Recently mailed a package with Priority Mail, and it didn’t arrive at its destination on time. All the USPS website would tell me is that the shipping info was received. When I called them 7 days later — remember, Priority Mail is supposed to be a 2-3 day delivery — I told them I had a shipping/label number and asked what happened to my package. They couldn’t tell me anything. Their official answer was: “We can’t track Priority Mail packages.”
What’s the point of offering a tracking service if you can’t track it?
So I asked them, is there a way to start an investigation, and find out what happened to that package? What if it’s lost, what if someone stole it? What happens now? Their answer? “We can’t investigate Priority Mail packages. We can only investigate Express Mail packages.”
So I asked them what weight is carried with all of their “official” notices that say that tampering with or stealing postal mail is a theft, and is punishable under the law, etc. If there’s no way to tell where a Priority Mail package is, and they’re not willing or not able to start an investigation, does that mean people can go ahead and steal Priority Mail packages? No answer there.
There you have it. Not only is Priority Mail more costly than First Class Mail, not only does not take 2-3 days for mail to get there (it usually takes a week and the USPS only offers excuses when that happens), but the tracking service is non-existent, and you can’t find out what happened to your package if it never arrives at its destination.
What lesson are we to draw from this? My take on it is that Priority Mail is inferior to other shipping services out there. It may be cheaper than UPS or FedEx, but the packages can get stolen, they can get trampled on, they can be late or never arrive at their destination, and the USPS won’t care.
Updated 11/14/2007: I held a book drawing here, and one of my readers won it. After mailing the book via Priority Mail to him, the envelope got there damaged, opened and empty. We know we sealed it properly right at the post office and paid $8 to ship it. To add insult to injury, the message stamped on the envelope from the post office in his town that said the envelope was received opened and damaged. So not only did they damage my package and lose the book, but they lied about how the book got to be “lost” in the first place.
Updated 12/13/2007: The USPS has managed to top its previous performance. It has now taken them 13 days to deliver a local package to a distance of 25 miles.
Raoul Pop 
I purchase quite a bit of stuff off eBay and Etsy. Everything I purchase is mailed through Priority shipping. I’ve always been able to track my package, always received my package within 2 days and always get my package. I’ve never had an issue with USPS Priority shipping. I receive between 5-10 packages a month, every month. I have no idea what the person is talking about saying you can’t track Priority mail, yes you most certainly can. I do with all of my packages. Apparently this person is putting in wrong information or their package wasn’t sent Priority. I don’t know but being a faithful USPS Priority mail receiver for over 5 yrs I’m very happy with the service.
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I sent a package via Priority Mail with the USPS last week. I was instructed to drop it off early so that it can go out on the first truck. I showed up before the Post Office opened and mailed it out within six minutes of opening. I was told that Priority Mail takes 2-3 days.
When I attempted to track the package, I noticed that it took 14 hours to get from our local post office to the sorting facility just ten miles away. Ouch. Next, there was no tracking from that sorting facility until it arrived at the next sorting facility. Ouch.
The next sorting facility was in the town where the package was to be delivered. It arrived at 1:54 A.M. and was already on the FOURTH day; so, it should go out for delivery, right? Nope. The next day, the tracking states that it “departed USPS sorting facility” that night. It should obviously be delivered now, right? After all, it is the FIFTH DAY. Again…nope. Now, we had to wait through the weekend.
On Monday, the tracking said that the package was out for delivery…but NEVER GOT DELIVERED. Finally, on Tuesday, the package was listed as “out for delivery” (again)…and finally made it to its destination. It took NINE DAYS from dropoff to delivery. I called the USPS customer service (*customer service? lol!). Although I was kind with the person on the phone, I explained that I was angry with the service that I received and detailed what I went through — and that this package was specifically for a BIRTHDAY.
The “customer service” representative reacted smugly. He smirked, “What do you want us to do?” I said, “KEEP YOUR PROMISES!!!” I explained that Priority Mail is supposed to take “2-3 days” but often takes longer — about as long as regular mail. I asked, “Why should we pay TWICE as much to ship something with Priority Mail when we can’t know if it will arrive on time?” He literally responded that I was wasting the USPS’s time! I told him that I now understand why the USPS is going broke. They are incompetent with their claims, services and now, customer support. I said, “If this is how Customer Support representatives treat us, then it is no wonder how other USPS employees treat our mail!”
I’ve decided to stop sending packages through the Post Office. I’d rather spend a little extra and send it out via FedEx or UPS than stress out over the “flip a coin” reliability of incompetent USPS workers.
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I sent a package using express mail, and since I didn’t see that it arrived, few hours after 3:00 pm the next day, (it is supposedly guaranteed to arrive next day by 3:00 pm), I contacted USPS to ask about it. They could not locate the package and stated that the guarantee means that I can get my money if it does not arrive!!!!
Next day I received an e-mail that package was delivered, ….but in a different town. When I contacted USPS to ask what does that mean, no one could explain and frankly everyone was very rude, and refused to provide their ID.
I asked for an investigation and was told few days later that… package has arrived. So I called again and asked why was it delivered in a different town, response of the supervisor: “…it is illegal for me to release to you the address where the package was delivered”.
As someone above already said, if it really matters to you, use Fedex or UPS and not USPS.
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Call me an idiot (I am) but i used USPS Priority to ship my girlfriend’s 30th bday present (a $2,000 chanel purse) to UK over a month ago. Needless to say, the package never arrived and the max insurance I could get was $650. I’m 99% sure it’s been stolen, and now I truly regret using this corrupt, scumbag-laden institution. USPS is populated with vermin.
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Lmfao, you must not be very bright. The OP is a huge liar too. But anyway, once a package arrives in a foreign country, the USPS has no control over it whatsoever. You should be blaming UK customs and the shitty delivery company known as Parcelforce. I’ve sent numerous packages to the UK and priority mail is always faster than express mail (never had one take more than 8 days) because Parcelforce handles the express packages (sent a few express and they all took 2-3 weeks).
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A letter was sent priority mail on 8/13 from akron, ohio. the letter arrived in Chautauqua, NY on 8/20. the letter contained my driver’s license. because it hadn’t arrived in a week I got a replacement license at my expense. the kicker is when I called the postmaster the woman said the 2-3 day delivery was NOT GUARANTEED. Usually it gets there, but it depends on the sender and the receiver locations. guess Chautauqua is too off the beaten path for priority mail, but not for Fed-Ex. My advice is ship FED-EX if it matters.
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Oh my gosh, I wish I would have read this a few weeks ago. The USPS lost my Dad’s ashes! It turns out FedEx and UPS don’t ship cremains. So The mortuary shipped them Priority Mail, from Southern California to the funeral home in Oklahoma. They are four days late. I called and received a tracking number, which only tells me the date they were shipped out. I called back to find out if I can get more detailed information. An aggressive woman basically told me there is no true way to track it. There is also no way to trace it. I can file a missing report and wait 45 days. Then she told me to have a nice day. Have a nice day? That’s all that’s left of my dad. You would think they would be more careful. Nope! They absolutely do not care about the customers. If I would have done my research first, I would have figured out a way to go to California and get them. Never, did I imagine this was going to happen and no way to track or trace. Why the tracking number? Just a front? People need to know the high risk of using priority mail. No way should this ever happen to anyone. I’ve always used UPS and FedEx I’ve never lost anything, until I used the USPS.
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Will never ship via usps again! What a joke it has turned out to be! They deliver when and IFFFF they feel like it. Charge triple the price for their so called”priority service” which I have used 3 times…(yep 3 times a fool) and not once has it arrived as suggested! Would rather pay more for ups or fed ex and have a guarantee with no hassels!!!
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I’ve have had to deal with China Post, UPS, USPS, Fed Ex, and Yanwen. My rating on which I prefer (#1 being the best.)
1. USPS – Always on time, tracking, and never just leaves my packages.
2. UPS – Almost always on time, tracking, sometimes they leave and sometimes they knock to let me know.
3. Yanwen – In China, but very fast considering I get packages within a week and a half. Tracking.
4. China Post – Also in China. A little slower, usually 2 weeks to get package. Tracking.
5. Fed Ex – Hate. They lost a $500 package by leaving it in a completely different state. Then would not honor my claim. I was sent another camera after spending two days on three way with the camera company and Fed-Ex. They recently lost a $20 package as well. Rarely have tracking, and if they do, they barely update your package’s location.
Fed Ex is awful and I hope they go under.
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Why oh why did I choose Priority Mail instead of UPS Ground? Next time I’ll just pay the $2 more to get tracking that actually tracks the package. 2-3 days instead of 4-5 days with UPS doesn’t really matter when USPS has a 50/50 shot at best of failure.
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I just had the Exact same problem with priority mail. Supposed to be 2-3 days but in small print “not guaranteed”. After the 6th day I called to complain and they gave me a “comfirmation #” I asked whats is this supposed to do, I used the tracking website and it says its been sitting in philly for 4 days and georgia 2 days before. They said some bull where a guy would investigate what happened, whether or not it was sent to the wrong place or not scanned, so the next day I call and give them the comfirmation # and ask whats going on with the “investigation”. “Oh they dont start the investigation for atleat 24 hours” I was soo pissed and it seemed that EVERY employee had a different answer.I wouldve been better off putting the contents in a manila envelope, threw some stamps on it, and had it show up on time. Im happy to see that im not alone with this fustration but not happy that its happening, especially when its not cheap to mail priority or express plus a book of stamps just went from $7 to $9. Goodluck with all your packages!
