One third of small packets to the US experience significant processing delay...anyone else?

[fergua3]

This keeps happening.   Since i started entering the UR barcodes for small packets i send to the US, i've noticed that almost exactly 1/3 of the packages i send to the US experience a significant processing delay at Mississauga Gateway before being forwarded to the US. 

Normally i take a package into the post office on the morning of day 1 and by late evening day 2 the package is forwarded to the US.  However, on 1/3 of my packages, they are not forwarded to the US until the evening of day 3.  So an extra 2 days goes by before anything happens.

What really frustrates me is that many times, i've taken 2 packages into the post office at the same time and ONE of them is processed the following evening but the OTHER experieces the 2 day delay...even though they were taken to the post office at the same time and picked up by CP at the same time.  This has happened dozens of times now, so it isn't just some one time unusual occurrence.   And i can practically set my watch by the delay time.  It is always exactly an extra 2 days, almost to the minute.

Ths is not simply a lag in tracking updating.  For sure.  The packages are simply experiencing a bizarre delay in being processed.  It's like someone is deliberatelly pulling them aside and sitting on them for 2 days before processing them.

The delays are not a huge deal but what is a problem is i enter the tracking when i ship, say on Monday morning, and the tracking doesn't update until nearly midnight on Thursday.  In the meantime, they buyer just sees 'tracking number provided' and probably thinks i haven't bothered to ship the item yet.

Is anyone else experiencing this sort of delay?   Since as far back as i have kept track of it,  it has happened to 34 out of 101 small packets i've sent to the US.

[femmefan1946]

Someone posted a newspaper story about a new processing plant being built in the Toronto area a few weeks ago.

It seems that Mississauga/Gateway is often overwhelmed.

We have also seen reports of shipments being transferred to Stoney Creek/Hamilton and to me that's another indication of a flooded plant at Gateway.

And for the odd processing delays, have you ever seen the inside of a PO plant?

(Some of these are USPS)

[fergua3]

i understand all that.....but  2/3 of the US packages i've been sending have been processed on a very predictable timeline, ie a day and a half to be sent to the US.  However 1/3 experience a delay of 2 extra days, close to tripling the processing time.   The uniformity of the delays suggests that something else is going on, eg about 1/3 of packages are being pulled aside for inspection by CP....note none of the packages are being sent letter post, all are packages with barcode customs forms.   This is all especially perplexing when two packages of near identical size and weight, taken to the PO at the same time, get treated very differently.

[femmefan1946]

Seems unlikely-- most Tracked  Packets are relatively low value and Americans have a duty-free allowance of $800USD.

Even when our duty-free allowance was $20Cdn, CBSA was not inspecting 93% of low value packages (their figures).

 That's why I mentioned the other plant.

And as you can see by those pictures, your group of packages not only probably did not arrive in one bundle even though they arrived on the same truck, but got churned when they were dumped before hitting the conveyor belt.

If it's specifically one out of three consistently, you might ask the counter clerk if there is a reason parcels are not being taken to the terminal the same day. Given how crowded most POs are I would imagine they want everything gone before the next work day.

Have you tried going to the Post Office instead of the Postal Outlet with your parcels? It may be something specific to that spot. 

Keep us informed!

[recped]

Nice conspiracy theory but Canada Post are not authorized to open ANY mail except First Class Letters. There is no US customs pre-clearence done in Canada Post facilities. No export documentation is required unless the value of the exported shipment exceeds $2000.

I ship domestic orders via Canada Post, they go through Mississauga, the processing speed can be highly variable and that is just the way it is.

It's more likely a capacity issue, if it's an Air shipment there are ongoing problems finding space on planes, packages won't leave Gateway unless they have confirmed space on a plane. If it is a surface service (Expedited USA) then it's a shortage of trucks and/or drivers.

[lotzofuniquegoodies]

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@fergua3 wrote:

i understand all that.....but  2/3 of the US packages i've been sending have been processed on a very predictable timeline, ie a day and a half to be sent to the US.  However 1/3 experience a delay of 2 extra days, close to tripling the processing time.   The uniformity of the delays suggests that something else is going on, eg about 1/3 of packages are being pulled aside for inspection by CP....note none of the packages are being sent letter post, all are packages with barcode customs forms.   This is all especially perplexing when two packages of near identical size and weight, taken to the PO at the same time, get treated very differently.

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I've had parcels incoming and outgoing that showed arrived at destination and took 3 to 4 days before they went out for delivery. You figure once sorted send em rest of the way. Unless they have a delivery standard and arrived early in theim mind. Reason for delay.

-Lotz

[marnotom!]

I guess I'm a "glass half-full" type when it comes to this, because I see this as "two-thirds of Small Packet USA shipments get processed incredibly quickly".

I gotta say, though, that I'm a bit astounded at how much time you're putting into tracking every single shipment you make.  Not trying to be rude, but why?  Surely this can't be good for your sanity.

[ricarmic]

I don't track UR codes so I don't have personal experience.

From a problem solving approach where are the delayed items going, ie are some going through Chicago and others NY sorting centres? That could explain delays in updates. Just because they're dropped at the sending PO at the same time, their path after that could widely change. It would be good to know if two items sent to the same "state" have the delays between them.

Since you are already watching them, is the entire delivery time delayed, ie do the packages arrive 2 days later to the destination than one would expect? The delay may just be some quirk in the tracking updating process and the packages are actually moving. Here again it would be good to keep an eye on two items going to the same state.

