When do I get concerned about USPS?

pwd72s

pwd72s

recreational banger
Silver Member
JC said:
Thanks everyone I feel better now. I've been getting more and more anxious since Wednesday when it should have arrived. The customer has the tracking number and I haven't heard a peep from him but this is the second cue I have made for him. He knows I keep my word.

Will just chill for a few more days.
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Really, do try to chill. I live in the middle of the Willamette Valley. During normal times when relaxing on my patio, I can watch frequent airline traffic going North and South. Northbound seem to follow the Cascades, Southbound more towards the coast range...kind of like a busy I-5 in the sky.

Since the lockdown started, these flights are close to non existent. Airlines do carry a lot of mail...so yes, a slowdown can be expected.

I hope your shipment is fine..just taking longer.
 
J

Johnson

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I ship thousands of packages a year via USPS, typically I will get an issue like this with maybe 1 to 3 out of every 1000 that either gets lost at the post office, or at some other hub on the way or it will get sent to the wrong hub then bounce back. Calling is an absolute waste of time, the last time I called I spent 30 mins on the phone talking to some woman with a Russian accent named Olga that lied about everything she said. For me personally if an item doesn't arrive I tell the buyer to wait a minimum of 2 weeks before panicking. They have something you pay even more money for that they use to track down the package with but I've never used it considering you already paid to have it shipped and to be insured to get there.
 
book collector

book collector

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I had 2 packages not show up on time , both had been taken up to be delivered and no one there to sign for them on a couple of occasions. The driver had returned them to the post office "annex" instead of the main post office , which was the normal protocol in those small towns .a note is sent to customer and they must come there to pick up.
 
JC

JC

Coos Cues
ShootingArts said:
When I shipped a lot of stuff priority mail years ago it always arrived in the expected few days or in about ten days. Either it got the extra care and trip on a bird you expect with priority mail or it ended up on a truck with regular mail. USPS used to state this, no guarantee of speedy delivery because some Priority mail went standard paths if the priority mail system was overloaded. It was funny, as in strange, packages arrived in the expected two or three days or ten to fourteen. Very very rare for the timespan to be anywhere in between those two blocks of time. Of course covid may be slowing things to a crawl now making any usual predictions worthless.

I would contact USPS immediately so that it is looked for. If it is lost or stolen a fast search often recovers an item when waiting a few weeks doesn't.

I will ask, what did you ship the cue in? How packaged inside the outer container? Sometimes drivers and handlers prefer a package to disappear rather than arrive badly damaged for blame to be assigned.

Good luck!

Hu
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This particular cue is padded and slid inside a piece of 3 inch sewer pipe taped at the end and then inside of a triangle mailing tube also padded on the outside taped like the incredible hulk wants in.

No rough handling is going to affect it much.
 
j2pac

j2pac

Marital Slow Learner.
Staff member
Moderator
Gold Member
Silver Member
JC said:
Sent a cue to Texas on Monday priority mail 2 day and it's not there.

Tracking is as follows:

View attachment 547732

Does this mean it's gone forever after being 3 days late priority mail? Never had this happen before and have shipped many cues like this. When do I start contacting the postal service? Can you even get a hold of them right now?

I did buy their insurance for the entire value but it was a pretty nice cue I put a lot of work into and losing it will really disappoint me and the buyer.

If anyone sees this cue somewhere other than Texas it's stolen from the mail.

View attachment 547733
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Beauty of a cue John. My last several packages sent via USPS, took a few days longer than advertised. I'd give it a few days, and then begin with a trip to the post office. I also visited your website. You are seriously making some damn fine cues my friend. The website is very nice as well.
 
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T

Terry Aeschliman

Terry Aeschliman
Gold Member
Silver Member
Usps

The website says they are running slow. I had a package shipped by Jacoby in Wisconsin to me in central Indiana. Took nine days. After 6 days I made inquiries thru their website.
Another cue shipped to me from Dallas was 3 days later than initial tracking indicated.
They are having problems in several states. Be patient and open a claim.
 
TATE

TATE

AzB Gold Mensch
Silver Member
Gyms are closed, it's hard to find dumbbells for sale. I'm beefing up my home stuff so I ordered two 35 pound Weiders from a guy and the package is lost in the US Mail, tracking not working. The guy did the ebay postage and says he didn't get a receipt from the post office. So now I have two dumbbells lost and one dumbbell shipper. Can't find 50 pounders for the life of me.
 
C

ChrisinNC

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
This has happened to me before. The shipment seems like it’s stuck in one place for a few days, maybe misplaced, but I’m guessing it will arrive early next week if it hasn’t arrived already.
 
R

RandyinHawaii

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
For me USPS has been pretty good, but there have been some times, even with priority and express mail, cues have arrived unto a week late. Never had one the was just lost.

aloha
Randy
 
B

brigeton

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Living in the sticks I buy a lot of stuff online. USPS is usually very good especially priority mail. I did buy some fishing stuff a couple years ago from a business on the other side of Michigan that never arrived after about a week. I called the company and they did a trace on it and never did find it. It seems to have disappeared in Detroit somewhere. The company reshipped my order priority mail and I had it the next day.
 