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I live in Atlanta and my boyfriend lives in Iowa. We exchanged gifts but sadly I havent even received mine…EVEN NOW! he sent it december 17 and it is now December 27. He said he sent it priority mail and it’s done anything but get here. He’s tried contacting the post office and all they say is that the postal services in Atlanta are busy and they didn’t even put a tracking number on there. He got a major discount on an item that coated about $1100 and it’s not here. -,- so does that mean I wont have anything in my box when it’s at my doorstop? This is retarded -,-
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My girlfriend shipped me a package in a priority mail flat rate box from Washington to me in Montana on 12/14. As of today (12/27), no package. Way to go post office.
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Ordered a package by priority shipping 12/11/11. It is now 12/20/11 and still no package.The most recent tracking information shows that on 12/18/11 It was less than 240 miles away.
Can’t contact sender because tracking information isn’t up to date enough to show that there is a problem.Went to the local post office, and it wasn’t there and even they could find nothing with the tracking.
I’m going out of state for the rest of the year in a few days.We have to use slot and key for our mail, instead of having a mailbox at house.Which means if it does come while i’m gone, it will be sitting unwatched outside for a week.Or it will be in the small mail slot getting everything smushed.
A package from Wal Mart ordered by free shipping the same weekend has arrived.Free shipping got here quicker than priority shipping.
Since I have no information to give the sender (was lost in mail, sent to wrong address etc) due to tracking not being up to date.I now have to wait until 2012 to potentially get my package.
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ask them if they can give you a confirmation number, your supposed to use it when you call and someone is investigating where your package is. They gave me one but my package finally came before it had to be used. Thats all I can think to tell you. Good luck
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I AM A REAL JAM.. I SENT A PACKAGE INSURED FOR 2600.00 AND WAS TOLD THAT THE INSURANCE RECEIPT WAS MY TRACKING NUMBER. THAT NUMBER IS NOT IN EXISTENCE!!! THIS IS MY BUSINESS AND I MIGHT LOSE OUT ON 2000 DOLLARS PLUS THE ITEM!! I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE MY ITEM WENT-
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I ordered a perfume through fragrance.com on 17th Nov. It should come by USPS ONLY.But shocked to see that was only an empty box that it delivered after21 days.It is a very bad experience.
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I bought Christmas lights on Ebay on the 5th, the seller processed the order and shipped it out via USPS Priority Mail with Delivery Confirmation and it was accepted and sent to the sorting facility in Madisonville, LA on the 6th. According to myy tracking information, the estimated delivery date was 12/8….it’s the 10th now, and still no package. In fact, according to USPS, it is still at the same sort facility that it was at on the 6th. I paid almost the same amount for shipping as the actual items (about $40). I guess I will have to go out and purchase lights locally so my kid’s can enjoy the holiday decorations BEFORE the actual holiday arrives : ( Thanks for the early Christmas present USPS….because you know, in these times, we aren’t struggling enough as it is just to make ends meet, so of course we have the extra money to spend to double the one little luxury we worked extra for so our little kids could have a happy holiday.
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Over 5 weeks …package was sent from TN, USA to Toronto, Canada using Priority Mail International. Custom receipt number only shows tracking until 5th Nov that it was at Opa Locka, Florida and nothing after that. Should I still be hopeful that my package may arrive one day? Has anyone ever had such a long delay for Priority Mail International Package?
It has 600 dollars worth of items including and Android Tablet and no one is of any help…USPS, Canada Post, Canada Customs.
Can I report against USPS to a thrid part rather than their consumer affairs..already spoke with them and they are useless …. they all just keep apologizing for this not being a trackable service.
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I have used USPS for almost every thing I ship.Thru First Class Mail there has not been one problem with any getting their package within 3 days. Our sorting facility here is one of the best. The Postal service is closing almost half their sorting facilities throught the U.S. This could be just one of the problems that will happen from this They say it is going to save them millions but in the end I think it will cost them more in lost customers.
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I believe you’re exactly right, time to invest in UPS.
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I have had a couple issues of receiving packages/envelopes that have come damaged/mangled and with things missing from them: one that was merely mangled and looked like it’d been put through a paper shredder (or attempted) before arriving and the other that actually had the candy stolen out of the envelope which was half empty. There was actually half a candy stick left in the envelope, unwrapped, so not sure what happened there…
Yet I still use USPS and prefer USPS to anything. Maybe it’s because I ship more packages internationally than a lot of people my age and I’d have to pay out the wazoo using UPS or Fed-Ex to do so. This is the first time I was required to ship priority based on the size of the package, but most of the time I go through/ahead with first class and I’ve never had any issues with it. The time it’s guaranteed to arrive is something like 1-3 weeks and it generally arrives in less than a week. Sure, I had someone ship mail to me from Ireland that was delivered through USPS and took about a month to get here as opposed to the usual 1-2 weeks it’s taken other people to send me things, but it happens sometimes.
The way I see it is shit happens. You all keep saying that everyone says they love USPS until something happens to them. Frankly, if you surrender your loyalty to a company because of a single mistake… Good luck in life, because mistakes happen. You will find documented mistakes with UPS and Fed-Ex same as you will with USPS. Some would argue you might not find “as many,” but there’s a difference between what’s government run and what’s private (correct me if I’m wrong, but UPS and Fed-Ex are private, yes? Whereas USPS is run by the state more or less?), especially when it comes to what’s publicised and what isn’t. Personally, I will continue to use USPS despite the experiences I’ve had on a few occasions. I can accept that things happen, and those things aren’t going to turn me off from what’s a cheap and fast service.
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I am in the same boat as everyone else. I ordered a cell phone on eBay last monday (Nov. 27th) and it was “guaranteed” to me by Thursday Dec. 1st. Now it’s the 3rd, no phone yet. After reading these comments I want to shoot myself in the face.
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i hope usps goes flat flucking broke
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won’t be long now! scumbags
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Usps is full of shit.sum1 send a parcel since 7th of this month but has not gotten to me now 26th.
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Let’s talk about damaged goods. I was told by USPS that the Priority Mail is handled more gently. I sold an item and sent it Priority Mail, only to find out the radio arrived half beaten up. It’s like they used it for a football during shipment. Get this: there are no shipment claims for Priority Mail. Even with all the numbers and tracking info, they won’t let you file a claim for damaged goods. Worthless service.
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Ordered a package on sept 21 from vt USA to ab Canada. Item took one week to get to customs then sat in customs for exactly a week. It has been four days since it was cleared by customs and no future tracking has been done and Im wondering if this item will show up
I chose USPS because it was more expensive than ups. I assumed it would be faster and better and I didn’t know that it stood for us postal service :(. Never again.
Ps tracking only updates once a day at certain time. And package spends too much time at sorting facility as compared to ups.
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Update I got the package today. So that’s makes it exactly two weeks. Not bad. Considering it stayed in customs for a week. This is not that bad.
I still would never use them again. I hated the bad tracking and not knowing where the package is at any given time. You really gotta have faith that people can do there job right.
If I had to choose again after this. I would go with ground shipping ups. They can give you real time tracking updates. No worries if it’s gonna be late. then you know what’s going on and you don’t need to go on google and find out what is happening at the fluxing post office and read every comment posted until your package shows up 🙂
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that’s funny I ordered on ebay and saw 3 different tracking on the same day…at sorting facility, at my post office, and delivery time. And since I generally know the time my mailman arrives I can be right there. With fedex I had a package left in the snow where water that was melting was running off my roof. And my neighbor across street had 2 packages delivered to her for a totally different number on a different street. When she called fedex they said to leave it out and someone would pick it up in 2 days. One week later still there. HHAHA. My next door neighbor is a snowbird and ups delivered to a house that was obviously closed for the winter. I told a driver but package was still there a month later…dumbasses. Here is the tracking number that shows the 3 posts on same day. LK143346695CN . I can tell you more horror stories about fedex and ups but you can read about them on other sites.
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Just so you guys know, I live in Alaska too and yes they can and do ship by truck here. I assure you guys the laws of physics do not end where the continental US borders are. We dont all live in the bush, we have sky scrapers, i live in an apartment not an igloo, ive never ate whale, I drive a jeep, Ive never ice skated to school. Dont believe everything you see in the movies guys seriously.
The lady that said that shipping here is so great should send some of their obviously great luck, because shipping here absolutely sucks. The cost is the highest of any state ive ever been in, and the time that it takes is the longest too. Cost wise Ive had to pay $78 for a 6x6x6″ box that weighed only 2.5 lbs to get here two day from washington. Ive had plenty of time nightmares too Ive had priority shipping through USPS take 6 weeks, Next day early morning air through fedex take two days, ups has lost my packages on countless occasions and I live in town- in the second most populated city in AK.
