USPS testing my patience. How long is reasonable to wait for a shipment?

[kcsf]

Title pretty much explains the situation. Purchased a shaft on BST on the 8th of March, seller was fast and shipped same day from NJ. It's now been 15 days and the shaft has made it exactly 29.4 miles. I know it's not the sellers fault for the slow shipping, but it is the responsibility of the seller to provide delivery and at this point delivery isn't an absolute. I'm out $600 and my patience is waning. 

 

What is a reasonable amount of time before I seek a refund? Seller has already communicated they will not be issuing one to me directly as they want me to wait until USPS refunds them. I will not be going down that path and if/when I choose to seek a refund it will be through paypal. 

 

Thoughts? 

 

Shipping detail:

March 22, 2021
In Transit, Arriving Late
Your package will arrive later than expected, but is still on its way. It is currently in transit to the next facility.

---

March 20, 2021, 3:42 am
Arrived at USPS Regional Origin Facility
PHILADELPHIA PA NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER 

---

March 19, 2021, 9:46 am
Arrived at USPS Facility
ATCO, NJ 08004 

---

March 19, 2021, 4:59 am
Arrived at Post Office
ATCO, NJ 08004 

---

March 18, 2021, 7:53 pm
Departed USPS Regional Facility
SOUTH JERSEY NJ DISTRIBUTION CENTER 

---

March 18, 2021, 5:10 pm
Arrived at USPS Regional Origin Facility
SOUTH JERSEY NJ DISTRIBUTION CENTER 

---

March 8, 2021, 4:32 pm
Departed Post Office
ATCO, NJ 08004 

---

March 8, 2021, 4:19 pm
USPS in possession of item
ATCO, NJ 08004 

[MaineMariner]

If I'm the seller, there's no way I'm refunding you until there's some resolution as to the whereabouts of your shaft. Say your shaft is still "In Transit, Arriving Late" in two weeks. You request a refund. The seller obliges and sends you the $600. One day later, your shaft shows up.

 

Now the seller is totally screwed and is reliant on your good word that you'll send the shaft back.

 

I'll add that I sympathize with your situation. I had three packages in the mail last week. Two of them fell off the map. One was scanned the day it was received by the Post Office and has had no activity since that date (over a week ago). It's frustrating as hell.

Edited March 23, 2021 by MaineMariner

[LeftyMatt24]

48 minutes ago, kcsf said:

Title pretty much explains the situation. Purchased a shaft on BST on the 8th of March, seller was fast and shipped same day from NJ. It's now been 15 days and the shaft has made it exactly 29.4 miles. I know it's not the sellers fault for the slow shipping, but it is the responsibility of the seller to provide delivery and at this point delivery isn't an absolute. I'm out $600 and my patience is waning. 

 

What is a reasonable amount of time before I seek a refund? Seller has already communicated they will not be issuing one to me directly as they want me to wait until USPS refunds them. I will not be going down that path and if/when I choose to seek a refund it will be through paypal. 

 

Thoughts? 

 

Shipping detail:

March 22, 2021
In Transit, Arriving Late
Your package will arrive later than expected, but is still on its way. It is currently in transit to the next facility.

---

March 20, 2021, 3:42 am
Arrived at USPS Regional Origin Facility
PHILADELPHIA PA NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER 

---

March 19, 2021, 9:46 am
Arrived at USPS Facility
ATCO, NJ 08004 

---

March 19, 2021, 4:59 am
Arrived at Post Office
ATCO, NJ 08004 

---

March 18, 2021, 7:53 pm
Departed USPS Regional Facility
SOUTH JERSEY NJ DISTRIBUTION CENTER 

---

March 18, 2021, 5:10 pm
Arrived at USPS Regional Origin Facility
SOUTH JERSEY NJ DISTRIBUTION CENTER 

---

March 8, 2021, 4:32 pm
Departed Post Office
ATCO, NJ 08004 

---

March 8, 2021, 4:19 pm
USPS in possession of item
ATCO, NJ 08004 

Did you submit a claim or request with usps online to help find? That usually works and they call you to give you updates. 

[larryd3]

I'm not trying to be difficult or anything, but with all of the posts here about how bad USPS has been over the past months, no way I'd buy or sell any item if USPS shipping was involved.  Especially something that expensive.  The extra cost for FedEx or UPS is worth it.  but just my opinion.  If I was the seller, I'd really be worried about refunding your money at this point,  what protection does he have once he's refunded you?   From your viewpoint, I understand completely but think I'd give it some more time.  I had something coming to me by usps and the tracking was crap.  But finally it did arrive.  tracking never updated from the "in transit arriving late" until it was at my house.  nothing in between for several weeks.  I hope this all works out for both the  buyer and seller.

[TwistedSister]

9 minutes ago, larryd3 said:

I'm not trying to be difficult or anything, but with all of the posts here about how bad USPS has been over the past months, no way I'd buy or sell any item if USPS shipping was involved.  Especially something that expensive.  The extra cost for FedEx or UPS is worth it.  but just my opinion.  If I was the seller, I'd really be worried about refunding your mActualoney at this point,  what protection does he have once he's refunded you?   From your viewpoint, I understand completely but think I'd give it some more time.  I had something coming to me by usps and the tracking was crap.  But finally it did arrive.  tracking never updated from the "in transit arriving late" until it was at my house.  nothing in between for several weeks.  I hope this all works out for both the  buyer and seller.

