Up until now I’ve been using the U.S. post office to ship all of my eBay packages. I bought a cheap postal scale from eBay and I’ve been using it in combination with PayPal to ship packages without having to wait in line. So far I’ve shipped about 10 items this way.
But last week I received an email from an eBay buyer who never received the item she purchased. I logged into my PayPal account, typed in the delivery confirmation number, and sure enough found that the item had not arrived. I asked the buyer to wait a couple more days, but when the status didn’t change I called the post office to find out what happened.
USPS Loses Packages
First, I called the 1-800 number and was informed by a very pleasant postal employee that my package had “fallen off the grid.” He asked me all sorts of questions, which lead me to describe what was in the envelope, how much the item was worth, where the package was going, and what the package looked like. Then he informed me that I’d receive a call from my local post office after they spent some time researching the issue.
An hour later I received a call from another very nice postal worker who informed me that the package had left my local post office and was never seen again. By the way, this is essentially what I found when I typed the tracking number into usps.com. She asked me to try to track the package myself by calling the post office corresponding to the buyer’s address. I was a bit surprised that the post office would ask me to call another post office. I assumed that one postal worker would call another to find the package, but when I mentioned this to the postal worker she just laughed. The woman directed me back to the 1-800 number, rather than provide the number to the post office I needed to contact.
So I called the 1-800 number and received the phone number of the post office where the package should have been delivered. The postal worker entered the tracking number I gave him and said “yup it never got here.” I asked if he could look around the post office to see if it had gotten stuck in the wrong bin or something. He laughed and said if the computer says it never got here than it never got here. He then gave me the number of a claims department. I called and the number rang and rang. No one picked up and I couldn’t leave a voice mail. I tried calling for three days.
Today I gave up. Because the item wasn’t insured the post office wouldn’t allow me to file a claim. Even if they won’t give me the value of the item, I assumed they would give me a refund the price of shipping. Nope. No such luck. So I refunded the eBay buyer the full amount and sucked up the loss of the item and the shipping.
Next time. I think I’ll ship UPS.
This doesn't really relate to the packages… but the post office lost my grandma's mortgage statement from 4 months ago and she forgot to pay, so she's now 4 months behind and according to here "in danger of losing the only real home she has ever known" ; since she's been on time up till now we have been able to straighten everything out with the loan company but the statement still hasn't come… so someone has a statement that has most of my grandma's loan information on it. swell.
No, what we should do is not use the USPS for anything other than mailing letters of no value. It is insane for any company or organization to take into their possession someone's item and then claim zero responsibility if they loose it. Nobody, or company, is able to do this other than the USPS (right now). UPS has an automatic insurance up to an amount, ($100 i believe) with an option to increase if the item is more valuable. I am going through the same problem and I too had a tracking number on my package. This is absolutely wrong on every level. I don't care if they do offer you insurance or not. If anyone including the USPS agrees to take responsibility for someone else's property whether as a favor or service, they are responsible for returning that property in the same condition they received it. I WILL NOT USE THE USPS FOR ANY FURTHER SHIPMENTS EVEN IF IT SAVES ME MONEY.
Use UPS.
the post office lost over $3000 worth of my packages this year alone. The USPS is not worth using. Not to mention the large number of item returned to me some of these were international and did not even leave the country. But yet it got returned.
UPS Lost zero with no returns. Imagine that.
This is all crazy! Every time I have a mail carrier fill in for our regular carrier we lose something. I have talked to five different people at the post office and the 1-800# and have been in to the post office myself twice regarding the latest missing Priority envelope from eBay. It had a tracking # and was scanned but had to have been put into someone else's mailbox because it wasn't put into mine. Post office will not do anything since it says delivered when you type the tracking number in. This has to stop!
Ordered an item on eBay via USPS, never arrived at my PO BOX. Then I ordered another one from a seller within the state, lost again! The criminal shall be punished. Next time I'm going to camp at my PO BOX with a camera when the package arrives.
I am dealing with the same game now. This gives the post office the right to have no responsibilty to protect your package.
I HATE the USPS! You are basically paying for package roulette. smh. My fiance placed my artwork and specific document in the mail for delivery from St Louis to New York City which never got to me. Upon speaking to various people over the phone, they came to the same conclusion that i got when i realized the mail had not reached me; the freakin mail hadnt been delivered. (really??) they told me to fill out a claim online (which was just a dismissive way to get me off the phone). In short, i lost my life work and the art program for middle school aged kids was never created. Thank you USPS.
We need to boycott the USPS and only use them for envelope packages, which consumers don't have to pay for. Maybe if we start hitting their pockets then they will carry themselves like a reputable company.
I ordered an item from Japan, and it mysteriously disappeared at the central post office.
I suspect that some postal worker saw that it was from Japan, believed it to be valuable, and stole it. This item is fairly obscure, so if it gets sold on Craigslist or eBay, I will know.
Scumbag USPS.
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