We never qualify for those free or discounted shipping deals you guys in the states get to enjoy. Often times the amount to ship something here outweighs the value of the object shipped. to the person from new york, or anybody else in continental us seriously, you have it easy compared to us. The only place i could imagine has it worse than us MIGHT be hawaii.
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I have always sent letters and pacakages to England and it takes up to 5 days to get to its destination. Last week I sent a pacakage and it hasent reached till today been 7 working days, I’ worried I sent it as a first class mail International.
What could I do and what do i expect?
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I’ve had two instances this summer where Premium Priority service took 8 days to deliver. Both instances were over holidays. Seems like USPS took long vacations over 4th of July and Labor Day. Like others no tracking available. Only day of mailing from the originating PO.
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I’ve never really had a problem with USPS Priority Mail, usually anything I ship or receive is there or here within three days. However, I mailed a navigation system that I did work on using Priority Mail. Dumb enough I was debating to insure it or not as that cost of the thing was $2000. But I’ve always had good experiences so I decided to not buy insurance. Now when I check the tracking, it just says “Electronic Shipping Info Received”. Sadly, they didn’t give me a receipt so I’m thinking I’m screwed and hopefully they didn’t lose my package.
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So true. Priority Mail has no distinction over regular mail in service and the tracking # only tells you if it’s been delivered. Without insurance, using priority mail and getting a tracking # is futile. If the package is lost, regular mail or priority mail w/tracking # = nothing. Either way, you ain’t getting your package or compensation for your loss.
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So i recently moved from Southern california to Northern California. Suprise! idiot me left one of my many medications at my old apartment with my roomate. (no she didnt steal it, its heart medication and she knows that) She sent it out priority mail on Friday, because she knows how dangerous it is for me to not have them handy, thinking priority was a good way to go. Yes this is legal as long as u register the meds which she did!
Well its wednesday now and the mail came and went. I understand its not ALL that long off of what they said but… i mean… im just lucky nothing has gone wrong YET. i really dont want to be my cause of death to be from being misinformed by the reliability of the usps…
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Wow where do all you people live that priority mail has so many problems finding you ? If you were talking of parcel post i would agree with you all lol but I have used priority mail for at least 10 years now and never lost a package that was sent by me or to me. Instead of blaming the postal service you may want to question the sender of the package. Ever dawn on you that you may have been scamed ? Buying from ebay is not very safe anymore and is loaded with scammers so if you didnt get a package from ebay you were probably scamed. If you are buying something expencive you may also want to add insurance to your package, it only costs a few bucks more and if your package is lost it will be replace or you will get the cash value back for it, Ask for insurance if you dont see it offered . Pretty stupid not to add that to your packge if you bought something expencive like a Wii and it showed up busted, if it was insured it would have been replace or refunded. 75 cents more will add tracking to any package,and few bucks more will add insurance. Dont be cheap lol spend the extra few bucks to cover your ass so you dont wind up on a forum complaining about the postal system lol
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If you buy on ebay and it is nt recieved it is covered in the Ebay buyers protection program, I know I have used it and recovered on losses and worse scammes selling counterfit product. Do not even buy Beats by Dr Dre of any Bats product on ebay they are all counterfit product from China, I know I bought 2 and got my money back each time, got one seller locked out of Ebay for sure who was selling between 10-15 per day.
But we must also take blame if an item sells retail for $200 and you buy it for $89.00 do you really thnk your buying a new product from the mfg or his authorized reseller. Think think, think….then stop with the greed and think some more. Do you homework and research. I knew it was likely I was being scammed and I was prepared I lost nothing but they lost a bundle.
One is selling key rings and shoe laces now as they are bring watched so closly by ebay (and I also make it a prority to watch and report ass well).
Bt if you buy on ebay and do not get what you ordered or it is significantly not what you ordered file a dispute, jst giving p shows you are a loser and you are the type of SUCKER Ebay heives love to sell to.
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You sound like you work for the usps. if you read the posts you’d notice that everyone did spend the extra $$ for tracking and insurance… dumbass
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I agree and will never use the USPS again. My son sent me a priority envelope 40 days ago and it still hasnt arrived. I was told after the first two weeks that I had to wait 30 days to file a claim that could be looked into. Well for the past 10 days I have been speaking to 8 different people 6 of which tell me that it can be researched thru the recovery center and then two ladys twice telling me that it is impossible since they lose approx 3 million pieces a day. What a joke!! The kid paid extra for priority thinking he was doing right. I understand Utah is a long distance from NY but 40 days and only to be told its impossible and Im out of luck. Wow I will never again use such a horrible service as the USPS.. They suck… Thanks for letting me vent…
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i sent out a package to my wife who is in NY on business for the next 5 weeks. it had some sentimental items to make her feel more at home at her hotel. i sent it priority on the 11th and it is the 16th and it is still not delivered. can i get my money back because it is not within the 2-3 day window? thanks
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A package from a friend was suppose to be delivered to me using USPS priority mail. We used it because she’s had horrible experiences with ups and fedex is okay here but where she is, it sucks. So we thought we’d try usps and still no show, I will admit I’m complaining a little soon but we paid for priority mail and thats what we wanted. No mail/package carrier here is really that reliable anymore, gah.
Just another reason to be annoyed with this country -sigh- I’ll get out some day
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UPDATE: My aunt in Danville, Virginia finally received the package I sent to her on Tuesday, January 18th. I was really starting to think that an employee noticed I had it insured, knew it was an expensive package, and decided to keep the package for himself/herself. I’m not sure if the Northeast Snowstorm and Holiday delayed this package, but if I have to mail another package that quite expensive, I’ll definitely send it via United Parcel Service. Just curious though as to why the bills I mail out are never lost or late…hmmm
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For the people who are worried about a package arriving on time or arriving ever, I would definitely not rely on USPS. The short time I spent selling/buying on Ebay, I only ever sent one package through USPS (Priority) and sure enough it got lost and didn’t arrive at the destination for 2 months. I used it because the buyer requested it and regretted letting the buyer choose the shipping method. I now have a strict policy that any package I send can absolutely under no circumstances enter the hands of the USPS. This means not even methods that use one shipper part the way and USPS the rest are allowed. This policy is absolutely not negotiable.
I’m not afraid to pay a little more to have something sent to me by UPS or Fedex. I will go out of my way to avoid buying from anyone that only allows USPS. I’ve had my problems with UPS and Fedex being rough with packages or a few days late but the problems are nothing compared to the USPS. The current state of the USPS is down right shameful.
For the people who had different contents inside of the package after it arrived, I would definitely contact authorities and seek any possible criminal charges. Mail tampering charges can lead to prison and huge fines. Anyone tampering with mail deserves to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. This is especially true, if the perpetrators are post office employees.
If you have reason to believe that the post office intentionally delayed mail, that is also a federal offense and should be reported to authorities. For that matter, any sort of mail tampering is a federal offense and should be reported. I can’t say for sure that anything will come of it but I know nothing will happen as long as it’s not reported. The more people who report this kind of abuse the more the authorities will look into it.
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I’m glad I found this blog because it helps to know that the United States Postal Service is not the best – even if your package is sent Priority and Insured. On Wednesday, January 12th at 9:49am I mailed a package to Danville, Virginia. It was mailed Priority and Insured; and with Delivery Confirmation. I was told the package should arrive on Friday January 14th or Saturday, January 15th. I’ve been tracking this package on-line daily, but as of today, Sunday, January 16th, the last information tracked still says: “Processed through Sort Facility, January 12, 2011, 6:49pm, Bethpage, NY. I’m really hoping the snow storm on Wednesday delayed the Postal trucks from going out and my package just back up. I’ll keep everyone informed. After reading some of these Blogs, I do think United Parcel Service is the best way to ship an important package rather than shipping it via United States Postal Service..To Be Continued……..
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I just sent out 11 priority packages the other day… according to the tracking only 1/2 of them have been ‘processed’ and on their way to the destination… the other 1/2 say nothing. And those are the ones I have insured. Makes me think that if I insure something people know there is something of value in the box and just casually forget to scan it… Will keep you posted on if my packages make it. Also I make sure I tape around the whole box, every edge, just so they don’t pull the ‘oh it opened and the contents were lost’ stunt…
Also don’t even bother paying for overnight. My mom just learned that. Mailed out an overnight package Thursday morning. Should’ve arrived Friday by 3 (NH>CA). As of right now it just arrived at the sort facility in my town last night, it’s now Tuesday morning… and the tracking hasn’t updated. She got her money back this morning since it was guaranteed… but still. If you can’t follow thru on your guaranteed service… don’t offer it.
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I just had a thought… if the packages that I insured we not scanned… then that means that USPS could claim I never sent them out and deny my claim if they are in fact lost (because I did them via usps.com and dropped them off at the post office in their package bin). I’m just reading their website because I’m paranoid about one of the packages that was insured for $200 that hasn’t been processed.