Actually UPS ground is now cheaper on most packages...

[UTvols83]

You always get some sort of resolution from USPS first. Unfortunately, you probably need to give it a month to come in considering the current issues with USPS. As someone else mentioned, go ahead and contact them about it. If USPS can't find the package, then the seller should refund you and then fight with USPS for the insurance money. At that point, you shouldn't have to wait for USPS to pay the seller. A PayPal refund is only going to be an option if the seller is being difficult (likely because they didn't fully insure the package).

[DangleGolf]

I switched over all club sales to FedEx. I had way too many issues with USPS. Fight it out with the USPS though, seller isn't obligated to refund you until there's clarity on where the shaft is

[BlkNGld]

Your situation is frustrating, but not unique.

 

Plenty here have stuff on order that most likely have parts of it sitting on container ships anchored off of ports because of backlogs in unloading.

[GrandStranded]

57 minutes ago, dhacker56 said:

Actually UPS ground is now cheaper on most packages...

Same with fed ex. I don’t even bother with usps anymore when shipping anything I’ve sold.

[zip7111]

Why someone would roll the dice shipping a 600.00 shaft with USPS right now is beyond me.  I would rather pay a few extra bucks to make sure I knew where the shaft was, and it got where it was going quickly.  Not sure why the seller would not feel the same way?

[JimmyC59]

2 hours ago, kcsf said:

Title pretty much explains the situation. Purchased a shaft on BST on the 8th of March, seller was fast and shipped same day from NJ. It's now been 15 days and the shaft has made it exactly 29.4 miles. I know it's not the sellers fault for the slow shipping, but it is the responsibility of the seller to provide delivery and at this point delivery isn't an absolute. I'm out $600 and my patience is waning. 

 

What is a reasonable amount of time before I seek a refund? Seller has already communicated they will not be issuing one to me directly as they want me to wait until USPS refunds them. I will not be going down that path and if/when I choose to seek a refund it will be through paypal. 

 

Thoughts? 

 

Shipping detail:

March 22, 2021
In Transit, Arriving Late
Your package will arrive later than expected, but is still on its way. It is currently in transit to the next facility.

---

March 20, 2021, 3:42 am
Arrived at USPS Regional Origin Facility
PHILADELPHIA PA NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER 

---

March 19, 2021, 9:46 am
Arrived at USPS Facility
ATCO, NJ 08004 

---

March 19, 2021, 4:59 am
Arrived at Post Office
ATCO, NJ 08004 

---

March 18, 2021, 7:53 pm
Departed USPS Regional Facility
SOUTH JERSEY NJ DISTRIBUTION CENTER 

---

March 18, 2021, 5:10 pm
Arrived at USPS Regional Origin Facility
SOUTH JERSEY NJ DISTRIBUTION CENTER 

---

March 8, 2021, 4:32 pm
Departed Post Office
ATCO, NJ 08004 

---

March 8, 2021, 4:19 pm
USPS in possession of item
ATCO, NJ 08004 

What shaft costs $600???

[Bad9]

11 minutes ago, JimmyC59 said:

What shaft costs $600???

 

11 minutes ago, JimmyC59 said:

What shaft costs $600???

Autoflex is my guess.

[golfunderpar18]

Shipping price is also very dependent on location.   Usps is far less risky now a days of shipping more local to say Arizona  (I’m in California) l. Usps has been a mess for 9 months since the height of Covid.  I switched much of my shipping to FedEx as it’s faster and of going west to east coast it’s cheaper (shoes for example 3-4lbs FedEx west to east $12-13 vs USps now well over $18).   FedEx also cheaper on larger items like bags or sets of clubs.  Shocked to hear ups mentioned.  Whenever I’ve compared the 3 ups is always more expensive.   
 

back to the issue at hand.....the buyer should open a case with usps.  So can the seller.  It’s a little early especially if tracking is still active / still in transit.   Is the usps tracking app shows it’s location as missing or no update for a few weeks that’s a different story.  Sucks on the delay but usps is not the route to Take for fast deliveries at this point.  Hope this works out and you get the shaft soon.   ultimately the seller isn’t in the hook usps is.  The seller provided tracking and shipped timely.  I ship 200-250 packages a year and always have 1 like this where it goes into limbo for 2-4 weeks.  Ive never lost 1 package yet.  Usps is always the cause for the lengthy delay as they misdirected it.   It’s clearly in transit so you should keep monitoring at this point.  It’s going to get to you.....albeit late.

Edited March 23, 2021 by golfunderpar18
Spelling

[sethdavidsdad]

With the way this year has gone, two weeks is nothing. USPS has been bad with packages. 

[LPSISCO]

I had a USPS package go into the dreaded “still in transit, will arrive late” category a couple weeks ago. I went to the PO I shipped from to inquire, they said to give it a few more days at least (it was already a week late at this point). 
The next day tracking was updated to show it was in the recipient’s city, and it was delivered the next day.

