Slow USPS Deliveries - Grumpy Old Men Complaining About Post Office, Ebay, & Kids On The Lawn

I don't recommend giving a refund if the tracking shows progress within the last week or two. Because once you give the refund there is no recourse within ebay to collect when it finally arrives. Instead show sympathy and stay in touch and reassure them that you will refund if it is truly lost.

"truly lost" and ebay time constraints which need to be met to protect yourself as a buyer are two different things.

How does one define "truly lost"?

I bought an item buy-it-now this evening on ebay. Fairly bulky and heavy. I hoped to ease the shipping jam by encouraging the seller to wait until after Christmas to ship it - or even to wait until just after the first of the year. They replied " ebay requires me to ship the day after I receive payment, so this will ship out tomorrow." I didn't argue with them and the ebay Kool-aid. I tried. Sigh.

It is really hit or miss. I won a Big Blue album on the 18th out of CA, and low and behold it was on my front porch this morning in PA. I had to wait over 2 weeks for a 3 day priority mail shipment from MI, so this was a surprise that it showed up so quickly.

Just received my package today that was shipped on 11/29.

So I mailed a number of USPS priority mail packages on December 16th from New York to Michigan, Georgia, Ohio, New York (3 hrs drive time away), and Louisiana. Everyone of those packages are currently in New Orleans, Louisiana regardless of destination. Christmas cookies are going to be a bit stale by the time they arrive. Why in the bleeping bleepity bleep would they even places two boxes for New York on an airplane to begin with that should have been placed on a truck?

I just chewed Harmer a new one for sending my lot via USPS Priority Mail. It has been 9 days now and if you believe tracking it has been sitting in NJ for 6 of those days.

The other day I received a package that was not scanned as delivered to me and I have two others that were sent to me that I am certain were delivered to USPS but have never been scanned one time. Now how on earth would somebody put in an insurance claim if the USPS has no record of receiving anything?

If there were not other things such as a pandemic going on this is actually a sizable story because the USPS is basically nonfunctional at this time. Bills are not being delivered and neither are paper checks and important documents. What a complete mess.

Don: I would open a case with ebay. Do not forfeit your right to do this.

It's a good question. But as a seller I can opt to issue a refund after 30 days. In other words my approach is to hold out as long as possible. I've had only 1 truly lost item in the last 5 years and 2300 transactions. I've issued about 3 refunds for lost items and had to collect on the two that did finally show up. They may not be able to rely on ebay "cases" but I'll make it clear that I'll stand by the delivery.

Out of approximately 125 things that I've bought on ebay this year, only one (purchased on March 29th) never showed up. There was no tracking, so I can't say whether it was lost in transit or never mailed in the first place. I waited for four weeks, but I had to appeal to ebay to get my money back.

Here is the tracking from Kelleher for my Langs part 2 winnings. Notice it arrived in St Paul on the 21st, 2 days ago. I'm 6 miles from that facility. I really couldn't care less about how fast it arrives but we really are back to 1870's delivery time. Pony express moved mail faster than the USPS does now. If items arrive today it would be a 7 day delivery from CT. to MN, wow.

Harmer sent me a Priority Mail package ten days ago, NY to MA. Still waiting.

Large envelope/package from PA shipped to me last week. Arrived today in CA thank goodness. A week is pretty darn outstanding imho for Priority Mail.

On the other side....I'm shipping stuff Priority that I'd never in a million years consider because of cost but for the fact that First Class Packages seem to be the ones getting jammed up so far in my experience.

I ordered some stamps directly from the USPS and they have been in transit since December 18. What's odd is the package seems to have arrived at the USPS Regional Origin Facility in Kansas City, MO twice.

December 18, 2020
In Transit, Arriving Late

Your package will arrive later than expected, but is still on its way. It is currently in transit to the next facility.

December 14, 2020, 9:05 pm
Arrived at USPS Regional Origin Facility
KANSAS CITY MO DISTRIBUTION CENTER

December 12, 2020, 6:09 pm
Departed USPS Regional Facility
KANSAS CITY MO DISTRIBUTION CENTER

December 12, 2020, 5:39 pm
Arrived at USPS Regional Origin Facility
KANSAS CITY MO DISTRIBUTION CENTER

December 12, 2020, 4:24 pm
Accepted at USPS Regional Origin Facility
KANSAS CITY MO DISTRIBUTION CENTER

The auction house Raritan sent me a package via Express mail yesterday afternoon, NJ to MA. I had it this morning. Meanwhile Priority Mail, which is the new coach class without any peanuts or blankets, is all still MIA.