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I had called them when some of my packages still say they haven’t been processed, some are still in my town, and some are already at the destination post office…. the woman told me “We only scan some packages out of courtesy” Huh… really? Why do I pay an extra bit for ‘tracking’ then if it’s not going to happen all the time? And it’s just funny to me that the ones that still haven’t been processed haven’t been one of the lucky few that haven’t got a courtesy scan along the way. Then the lady on the phone said she is sure they’ll get there in 2-3 days. Uh huh. And when I asked if they don’t get there by the 3rd day, what I should do? “Wait until day 5 and call again”… and I’m sure they’ll tell me ‘sorry we can’t track it’
Oh and finally got the overnight package last night (Tuesday) at 4pm. Was suppose to get it Friday at 3pm. Glad it wasn’t something my life depended on – I’d be dead because of the USPS.
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Yes, they could. And they do. Just read through some of the other comments and you’ll see that’s one loophole in the current regulations.
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Dont feel bad . I think I can top them all.
I mailed off two plane tickets to friends to visit me ..
They were mailed as Xpress next day air ship only 200 miles away .
I mailed them early to be sure they made it on time ..
I paid as I remember 15.00 for this service ..
14 days later the tickets arrived ..
When I asked at the post office about this matter the clerk said to me ……OH WELL
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I really wish i had read these posts earlier…
i have to agree, usps is a joke, the tracking system is even more joke, and meaningless, useless, worthless!
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PRIORITY MAIL IS DEFINITELY A JOKE!
I’ve been thinking about starting a blog as a chronicle of terrible service based companies, and the USPS was going to be my top entry, then I found this. Thanks for posting it!
It is true, Priority Mail from the USPS is usually cheaper than UPS and FedEx FOR SMALL ITEMS ONLY, but it’s just not worth the headache. The fact is, they GIVE YOU THEIR WORD, which is as good as an oral guarantee (lawyer speak: contract) here in Washington State, but then when something doesn’t arrive in that time they’ll say “we only guarantee Express Mail”. Think about that: They purposefully will declare at the time of your payment “Shipping to zip code XXXXX by ______ (2-3 days from now)”. When it doesn’t happen and you talk to them and they say “we don’t guarantee that”, IT MEANS YOU WERE LIED TO.
I know there is probably fine print all over the place that keeps them from getting in trouble legally, saying that nothing they say can be construed as a guarantee, but when one part of a company (the customer service agents who are glad to take your money and are paid to lie) say one thing, then the same company’s telephone customer service people – not the same people you paid – effectively tell you “we don’t say that” – IT’S OUTRIGHT LYING!!
The US Postal Service couldn’t operate without lying to the public. Plain and simple.
Their entire business model depends on them duping a certain percentage of the public. Without that extra income, they couldn’t survive.
They do this by training their customer service agents to say “2-3 days” like parrots (along with “Do you need extra stamps or insurance against loss or damage?”), which makes you THINK you are covered, but wait until they let you down, which they inevitably WILL. They will stay calmly cold when you say “but your people said 2-3 days!” then explain they never guaranteed that. THEN WHY THE HELL DID YOU SAY IT??? Because they know WITHOUT A DOUBT that a certain percentage of Priority Mail packages never make it on time, or at all, but they’ll use the explanation that they usually make it in 2-3 days, so…we’re not reeeeaaallllyy lying to you. Your package will PROBABLY make it in 2-3 days.
But think about this: would you purchase the service, something that’s a premium one, if they told you when you shipped it that “Your package will PROBABLY arrive in 2-3 days”? Hell no, most people wouldn’t. And they know this. So they lie. On purpose.
These people should be SUED in a GIANT CLASS ACTION SUIT. THEY ARE BLATANT LIARS TO THE U.S. PUBLIC. I say If they can’t operate in a straight and honest fashion, THEY SHOULD BE PUT OUT OF BUSINESS.
I have been disappointed NUMEROUS times mailing things not more than 100 miles that took 7+ days to arrive. I’m not talking about from Seattle to Chicago…I’m talking about ACROSS THE SAME STATE!!
In addition, the USPS has slowly phased out Parcel Post over the last few years, upping the price of Parcel Post so as to make it not nearly as affordable in an attempt to close Parcel Post processing hubs and distribution centers and encourage the purchase of much more lucrative “Priority” Mail services.
I have even had multiple USPS customer service agents refer to Priority Mail as “regular mail” in an attempt to confuse options and encourage its use over Parcel Post. I found this attempt at confusion outright disgusting and let the local Post Master know. They even go so far as to try to scare you by saying “Parcel Post is not return guaranteed”, so as to imply that if your Parcel Post package doesn’t get to the right address or isn’t accepted/claimed, it won’t be returned to you.
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The bottom line:
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UPS and FedEx are as serious as a heart attack about their guarantees. I work in the air industry, not for UPS, but I talk with several of their employees. When a UPS aircraft full of packages breaks down, they will call in 15 contracted Lear Jets normally used to transport people, and in a frenzy right their on the tarmac, they will load all of that huge aircraft’s cargo into those small jets, which will take off later, but fly direct to one of the several stops the large jet would have, arriving sooner or near the time of the big jet. At UPS, and I imagine at FedEx too, 2 days means 2 days, and so does 3 days, whether they have to spend 50 times what they would have with their own planes. I have seen these people work, and they are beyond dedicated to their mission of getting your package there in the time you paid for.
When the USPS lets you down, they say to themselves “ah, well, we kind of expected that to happen.” It’s obvious they even PLAN on it. Don’t bother with the USPS. Seriously. If you haven’t been let down yet, you definitely will be. You may let it slide once or twice, but when it’s important and they do it again soon after, remember this blog and it’s MANY, MANY negative comments from people just like you. Then, pay a tad more for a real carrier who takes their commitment to customers seriously.
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Thank you for your thoughtful comment, Dewey. Things definitely need to change with the USPS. They should be privatized or retired. They can’t go on like this.
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Thats the differemce in a government employee who is basically impossible to fire and a person who has to answer to someone
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Last year I won an ebay bid on a dvd and the seller shipped via USPS. it took two and a half weeks and then said it was delivered. The “crapping” details said it arrived at the local P.O. at 4:35 and was delivered at 4:40, fisically impossible to drive that fast as the P.O. is at least a 15to 20 minute drive straight to my house and I know I am not their first stop!!!!!!!!!!!!! When I called and of course got the rude woman who could hardly be bothered said that it was delivered and checked with the mailman and that was that. Well fortunetely my brother-in-law works for that P.O. and he found out that my regular mailman was on vacation and I had the young idiot filling in and to recheck he delivered it to the right house, he did not and went to the house he did deliver to and deliver it to me.
As for the tracking that USPS has, it does not exist. I believe they added that in the recent past to try to keep up with Fedex as well as UPS.
If Fedex does there flying then they better have them do the tracking service as well or the granddady mail service we have known for ever will be like Bradley, Ames, Caldors, Circuit City, etc…………
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The Postal Service claims to not be turning a profit “i wonder why”.
Service is awful and postal employees are right up there with DMV workers as far as manners.
I do a lot of online selling and for some reason, all my priority mail shipping is taking between 6 to 10 days to arrive.
The tracking numbers are useless because they will not investigate a lost or delayed package.
I think after this weeks episodes,i will use Fedex for 100% of my packages.
They are no bargain either, but at least they will look into a lost package.
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Well, here is my lovely experience. I am a direct seller and sell jewelry. I have a dear friend in canada who ordered $370 worth of jewelry….I have never had a problem with USPS until now. It has been 46 days and noone can say a word about where this package is. I always insure my valuable items but have never really shipped to Canada. The lady at USPS said that the insurance will not cover what is in Canada only US, so what would be the point in insuring it. Then she asked if I wanted tracking and I said yes i atleast want to make sure it gets there. I suppose not knowing that you cannot track the package out of the country unless it is send registered mail, is not a part of her job or anything. USPS 1-800 # says that you cannot send jewelry unless it is registered….that probably isn’t something she should know either. According to her if it was under $400 customs allowed it……so here i am out $370 and my friend and customer is not very happy it has been this long. All i am told is “we can’t track it in canade”..YOU HAVEN’T TRACKED IT OUT OF MY HOMETOWN….WHAT GOOD IS IT… I am never shipping with them again that is for sure…they need to improve tracking and customer service. It would also be nice if the employees stealing all of the packages might get arrested since it is a federal offense..hmmmm
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After reading these comments, 99% of which are against USPS Priority Mail, I am pretty confident my package (iPhone 3GS) will either be stolen or get ‘misplaced’.
It was sent on the 11th of June from Orlando, FL, to Tanzania, East Africa, and it still hasn’t arrived here. I thought it said 6-10 business days ?? It was supposed to have been in my hands by late last month at least ?!!
I sent it in for repairs using UPS from here and that took 5 days !!!!!!!!!!!! Now, how can a US government-owned/operated institution be so reckless ?? ONE MONTH and still nothong ! I doubt the sender even insured the package….
Very frustrating indeed. $670 gone like that !
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I run an online business selling motorcycle parts. I use priority mail about 90% of the time. It’s usually the cheapest and fastest way to ship when things are 1-8 pounds. I have never had them lose a package (1000+ shipments) They have these things called insurance or signature confirmation. If you ship expensive things and don’t use either of these options, you get what you deserve.