 

I have no idea if me going there to inquire was the impetus for them to move it along, or it was just a coincidence. But maybe it will help to do the same. 

[Krt22]

Has the seller initiated a package trace with USPS? That tends to get them moving

[osh9]

The Philadelphia Network Distribution Center is a disaster right now too. I shipped a package to a town just north of Philly and it took a week and a half to get to that town from the distribution center..

[KC13]

A month would seem appropriate.  I would (as seller) refund depending on the longstanding status of the buyer on this site.  I of course would contact USPS and try my very best to find a resolution prior to refund.  In todays climate, that's just the nature of shipping USPS.  

 

I fully agree with the first comment.  I had a situation of a package being delayed, was told by USPS its lost, i refunded and then the package showed up a week later.  Thankfully the buyer kept his word.  

 

Good luck OP.  

 

- KC 

[kcsf]

1 hour ago, Krt22 said:

Has the seller initiated a package trace with USPS? That tends to get them moving

Thanks for everyones responses, I think we're all on the same page.

 

To my knowledge, yes. It's just weird that in 15 days the package has traveled 30 miles. Seller has been great with communication, so my issue isn't with them, but my patience for an undelivered package is getting thin. I'll circle back with the seller and try to contact USPS (tried before and couldn't get anyone on the line). 

 

I've done 100's of purchases on ebay and close to 100 here, and never had this issue before as a buyer but I know when I ship it's my responsibility to make sure it arrives, or I refund the buyer which I've done before too. The item did show up, 3 months after refunding the buyer. 

 

Seller did insure and the package is signature required, all great moves by the seller. 

Edited March 23, 2021 by kcsf

[MPAndreassi]

If the terms of the sale included USPS as the shipping and the seller did all in their power to get it out in a timely manner, you kind of just have to wait it out. If you wanted to go a different shipping route you should’ve discussed that with the seller beforehand. 
 

Your best bet is to file a “where’s my package” claim through the USPS website. It’ll send your claim to your local postmaster and they’ll look into it and get back to you with the explanation for the delay. 

[zip7111]

44 minutes ago, kcsf said:

Thanks for everyones responses, I think we're all on the same page.

 

To my knowledge, yes. It's just weird that in 15 days the package has traveled 30 miles.

 

You have no idea how far it has actually traveled.  This was just the last scan.  It could be much farther along and just hasn't been scanned yet.  A lot of times odd shaped boxes or tubes (like golf shafts) cant go on the belts and have to be manually moved and scanned.  

Edited March 23, 2021 by zip7111

[tomuch23]

It looks as though the package is moving again so you will see it soon I think. 

[BrickDaFunk]

I just had a package delivered today that was never even scanned to show USPS had it in their possession....it went from label created to ready for pickup, after traveling for a little more than a week and across the Pacific Ocean.

[dmecca2]

USPS is hit or miss right now. I've had stuff arrive before the scheduled date and after. Fedex has been worse. If your scheduled delivery date was March 22nd, I would wait until at least April 10th to start raising a ruckus. Unfortunately, that's just the nature of shipping right now and there's nothing you can do. Wait it out, your shaft will come. 

[MaineMariner]

Just yesterday I posted about an item that just dropped off the USPS tracking system. It was last scanned in Nevada a week ago and had no movement afterwards. Well, today it's out for the delivery in Pennsylvania. No idea what happened there, but it's on its way.

[jackstraw1975]

I'm going through this right now with USPS.

I've contacted USPS about running a trace last Thursday and haven't heard anything from them other than the "thanks for getting in touch and we really care".  Bad thing is I'm not getting any communication/response/help from the seller too.

 

 

 

 

 

[dmecca2]

7 minutes ago, jackstraw1975 said:

I'm going through this right now with USPS.

I've contacted USPS about running a trace last Thursday and haven't heard anything from them other than the "thanks for getting in touch and we really care".  Bad thing is I'm not getting any communication/response/help from the seller too.

 

 

 

 

 

What help could the seller offer? He did his part by dropping it off at the post office. Logistical issues of USPS are not for him to resolve. 

[kcsf]

It’s the sellers responsibility to assure delivery, not the buyers. I take that on when I sell an item. It’s just a part of doing business. If you ordered something on Amazon and it wasn’t delivered in weeks would you just accept that or would you seek answers and a possible refund?
 

original delivery date was March 12th. 

[jackstraw1975]

1 minute ago, dmecca2 said:

What help could the seller offer? He did his part by dropping it off at the post office. Logistical issues of USPS are not for him to resolve. 

What help?!?!  I'd take anything over nothing!

 

All I'm asking for is if he insured the shipment and if he would also try to contact the post office he used and start a trace on his end. 

Not asking for them to resolve, just asking them questions and getting no answers.  

[cgasucks]

The seller did his part by shipping your item same day you paid (which is very impressive since I expect to have a seller ship something to me within 48 hours).  Now it is in the hands of USPS and the seller has no control over what they do. 

 

You do know that the world is in a pandemic right?  The world doesn't revolve around you as you're not the only one experiencing delayed shipments.

Edited March 24, 2021 by cgasucks