USPS In Transit Arriving Late

That was Gouda, man.




Speaking of packages, I wish I could find this postally used (in period mml1942, not with tomorrow's date--but nice try ):



I will soon bring it in and show the staff what life was like before paperboard packaging.

Edit: Should be obvious.

You can send it to me with appropriate contents.

I will return it under cover - empty - to save on return postage costs.

At least no one has cut the cheese here yet.

Congratulations are in order: the Vieux Boulogne marks 14 years undefeated as the world's smelliest cheese. It seems like yesterday that the northern stinker was named whiffiest of all by a cabal of scientists, beating the likes of Époisses, Brie de Meaux and Munster to the (not-so coveted) title.

Not only did the Pas-de-Calais delicacy wear down Cranfield University's 19-strong olfactory panel during an eye-watering sniff test, but it smashed the scale of a high-tech electronic nose. More than a decade on, its signature stench – a cloying blend rotten leeks and farmyard pong – remains unmatched.

So what gives the cheese described as a perfect storm of "body odour mixed with dung" its foul odour? The Boulogne-sur-Mer fromage achieves its unique potency from having its rind washed in beer. The interaction of bacteria in the brew with the cow's milk enzymes of the 'skin' eventually releases its tell-tale whiffs. Surprisingly, considering its unsavoury kudos, Vieux Boulogne's bark is far worse than its bite and beneath the stinky rind is a smooth and pleasantly mellow cheese. A real treat for turophiles in the know, it's rather hard to come by, even in its native Pas-de-Calais.

Some things smell on the outside, others on the in:



Clearly the OP's package delay is more than just a bathroom break.

Smooth way of tying it all together.

May as well pull the buses into the tie in (check out my edit addition on page 2's buses post):

So if after two weeks of no package movement, seller refunds me, and then seller makes a USPS insurance claim (item was sent Priority Mail), will seller recover any $ up to $100? If the seller successfully makes a claim and receives $ from USPS and then after several months or years, the package is found by the USPS, will seller or I receive it? If I receive it, what method should I use to pay seller so there is a record of payment?

These situations are a lose-lose all around for everyone involved.

When I have been refunded in the past for non-receipt of item and then it showed up I paid the seller. As to what they did insurance-wise I could care less although it is doubtful that USPS paid any claim fast enough to make a difference. (If they paid at all)

The package will be moving eventually. If refunded and it arrives just mail a check back to the seller at the return address on the package.

Two weeks during a holiday season when there is a transportation shut down is really not that long. It is quite rare for a package to just "disappear" without a trace. The longest delays of which I am aware are the "found in supposedly empty equipment" delays. I have a registered parcel post stamp franked cover mailed circa 1914 which was not delivered until about 1967 having been finally found in the bottom of an old "empty" registry mail sack. Came with notes on USPOD note paper between employees along the lines of "now what."

This tread is far from over....

Right before Christmas I had to mail a cover to a buyer who has previously tried to screw me so I sent it Certified with signature confirmation and I get mailed a copy of the signature.

Original tracking number had it being delivered Xmas eve (24th). I saw the "in transit, arriving late" message the day after Xmas.

Saw same message for next few days. Cover was delivered New year's Eve so 1 week late from MN to FLA.

It has now been over 14 days since the stagnant message "In Transit Arriving Late." Since I have received a refund, I'm not really emotionally concerned about where the package is, but purely from an informational and educational standpoint, now that the inclement weather and air traffic delays have subsided in most of the country, what could have happened to it? Fell off a bin in transit? Barcode become illegible so it never gets scanned and the package will be perpetually in transit, etc..?

On another note, I sent a holiday card one week before Christmas to someone in my large city. This person lives in a small community (I think under 50 units) where each dwelling has its own number. Well silly me forgot to write down the dwelling unit number after the address and this week, the card gets returned to me with a yellow sticker on the bottom of the envelope with return to sender unable to forward. So it takes over two weeks for a card going to someone in the same city I live in to get returned to me. Moreover, if there are less than 50 units in this complex, wouldn't the carrier be able to match the name on the envelope to someone that lives there or is that too much work for them? Lesson learned, always put apartment, house, condo, etc. number after the address.

The new push in general seems to be "lower your expectations and things will seem better". I have a piece of First-Class Mail that I really want that left upstate NY 10 days ago on its way to Western MA. Waiting.....

Parcelpostguy: If the seller/sender files a claim with the USPS, will that show up in the tracking information? Once the claim is paid, if the package is found, does the USPS keep the package, since the contents have been "paid off" (similar to a car being totaled by the insurance company where they pay your claim, but they keep the totaled car)? If one were to do an internet search of "In Transit--Arriving Late" there are a multitude of threads on different forums regarding this topic with people complaining about delays, but no follow-up as to the end result of package delivery, which to me is the most interesting. Was it a destroyed barcode that made the package late for months, operator error etc..? It's fascinating to read articles about letter mail turning up decades later, but they rarely have an explanation for the delay LOL.

….still waiting….