My small package from the UK, shipped around May 15, with the 2 cards in it, which I mentioned above, finally arrived...on July 20.

Another package sent to me from New York on June 24.

Arrived at my post office (10 minutes from home) on July 1.

Delivered July 27, only 26 days later after it arrived at the post office.

I had a package mailed to me in Chicago on the 29th June according to the tracking. Today the tracking reveals that at 7:20 this evening its status has been updated to state that it is about to leave the USA. I don't have a problem with the time taken at the moment because it is still within the period quoted for delivery in that it has another 18 days to go before it is considered late. What gets me is that the same seller sent me a smaller package worth twice the value on the 5th July which I received within 10 days despite spending 6 days at Chicago. So size matters.

John

Today I received a box of cards from Cardaddict that was posted on July 20th from Michigan State so USPS is not being consistent in its treatment of mail.

regards

John

This morning I finally received my package mailed in Chicago on the 29th June According to tracking it left Chicago on Suday evening 26th July. It seems to have cleared UK customs quite quickly presumably because of its 4 week rest in Chicago. It was a very large parcel but quite light (an empty binder).

regards

John

quote:

Originally posted by JOHN LEVITT:
This morning I finally received my package mailed in Chicago on the 29th June According to tracking it left Chicago on Suday evening 26th July. It seems to have cleared UK customs quite quickly presumably because of its 4 week rest in Chicago. It was a very large parcel but quite light (an empty binder).

regards

John

Chicago was bad before the pandemic , last year a lot of Perna packages got delayed there . I have a package that has been stuck there since 17th June and the recipient has had to get his local Brooklyn office to look into it with no luck so far .

Problem is they seem to just put a package on the first available flight regardless of the destination . Thus the package for New York went to Chicago while something sent to West Virginia went through New York and was delivered in 10 days .

The PO has rerouted and consolidated distribution hubs. The reason/excuse is because of staffing issues in the pandemic. Mail, especially tracked packages, are being routed out of their way and then lay over in places without any updates in tracking history. Many of my packages are getting stuck in NJ until they suddenly get pushed out.

Also more retail senders are choosing to use the USPS to complete the last leg of the journey. Even Amazon purchases, which I used to get direct from their truck, are being delivered to the PO for final delivery. This has also added days to when you can expect packages. And the PO is still losing millions of dollars when you hear them. Worse service costs more.

I made a trade with someone from the Netherlands. They received their end in two weeks. My cards took two months to get to Boston. I didn't care how long it took. As long as I received the cards.

I have an Amazon Prime purchase where they said it was shipped (USPS) and would be delivered last Sunday. It's gone through four distribution centers (Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia) and reached the nearby one Wednesday, but hasn't been sent to the local office. Amazon says "We're very sorry your delivery is so late. Although it may still arrive, you can request a refund now."

Traffic must be terrible these days. So far it's averaged 2.9 miles per hour.
.

That's weird. Amazon has been so proud of its Prime with everyone praising the quick delivery. I didn't think it would be so affected with the company having its own vehicle service.

Jess

quote:

Originally posted by allender:
I have an Amazon Prime purchase where they said it was shipped (USPS) and would be delivered last Sunday. It's gone through four distribution centers (Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia) and reached the nearby one Wednesday, but hasn't been sent to the local office. Amazon says "We're very sorry your delivery is so late. Although it may still arrive, you can request a refund now."

Traffic must be terrible these days. So far it's averaged 2.9 miles per hour.
.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by catskilleagle:
That's weird. Amazon has been so proud of its Prime with everyone praising the quick delivery. I didn't think it would be so affected with the company having its own vehicle service.

Jess

When I buy on Amazon I try to look for items that specify Amazon fulfillment and they were generally delivered in a few days by Amazon trucks. However my last 3 or 4 purchases had tracking numbers, but arrived with either the USPS truck or with my regular mail carrier.

I don't know if this is a change in just my area or if Amazon has cut back on its own drivers all over, but they may have decided that using their own fleet for everything was too costly when a lot of the stuff had free shipping. There has been a definite change by me for whatever reason. Once the package gets into the USPS system, tracking number or not, don't be surprised if it takes a world tour.

Well, until the staffing reductions related to the virus, it was smart for Amazon to partner with USPS. Amazon has focused its distribution heavily in the densest zipcodes and had been delivering Prime to a final USPS distribution center for the "last leg". It was politically helpful to keep volume up with the Postal Service, but it's now a political liability because some say USPS isn't charging enough.

I don't have a clue why this package went to a fairly nearby USPS center directly and then got transferred to three others. Possibly it's because the local center is across the state boundary. It headed for my local P.O. yesterday, even though Amazon said 'it may have been lost'.

quote:

Originally posted by allender:
Well, until the staffing reductions related to the virus, it was smart for Amazon to partner with USPS.

What I was trying to say is that most of my Amazon packages were never coming by USPS. Before the pandemic, and really all the while thru until around May, we were getting daily visits from the Amazon truck on my block for me and my neighbors. In the last 2 months or so the truck is seldom seen and my own Amazon fulfillment purchases are coming thru USPS on the back end.

So they have slowed down on there own fleet and partnered more with USPS lately, which is something that as far as I know, they have not said. I see it because, as a result, their delivery times have gotten much more unpredictable and longer for me.

And it's not merely Amazon as far as delays. It took me 6 weeks to a get a DVD from BBC that I would normally get in 8 - 10 days and all updates froze in the NJ USPS facility, so I had no idea it was coming until I found it at my door.

Current delivery times for the last 7 weeks:

U.S. to Ontario, Canada 19 Days
U.S. to London, U.K 16 days
U.S. to Sydney, Australia : 20 Days
U.S. to Melbourne, Australia : 25 days
U.S. to Adelaide, Australia : 35 Days
U.S. to Perth, Australia: 54 days
U.S. to Hobart, Tasmania, Aus ??? 60(?)

Tasmania and Detroit are current black holes for me.

With all the problems everyone has been having, I don't understand how I got a package from the Houston area in one mailing day. I live just outside of San Jose, CA. It was mailed on Saturday and I got it today. For me to get mail that fast, it usually has to come from some other part of San Jose. It's almost always a 2-day trip for the mail from Texas. It even says "Media Mail" on it.

Jess

I sent a package to Curler in Canada April 17.

It arrived, intact and undamaged, August 5.

It apparently took a vacation in Vancouver (or LA depending on which tracking you believe).

That was my last wayward child, I believe.
But I sent out 51 parcels today, with many going outside the country. So the waiting starts again.

Ed

$160 in refunds today for packages past due by 3 months.
$110 in refunds 2 weeks ago.
Over $200 in refunds coming in about another week.

Package loss rate for period between 5/15 and 7/7: 25% (normal is about .25 percent)

Gross sales for July: $14.95

Don't worry, the Senate is about to start an investigation into the U S Postal Service to find out why changes in the system have resulted in widespread delays. That ought to fix it right up, although they might have to investigate the investigation before their through.

Of course they are more concerned with handling the overwhelming mail-in voting for the November election. Like that isn't the next disaster on the horizon that everyone sees coming and nobody stops. If you think mail deliveries are bad now, imagine it in 2 months.

Bought a card from the US sent to the UK by normal letter post. Was expecting it sometime in September, arrived in 6 days.

quote:

Originally posted by Neilsy:
Bought a card from the US sent to the UK by normal letter post. Was expecting it sometime in September, arrived in 6 days.

As far as i can work out the reason you got it so quick is the words normal letter post. The minute you start with recorded, signed for, customs forms etc then you can forget it.