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Get what you deserve? Who deserves to send a check to pay their bills, or a birthday present for a relative, or even buying something from eBay, to have those items either lost, stolen, or destroyed. Nobody. If you pay for a service, expecting a highly respectable, government funded company to take care of a simple shipment, it should be taken care of,
Money is tight nowadays. Most people would just chose the least expensive option. Thinking that the package will get there safe, sound and at the designated time. But no, when you have people stealing your items, who are supposed to be trusted with these kind of materials, then you’ll understand.
Especially since we cant do anything about it. If somebody steals something from you on the streets, you have the ability to chase them down and possibly get it back. But this is the government, how are we supposed to get our shit back? Oh wait…we cant. We’re shit out of luck. Instead they make us pay THEM MORE money, incase they “find it in the future”. If you ask me, it’s extortion. But our calls won’t phase them, and they’ll continue to brush it off each and every time.
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Right on!
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Never again I was sent $300 dollars worth of electronics from USPS and I’m on day 8 with priority mail. I’m doubting that it will ever get here. My idiot friends lost the tracking number, and he screws up task I give him this is no surprise. My mom sent me a package as well, nothing big just some orientals treats. I had the tracking number for that one, it said it was delivered. It certainly wasn’t. It never showed. I will never ever send nor received anything through them again. I will pay the extra money to at at least know my items will be delivered/received.
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I have had good luck w Priority for years. This all changed in 2008. I sent payment with delivery confirmation (just a single sheet of paper in a flat rate Priority envelope). Well THEN! It takes 2 days to get to destination, and then it proceeds to take an additional 16 days to be locally delivered! WORTHLESS, USELESS USPS! And just 3 weeks ago, we sent a check (again, equivalent to one sheet of paper or less in envelope)….it has not taken 17 days, and no delivery. The control number (Delivery Confirmation) just says the package has been processed locally. Fkcu USPS. They can rot in hell. I’m through with Priority. Unless it just happens to be an awesome value (like accidentally shipping a heavy item for pennies). USPS is just shooting themselves in the foot by not taking their monopoly seriously. They can go stick it where the sun doesn’t shine. Do I sound harsh? Well I am the last person to usually offer any negative words. That should tell you something about how strongly I feel. I am through with Priority, worthless paper promises. Hopefully USPS dies soon. They deserve it.
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Hi!
Like all of you I too have had a really bad experience with Priority Mail a few days back. I Purchased a few items from a seller on eBay and they were promptly shipped them to Downingtown PA by her. Firstly for a day when I tried to track the shipment I got the message that there is no record of the shipment. then suddenly the next day i got the tracking number to work and thought that OK, now my problem is sorted out. The next day the tracking details showed that the package was delivered but to my surprise when I checked my mail box there was nothing. I checked everywhere, called the post office, called the toll free USPS number but no one seems to know what happened to the package. The funny thing is there is no way of getting to know whether the carrier is actually delivering the package or unlawfully with holding it. Just because he/she enters in his daily report that the package is delivered their word is taken. There are no checks, no way to lodge a complaint, no way of getting you money back. I lost 100$ worth of items. There is no way I am using their services again…….
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9 days and waiting—-SUCKS? WILL NEVER USE IT AGAIN.
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I agree the post office is useless. I recently sent my mortgage check to the bank via priority mail and the post office lost it. When I filed a claim via the 1-800-ask-USPS number I was told that someone would contact me withing two days. Now nearly two weeks later nobody from the post office has contacted me and each time I have called the customer service number, nobody can give me any information.
So now I have a personal check floating around out there someplace, I had to spend an extra $17.00 to send another mortgage payment via express mail (It did get there in time luckly..). And to add insult to injury, the post office made pay for return postage up front, when I filed a “recall of mail” form, incase my lost priority mail is ever found…
I recently read an article that said that the post office is going to cut 13% of its workforce in 2010. I for one am gladd that some of those dirt bags are going to loose there jobs. A USPS letter carrier lives down the street from me. This guy seems to live way beyond his means. He recently built a new house and still owns the vacant house next to his new house. The guy drives a new SUV.. I wonder if he pays for all this using stolen checks and money order…..
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Been waiting for a usps priority for 9 days now from CA to OH. Usually only takes 2- 3 days tops. They say the weather was responsible(of course net tracking show the pack doesn’t exist.) Anyhow 2 weeks ago a different pack shows on time smashed to pieces. Then one was delivered that somehow was stolen from front door. Mailman says he remembers delivering it. And now this. I spoke to my father-n-law who’s a usps delivery man. And he tells me usps has a contract with fedex. Fedex flies all usps’s mail. Usps doesn’t own any jets. You may have noticed fedex drop boxes outside of usps po’s. This is part of their agreement arrangement. Anyhow he tells me half the stuff that happens is due to management demands. Just one ex. They tell them no after 5pm deliveries. So when in route they make them return mail and not let them deliver it. Sometimes pack get hidden to cover different manager *ss. According to him they’re giving more work loads with frozen pay and quality of work on them due to apathy and thievery is making it continually worse.
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I wondered about those FedEx boxes… Thanks for your input, Lok!
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Pingback: A tally of my post ratings - Raoul Pop
I lost my money order twice through USPS. I’m not using this carrier again, better pay more and be sure you mails reaches the destination. I will pick DHL< Fedex or UPS.
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I mailed a packet from Fort Worth to New York. I bought the confirmation receipt service but no insurance. When I checked the status of the packet online, it says delivered and the date and time. But the recipient never received the packet. I called customer service but to no help. I’m still waiting for an answer. If the packet was delivered then to whom was it delivered? The packet from Fort Worth reached correctly New York but over there something happened. By the end of teh day I ask myself whether the USPS service is reliable!
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I sent one letter and one package via priority mail, both to the same address. The package got there within 2 days…the letter hasn’t shown up yet. I tried the tracking thing on the USPS site, and it tells me my item can’t be tracked by that service. What the hell did I spend the extra money for?? Won’t do it again, you can bet. Is there some formal way to complain?
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You are 100% right on .. We USED the USPS Priority Mail system for the last 2 years. This year they have dropped the ball the bat and the glove. We paid over $50,000 in USPS Priority Postage in the last month for holiday orders. Only to find out that the Post office has simply stopped scanning or even delivering Priority mail on time as agreed..
2 – 3 days.. Really more like 1 – 2 weeks..
Stay away form the USPS let the go Bankrupt .. The USPS should fail and we the U.S Tax payers should not have to help them out..
Let the USPS Die.. They Suck.,
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have you ever walked in to a USPS center? all you have to do is look around at the type of illiterate and ill-mannered type of people they hire. if it was a private company, they would of tanked a long time ago.
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if you want to send an item and dont care when it gets to its final destination, choose USPS. They are cheaper for a reason.If you want whatever you are sending to reach at a certain date go for other carriers like fedex,ups or dhl
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I concur that a government organization such as the United States Postal Service, is an embarrassing and shameful place to do business. Whatever happened to the professionalism, integrity and loyalty that our government SHOULD render to its hard-working citizens, most of whom have families to care and provide for? There are no benefits whatsoever from ANY type of business that one should feel to be honest and dependable of their precious time and money. There are TOO MANY loopholes in all forms of business, be it government, public or private and that seems to be an all TOO common trend in our society. We all know and understand about the rules, regulations and policies that these “businesses”, like USPS, must follow and abide by but, whatever happened to good old fashioned “simplicity”? Everything just seems to be even more complex as no one really knows what is secure or guaranteed anymore. It’s as if our once stable system is slowly crumbling and slipping through our hands, which some faiths believe will one day be our demise. This issue is one of many that could be debated and conversed about but, to put this into straight-forward context , myself and millions of others in America and countries elsewhere deserve a better way of life from businesses to provide FAIR and DESERVING practices that WOULD benefit BOTH parties involved, not just a “run-around” business looking to pocket a person’s money to appease their selfish, greedily desires. Just mentioning this almost sounds like an unholy civil war of sorts. Let’s face it, every person has a dream, be it big or small, and every person has needs, some requiring special needs but, most people in the world are looking to succeed and prosper in these constant, ever-changing times we live in. We must adapt to the plethora of moments we face everyday and to have something we can rely on, a supporting crutch if you will, so we as a people can grow emotionally and financially sound. Of course it takes TWO to make something work properly but, if you repeat that and multiply that by one million or more, you WILL see a drastic, positive outcome which would build a stronger and more secure economy for everyone. To put it simply, I call for a necessary world-wide business overhaul on all levels. How about you? So, for USPS and all those others out there, (you know who are) it’s due time to get with the program and actually UNDERSTAND your customers in order to provide better products AND services. Please don’t lose our confidence and belief in your potential. If life is truly what you make of it, then ask yourself, “Am I really doing the best and all that I can”?
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I agree. USPS has the lowest prices in most cases for small packages but the worst service. You can ask 3 different clerks at the post office the same question and you will get 3 different answers. Some clerks don’t even know how to scan a scan form created online. Another clerk has showed her 2 times how this is done and she still does not get it.
