"* What is your experience(s) with the U.S. Postal Service. ?" Topic

Out of curiosity, if you have ever had some purchase damaged/lost while in transit of the U.S.Postal Service. If yes, was it because of negligence on the part of the Post Office or some other factor?

Thanks for looking!
Tom Semian
Irvine, PA. 16329

Never had any package damaged from USPS.

I lost two parcels shipped to US.
One was lost in Custom and another one was broken and customer got only empty envelope. These two are my only lost parcels in Worldwide beginning with 2013.

They have permanently lost several packages that I was supposed to be the recipient of, and they damaged a package that I sent. I have received damaged mail several times. That said, I mail a lot of stuff and, the majority of the time, things work like they are supposed to. My experience with FedEx is much worse.

Never had a problem.

Hi

Generally in my experience (e-bay/TMP for 12 years). IF you pack it right it wont get damaged. In 1,000S of items shipped my lost rate is less than 1%. I do get some buyers who file claims but they almost always turn up.

My experience with the USPS is pretty good. Everything seems to go and arrive about when I expect. I appreciate some of their great services, such as tracking packages online and being able to have my mail held when I'm vacationing. I also really like my local Post Office, which had really improved their service until the pandemic made that much more difficult.

Work related:
Sent a packet from my town to another city in California – about 100 miles away.
Got lost, months later they found it in Alabama.

Had a package burn up when a non-USPS carrier was delivering mail for them from Ga. to TN. Seems they flipped over and caught on fire. A goodly supply of 6mm scifi melted that day. Otherwise it has been painless. UPS on the other hand…don't get me started.

This is not counting stories where the USPS and Canadian Post cooperated in modern art/interpretive dance projects starring my packages. "Sir…how do you know it was stomped on?" "…Well…seeing as there is a large boot print right there on the caved in box in the pic…"

Haven't had an problems with USPS. An occasional misplaced package, but our post office has always been willing to track it down. Good service.

In the past, I never had any issues. Great service at a fair price. However, within the last year or so, they have lost two packages and prices are getting as expensive as UPS/FedEx.

Mark

Mostly very positive. I have noticed that the bar code scans are not being updated on a few shipments. Shows checked in at the post office, then goes silent (except the automated "The package is in transit" message followed by check in at destination hub.

A few years ago I did have something interesting happen. A woman came to the door with a flat rate box of figures for me that she had found in the middle of the road. Very nice of her. I can only imagine that while the postman was reorganizing his load that it had fallen out.

I once had a package arrive half destroyed and singed. It came with a note that the mail truck caught on fire and only some partial mail was recovered, including my package.

Can't really blame them for that one, though.

The biggest issue I ever had was a mailman delivering my mail to a new box as part of an apartment complex that was under construction. It wasn't found for weeks, but eventually got to me, and a package left out in the pouring rain that was thankfully insured.

No problems whatsoever.

So far no problems.

No problems. Occasionally slow on updates but that's only since COVID entered are lives

No. A package from Badger Games was in my mailbox when I came home this afternoon. I was a bit surprised at how quickly it arrived. I dropped the order Thursday night.

pjm

Yes, but not for some four decades now. The USPS was much less reliable--and it's personnel much less friendly--in the 1970's: competition from FedEx and UPS has made a difference.

I had some delays during the initial lockdowns when sending to customers in the USA, but everything got through. And things have improved recently.

Lucky I guess never had anything being sent to me lost.

Safari, So Goodie!

Phingers Crossed.

Years ago, maybe 20 or so, I shipped three boxes from CA. to FL. The figure collection was worth over $3,000. USD It never arrived. fortunately, I had insured them. They paid me all the money and did an investigation and discovered one of the postal workers was stealing packages. They caught him and arrested him. Never recovered the collection.

Never had a problem with the receipt of a delivery. No experience sending a package.

Always had good service, but then I give my carrier a cold drink when she comes to the door delivering packages!

Mine is grea. I have several friends who are postal workers. The clerk always finds the best rate for international shipping of the books that I sell. I just paid $12 USD to ship a book to Chile though the auto buy rate was $25 USD from Amazon. They only charge theustomer $15 USD so I would lose money to ship theook. A shire book the other day cost $9 USD to the Czech Rep.

So I get all the help I need and am very happy with them. FedEx and UPS are ok but delivery can be to the wrong location.

Delays, yes. Damage, no.

I recently had a package stuck "In Transit" for 3 weeks at the Detroit Distribution Center. USPS advised me to file a Missing Package claim. It must have shaken something loose because 3 days later it arrived at its next facility.

Good most of the time; occasional catastrophic result that's the fault of USPS. Never had an incoming package go missing.

