Where Are Shipping Sticking Points This Christmas Season?

by: GetAGrip

The one thing that you can depend on with the post office is THE USUAL EXCUSES FOR INCOMPENTENCE.

by: terry55

Some packages are moving quick but had a bunch going to the wrong states and I don't mean the next one over.

by: Ina

Add San Antonio, Texas to the list, according to Fox: "San Antonio postal service whistleblowers reveal massive Christmas package pileup"

by: Lisa

my cut off day was Friday. I've emptied  my website and about to empty my etsy. I have had  nothing lost or delayed domestically this year.

by: Stone Cutter

*** And consumers keep spending…***

All week, I’ve heard on CNBC how e-commerce sales for the holidays, are better than expected, as Wall Street no longer believes the U.S. economy is headed into a recession.

I’ll be putting my Etsy shop on vacation mode tomorrow, which is something I do every year to avoid the “postal madness”. I’ll be opening my shop at the end of the month with new jewelry pieces, as my jewelry buyers show up with cash and gift cards from the holidays. Should be fun! $$$$$$

by: Snapped

The Richmond (Va) distribution center, serving Eastern VA, MD and the DC area has had 22 trucks worth of mail and parcels inexplicably ‘backed up’ since about 7-10 Dec.  On Monday, 8 broke free, and more should escape during the rest of the week, hopefully clearing by week’s end.  I’ve had one stuck there since the 11th, coming from less than 100 miles away.

That backlog showing up along with the heavy volume normally occurring this week due to last minute deadline beaters is why your carrier (in this and similarly affected areas) is running a bit more frantic than usual.  That, and Grinch DeJoy’s curtailing of seasonal distribution help this year.  

by: Modlcitizn

The backups start at the local post offices.  Mine opens late, only has one counter clerk due to manpower shortages, and then closes early. The line was out the door Tuesday at 2pm. And we often don’t get mail delivery a day or so a week.

by: toolguy

I have over a 100 mercury thermometers from McDonnell Douglas

But I can't sell them on eBay because there's no way to ship them.

They've been collecting dust for the past 20 years.

Might be time to drag them to the local swap meet.

by: windsorbear

Part of the problem stems from Amazon's ''the last mile'' agreement with the USPS.  In rural areas, Amazon is delivering the packages to the local post office instead of delivering them to the homes themselves.  The mountains of holiday packages delivered to the post office has significantly slowed down all other forms of mail, including First Class mail and non-Amazon packages as it is ''rumored'' that the post offices have been instructed to deliver the Amazon packages as a priority, ahead of any other type of mail or package.  The stress on the rural postal carriers has caused many to just up and quit.  My local post office was involved in this rural catastrophe and I had to stop ordering from Amazon, or any other business, that did not deliver via FedEx or UPS in order to get my packages before Christmas.  I am just now getting First Class mail that should have been delivered weeks ago.  This ''the last mile'' agreement between Amazon and the USPS should have never been made.  The USPS was never set up to handle this volume of package delivery.  I have stated, and will continue to state, that First Class mail should be the USPS' priority concern and that package delivery by the USPS should be limited to a weight of one pound or less.  Anything more than one pound should be delivered by a service, such as UPS or FedEx, that was specifically created for the delivery of packages.

by: spooky

I mailed a large package Monday 12/18 during a power failure in my town. I simply needed the local post office to get it on the truck. They held it in station for close to 2 1/2 days???? I think they did it intentionally but have no way to prove that. I swear there is 1 clerk who resents my dropping off pre labeled packages every day, some clerks think everyone should wait in line.  

by: NYSteve

I lost two packages , so far, via the local USPS...last scan for BOTH was in my town.....BOTH were the ONLY packages I shipped worth over $100 (they were $200 and $300 value).

Interestingly enough, one package was very small (a ring) and the other was max size

by: BlueDenim

@Snapped This past week, the USPS started rerouting the packages to skip the Richmond, Va distribution center. A lot of my packages went to NY or PA then sent to the West Coast. Anything going south has been going through Greensboro, NC.

I've shipped all orders quickly but my shipping score has taken a hard hit on Etsy for the USPS postal delays.

I had a personal order shipped on November 27, arrived in Richmond on December 1st and then got delivered on the 16th. Hopefully you will get your order soon!  

by: cellarebayer

Oak Creek in Wisconsin has been delaying items, also.

by: comments

I think shipping has been pretty good from USPS and FedEx for me. My only slight issue is that delivery drivers are coming pretty late. Nothing is more frustrating than waiting for packages regardless of the time of the year.

by: Weirdbooks

I don't track live shipping performance.  But looking at Amazon on-time delivery I have 100% on time for promised delivery dates between Nov 13-Dec 14th.  That is about 400 shipments, almost all either Bound Printed Matter or Media Mail.    No feedback from other venues of late shipments, which is about another 250 packages in the same time frame.

That doesn't mean things won't fall off the cliff in the next update of that stat but so far not seeing any notable issues with USPS.

by: airbrake

Denver USPS should be on the list. Denver sorts all inbound & outbound for the States of Colorado & Wyoming. Starting three weeks before Thanksgiving, USPS have busted 98% of all supposed delivery dates. I have mail that supposedly has never, according to their tracking, never left my Post Office and even got to Denver Sort.

The Postal Inspectors are now involved as the tracking never shows as leaving the acceptance Post Office. USPS has been very attentive to the reports filed but considering all the fee increases in the last two years, performance is more dismal than ever before - even their own Inspector General declared the tracking by USPS to be inadequate.

This new Ground Advantage is a joke. Try shipping something Ground Advantage to the US Possessions, Hawaii or Alaska - 26 days now, what a bargain.

by: Snapped

Thank you for the update BlueDenim.  Explained why mine (finally) then went to Gbro NC on the 20th, then BACK to Richmond on the 21st, ‘processed’ overnight and sent to my hub, then PO today, just delivered.  It began it’s sojourn 12/9.

This is all on DeJoy and his grand plan.  Always looks better on paper.

Unfortunately, it’s no longer timely, and will need to be returned, unopened.  Fortunately, it was bought off the Wall, and there’s one about a mile from me.  

by: Lisa

or @windsorbear, because usps no longer has first class. Your letters now go Ground Advantage, which takes longer.

by: Ina

MySanAntonio headline on Saturday: "USPS debunks report that a San Antonio mail facility had massive backup"