Mail From Tennessee To Little Rock, AR Took 2 Months

Just couldn't believe it, but I thought I'd post the conversation I had with the buyer. As a seller on Hip (since 2019, and not via APS), I concentrate on World classics, and mostly in the lower cost ranges. So, I average less than $10 per order, but I usually fill 60-80 orders each month.

To keep costs down, I take on the risk of the order, and use First Class mail, so I can charge just $1.00 shipping. I've had to refund entire orders I think, just 3 times in 5 years. But buyers get very impatient sometimes, and sometimes ask for refunds within a month. I always ask them to be patient and wait. Here is one that I'll keep to show buyers in the future as validation:

Not received yet
02/12/2024 21:29:29
Not sure why the order has not arrived. I would appreciate if you could help tracking it. Regards.

Re: Not received yet
02/14/2024 14:12:00
thank you for your note. I shipped your order on January 26th.

I'm not able to track this-- If I were to add tracking, I would have to charge $6-7 minimum for shipping.

I'm asking you to please monitor this and let me know again in about 2 weeks if you have received it or not.
Regards,

Re: Not received yet
02/14/2024 18:08:46
Thank you for confirming the shipping date. I had several orders from you before and they all arrived pretty quickly. I will let you know when I receive the mail.

Re: Not received yet
03/26/2024 15:08:01
Ray,
The mail finally arrived today. It took almost two months.
Thanks.

Re: Not received yet
03/27/2024 00:08:20
THANK YOU for your patience and for letting me know!!!
Take care, Ray

OMG, it took 2 months for a First Class letter to go from Baxter, TN to Little Rock, AR! I'm so happy that the buyer was patient with me-- and he has made several purchases in the past and I'm sure will continue.

So, the moral of the story is: PLEASE be patient when buying online, especially if your seller isn't charging much for shipping, because with patience we've seen most of the letters/stamps arriving at their destination, and never with a good explanation of why it took longer than normal!

Ray

I've had that happen before, no matter what kind of shipping provided. I've had letters with tracking go to the other side of the country and sit there for weeks on end before they came back. The Post Office kind of sucks.

A few years back, I received a letter from Illinois (KAP Stamps) that took 8 months to arrive in Florida. One of the cancels was in the Bahamas. I had completely forgotten about the stamps but they were in good shape upon arrival. Go figure.

I've had tracked items get stuck in a loop where they go back and forth between two different stations for several days. A quick call to my PO always got them un-looped and on their way. I send out hundreds of first-class letters per year selling lower priced items on ebay and Hip and when you get right down to it, hardly any have disappeared or been grossly delayed. Sure, everyone has a story or two when the P.O. dropped the ball, but by and large, they do a pretty decent job, especially considering the volume of mail they have to deal with.

I know exactly what it is like. I sell on ebay and have been for over 15 years and have to say that the mail is slower every year. I had a letter go from Michigan city IN to Allegan Michigan (about a 75 minute drive) and it took over 3 weeks.
People need to be patient as once I take my item to the post office I am at their mercy. ebay' s estimated delivery times are way off.
Why do people expect a letter to arrive in 2-3 days and when it doesn't they open a case with ebay. I usually tell them to be patient and surely the item gets there is a week of so. The majority are understanding and know how the postal service works..........slowly !
Then there is Ebays standard envelopes which has tracking but it is not linked to the USPS system. All it shows is when the item gets to their post office and it still takes a few more days to arrive. ebay needs to fix this issue.