I ship by USPS Priority Mail for my Ebay parcels but I don’t think it is worth it anymore. Some say ship First Class and self insure or use 3rd party for insurance. I am beginning to agree because it is like you are using First Class anyway in most cases. If the destination country doesn’t scan the package you are doomed if the buyer files a claim with Paypal. I know they say USPS Priority International Mail is not trackable but it has worked for me with the exception of a few times. Now it seems like none of the packages are getting scanned in destination countries. This is happening a lot in France and Germany. Everbody is hip to the Paypal buyers protection and they are taking advantage of it big time.
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The postal service is going the way of Government Motors, If you want something delivered, Use UPS. I have never had a problem shipping or receiving from them. With USPS I have lost two out of the last three money orders I have sent out. The Postal Service is staffed by thieves and nothing you ship via them is safe. If you have a money order stolen at the Post Office and that is what ‘s happening, you have to wait 60 days and go to the nearest den of theives and ask for an extortion form because that is what it really is. they charge you $5.40 to track something they have stolen from you. The 94 thing before the tracking number does not work.
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USPS has been having troubles with their tracking server. To track priority mail packages. Enter 94 before the tracking number. You should be able to track the item just fine.
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Had a ring shipped from NY to MN on Priority mail. Its now 6 days after it should have arrived. Contacted USPS in MN and they can only tell me it was checked into a sort facility in NY and that I should have recieved it 6 days ago. They said there is nothing I can do. I can assure you this is the last time I will ever use the United States Postal Service.
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Sorry about a few miss spellings I was mad at the time.
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I had a package shipped from Maine USA USPS Priority insured signature required to Seattle area. The value of my stuff is $1100.00 us. The box went thru the sort facility in Seattle area on Tuesday, today is Saturday and no package yet Iam 10 miles from the soft facility. Guess what they dont know where it is Prioriy mail is bull shit, I am out my vintage items & $1100.00. The USPS says they dont guarrantee delivery or can they tell me where it is. Do I just wait for may package to show? UPS or FED-EX would know whos truck its on & where it is at all times. Thet dont care or anything, paid for Priority 2-3 delivery, that means shit tto the USPS. If I ever get this package I WILL NEVER EVER SHIP USPS AGAIN YOU SHOULD NOT EITHER. If we ran a business like the US post office we would be out of business. I bet the postal worker in the sort facility could not even speck english. Out my package and pissed off.
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I returned a warranty exchange cell phone with packaging (and Priority mail) label provided by ATT. I checked the tracking site a couple of days after handing it over to USPS and it only said it had been received for shipping. Now ATT is saying they never got the phone back and this was 15 days ago that it was sent. I have misplaced the tracking number at the moment (think it is at work and I am on vacation) HOPE I kept it since I signed up for a delivery confirmation email but never got one………I think there are thieves working there and little you can do to prove it. All I can say is I better not get charged if I cannot produce the number to at least show it WAS given to them for shipping.
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I sent a package through priority mail international.. it was supposed to reach within 6-10 days.. and tehy said its guaranteed… They do not let you know the options at the office… they do not tell you that you can use express mail by shelling out another few bucks more which is much more reliable than this.. atleast it is trackable.. its been 2 weeks now.. I dont even know where my package is… tehy dont even tell you about the insurance and stuff,… now I realise i cant even claim my money back.. i sent stuffs worth 200 bucks and spent another 50 bucks in shipping.. I wish I had read the reviews earlier.. please please please.. never trust USPS again…
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The United States Postal Service Priority Mail is a Con Job. The last three pieces of mail I sent Priority Mail
Only one made it. I think the other two were destroyed Intentionally by workers in the Postal Service.
All three contained Money Orders One for $27.00 and I had to wait 60 days and then pay these crooked bastards $5.00 more to track something they lost or destroyed themselves. The Second was for $187.00 and it has been lost for 14 days and I don’t expect it will ever make it. I think they are destroying them and then they collect interest on the money for about three months and then hit you with another $5.00 charge to track something they probably destroyed. I guess this is what Obama meant by change. They will never get another damn cent from me or any one I can turn against them.
Pissed off in Alabama
Wes Freeman
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I live in Montreal Canada,,, USPS shipped my item to Montreal Wisconsin USA LOL, !!!!!!!!!!!!!,,, I contacted seller in time (thanks to tracking info which worked this time ( a miracle) i noticed that ) and received my item from Wisconsin !!!!!!!!!!,,,,,,,,,,, another case- now it’s been 10 days and I suppose to receive 1.5Tb hard drive from US via USPS; tracking number says that “The U.S. Postal Service was electronically notified by the shipper……”, no further progress………. USPS is bullshit !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Mailed a treasurers check for a large sum of money priority mail at the suggestion of a postal worker at the Narberth P.O. in PA. Said it was the safest way to go. Also said I could track it. Paid $17.00. That was 7 days ago.
What bullshit. Can’t track it at all.
I’m losing 500.00 per month for the next 90 days unless that check turns up in the right hands.
I will never use usps. They should close more than 700 offices. They suck. And there’s no accountability!
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Hi there!
We just sent a present to my friend for her birthday by priority mail two weeks ago and she still did not receive it 😦 I am very upset. I agree with you on the way USPS works, which is terrible, it is a scam. Can you call it anything else but that? I hope she will get it one day.
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I delivered a priority mail package to the post office before their final collections, straight to their drop-box on 6/7. 2 days later the tracking information still says electronic shipping information received. I also shipped three other packages with tracking numbers on that same day except I handed them to a postal worker. All three packages have been processed and are in different states 2 days later from when I shipped them – one parcel post, and two first class. First class is better than priority when handed to an employee rather than at the drop box. LOL.
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I mailed a first class letter from Lynchburg Virginia last Friday the 26th with a bank deposit to Merrifield VA, and the mail instate for first class mail is supposed to get there in 2 days.
Its been 5 days and nothing. I have heard that USPS is supposed to pride itself on delivering instate mail within 2-5 business days and yet they can’t even deliver to a PO BOX correctly thats ETRADE BANK.
I know it will get there its just geez do I gotta sign up for direct deposit just to get paid?
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I have been on ebay for 0ver 10 years and I have had a seller’s nightmare this month. I now know that we need to be blackmailed into insurance because of the Post Offices ineptitude. I sent out 2 packages, one valued at $350 and the other $250. One was going from Seattle to California and the tracking showed it was in Orlando FL before going to CA and it still is missing! The other was last seen in San Bernardino CA. Because there was no insurance I guess I am out $600 unless they show up one day. I guess I will consider using UPS from now on.
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USPS “priority mail” is the JOKE of the century!!! Ordered a package off Ebay, and seller provided tracking number. Well, about 10 days later….NO PACKAGE. I’m thinking ‘no problem’ for I have the magical tracking number. What a joke of a number that is. Is is a USELESS number invented to agrivate us with false hope. The tracking number for the LOST item still places it to where it was posted from??????? Today will be a FULL MONTH. NO explanation, no inquiry, no real concern from OUR UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE! I have called about three different times, to ask if I could do anything on my end. The USPS customer sevice call center is another joke. They aren’t informative. They aren’t empathetic, and they take NO responsability. They also don’t have to pay for YOUR lost item that THEY received and LOST, if YOU did not pay insurance. I am hottt about this, but there is nothing I can do.
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The problem with USPS is that the tracking system is a joke and lately, I’ve been running into quite a few(about 7%) inside theft jobs from USPS employees.Priority mail with tracking that has not arrived at it’s destination within 7 days and at last posted update says processed by “fill in the blank” facility,can be written up,in most cases, as being stolen by USPS employees.And the great thing is, they don’t care to even act interested in the problem when you get the contact info for that facility and call explaining the problem.Their standard answer is the same every time… We don’t have any record at all for that package at this facility.They don’t say much when you inform them that the USPS official site has the package listed as processed at that facility with no delivery shown.Just all the more reason to go with another delivery carrier(But then again,you can’t beat the price…If your willing to have a few packages stolen by a trusted governemnt employee).
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I used USPS online to pay for shipping 2 packages.After paying for the labels I set up for a carrier pickup the next day. Well the next day came and the carrier delivered
the regular mail but didn’t pick up tha packages. So i drove to the local PO to
deliver myself. 3 hours later a USPS worker shows up to pick up the packages.
I told the worker i already delivered them, then they say oh the driver is new
and didn’t have the paperwork. Then the worker says, oh we have a record of the packages being received ?! So why the heck did they come over to pick up packages they already have? Well they just wanted to be sure i was the one who delivered them to the PO. So later I go online to check tracking and only 1st package shows as being received and
the 2nd package is a no show but the second package has the insurance coverage selected for the 1st package lol what a mess!!
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I recently ordered a brand new Wii game with a brand new dance mat sized approximately 5′ x 5′, though much smaller when folded, from a vendor on Amazon. The items cost $70. The items shipped in a package, in which another box held the contents to offer additional protection. The entire package was wrapped in a layer of bubble mailer.
The item arrived with a huge gash ripped down the side of the package, which had pierced through the bubble layer and both boxes. The dance mat, as a result, bore a sizable tear. Although, fortunately, the hole did not harm the mat’s functionality, just its aesthetic appeal. Hopefully, the rip won’t spread.