However, several recent 'catastrophic results' were the result of poor packaging on the part of Pen & Sword – the packages came apart, and each arrived in a large blue plastic bag courtesy of USPS.

Great service, no problems at all.

No problem ….

For the most part, pretty good.

Certainly better than UPS.

No problem with USPS, FedX & UPS are another matter, they just dump the package, once right under where rain was falling & soaked a box of books.

Minor issues over the years. Currently they are just slow with packages getting stuck in various distribution centers.

My experience with USPS is generally pretty good, not that I send or receive packages with any great frequency.

I've had nothing but very good experiences using the USPS. I've never lost an international package and maybe one domestic package over the past ten years.

I've had one package from Canada apparently disappear into Customs. Have also received some damaged items. Best one was a Christmas package sent from my brother's family to my family. It arrived with one corner missing and tapped over. There was a note it had been damaged during handling (it looked like it had caught in a machine and I figure it likely was a conveyor belt). The gifts largely survived along with a large bag of delicious chocolate chip cookies. Later when I told my brother about the package, he informed me they had not sent any cookies in it.

A really good history. I think I only ever had issues sending to some Euro region countries which is not an is with USPS.

I'd give USPS an A+ rating.

I've shipped thousands of packages to customers in the US and all over the world in the last 25 years.

Only one was never delivered and that was US to South Africa during Christmas season.

Covid has delayed a lot of shipments overseas. I had one that took almost five months from US to Finland. Fortunately my overseas customers are very friendly and understanding of the current shipping issues.

USPS flat rate boxes sent to international customers are a steal. You can send up to 20lbs for $75 USD in a medium flat rate box.

That I am aware of, I had one coming from Britain that was completely destroyed, except for the box lid that made it to my house in an envelope. One that I mailed out was mauled pretty badly but the contents made it safely due to my insistence on packing well. There was one other that received some moderate damage, but made it to the recipient ok. I send and receive 10-30 parcels a week so not too bad considering the volume.

I have shipped over 4,000 packages in the last 10 years. I have had issues with roughly 6 packs over that entire time. That equates to a 15% failure/issue rate. Small, but could be better.

However, with every pack it was insured and covered.

Throughout, they have given yeoman service. I admire them.

Always had great service! No complaints. I'm sure mistakes are made, but I've never seen one in my 60 plus years.

Of course, now that the new "postmaster" general is cutting services, etc, it increases the odds of problems, which will cause complaints.

+1 raylev3, of course it is by design. Augustus I think you missing a decimal point.

Up until two or so years ago, never had a problem.

Now, we get someone else's (and they get ours) mail at least twice a week. And our post office is a hub AND was something my wife and I would brag about since we moved into town back in 1996.

The decline of the area USPS has become the talk of several towns.

Never a problem. I've lost a package or two that I've sent to foreign addresses, but I'm sure the problem was at the other end.

Fairly regularly get mangled packages delivered… if well packed no problem, but several times when someone just tosses a blister or 2 in the priority box & seals it, it doesn't arrive all there… I can always tell when a package is in bad shape, they toss it on the porch & take off. If a package is in good shape, they ring the doorbell & sit the package down. Admittedly it not just the Postal service, sometimes 'Contractors', UPS et cetera. And the decline in USPS quality is very noticeable, yesterday got an email saying package from S. Cali would be delivered today (AZ)… however the tracking program says it was sent from Vegas to Chattanooga, TN yesterday. Has made me very wary about trying to sell painted miniatures on-line

Generally very good, but international transit is much slower than normal from Thailand presumably due to the fact that USPS is moving more freight by ship to get around the limited commercial flight situation.

The only problem I've had that wasn't caused by hurricanes and such was about five years ago when a temp letter carrier decided that she'd only deliver packages when she felt like it. Apparently, she knew nothing of security cameras and one of my neighbors went to the post office with video of her eating her lunch right in front of his house, a stop which she reported as "no access to delivery address".

I know she was fired but I believe she was also charged with tampering with the mail.

LT

As a whole not too bad, with some spectacular fails that they did make right after I raised a fuss.

Yesterday the post office delivered a Priority Mail box with a dime-size hole in the middle of the top. Inside were a couple of board war-games that I recently won on eBay.
Does the post office have a machine that randomly puts holes through boxes that are being mailed or what??
Tom Semian

A+ with my local Post Office.

I've made a handful of purchases for Xmas recently and I've noticed that everything being shipped by UPS has tracking updates right away and is being delivered quickly. Everything being shipped by USPS has tracking updates that indicate the order isn't moving. If I have the option moving forward I'm going to be selecting UPS or FedEx over USPS provided the costs don't break the bank.