USPS incredible delays - am I alone? | Selling | eBay Canada EN

USPS incredible delays - am I alone? | Selling | eBay Canada EN

Buying & Selling

USPS incredible delays - am I alone?

Summary: hansatrade is experiencing delays with USPS items stuck at Queens and Indianapolis for over a month, impacting their business and requiring them to issue refunds. They mention Canadian items facing additional inspections and consider switching to alternatives like ChitChats. recped acknowledges issues at USPS due to facility consolidation. sapphyres-designer-jewellery notes that using Stallion Express has not resulted in similar issues. ilikehockeyjerseys suggests switching to UPS or FedEx, despite higher costs, due to USPS delays. hansatrade wonders if delays are due to items being 'Canadian.' brettjet38 and others share differing experiences with USPS, noting some packages facing scrutiny at customs while others move swiftly. A varied set of responses points to specific problem areas and potential solutions such as using different carriers or ensuring proper package identification.

Hi,

I checked this forum for USPS delays post - didn't find anything. Am I alone?

Several of my items are stuck at Queens and Indianapolis USPS transit hubs since 1 month or longer.

Just 10 min. ago I sent another refund for an INR. This literally kills my business - I don't know, what to do.

I called CP CS - they told me the Canadian items are now going through an idditional inspection.

Anyone here experiences the same problem?

I sent a replacement a few days ago throught ChitChats to a buyer, who was waiting for his item since 5 weeks. The replacement went through smoothly, without any problem.

Look at this! It's a package shipped to one of my very old customers in Texas. Usually it took 7-10 days. And how it looks now:

hansatrade

458 View listings

Posted 1 year ago · Edited 1 year ago·Last reply 1 year ago

29 comments

flipistics

·1 year ago

It seems to depend on what hub the packages go through. There's some resellers on YouTube who have shifted many of their shipments to UPS because of delays at certain USPS hubs, so it's not just an issue with Canadian packages.

That said, Canadian packages are a bit delayed getting through customs as well. In the past it would take 3 days for an item to leave my house and clear customs, and now it's often 6 to 7 days. I would say the best thing you can do is use the full 10 digit HTS code and a clear simple description of the item. That won't help with hub issues in the USA, but it might help with clearing customs a little easier.

brettjet38

·1 year ago

I ship out of Montreal, You?

This is a typical merry go round current example...

Sat, Mar 22
5:09am
In Transit to Next Facility
Sat, Mar 22
4:00am
Departed USPS Regional Facility
METRO NY DISTRIBUTION CENTER
Sat, Mar 22
2:18am
Departed USPS Regional Facility
METRO NY DISTRIBUTION CENTER
Sat, Mar 22
1:59am
Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
METRO NY DISTRIBUTION CENTER
Sat, Mar 22
12:48am
Departed USPS Regional Facility
QUEENS NY DISTRIBUTION CENTER
Fri, Mar 21
8:28pm
Item processed
Fri, Mar 21
8:28pm
Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
QUEENS NY DISTRIBUTION CENTER
Fri, Mar 21
4:43pm
Item has been sent to customs in the destination country
Fri, Mar 21
4:43pm
Item has been sent to customs in the destination country
Thu, Mar 20
4:44pm
Processed Through USPS Facility
ISC NEW YORK NY(USPS)
Thu, Mar 20
4:44pm
Inbound Into Customs
Thu, Mar 20
4:44pm
Item Presented to Import Customs
Thu, Mar 20
4:44pm
International item has arrived in a foreign country
Thu, Mar 20
4:44pm
Item presented to customs
USJFKA
Thu, Mar 20
4:44pm
Item has arrived in foreign country
USJFKA
Thu, Mar 20
2:58am
International item being forwarded to destination country
MONTREAL, QC H4T 1T4
Thu, Mar 20
2:58am
Processed Through Facility
MONTREAL
Thu, Mar 20
2:58am
International item being forwarded to destination country
MONTREAL, QC
Wed, Mar 19
11:40pm
Delivery may be delayed due to public authority
OTTAWA, ON K1V 1J0
Wed, Mar 19
11:40pm
Delivery may be delayed due to public authority
CA
Wed, Mar 19
2:16pm
Item accepted at the Post Office
MONTREAL, QC H3S 2A0
Wed, Mar 19
2:16pm
Item accepted at the Post Office
MONTREAL, QC
Wed, Mar 19
2:16pm
Acceptance
Wed, Mar 19
2:16pm
Origin Post is Preparing Shipment

