What Good Is USPS Tracking?

What good is USPS Tracking if they NEVER update it between Accepted by USPS and Out for Delivery?

In the Month of December I had over a dozen tract items coming to me.
Every one of them are or were LATE. NOT one showed an update in between "Accepted by USPS and Out for Delivery."

This year I've had several tracked items that arrived 2 or more weeks late. One arrived OVER 3 MONTH LATE!

I've had 3 stamp shipments completely disappear.

This year The Christmas Grinch is the UNITED STATES POST OFFICE !!!

The USPS is experiencing staffing shortages, particularly truckers, like everyone else. It sucks.

It's entirely their own fault. I applied TWICE for two different jobs at the Post Office and they never even bothered to send my application to the background check people. And no, there wouldn't have been a reason to nix my application. For one of them I even drove like 30 miles to a group interview! Seriously so done with the PO

did you look at the detail report on the tracking page:

I've had a package destined for Canada sitting idle at Carol Stream for an entire week. They always seem to make it here but it takes a while.

Of course I looked at the track pages a zillion times.

FedEx is just as bad but t least the show where your package is.
I ordered a couple items from AMOS (Scott) Publishing and they shipped by FEDEX.
This is how FEDEX handled th package:

5:40 AM EUGENE, OR
At local FedEx facility
Saturday, November 6, 2021
3:46 PM PORTLAND, OR
Arrived at FedEx location
Thursday, November 4, 2021
10:45 PM SANDPOINT, ID
In transit
8:20 AM MALTA, MT
In transit
Wednesday, November 3, 2021
8:08 PM NEW YORK MILLS, MN
In transit
7:57 AM POTOSI, TOWN OF, WI
In transit
Tuesday, November 2, 2021
7:26 PM CICERO, IL
In transit
3:03 AM CHICAGO, IL
In transit
Monday, November 1, 2021
4:43 AM DESHLER, OH
In transit
Sunday, October 31, 2021
9:27 PM NORTH BALTIMORE, OH
In transit
1:33 AM NORTH BALTIMORE, OH
In transit
Saturday, October 30, 2021
8:48 AM INDEPENDENCE, KY
Departed FedEx location
Wednesday, October 27, 2021
5:42 AM INDEPENDENCE, KY
Arrived at FedEx location
3:22 AM VANDALIA, OH
Left FedEx origin facility
Tuesday, October 26, 2021
7:34 PM VANDALIA, OH
Arrived at FedEx location
3:48 PM VANDALIA, OH
Picked up

I'll let you count the number of days.

Then again, my wife got a package just before Christmas, shipped FedEx, that arrived with a shredded plastic bag, stuck inside of a FedEx bag, that had taken a long time to arrive. I have no idea what had happened to it but the contents were long since lost. It doesn't matter if you know where it is if it doesn't arrive safely.

As a counterpoint, when we order something from Amazon and it comes on their trucks, they'll tell you EXACTLY where it is, as in, you can get onto their site and they'll show you where the delivery truck is moment by moment.

A postal employee told me, not sure if it is true or not but it seems to jibe with what I am seeing, that some discount USPS services are only tracked at the 'start' and 'end' scans. For example, media mail and the eBay service (those starting with the ESUS tracking number).
Don

Luck of the draw, I suppose. I sent out two Christmas parcels from California on Saturday the 18th by USPS Priority Mail, one to New Mexico, the other to Maryland, and both reached their destinations on Tuesday the 21st.

I made two small purchases from U.S. eBay sellers in the past year that never arrived (each under $6, including shipping). I don't know whether to blame the USPS or scummy sellers who never sent them out in the first place.

International mail is another matter entirely. I currently have eBay and Delcampe purchases coming in from Belgium, Germany, and Greece. No telling when they'll show up. I've been waiting a month for one from Greece, but other shipments that I've received from Greece this year have also taken one or two months to get here.

USPS tracking is very important to me regardless of the detail when a buyer tries to claim "Item Not Received" and USPS shows item delivered.
I win that one every time.

Ken

We-ell … A couple of weeks ago, I bought two books from an eBay seller. Both were to go in one tracked package, which showed as delivered. Unfortunately, the seller hadn't put both of the books in. Sorted it out after a few messages.

I just hope my Ukraine package gets out of Ukraine before Putin does something very naughty.

I agree on that, Ken. What is particularly galling for a buyer (at least for me) is when it says that it was delivered and it was not. Could be that it was delivered to the wrong address, or a host of other reasons... Fortunately, in all my "cases," the parcels usually show up sooner or later. But THAT can lead to quite a bit of anxiety. It does happen, regardless of what the tracking says.

John

The way the new eBay envelopes work is this: They are not scanned by post office employees. They are scanned only by the automatic sorting machines. So you get more than just accepted and out for delivery, but less than you would get normally on USPS tracking.

It can only be used for packages under $20.

Been working fine for me, but people do complain that the tracking is incomplete and there is no actual delivery scan.

Here's a typical tracking for one:
Nov 26, 2021 6:48am Delivered
19803

Nov 26, 2021 12:22am Out for Delivery
HISTORIC NEW CASTLE, DE 19850

Nov 25, 2021 3:27am Out for Delivery
HISTORIC NEW CASTLE, DE 19850

Nov 23, 2021 1:45pm Destination processing
HISTORIC NEW CASTLE, DE 19850

Nov 22, 2021 10:16pm Origin Processing
WHITE PLAINS, NY 10610

Nov 22, 2021 7:21pm In Transit
WHITE PLAINS, NY 10610

Nov 21, 2021 8:12am Tracking number provided

Just because the USPS tracking says delivered doesn't mean it was delivered at the correct address. Just last month I was to receive a tracked movie; I saw the mailman drive off from my mailbox and I checked the mail and there was no movie. I immediately check the tracking number and it said the movie was delivered. I called the local USPS distribution depot and told them what had just happened. 3-1/2 hours the same mailman delivered the movie. Never got to talk to the mailman to ask what happened.