Neutrals for post office slow shipping

shorti6877 · #1 09-28-2010

I am getting dumbies as usual that cant read auctions or do not understand that the Post Office can be slow when you ship things first class mail..and on occasion priority mail. I note in my auctions that once the package is left at the post office i am not in control. i always provide a delivery confirmation and sometimes they dont even scan it.
Now I am having a case where I mailed it with delivery confirmation and its been 11 days and its still not at the arrival place and never scanned.

What can I do to avoid this mess?

GreenBean · #2 09-28-2010

Um, don't think you'd like my answer

Either dont use the postal service: cost another method to check if that might work better for you.

Or, re-do your listing so the 'dumbies' buying can see the description better. Consider sending an email to the buyer to advise parcel despatched & explain again the possibility if delays...

More importantly curtail your attitude about the dumbies. Sure they are, but you made the listing, maybe you yourself have been a dummy in the way it is laid out.

shorti6877 · #3 09-28-2010

Well using another service is pretty much out..yeah i try to make it so people can read those details but i think i have to go over my details again LOL! I am so used to getting the horrible stuff happen to me. Oh well :(

TRIALnERROR · #4 09-28-2010

If you do your due diligence then everything should be okay. When the item sells, email the customer with confirmation that it's shipped along with tracking. You can also give an estimate of the delivery time.

If you communicate efficiently, then shipping times should NOT be a problem.

If you want happy customers and healthy accounts, communication and customer service is a must!

pod · #5 09-28-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by shorti6877

What can I do to avoid this mess?

People getting pissy about delivery is the hardest thing to deal with. I hate to say it, but it comes with the territory. There are always going to be buyers that 1. Have no idea about shipping. 2. think you are actually in control after you drop it off [how, I cant imagine] 3. Think buying on the internet is magic

Its frustrating, believe me! Try shipping from Canada... But it comes with selling online. Not much of an answer, but just do the best you can to try be as friendly and helpful as you can with the nut bars and hope for the best

jeffweico · #6 09-29-2010

You might want to complain (although I'm not sure what good it will do) as 11 days for Priority mail, or even first class mail, is completely unreasonable if both you and the customer are inside the USA.

While I have seen my share of postal service screw-ups, generally speaking they are very reliable. The vast majority of my packages, even MEDIA MAIL, arrive within 2-5 days. Granted, when they screw up, they REALLY screw up. But if this is happening on all of your packages, something is seriously wrong.

slapped · #7 09-29-2010

Unfortunatly,,,USPS in not the Greatest,,,But it is the Cheapest for Small packages,,,However in th MANY Years that I have Used them I can Honestly say that Problems only occur with a Very Small Number of Shipments,,,,Although I am under the Impression that it "Runs in Bunches",,,,,,,,,,,,,

Just my opinion,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

aking · #8 10-05-2010

eBay is making some changes starting in November where if u offer and he buyer accepts free shipping you automatically get 5 stars to shipping DSR. Also if u offer 1 day handling and have tracking uploaded in paypal and eBay within 24 hrs u get 5 stars as well. Just read it in the eBay newsletter today. May help your problem here.

needhelpplease · #9 10-05-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by aking

eBay is making some changes starting in November where if u offer and he buyer accepts free shipping you automatically get 5 stars to shipping DSR. Also if u offer 1 day handling and have tracking uploaded in paypal and eBay within 24 hrs u get 5 stars as well. Just read it in the eBay newsletter today. May help your problem here.

The free shipping option will only effect the shipping charges DSRs postively.....and the the 1-day handling only effects the DSRs positively IF it shows DELIVERED within 4 DAYS of the buyers PAYMENT being received. Not impossible, but in many situations unlikely.

needhelpplease · #10 10-05-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by shorti6877

I am getting dumbies as usual that cant read auctions or do not understand that the Post Office can be slow when you ship things first class mail..and on occasion priority mail. I note in my auctions that once the package is left at the post office i am not in control. i always provide a delivery confirmation and sometimes they dont even scan it.
Now I am having a case where I mailed it with delivery confirmation and its been 11 days and its still not at the arrival place and never scanned.

What can I do to avoid this mess?

Simple. Due to the new DSRs system, it really is necessary to ship within 1-day of payment if you are looking to get your DSRs up in that category. If you ship USPS, go online and schedule a "free carrier pickup'' it is only good if you have at least one priority mail package. If all you have is a bunch of first class/media mail and they wont fit in your mailbox....put a note in the mailbox with flag up letting the carrier know where the packages are and that you need them picked up that day....if you are unable to go to the post office yourself and drop it off.