brettjet38

·1 year ago

Montreal Canada to Texas USA

Wed, Mar 19
12:48pm
Delivered
Wed, Mar 19
12:48pm
Delivered, In/At Mailbox
TEMPLE, TX 76504
Wed, Mar 19
6:10am
Item out for delivery
Wed, Mar 19
6:10am
Out for Delivery
TEMPLE, TX 76504
Wed, Mar 19
5:03am
Arrived at Post Office
TEMPLE, TX 76501
Wed, Mar 19
5:03am
Item has been received at the delivery office in the destination country
Wed, Mar 19
3:51am
Arrived at USPS Facility
TEMPLE, TX 76501
Wed, Mar 19
2:08am
Departed USPS Regional Facility
AUSTIN TX DISTRIBUTION CENTER
Wed, Mar 19
1:59am
Departed USPS Regional Facility
AUSTIN TX DISTRIBUTION CENTER
Wed, Mar 19
1:29am
Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
AUSTIN TX DISTRIBUTION CENTER
Wed, Mar 19
12:25am
Departed USPS Regional Facility
AUSTIN TX PACKAGE SORTING CENTER
Tue, Mar 18
3:07pm
Arrived at USPS Regional Destination Facility
AUSTIN TX PACKAGE SORTING CENTER
Tue, Mar 18
10:18am
Departed USPS Facility
DALLAS, TX 75211
Tue, Mar 18
7:23am
Departed USPS Facility
DALLAS, TX 75211
Mon, Mar 17
9:44am
Arrived at USPS Facility
DALLAS, TX 75211
Mon, Mar 17
12:21am
In Transit to Next Facility
Sun, Mar 16
2:03pm
In Transit to Next Facility
Sun, Mar 16
3:56am
Departed USPS Regional Facility
METRO NY DISTRIBUTION CENTER
Sat, Mar 15
11:54pm
Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
METRO NY DISTRIBUTION CENTER
Sat, Mar 15
11:35pm
Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
METRO NY DISTRIBUTION CENTER
Sat, Mar 15
10:24pm
Departed USPS Regional Facility
QUEENS NY DISTRIBUTION CENTER
Sat, Mar 15
3:44pm
Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
QUEENS NY DISTRIBUTION CENTER
Fri, Mar 14
12:15am
Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
JAMAICA NY INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION CENTER
Fri, Mar 14
12:15am
Item processed
Thu, Mar 13
5:47pm
Processed Through USPS Facility
ISC NEW YORK NY(USPS)
Thu, Mar 13
5:47pm
International item has arrived in a foreign country
Thu, Mar 13
5:47pm
Item has arrived in foreign country
USJFKA
Thu, Mar 13
2:58am
International item being forwarded to destination country
MONTREAL, QC H4T 1T4
Thu, Mar 13
2:58am
Processed Through Facility
MONTREAL
Thu, Mar 13
2:58am
International item being forwarded to destination country
MONTREAL, QC
Wed, Mar 12
8:53pm
Item processed
MONTREAL, QC H4T 1T4
Wed, Mar 12
8:53pm
Item processed
MONTREAL, QC
Wed, Mar 12
3:25pm
Item accepted at the Post Office
MONTR�AL, QC H3B 3Y0
Wed, Mar 12
3:25pm
Item accepted at the Post Office
MONTRÉAL, QC
Wed, Mar 12
3:25pm
Acceptance
Wed, Mar 12
3:25pm
Origin Post is Preparing Shipment
Tue, Mar 11
5:51pm
Electronic information submitted by shipper
MONT ROYAL, QC H3P 2H0

flipistics

·1 year ago

@brettjet38 wrote:
I ship out of Montreal, You?