Similarly, another Wii game costing $65, shipped from an Ebay power seller via Priority Mail, arrived in a smashed box. Although I can’t complain about the speed, the item tracking read “Electronic shipping info received” up until the day I received it.
It seems that the USPS doesn’t mind to rough handle packages in the least.
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I purchased something from eBay and the very next morning the seller mailed the item through USPS. So, I tracked my package and it stated that it was “accepted” in the seller’s city. I thought that was good news, but for the past six days it’s been sitting there with the same status. WTF! Other packages that have gone through USPS have arrived to me either opened, damaged, or with missing content. Do these postal workers understand that stealing and opening people’s mail is a crime?? What kind of people do they allow to work there? Now I think a package that’s been sitting in the same spot at the post office for almost a week is unacceptable. Why don’t they get their lazy behinds up and actually do some work?! For crying out loud, I ordered something from China and it arrived at my doorstep (via TNT) in less than 2 days!
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U.S.P.S is a complete joke! It seems it gets worse and worse. on 4 occasions they failed. Purchased an item for my phone and it never arrived 4 weeks later so I have the seller refund money and it arrives the next day. Also they lost an item I bought form Honk Kong had to wait a month for the seller to claim insurance and send a replacement still haven’t gotten the lost one yet like 2 months later. What ticked me off to the core was what I heard they were doing in Philadelphia area, they were undercounting mail and throwing out peoples mail because they were understaffed and couldn’t deliver it all. Also they would reroute pacakges to other nearby bulk mail centers to buy time. I also had a package delivered by parcel post supposed to take 4-7 days on average right? Well I had a package sent from Baltimore to Philly less than a distance of 2 hundred miles guess what it took 11 days – 8 business days. The very first night it had arrived from Baltimore to Philly but they purposely held it for 10 more days I was constantly on computer like and idiot tracking it daily thinking it would come the next day or two. I’ll never use them again, unfortunately some sellers on ebay use them because they are a couple of dollars cheaper and they reach every household in the country. They should just stick to selling stamps – that’s all they’re good at! UPS, FedEx and DHL please reduce your rates and crush them.
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I just had a Parcel Post box arrive that I mailed myself. Admittedly, that’s their slow and cheap method, but the box ended up more spherical than box-shaped. Somehow (despite my packing efforts, and the use of a new box), it appears to have torn apart in shipment. Fortunately, it looks like they scooped up all my stuff and crammed it back in and kept shipping it, albeit now in a cardboard/tape cocoon. They also crammed in a used Sirius satellite radio. So, sadly, someone’s missing a radio they were probably looking for. I have no idea how to even begin getting it back to whoever owns it. There are no identifying marks on it. I guess I’ll try contacting USPS, but from the other comments here, I doubt that’ll be productive.
At my things got here OK!
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I sent a package priority mail to arrive before a friends b-day with plenty of days to spare. Did it show up in time? Of course not! I won’t make that mistake twice.
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I sent a package priority mail with delivery confirmation ($225 value) and the website tracking info. says the same thing for days on end “received and processed.” It’s been 7 days now and I just assume the package is lost ;-( It is almost impossible to call and speak with a person at the usps, but I finally put a tracer on the item. I usually have good luck with priority mail but the delivery confirmation/tracking is a complete joke -they won’t refund you if the item is lost and it’s just not a good way to track the package.
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Alright, thanks Raoul 🙂
The seller was going to send it by priority mail but I requested him to use express mail instead, good thing the seller agreed without charging me extra delivery cost.
Anyway, thanks for the answer!
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I recently bought a few items from the US, I live in Australia, the first couple of items were sent to me using USPS express mail int’l and they arrived safely the same date as the USPS guaranteed delivery date, I was really excited and satisfied at the service. Then the last item was shipped rather late than promised by USPS too (not sure if it was priority or express) and I’m just afraid that it might not arrived safely or at all. My question: what is the difference between tracking number in an express and priority mail? All of the tracking numbers had “E” as the first letter, but the second letter is different. Does “E” mean that it’s express?
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Anne, the express tracking numbers actually mean something, whereas the priority tracking numbers are pointless, since you can’t really track the priority packages at all — only find out when the package gets there, if it gets there at all. As for the way they differ per se, I’m not sure about that. It’s possible that “E” means express, but don’t bet on it.
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USPS Priority Mail International has the worst tracking system I’ve ever seen. I live in Canada, and ordered a package from the States, the seller gave me the tracking number, and for 2 weeks, there is absolutely nothing on their tracking system except for “Picked-up at X location on X date”. Then one day, to my surprise, the package arrived, and still the same info on their website.
Finally, one week after that (that’s 3 weeks after sending), their tracking system finally added “arrived at destination”.
What is this joke? 3 week delay on tracking is unacceptable for this kind of service.
I used Canadapost Xpresspost, a similar service, and their tracking is much better (usually 2-3 days delay max), and they actually refunded me the shipping fee when it arrived 2 days late.
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I shipped 4 Wii game systems via USPS to 4 different locations 4 weeks ago via priority mail. None of the systems arrived at their destinations and the buyers were furious. As a result, me e-bay rating plummeted. USPS offers no recourse for a customer. Their tracking system is the worst and their customer service horrible. I will never ship with them again.
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I sent two pkgs. 12/16 to arrive in two days. It is now 12/26 and only the smaller one has been rec’d. The larger one is somewhere out there. I insured them both and tomorrow a.m. I am going to Post Office to try to get some satisfaction. This has happened to me every time I use Priority Mail. Never again. I paid over $50 to have these pkgs. delivered in time for Christmas for my children and grandchildren. I am thoroughly disqusted with the shoddy expensive way the USPS handles the mail and my inquiries. I get a shrug of the shoulders when I ask why this keeps happening. No wonder people are using email and direct ship catalog orders instead of USPS.
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i mailed a gift to a friend in FL on 12/15…from tx to fl i was thinking it was to get there way befor xmas time…(i mailed it Mon and the clerk said it’d be there Wed) today is xmas..and still my package has not made it there…i called this 1800 num and they said someone would call me within 1 day…its been 4 days and i have a confirmation # i dont know for what! i just want my package!!!!!! i dont know what to do!?!?!?!! HELP
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I have recently bought an ipod which was shipped by USPS priority mail. And it was delivered on Nov. 28. School’s mail service were not open on that day so it could not be delivered. Did he put it at the front door?? Or he found some better place to put it??
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Just an observation of mine from the days that I sold books on Ebay.
Within just a few miles of one another are three post offices. I got good service at all three of them. I found myself going out of the way to go to one of them, though, because I didn’t have to wait in line.
Well, I happened to have had close to 10 packages “lost” for me through that particular office.
Now all of these offices will have their mail go to the same distribution center, which at that time was in NOLA. That leads me to believe that the problem was not at the distribution point, but at the local office.
I daresay that will be the case with most issues. I know of one exception, though. That would be the one of a friend of mine whose books kept “disappearing.” Finally, after having his Ebay feedback trashed due to books not arriving, an investigation found that his books, along with many other things, had been stolen by postal employees at the distribution center. I think that problem boiled down to bags of mail being taken, sifted through, and the “unwanted” loot stashed aside, while the $ were $pent.
If my suspicion is true, though, I think I’d just drive a few minutes more and go to another local PO just to see what happens.
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I recently mailed to me priority with a tracking number from South Carolina to Atlanta. It was to take 3 days. Well today is the 12th and no package. I tracked it on USPS and they said it won’t show up anything until the package is signed for. Hmmmm makes me think it is missing and will not arrive. Why do they charge for a tracking number when they can’t track it themselves until it is signed for. Guess this one is gone. Slowly losing faith in all these extra additions we pay for.
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i love USPS i love USPS THAT’S WHAT YOU ALL SAY, That is until the day comes that one of your customers receives a mangled package with stamps on it saying how it was “RE-PACKAGED” at a mailing center and instead of the motorcycle parts that they were expecting they in turn receive a woman’s dress and a jump rope!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. the customer of mine is a USPS employee and was not surprised. apparently its pretty common for some punk behind the counter to drop an interesting box and then “RE-PACKAGE” with whatever they want NICE JOB!!!!
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I love USPS click n’ ship + flat rate mailers. I have an online business and use it constantly. It has never failed me.
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I wish I had read the above comments earlier about the Priority mail. I am still waiting for my Priority mail to arrive which was sent out 10 days ago. The clerk who accepted the mail from the sender obvious couldn’t read, and put the wrong zip stamp, changed from 98xxx to 78xxx as the destination. Funny thing is from the tracking info they provide from usps, the mail has arrived to the processing center close to my area, but somehow the machine detects the destination to 78xxx, and I was told it was sent to the ‘destination’ from there. No more tracking info can be found. I called up the post office in the “expected” destination, but the lady said it never arrived. Although I filed a claim and someone from USPS local customer service office contacted me, the information she could offer is no more than what I can find out myself. It’s really frustrating as I have very important travel document in that package. My final take is never ever use USPS again, unless for junk mails!!
