Complaints Of Packages Not Showing Up From Buyers

ShadowCreator, I used to work for the post office. The machines that they use run at pretty fast speeds. The latest generation of SPBS, Small Parcel Bundle Sorters, are capable of processing up to 11,000 pieces an hour.

During the end of November to early part of January. The postal service hires casual employees to augment the work force that they do have. Where I worked we had a work force of about 200 employees normally. During Christmas they would hire about 600 casual employees to work with us, due to the mail volume.

The most part when packages get torn open if the items are found. The postal service will repackage the items and send them on there way. Its a good practice when you wrap up your items you include inside, and in any smaller packages your address, and the address of where you shipped it to. More then likely the items are awaiting to go to Minnesota where the post office has a very large plant to hold lost items. If the post office cant determine who they belong to they get sold at auction. Regular Postal employees normally will not open further packages at that time but will be sent to unit who does that. If you include your address and or the persons address 10 out of 10 times either it will be sent on its way or sent back to you.

There are those people who do steal, but the percentage of them to the rest of the Postal employees are very small number. I hope this helps you out some.

Are you using bubble padded envelopes or regular envelopes like what you'd send a letter in?

I always use bubble padded envelopes and I ship with Delivery Confirmation (Signature Confirmation if the value is over $250). To date, I've never had a problem. <knocking on wood>

I remember an old engineering joke: Most people joke, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" Engineers joke, "If it ain't broke, it doesn't have enough features yet!" I'm sure someone will re-design a sorting machine that will not only sort over-sized coin envelopes, but make them disappear into thin air also.

I am having increasing problems in the last year, especially with overseas shipments. This is relevant, Shadow, because we're in the same area and likely funneling through the same building early in the process.

It looks like I'm about to have the second-consecutive failure to ship the same lens to two different addresses in Canada. The first time, it just came back a month later with no explanation, and the second time is already almost a month without delivery.

So far, nothing missing, but more than one coin shipment has taken an inordinately long time.

Do you use Delivery Confirmation? It's a simple $0.80 investment that really pays off in the long run...and if you use PayPal shipping the cost is a lot lower.

I had a small package mailed from Virginia, US, Dec 17th, left Jamaica NY processing Dec 24th, and it finally arrived to small town SE BC Canada on the 12th. It had a tracking number which could be tracked US side but couldn't track it on Canada side.

I use USPS because its convienant. I ship all coins valued over $10 in a 000 padded bubble envelope and have had no problems. I have noticed that some PO's charge differently for the same weight and thickness of these 'parcels'. From 88C, to $1.22.
I send coins packed very rigid under $10, in a regular small envelope with the words 'non-machinable' written on the front. I also walk this to the clerk and they meter it for me. Its usually 64C. No problems to report.