This is exactly why I try not to watch tracking for anything, it tends to be very hard on ones nerves.

[fergua3]

yes, the delay is real, not just a delay in tracking updating.  Once the delayed package gets processed it proceeds at the pace of all other small pkts i send to the US, in other words arrives '2 days later than expected.'.   So the delay is real.  All my small pkts go through Chicago.

I said  in my OP that the delay in itself is not that big a deal.  Once in the hands of the USPS i find packages are flying through the system.   My concern is the several day delay the buyer sees between my posting of the tracking number and there being an update in tracking.  When it says 'tracking number provided' for 4 days it looks like all i've done is print a label and nothing else.  Since i have one day shipping i can see buyers getting miffed.  And a miffed buyer is never a good thing.  I started this thread out of curiosity to see if anyone else was experiencing similar delays or if anyone knew what was going on.  That's all.

This whole thing is not a huge problem....it's just frustrating and strange in its precision.  

[marnotom!]

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@fergua3 wrote:

My concern is the several day delay the buyer sees between my posting of the tracking number and there being an update in tracking.  When it says 'tracking number provided' for 4 days it looks like all i've done is print a label and nothing else.  Since i have one day shipping i can see buyers getting miffed.  And a miffed buyer is never a good thing.  I started this thread out of curiosity to see if anyone else was experiencing similar delays or if anyone knew what was going on.  That's all.

This whole thing is not a huge problem....it's just frustrating and strange in its precision.  

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In the days when I paid more attention to the tracking of my purchases from the US, I often found a similar sort of delay between the "scan" of "information received" and the initial physical scan of the item by USPS.  Sometimes I'd never see any further scans for the item in the tracking information, and I think those items were likely handled by mail consolidators that weren't transmitting their scans to USPS.

I agree with @recped that there's probably some delays in getting some of your items on a US-bound plane.  Have you noticed if it makes any difference what day of the week you send off the item or if there are holidays that may increase mail volumes, etc?

[fergua3]

no, i haven't seen any patterns.  The only thing i have noticed is that when i take multiple packages to the PO at the same time, it usually happens that one of them is delayed.  It seems less frequent when i just take a single package to the PO.   And i've never had more than one delayed when i take in multiple packages.  But the sample size is way too smal to draw any conclusions from that and since it's happening to about 1/3 of the packages, my observations sorta make sense.

Of the two packages i took in Monday....one landed in Chicago yesterday and is out for delivery today.  The other still says 'you provided a tracking number' and hasn't been processed by Canada Post yet.

[zee-chan-jpn-books]

Technically speaking SP air isn't tracked. The "tracking" on eBay is an added bonus. Did you actually have buyers complaining to you about the "delay", or are you just adding stress to yourself over nothing?

[fergua3]

the buyers don't know it's an added bonus...they just see it as tracking.   Yes i've had a few buyers message me and ask me when i'm going to ship their item, even though i had already shipped it.  I explain the situation, that the tracking will only start showing updates once the item is in the hands of USPS and normally don't hear back from them.  I did have one buyer that gave me a hard time and i had to sweet talk them a fair bit.

When i first started uploading the UR tracking numbers nearly a year ago, this wasn't happening, it's only been since January this started.  Prior to that virtually every package was processed within a day and a half and sent on its way to the US.  In early Jan i started noticing that some (about 1/3)  were being delayed a couple of extra days.  I expected it to be a temporary thing and just lived with it.  But we're now into month 5 of this happening and i'm getting annoyed by it.

Again, i'm not 'stressed' about this...i'm annoyed and just wanted to know if anyone knew why this was happening; why about 1/3 of my packages are experiencing this irritating delay in being processed.   

[recped]

Gateway opened 50 years ago, processing capacity for packages isn't up to the volume there is in 2022. Add a dash of Covid issues and you have your answer.

This is why a new facility , many times the capacity of Gateway is being built in Scarborough (opening in 2023). Gateway was "state of the art" in 1972 and while they added capacity over the years it simply isn't enough.

[fergua3]

and right on schedule, the delayed package has now been processed and is on its way to Chicago.  Exactly 2 days after the other one.  Very curious.

I'm liking the sound of this new facility opening in 2023.  🙂

[zee-chan-jpn-books]

I see, personally I almost never have any buyers asking me about when I will ship or question about the tracking... but then again I set my handling time to 5 business days (there are the odd times which might take me even longer to ship due to work obligations, and if that's the case I will communicate with the buyer), and I use economy shipping instead of standard shipping (which I saw on one of your listings).

I do want to note that as a seller you CANNOT leave buyers negative feedback anyway, so this phrase in your listing is essentially useless and some buyers might think badly of this - Payment in U.S. funds must be received within 7 days of auction's end or credit will be applied for and negative feedback posted

[fergua3]

yeah that phrase is left over from years ago.  Most of my listings don't have it anymore but sometimes i've missed removing it.  Thanks for reminding me......i don't even notice stuff like that anymore.

[femmefan1946]

I was in Winnipeg this weekend and on the way to the airport passed the PO Terminal.

It's Victoria Day.

There were five trucks at the loading docks and the employee parking lot was about 3/4 full at 9 am.

Every plane I took from Wpg to Victoria was delayed and there were countless announcements of delays in the airport waiting rooms.

The announcements also were asking for passengers to check their luggage (free!) for lack of space, so the brilliant idea of the boys at HQ to start charging for checked baggage is definitely backfiring.