CuesDirectly

CuesDirectly

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I hope that cue gets there soon, it looks great.

The worst one for me was in 2013, it was going to Puerto Rico priority mail. It took 30 days and the customer and I were very concerned, I was already making another one just in case.

There are some rural areas in some states that may take an extra day or two, like many, the USPS has never lost one for me yet and hopefully it's the same for you.
 
HNTFSH

HNTFSH

Birds, Bass & Bottoms
Silver Member
I had one recently via Amazon. Seemed to have been stuck in Chantilly VA for a week or better. After not receiving the package on the last day in the Amazon delivery window, I cancelled for refund.

Went out and bought a similar product locally for 50% more.

Next day, the Amazon package arrived. :bash:

While I agree the USPS normally shows up, the inability to actually get answers when things are stuck or missing sucks. When I ship, it's usually Fedex.
 
gutshot

gutshot

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I have a priority mail package going overseas that has been in the bermuda triangle called the Chicago hub for two weeks now.
 
CESSNA10

CESSNA10

AzB Gold Member
Gold Member
Silver Member
NINEBALLART said:
I just mailed a cue package USPS Priority mail on Fri the 29th...Expected delivery was Mon the 1st...It got there late on Wed the 3rd....UPS has been a few days late also....
The Virus thing they say.....Don't panic in 20 years I've never had a package lost by USPS....
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I agree, it will turn up
 
ShootingArts

ShootingArts

Smorg is giving St Peter the 7!
Gold Member
Silver Member
sounds like how I pack things!

JC said:
This particular cue is padded and slid inside a piece of 3 inch sewer pipe taped at the end and then inside of a triangle mailing tube also padded on the outside taped like the incredible hulk wants in.

No rough handling is going to affect it much.
Click to expand...


Sounds like how I usually pack things. I use PVC for strength then a triangular or square box to keep it from rolling with padding inside and outside the PVC. A friend once posted on a forum that he hoped if he ever lost his pecker I was the one shipping it back to him! Oooo K, Mike! Most know better by now but a few knowledgeable people still ship in a round tube.

Just a chuckle about USPS. I live in Louisiana. Sent a scope to Texas for some custom work. I needed it for a major match in a few weeks, plenty of time to get back to me and get it on the rifle and sighted in. The scope is mailed to me. Starts this way, bounces to California! Heads this way again, gets to Texas, bounces back to California! Finally gets to me. Somebody had translated LA to CA. Somebody else helpfully changed the ZIP code to a California ZIP code! By the time the scope arrived I had a few days to bolt it on and get to the match. It all worked out but was far too exciting for comfort!

There is a reason they don't give us detailed tracking information anymore. Like making sausage, better we don't know!

Hu
 
JC

JC

Coos Cues
CuesDirectly said:
I hope that cue gets there soon, it looks great.

The worst one for me was in 2013, it was going to Puerto Rico priority mail. It took 30 days and the customer and I were very concerned, I was already making another one just in case.

There are some rural areas in some states that may take an extra day or two, like many, the USPS has never lost one for me yet and hopefully it's the same for you.
Click to expand...

I sent one to Spain last year that hung up in customs for 6 weeks.

This package is going to suburban Ft. Worth. After reading all the replies I feel a lot better. It will probably get there this week.
 
JC

JC

Coos Cues
ShootingArts said:
Sounds like how I usually pack things. I use PVC for strength then a triangular or square box to keep it from rolling with padding inside and outside the PVC. A friend once posted on a forum that he hoped if he ever lost his pecker I was the one shipping it back to him! Oooo K, Mike! Most know better by now but a few knowledgeable people still ship in a round tube.

Just a chuckle about USPS. I live in Louisiana. Sent a scope to Texas for some custom work. I needed it for a major match in a few weeks, plenty of time to get back to me and get it on the rifle and sighted in. The scope is mailed to me. Starts this way, bounces to California! Heads this way again, gets to Texas, bounces back to California! Finally gets to me. Somebody had translated LA to CA. Somebody else helpfully changed the ZIP code to a California ZIP code! By the time the scope arrived I had a few days to bolt it on and get to the match. It all worked out but was far too exciting for comfort!

There is a reason they don't give us detailed tracking information anymore. Like making sausage, better we don't know!

Hu
Click to expand...

I ordered an axle for a car we were working on a few years ago that left Arizona UPS and was never heard from again to this day. Tracking didn't help much.
 
alstl

alstl

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
JC said:
I sent one to Spain last year that hung up in customs for 6 weeks.

This package is going to suburban Ft. Worth. After reading all the replies I feel a lot better. It will probably get there this week.
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Next time you mail a cue ask the clerk at the Post Office about registered mail.

Free advice.
 
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