I'm assuming all the tracking points are using less people (with social distancing) and even mail sorting offices are having less staff. Certainly all of my tracked deliveries have taken longer.

Given that we have had a global pandemic, I suppose we should all be grateful that the mail service has continued through it (for all it's faults) and we have managed to carry on with the hobby.

I've noticed that within the past month the mail coming to me, especially tracked mail, has gotten much worse than it was at the height of the pandemic. Not sure why, since things are supposed to be opening up around the country and you would think service should be improving, but it seems to have gone the opposite way. Perhaps orders have increased and the right work force still isn't in.

Within the past month I've had a tracked package stuck in the NJ facility for 8 days without any updates until it finally showed up. NJ is the next state from NY. I also have another one that is in limbo.

The BBC is sending me a tracked packaged that should have arrived at the end of May. They sent me the number, but it is still in pre-shipping labeling according to the USPS data. So I called up the BBC and they know nothing more. She said tracking doesn't always update and the package may arrive before I see anything in the system. I should continue to wait for a few weeks. So I'm not sure if the PO has it stuck somewhere or if it never got out from them yet, although she won't admit that possibility. BBC customer service couldn't be of less help.

The regular mail is also showing signs of delay, which I would still expect. The US Post Office is crying for money and warning that they may go out of business. Trump has been on the PO's case for years over the waste and doesn't want to bail them out. In the end it may lead to the privatization of the US Postal service if they can't come to terms. Then it will all change again.

in australia they've handled it pretty well considering we're all still social distancing and borders are closed between states.
Auspost said they were having 80% more packages sent so they made a bunch of letter deliverers package delivers and are doing it 7 days a week while scaling back letters to 2 days a week.
so there have been things i've bought 9 am and gotten by 9am the next day from 2000 miles away. i'm still tentatively waiting on an international package. there's rumors here as i've heard you guys say that international post gets put aside for a week because tests have shown covid19 can live on packing tape for upto 7 days.

Just some updates on my 3 packages from the UK:


1 arrived last week.

1 still says in London as of May 19. Seller agreed to send me a replacement.

1 says in New York as of May 26. Seller told me to keep waiting.

All 3 were sent with tracking numbers. Other packages from UK sent without tracking arrived a month ago, within a few days of mailing.

I'm now facing a tidal wave of refunds and INR / angry customers the likes I have never experienced before. And likely all of it is just sitting in a bin somewhere. Not a good time to be in business at the moment, either you are forcibly shut down or all your packages disappear.

You will have to wait for up to 8 weeks for shipping from UK USA Canada has just opened up Air Mail again .
I have had better luck with PWE taking ten days to USA
Tracking is useless just holds up everything
People can not just wait but that is the Post Offices fault the UPS should have a international system sorted instead of every country doing its own thing
The thing is that you are paying for an elite service and getting a pony express service and mabey that was faster ,
Wonder if anyone can claim against the PO for bad service

I've had packages from Canada in under 2 weeks, but post from UK has taken longer! It's very random

One of my 2 missing UK packages (with 2 cards inside) finally arrived.

Mailed around May 18, arrived July 1.

I remember the more-limited postal disruptions from anthrax in 2001; some facilities took years to reopen.

I wonder whether any of the distribution centers are trying to install UV-C disinfecting. One recommendation for consumers is to hold all packages for five days before handling, and maybe some postal centers are imposing an "unofficial" holding period.

I was told that there were truckloads (semi truckloads) of mail sitting at the LA International Mail Center waiting to be processed. They are short handed and not everything is even able to be dispatched.

And yes, it seems most of my problem packages are routed through LA right now.

Just had one that started moving after 4 weeks of no scans. So maybe things are starting to move.

Ed

Two weeks ago, I ordered something from a store in southern New Jersey. Sent Priority Mail.

It was sent from south NJ to a distribution warehouse in Virginia (why ???) and then mailed back to me here, in northern NJ. Can't understand that one.

A friend of mine had a package sit for 2 weeks in Memphis (4 1/2 hours away). I have a package (second time in a month) that was put on the wrong truck and shipped someplace else. Now to wait an extra week for it to get back to the correct distribution center and mailed correctly to me.

The Royal Mail here in the UK has created Mail Centres with sorting machines that can sort over thirty thousand items of mail per hour however in order to keep these machines going and earn their keep the actual post has to create a large carbon footprint. Posting a local letter means at least 80 miles of travel because of this.

regards

John

I've had a package mailed to me from Australia on May 18, still waiting on it. Hopefully, it arrives soon...

Also had a package I mailed to a client located here in the same city, mailed it over a week ago. It went from Baton Rouge to Memphis, for some reason, and has arrived back in town as of today. Another similar package mailed to the client's sister, at the same address, arrived next day.

Un-freaking-believable.

Have you dealt with UPS Mail Innovations, this thing they started just a few years ago where a seller ships via UPS and then UPS transfers the package to the Post Office and a 2nd tracking number is issued ?

It is now July 7 and UPS delivered my package to the local USPS on July 1, and still it is sitting there, no attempted delivery made as of yet... Frustrating.

It seems to me reading all this that if you just pop your card in the postbox it will go to where it is supposed to very quickly and with no trouble. It is only when you start filling in forms that the trouble starts.

How quickly packages to the USA get delivered appears to depend a lot on which facility the package ends up at on arrival in the USA .

I sent a package to West Virginia tracked that went through the New York facility that took 10 days to be delivered from when it was sent. A similar package sent tracked to New York went through the Chicago facility and has been stuck there for more than two weeks .

I was at the post office yesterday and the clerk told the lady in front of me the only guarantee is overnight. Priority can now take an additional 3 to 7 days. If this is true one can only image what standard mail is going to be like.

On a side note, still waiting on that one package I mentioned a few days ago.

Yes less paperwork ,quicker delivery .
I get my US mail sent to me through a NZ Post forwarding office nothing has moved nor have I heard anything from them since May .
Last week I get an E mail from them informing me
Owing to the easing of corona virus restrictions they are starting to get things moving ,but there will be a $2 surcharge per item until they get things cleared .
Sounds like I am now going to have a row with N Z Post now
I think that these delays and hold ups are going to be here for quiet a while so anyone waiting on parcels can expect further delays .
Be patient
Well packed PWE s have a better chance of being delivered quicker than any other method

I received a First Class packet from east coast to west coast in 7 days. Some days, I can send or receive cross-country mail in 2 days but it's usually 3-4.

A packet by Media Mail took 15 days. It's usually more like 10 days.

quote:

Originally posted by barobehere:
I was at the post office yesterday and the clerk told the lady in front of me the only guarantee is overnight. Priority can now take an additional 3 to 7 days. If this is true one can only image what standard mail is going to be like.

On a side note, still waiting on that one package I mentioned a few days ago.