own logistics in a competitive effort.  It's not doable.  They rolled back those protections and now are pushing us to use UPS and Fed-Ex, which are poor substitutes for most things (they don't deliver to po boxes, they levy rural surcharge, it often forces buyers to go distances to their local UPS/Fed-Ex depots and pick the items up, and are still just as slow). 

I'm just shutting down in the next few days because I know whereas things are moving pretty well up here, they aren't in other parts of the country, and may just go arse-versey up here, too. 

[Deleted]

Dec 8, 2020 20:02:58 GMT chapeaunoir said:

I think ebay doesn't want to tell buyers there is a delay for fear of them going to Amazon. But then when the stuff doesn't arrive on time, the buyers are on us.

That's it in a nutshell. Since so much on eBay is the same stuff you can get anywhere else, they're pushing us to have the same delivery times as Amazon who has their own logistics in a competitive effort.  It's not doable.  They rolled back those protections and now are pushing us to use UPS and Fed-Ex, which are poor substitutes for most things (they don't deliver to po boxes, they levy rural surcharge, it often forces buyers to go distances to their local UPS/Fed-Ex depots and pick the items up, and are still just as slow). 

I'm just shutting down in the next few days because I know whereas things are moving pretty well up here, they aren't in other parts of the country, and may just go arse-versey up here, too. 

I sell a lot of Christmas stuff so this is the best time of the year, sales wise for me.  I'm just going to keep going and try to deal with whatever dumpster fires pop up next.  Ebay did remove the late scan dings I had.  I didn't call or anything, they just vanished.  I am gratefull for that.  I still have one item that I mailed on Sunday with no scan.  But I'm standing in line again to make sure everything is scanned.

I still have a couple of late delivery dings and I'm sure more are coming.  Items were mailed on time, delivery was just late.  I'm going to let them sit and hope ebay does another correction.  

I did an online inquiry on some of my stalled  items.  Some of them were opened and closed in the same day.  I got a form letter saying wait 10-14 days because they have slight delays due to covid.  My stalled priority packages I am going to file claims on after the 15 day window.   I've got one on Wednesday and one on Saturday this week.  

[chapeaunoir]

Have you put email/text tracking on them? Sometimes that helps (just in case you haven't) - this is really rough for those who DO sell holiday items! I have a few things for the holidays and am staying open through this Saturday - after that I can't guarantee any kind of arrival. I've already gotten jerked around on Etsy because something didn't get to someone in an unreasonably demanded time - and the USPS DID do their job! So the nutbags are coming out, too. This person smilingly filed 'not as described' because the ivory tablecloth was ivory and not white and 'doesn't match my decor' ('thanks for trying' she says of my free upgrade to priority) but I think it was because the tablecloth arrived too late for Thanksgiving and she doesn't need it now and wants me to pay for everything. Etsy has crap CS so you just take it in the shorts there. At least fees are still cheap as long as you stay below the $10,000/year gross cap.

[labbypaws]

FedEx is really messing up too. My stuff keeps getting put on the truck, sent back because they didn’t get to my house and sent back out another day. I have ammo that showed out for delivery yesterday. It went back to the depot...

My S&W was recalled and it will be coming back adult signature required. Who knows what time FedEx will be here with it. Hoping they don’t ship it back for a bit. Hubby will be on vacation after next week.

USPS is really slow too. Have a few things on the way to me that have not been scanned yet.

[Deleted]

Dec 9, 2020 1:05:38 GMT chapeaunoir said:

Have you put email/text tracking on them? Sometimes that helps (just in case you haven't) - this is really rough for those who DO sell holiday items! I have a few things for the holidays and am staying open through this Saturday - after that I can't guarantee any kind of arrival. I've already gotten jerked around on Etsy because something didn't get to someone in an unreasonably demanded time - and the USPS DID do their job! So the nutbags are coming out, too. This person smilingly filed 'not as described' because the ivory tablecloth was ivory and not white and 'doesn't match my decor' ('thanks for trying' she says of my free upgrade to priority) but I think it was because the tablecloth arrived too late for Thanksgiving and she doesn't need it now and wants me to pay for everything. Etsy has crap CS so you just take it in the shorts there. At least fees are still cheap as long as you stay below the $10,000/year gross cap.