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I have had great luck with USPS priority mail. I am an ebay seller, and I have shipped hundreds of packages with the service. They have yet to lose one, and it gets there fast (although not always 2-3 days, but usually). I’ve bought items that were shipped with it, and have gotten them in 2-3 days most always. A few times it has been longer, but only by a day or two. You do have to package things carefully because they will sometimes bring a box that has a mashed corner. For the price, it is a great deal. If something is of dire importance, I would ship Express mail.
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That sounds great but when they offer a serice and give you a tracking number but you can’t track it and it doesn’t arrive in the time they say it will then that sounds a lot like false advertisment to me.
I’m waiting on a package right now that I paid to track and get it within three days and it still hasn’t arrived after more than a week. If you cant do what you say you will don’t advertise it!
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I recently attempted to mail my first customer their package. Yes, I used USPiss. The clerk reluctantly weighed my package and threw a worthless receipt and tracking ticket at me. With baby in tow, I hurried home. I looked at my receipt when I got home and it said that the package was going to Utah! It was suppose to go to Michigan. The clerk typed in the wrong zip. I called back and she said that it was basically going to Utah and that they might look at the address instead of the erroneous barcode and ship it to the right place-Not! My first customer will get old cookies or none at all due to USPiss- aka USPS
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I recently bought an item on ebay and 2 weeks with no package yet. The track and confirm is bull with it saying it should “Expect” a package. Im thinking it’s the stupid seller, who hasn’t been sending it for 3 weeks, claims sent it 1 week late. If not, USPS has screwed up big time once again. That was a $100 package. I am so pessed off.
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I am an online seller> We don’t print labels days before sending a pckage. We print the day the packages are sent!
Out of 5 packages i sent out of NY gets delayed and no tracking was offered. I ship LIVE silkworms to educators. And out of 5 times they get there dead because they have been on the road TOO LONG, like more than a week!
The bottom line, USPS is very very unreliable. If your packages are as sensitive as mine you would feel my aggravation!
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It is the sellers responsibility if the package is not delivered. As a buyer and seller on ebay i know I can mark an item as shipped even if I have not done so. I know sellers have doe it to me as it can be confirmed by the date the PO marks it as electronicly recieved (if down electronicly ie: printed online). But I am dealing with a seller who after 4 requests (no 5 now) refuses to provide a tracking number. This is for a pricy laptop and he also refuses to answer other key questions, I am angry bot at the PO but at the moronic kid who is too lazy, likely cut corners and did not buy a tracking number. If he does not have proof I recieved it ((due today, now Tuesday due to the holiday) he will lose $500.+ as he will have no proof If I did get it and he has royally pissed me off. could end up withh a free laptop, either way wit Ebay Buyer protection I am covered and even opened a case early based on his BAD preformance. Sad thing is the seller allowe a “Friend” to use his ebay account he will get the BAD feedback, if it is lost He will have to pay back Ebay and Paypal as he trusted his good buddy.
An Ebay account is like a bank account you do not share your account iformation and pin number with a good buddy unless you want to be a guest n Judge Judy attempting to get you “Good Buddy” to reimburse you for the money he lost from your Ebay account.
I think his father will be qite upset with him, he will blame me s his buddy the loser, lasy cheap chump.
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I feel you on USPS.. it amazes me how someone can deliver a package to the wrong street….. confusing a 16 with and 06 or such I can see as your probably just checking the last number to see if it syncs up with the address. But I see now Track and confirm just means.. It got there but not necessarily at your house. So i have to hope my neighbor might care enough to set this right and either give it to me or send it back to the post man.
I have a feeling i’m out of my money while it’d only 20.00 bucks the items can’;t be replaced easily.. so I’m stuck with nothing and now i have to search again for these missing pieces.
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I recently won an auction on Ebay and two weeks later no package. It was sent priority mail with a tracking number. I have talked to several folks and they have finally concluded it seems lost come fill out a lost mail form. I am sure this is going no where and I will be stuck with 135.00 loss. The last lady I talked to was rude and not even remotely helpful, only trying to pawn off her responsibility as a supervisor.I have never had a problem in the past but I will never use them again and I will ask that all my packages be shipped a different shipper. What use is a tracking number if they can’t track the package, and if employees are taking the packages why doesn’t anyone seem to give a shiet.
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Recently I had to mailed a package to Utah USPS Priority mail. Well, it took them 4 days to deliver it. Sure, this is not as bad as being really late like some peoples’ experiences here, but I really needed the item to be delivered on time since I was leaving the country for 3 weeks. And Washington State to Utah isn’t exactly cross country. Do they offer a way to refund the extra money you paid if they don’t deliver on time?
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Sure Emily, that’s what I thought too… Till I got burned by them, that is. Once it’ll happen to you — and there’s a good chance it will — you’ll change your tune.
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USPS is fine. Priority is cheaper than UPS or Fedex and is as fast if not fast sometimes. I’ve gotten a package from Michigan to California in 2 days. Everybody will always have some bad experiences because not every single company is perfect, especially with something like Country-wide (and International!) shipping.
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I own an online store. Most of my shipping is through Fedex Ground, but I’ve sent a few hundred USPS Priority packages every year for the last two years. They’re usually on time, and unlike Fedex, have never lost a package. I think a few people here have just had a run of bad luck with them, but judging from the businesses who ship in large quantities, they’re generally pretty reliable. I agree the “tracking” is completely useless. It’s the reason Fedex gets most of my business.
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i lost my package that cost me $150 , priority mail and tracking number is useless! i did not buy insurance though!Now they said i can’t claim it!i came in person to the post office to resolve the problem..but they are insisting me to keep checking from my tracking number!i had delivered my package since jan 31st and now is feb 9, my package is still in Detroit!or as the ‘confirmation’ said!!
i am very disappointed with usps! who can we trust to deliver our mail if they are being dishonest?!
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Living in Alaska I can tell you, based on 5+ years experience and 100’s of packages, that priority mail is 1/2 the price of UPS, twice as fast, and very reliable. The only time I’ve ever had a problem with delays is when the shipper in fact did not ship! This is especially annoying when the shipper uses a service that notifies the post office to ‘expect’ a package, but the shipper wait a few days/weeks to actually ship. You probably know this also happens with UPS. It would be nice if the post office (and UPS!) could tell me they haven’t even gotten the package yet; that’s the only improvement I’d really like to see.
The only time I ship UPS is (a) the package is too big/heavy for priority mail, or (b) someone sent me a UPS prepaid return voucher.
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I tell you why YOU HAVE BETTER SUCCESS WITH PRIORITY MAIL- BECAUSE YOU LIVE IN ALASKA!!
There is no other way for people to ship anything to you without FLYING. That’s your answer! For those of us within trucking distance, USPS cannot determine whether they want to truck or fly.. so they fly, chances are you get them in 2-3 days, if they truck, forget it, you can wait up to 2 weeks!!
I live in NY and I ship live stocks. I have 100% success rate shipping to west coast. I get dead arrivals shipping to the mid west. Does that explain ? Haven’t you Alaskan figured it out???!!
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I live in Hawaii and agree. I buy a lot from Ebay and Priority gets here in 3 days. We NEVER use UPS, it’s outrageous.
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I too live in Alaska. The USPS can be a joke, priority inside the state is SLOWER than getting priority from Seattle, no idea why, but shipment sent priority from Fairbanks to Kodiak takes a week minimum, priority from Seattle takes 4 to 5 days. I buy and sell on ebay and will never use UPS or FedEx, they are outrageously priced, a one pound box from CA cost $40! The USPS has it’s issues, all our mail is shipped by barge to Anchorage then barged to Kodiak when it is parcel post and that takes 3 to 5 weeks to get here, but then you get what you pay for, $3.41 for Parcel Post or $40 for UPS, hmmmm I don’t care if they drop it on my front porch and then shovel the drive I ain’t payin $40 for a 1lb package!
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yeah, i ordered a wii about a month ago, and it got here on tuesday, when i sent it a week before, and it was broken. they suck!
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IDK about you guys but I received my package 2 days after I ordered it. I have ordered through USPS several times and I really didn’t have a problem. Though I would prefer DHL or UPS over USPS because I rarely order through USPS anyways. Just saying I never really had a problem when USPS was the shipper.
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I buy quite a bit from ebay sellers. I am astonished that ANYONE on ebay ships USPS “Priority mail”. If the Feds would allow real open competition, UPS (the brown guys) would put the US postal Service out of business in short order. Someone ships you a Priority Mail package. Tracking number and all. Forking worthless. It will probably arrive someday. NOT in 2 to 3 days to any address in the US, as they claim. Go to the USPS site and put in your tracking number, and all you will get is that they have maybe gotten the electronic shipping info from your shipper. “Track and Confirm’ is plastered all over the site. May as well be red white and blue daisies or pansies. Completely worthless.
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I must agree about the USPS being worthless. I am currently waiting on a Parcel Post Package that was to arrive anywhere from two to nine days. Well, we have past the three week line, and no they don’t track it, even though they have the request for label information, and seeing how we paid for the package, the sender is the only one who can request a search for the package after thirty days of not showing up. What have I learned from this, the USPS is completely worthless, and if I can go with someone else for my packages I will, and not give the USPS another cent.
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