I'm in northern Ontario. Most of mine seem to go through Toronto and then Chicago.

hansatrade

OP1 year ago

@flipistics wrote:
It seems to depend on what hub the packages go through. item. That won't help with hub issues in the USA, but it might help with clearing customs a little easier.

I can confirm that. All my late items were stuck at 2 hubs: Queens and Indianapolis. All items sent to other hubs move quickly througt the USPS network. It started in the mid of January ...

elviszz

·1 year ago

Yes, I'm experiencing delays too. My particular case, last update on Mar 12, "In Transit To Next Facility, Arriving Late", from Bell Gardens California. Ultimate destination is Puerto Rico. Have filed a ticket with CanPost, but they won't do anything till April 3 and only US senders can create tickets on USPS site.

hansatrade

OP1 year ago

@elviszz wrote:
Have filed a ticket with CanPost, but they won't do anything till April 3 and only US senders can create tickets on USPS site.

You can a create ticket as a Canadian sender, but you need to register first.

reallynicestamps

·1 year ago

Maybe it depends on who is doing the manual inspection and how they voted.

hansatrade

OP1 year ago

@reallynicestamps wrote:
Maybe it depends on who is doing the manual inspection and how they voted.

It's EXACTY what I am afraid of .... 🙄

ricarmic

·1 year ago

I havent been watching them as I try not to do that but I do have some customers who's enquired whos stuff sat in customs for a fair while (Chicago) or seems to be stopping at a number of places along the way..... I may have some INRs depending how patient they are, I keep pointing them to the tracking hoping they'll continue to be patient.

I have been gettting fast feedback on stuff too, so there doesn't seem to be any rhyme nor reason as to which ones go slow vs fast......

hansatrade

OP1 year ago

@ricarmic wrote:
I may have some INRs depending how patient they are, I keep pointing them to the tracking hoping they'll continue to be patient.

I got 2 INR, but some of the buyers are really very patient. One of them did wait 6 weeks before the item arrived (in the meantime I sent a replacement). Others are cooperative and understand, it's not my fault.

One of my old customers from Texas even left positive feedback, despite the item is still in transit since 5 weeks...

femmefan1946

·1 year ago

Queens has been a longstanding problem spot.

Even before deJoy was appointed to destroy USPS.

ilikehockeyjerseys

·1 year ago

You need to switch to UPS or Fedex. Unless Chit Chats and Stallion use alternate carriers in the USA. For shipments that aren't going Tracked Packet and are higher liability, I try to use UPS right now.

This past month, I've had two issues. Granted, that's out of something like 100-150 orders. It's still enough that if a package is very expensive, I am probably sending it UPS. Unfortunately, Tracked Packet is too affordable to switch completely.

One was delayed for about 15-20 from the New York scan until it finally arrived in Florida. The other was not delivered in New York, with a claim of an incomplete address. The buyer verified their address, so it was obviously a case of either a damaged label or an issue with USPS failing to deliver it for one reason or another.

I have had a few comments about "slow" shipping times. A lot of buyers don't realize that outside of the 48 hours it takes to get from my address beyond customs and then to New York, buying something from a Canadian seller isn't a unique service. Take away those extra two days, and it's the same as buying from a seller in NY using the equivalent USPS service.

hansatrade

OP1 year ago

Fedex and UPS would be too expensive - most of my items are in 35-50 dol. range, so +/- 10 dol. makes a difference.

I wonder if the items are delayed because they are "Canadian"? I called a CP CS - they told me all Canadian items are now sent to an additional inspection.