I have filed online iquiries on a bunch of them.  It looks as if those get sent to the PO where the item is going.  Most PO's close them the day after getting them.  I just get a form letter saying there is a slight delay because of COVID and to wait 10-14 days to inquire.   I understand delays.  I know they are short staffed because people are sick and people are quaratined.  What I don't understand is the way the mail is handled.  I've got things sitting for 10 days now in Indianapolis while other stuff sails through there.  My guess is that incoming stuff gets dumped on top of the stuff that is already there and then its first out the door.  Last in, first out doesn't work for mail processing.  I fear my stuff will sit until they finally, somehow get to the bottom of the pile. 

[Deleted]

Dec 9, 2020 1:49:31 GMT labbypaws said:

FedEx is really messing up too. My stuff keeps getting put on the truck, sent back because they didn’t get to my house and sent back out another day. I have ammo that showed out for delivery yesterday. It went back to the depot...

My S&W was recalled and it will be coming back adult signature required. Who knows what time FedEx will be here with it. Hoping they don’t ship it back for a bit. Hubby will be on vacation after next week.

USPS is really slow too. Have a few things on the way to me that have not been scanned yet.

I've had good luck, so far, shipping some stuff using FedEx home delivery and FedEx ground.  For bigger stuff it is a lot cheaper than USPS.  

[Pantlandia]

Waiting on an Amazon package right now. At first the delivery range was 3pm to 10pm. Then at 3pm, it changed to 5pm to 10pm. As it got closer to 5, it changed to 6pm to 10pm, then 6:45pm to 10pm. Then 7:30pm to 10pm. Then 8pm to 10pm. It's currently at 8:30pm to 10pm, but since it's 8:30 in like 2 mins, I suspect it will change to 9pm to 10pm, then not delivered at all.

ETA: Updated now 8:45pm to 10pm. I don't know why they keep changing the early time...3pm to 10pm is the same as long as it comes before 10pm and the same if it doesn't get delivered until tomorrow...seems dumb.
ETAA: It updated to GPS and shows him 3 stops away...yay!

[chapeaunoir]

Dec 9, 2020 1:49:31 GMT labbypaws said:

FedEx is really messing up too. My stuff keeps getting put on the truck, sent back because they didn’t get to my house and sent back out another day. I have ammo that showed out for delivery yesterday. It went back to the depot...

My S&W was recalled and it will be coming back adult signature required. Who knows what time FedEx will be here with it. Hoping they don’t ship it back for a bit. Hubby will be on vacation after next week.

USPS is really slow too. Have a few things on the way to me that have not been scanned yet.

My friend was having that with Fed-Es with some bike wheels he had ordered.  They keep ending up out for delivery then go back...then back out for delivery, and the times start changing. He kept trying to be home for the delivery but they kept changing it, so finally he had to run out for one of his dog-walks (he's a professional dog-walker) and bam, Fed-Ex delivers and bam, a porch pirate rips it off.  He lives in a rough neighbourhood and I told him to pleeeeeeeeeease next time have the stuff delivered to my house - I live in the woods and work at home! 

That was really bad, because Fed-Ex was being so unreliable with delivery (if they had just stuck to one or two times and not changed it several times over two days), his wheels are now gone. 

[sunsetpainter]

My printer ink cartridge is at 1/2 right now and I don't have a back up here. I ordered 2 from Best Buy and they are "delayed" in the USPS system. I'm going to HAVE to order some from Amazon because I can't afford to run out and not be able to print labels.

[denise15601]

Heck, USPS has delayed shipping on stamps that I ordered online. That is pretty sad.

[chapeaunoir]

Dec 9, 2020 17:00:20 GMT sunsetpainter said:

My printer ink cartridge is at 1/2 right now and I don't have a back up here. I ordered 2 from Best Buy and they are "delayed" in the USPS system. I'm going to HAVE to order some from Amazon because I can't afford to run out and not be able to print labels.

If you download the QR code on the eBay label creation page you can take it to the post office and they'll print it out.