If you have the delivery confirmation number, call the 800 usps number and they will do a search on it and find out what happened one way or another. Their system shows a little more detail then what is available to the general public via the online tracking system. They will be able to see where it was last scanned and contact that office to see what happened. Sometimes it is just a matter of the system not updating the public viewing tracking info.

needhelpplease · #11 10-05-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by slapped

Unfortunatly,,,USPS in not the Greatest,,,But it is the Cheapest for Small packages,,,However in th MANY Years that I have Used them I can Honestly say that Problems only occur with a Very Small Number of Shipments,,,,Although I am under the Impression that it "Runs in Bunches",,,,,,,,,,,,,

Just my opinion,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Happens EVERY SINGLE day.....never seen a day go by where any of the carriers had a perfect scan. ALWAYS see carriers get their daily reports showing 1, 2 or even 5 packages "missed scan" meaning the packages were delivered but NOT scanned as delivered. Granted depending on the season and nothing with USPS is definete when it comes to volume, the average carrier has about 50-60 packages/letters whatever with delivery confirmation on it a day and to miss one every now and again doesnt sound that bad from that point of view, but when you have 20-30 carriers in one building, you are ALWAYS going to have missed scans. The ones that get missed most often are those that labels are placed on sides/bottoms or the infamous neon green little delivery confirmations that you get when you actually go to the post office and purchase it that way. Also one word of advice to ALL......MAKE SURE YOUR INK IS GOOD WHEN PRINTING LABELS!!!! Most carriers....if it doesnt scan, they are not going to take the time to punch in 500 numbers into the gun! Carriers get paid per route, NOT hourly, so the quicker they are done the quicker they get home and the same money is made. Just some advice.....

elscapo · #12 10-06-2010

Its an unavoidable problem, I think the only way to overcome it is to kill them with kindness, I always empathize with them and say, "Oh I am so sorry the postal service is taking so long, I will call them and look into it" (which I never do, I know the postal service is that way), I just say anything to buy time and try to keep the person happy and see me as a nice naive person. If I drag it on for a few days then usually they get their item and are happy, but some a-holes will still leave a negative. I will admit when I began selling the buyer stupidity would be so infuriating I would sometimes get into arguments with them over the principle of how stupid they were. Sometimes I would receive a payment at 12am friday night and then 1-2 days later get the email: "Where is my item, its been like a week since I ordered it"..actually sir you paid friday night, and the shipping time is clearly written as 7-10 days. If you think USPS is bad, Turkish post is about 100000 times worse and the packages sometimes never reach their destination. I switched from them to DHL about a year ago and its much much better, but its not always an option especially if all your competition uses cheap mail services.

pod · #13 10-06-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by needhelpplease

Carriers get paid per route, NOT hourly, so the quicker they are done the quicker they get home and the same money is made.

Yup. Same here too. I had a roommate in collage that was a mail carrier. The crap they pull to shorten the day would boggle your mind. Especially with packages. They sit in the trucks sometimes for a couple days.....

If ebay wanted to make the DSR system fair they would not have made it 4 days. Thats absurd. Ship in one business day? For sure. But in their hands in 4 is not reasonable. 6 would be more reasonable. 2 extra days is a lot.... 4 is pushing the envelope too close to "best case", not average.

aking · #14 10-06-2010

Bottom line is they shouldn't measure something the seller only has partial control over.

pod · #15 10-06-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by aking

Bottom line is they shouldn't measure something the seller only has partial control over.

Exactly. Get it out fast, you bet. Thats all on us. But if it takes a few extra days because of the 20 other people along the way why lay that on us.....

needhelpplease · #16 10-06-2010

Well here, the postal trucks get checked each and every day after the carrier gets back to make sure NOTHING is left in the truck, but the problem doesnt lie with that, it lies with carriers not punching in the 500 numbers when it wont scan and delivering it and not having it marked that way in tracking system. The 4-day rule is sort of a bonus in my opinion......it is a DEFINTE 5 star rating, but again, even if it takes 6 days to reach or whatever, the buyer still has the option to leave 5-stars and have it count...and "most people are good"....if you dont believe that, just go into ebay.com right now and you will see that exact same "fact"...lol! But anyhow, I do think the 4-day rule is a bonus and not so much a negative thing and that most people are realistic and wont leave a low DSR for something that takes 6 days to reach clear across the country...just sayin'.

pod · #17 10-06-2010

I meant personal vehicles. And I can guarantee they do. I know personally two carriers that do it. Day before a long weekend is the worst

"most people are good"

They are never the problem. Its the idiot that's all pissy because it took slightly over a week [Ordered Monday, received next tues].... They give you a one because they are cranky and it takes away from the good folks...

needhelpplease · #18 10-06-2010

Well that is just crazy then, risking losing a POSTAL job over some packages???? There are plenty of legitmate ways to be "lazy" and NOT deliver the packages and leave them in the post office where nothing can happen to your job...dont know how much money they pay postal workers in Canada, but here OMG! the pay is CRAZY good and nothing can beat the hours!

pod · #19 10-06-2010

Yes, its crazy lazy and yes they already have it made. Getting paid for a full day when you mostly work half isnt enough

I have watched my carrier [Lots] try and put "nobody home" slips in my box and not even try to deliver. He fills them out in the morning so its faster to deliver then actually ring bell...

needhelpplease · #20 10-06-2010

oh so true! EVERY carrier does that at one point or another OR all the time! And that "attempted" and not "delivered".......wonder if that effects the 4-day ebay rule..

JEM · #21 10-07-2010

just REAL irked that I am graded on something that I have NO CONTROL WHATSOEVER over

and pod is right, all you need are a few **** heads and your DSR are down the tubes , due to NOTHING YOU HAVE DONE!

sorry this is really a sore spot for me

pod · #22 10-07-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by JEM

sorry this is really a sore spot for me

As well me. Shipping from Canada is a bitch for us as it is. My issue is I sell low volume/high value. So one cranky customer doesn't get buried in 30 feedbacks a day. One bad response a month and I tank.... One bad apple isn't 1% for me, its 10%