ChitChats recently switched to real USPS labels (without any maple leafs and ChitChat's name on it), so now they really look like genuine domestic items. It might make a difference...

cottagewoman

·1 year ago

So those 4+ million packages a day arriving from China are probably shooting through like pieces of confetti shot out of a cannon, yet the trickle of Canadian packages are now being highly scrutinized at customs. Doubt the Canadian low value shipments are wiping out companies like Forever 21.

cottagewoman

·1 year ago

I've got one now stuck at ISC New York for 6 days.

brettjet38

·1 year ago

All the "Hyperbole"

I have not had any issue with any package going anywhere in the USA, they are all going through US Customs within 2 days and all are arriving early.

My US Buyers are still shopping like there is still no issue, in fact not one Buyer has made any comment about the Trump Parade, so much ado about NOTHING!

So much wasted energy...

I will enjoy my hike today while the masses eat up the "fabricated" pablum...

I guess it has to do with how you are packing and identifying your packages, I make sure all my packages are identified and that all the i's are dotted and the T's crossed, weights and sizes are correct.

OH, and I ONLY ship using CANADA POST ever, always....

tuckhouse2021

·1 year ago

Yes, I too am seeing lots of delays.

And I have had customers reach out in concern and it is not much ado.

My packages are all correctly packaged and documented.

I am totally dependent on Canada Post and get very good service from them.

There is a delay at the border for packages and lettermail.

hansatrade

OP1 year ago

@brettjet38 wrote:

I guess it has to do with how you are packing and identifying your packages, I make sure all my packages are identified and that all the i's are dotted and the T's crossed, weights and sizes are correct.

Seriously? Tens of thousands of packages were shipped without any problem, and suddenly we forgot like to weight and measure them correctly?

brettjet38

·1 year ago

I use TRACKED PACKAGE - USA for every item I ship to the USA via Canada Post, which service do you use?

hansatrade

OP1 year ago

I suppose we all use the same Tracked Packet service - it's now the cheapest one.

All of them cross the border quickly, and then - after reaching the next USPS transit hub - display "in transit to the next facility" message indefinitely. Some are stuck there since 6 weeks.

They are all paper items, so no content issue is possible (any lithium batteries, metal parts or whatever).

tuckhouse2021

·1 year ago

Tracked package via Canada Post. Same as you.

recped

·1 year ago

Indy is a problem at the moment, USPS is consolidating multiple facilities into a single new facility. It appears to be taking much longer than anticipated.

hansatrade

OP1 year ago

@recped wrote:
Indy is a problem at the moment, USPS is consolidating multiple facilities into a single new facility. It appears to be taking much longer than anticipated.

Yes, I know about Indianapolis, but I also get items stuck at Queens and Jamaica USPS hubs. I may switch to ChitChats/Stallion, but I am not sure it would change/improve anything.

sapphyres-designer-jewellery

·1 year ago

@hansatrade wrote:
@recped wrote:
Indy is a problem at the moment, USPS is consolidating multiple facilities into a single new facility. It appears to be taking much longer than anticipated.
Yes, I know about Indianapolis, but I also get items stuck at Queens and Jamaica USPS hubs. I may switch to ChitChats/Stallion, but I am not sure it would change/improve anything.

It will get your stuff across the border fast, but won't change them being stuck at hubs with USPS.

I've been shipping with Stallion Express and so far my items haven't gone through any problem hubs (or if they did, they didn't get stuck). I follow up on the portal to see what items are still outstanding and everything in the US seems to be moving reasonably fine.

I am having items take a little longer to reach destinations in Canada, but they are untracked letters.

C.

byto253

·1 year ago

Chitchats lowest cost shipping only hands off to USPS for the last mile, normally the final destination state. Prior to that it is low cost enterprise size shipping companies.

sapphyres-designer-jewellery

·1 year ago

@byto253 wrote:
Chitchats lowest cost shipping only hands off to USPS for the last mile, normally the final destination state. Prior to that it is low cost enterprise size shipping companies.

US Economy service with Stallion Express does the same thing.

I have noticed using US Economy I have zero delays in US shipments. With USPS I have been lucky so far, but knock on wood.

C.