Beware of the Post Office.

[mrmarmota]

I recently purchased a barrel from a seller on this sight. The seller entrusted the USPS with the task of delivery. Our addresses are only 140 miles apart. The barrel was in transit for 6 days. For much of this time the USPS really had no idea where the barrel was. The tracking system is inaccacurate and misleading. The post master told me "Oh yes we get at least 5 or 6 of these misrouted packages per week". Well folks, that equates to millions of packages weekly that they lose track of. Some never to be delivered. Bottom line ,if the sender does not buy insurance you have NO recourse if your package is lost. The Post office DOES NOT buy into the practice of custodial care. The post office has a bad reputation and in my opinion they deserve every bit of it. Having been on the short end of postal ineptitude on 2 previous occasions I find their attitude appalling and inexcusable.
I would encourage everyone to ALWAYS buy the correct amount of insurance and DO NOT use the USPS.
That is my rant. Take it for what it is worth.
Ed

 

[hogpatrol]

Anything of real value, I spend the extra bucks and ship priority mail and out of over a hundred shipped in that manner NEVER had a hiccup. You can get the same screwups with the potheads loading trucks over at your local UPS depot. I had a barrel shipped to me UPS from Akron, OH to DE and it went on a truck tour out to Salt Lake City first. Three weeks later it was delivered.

 

[LawrenceHanson]

I would like to offer my experience with USPS. I’ve been in the process of downsizing and selling shooting related items I no longer need. I keep a record of items sold, who bought them, and how I shipped them. Over the past 1.5 years I have shipped 18 items via USPS without any problems. I always insure my packages and track them. In addition, buyers often send payment via USPS and I recall one instance where a letter with payment was undeliverable and returned to the buyer. Other than that USPS service has been satisfactory.

Maybe I’m lucky. But I find USPS priority mail service to be dependable and convenient for shipping smaller items and will continue using it.

I sent a Hawkeye borescope across the country last week USPS. It was delivered four days ahead of schedule. I will be shipping two Leupold scopes USPS this week. With insurance and tracking, I sleep well.

Not to be a smart a$$, but offering another perspective.

 

[Killshot]

Sorry you had a bad experience, Ed. The routing of non-Priority Mail can be circuitous if the sender or receiver live in towns without a regional distribution center. That going to/from can account for four days alone.

I have a side biz which involves shipping heavy boxes, Priority Mail works great for this as weight is not considered.
I've received and then reshipped hundreds of boxes without losing one or delays. Low prices, too.

Regular mail is for marketing and birthday cards. Give Priority a try next time.

 

[Sugar]

USPS is in terrible shape. They have gotten out of control and the only thing that I send through them is regular stamped mail now. If it is of importance I won't even send that. They sent a 500.00 package of mine to the dead mail center and I never seen it after that. the Post Master said it was unrecoverable from there. They said the label must have gotten damaged so I asked how did you know my email address then. Then he fessed up and said the person scanning it most likely selected the wrong whatever on his scanner. Which sent it to dead mail center . There is no contacting this center whatsoever. Never never again.

 

[hogpatrol]

USPS is in terrible shape. They have gotten out of control and the only thing that I send through them is regular stamped mail now. If it is of importance I won't even send that. They sent a 500.00 package of mine to the dead mail center and I never seen it after that. the Post Master said it was unrecoverable from there. They said the label must have gotten damaged so I asked how did you know my email address then. Then he fessed up and said the person scanning it most likely selected the wrong whatever on his scanner. Which sent it to dead mail center . There is no contacting this center whatsoever. Never never again.

Just curious, was it shipped priority or other premium service with insurance or regular parcel post sans insurance?

 

[Mudcat]

and even if you "buy" "insurance" you will likely not get jack from the PO anyhow. Lost $500 worth of bullets of mine that I shipped and then when I filed the claim adn sent the paperwork reqeuested, including copy of check, they said "denied, no proof check was cashed". Seriously?

 

[Sugar]

Flat rate box with 50 bucks of insurance. lol I didn't even pursue the 50 bucks. Some lessons are expensive.

 

[LHSmith]

Flat rate box with 50 bucks of insurance. lol I didn't even pursue the 50 bucks. Some lessons are expensive.

$50 insured value (which is the default value on Priority Mail Flat Rate) on a parcel valued @ $500? It seems you took a gamble trying to save money and lost.

 

[LHSmith]

Just curious, was it shipped priority or other premium service with insurance or regular parcel post sans insurance?

I'd like to know also. I may be wrong, but, if you don't pay for tracking.......there simply is no tracking. Buy cheap > get cheap

 

[L.Sherm]

1.5 years ago sent a die off to get made into a bushing die got a card from the USPS to fill out because the package got damaged and contents were gone so i could fill out this card and they would look in Atlanta were all that kind of stuff goes, well I filled out the card with description Forester 19 Badger die. Well just like I suspected the last i heard from them, how many Forester 19 badger dies could they have there? 4 months ago sent a check for a bore guide after 2 weeks nothing recieved cancelled check sent another one after 2 weeks nothing again, I know your thinking wrong address no double checked everything was correct The reciever or I have never seen those 2 checks WTF.

 

[nmkid]

Have been using the USPS for many years for my shipping stuff. They have never lost anything. If it's important it goes Priority Mail and insured for what it's worth. UPS for me has "lost" a $400 fly rod. Just about 2 months ago I took in 2 packages at the same time to UPS. One was going to Calif. and the other to Kentucky. Yep, they sent the KY. to CA and CA. to KY.. I had the names and address on each package in big block letters! When I use USPS to send anything of real value, (scope, barrel, etc.) I always go overboard on the packing and tape. I also try to remember to put a piece of paper inside the package with to and from addresses. Also, items that end up at the Dead Mail Center are recoverable. So, I don't know why Sugar was told it wasn't. There are ham-fisted gorillas working at both institutions package accordingly and hope it makes it.

 

[hogpatrol]

Just curious, was it shipped priority or other premium service with insurance or regular parcel post sans insurance?

I'd like to know also. I may be wrong, but, if you don't pay for tracking.......there simply is no tracking. Buy cheap > get cheap

You get free tracking on all parcels now. I sent a small box parcel post and got a tracking #, no insurance.

 

[Sugar]

Yep I had tracking. Tracked right to the post office that sent it to dead mail. Regardless of the shipping cost. The post office in my view were obligated to get the package to it's destination. But we all have different expectations of service. I really feel bad about the USPS. But it is not the same postal service that it used to be.

 

[NWnewguy]

It is an unfortunate occurrence that's for sure, but I would submit that there are at least as many horror stories about UPS or Fed Ex as the USPS. In fact I once got a cooler (Yeti) that was packaged in the Yeti box which had obviously taken a fork lift tine through the side of the box damaging the aesthetics of the cooler quite a bit. I filed a claim with UPS and it was denied on account of insufficient packaging! It does surprise me that some lawyers haven't drummed up a class action suit attempting to get rich based on a reasonable expectation of paying a company to deliver something and it actually get delivered. It wouldn't seem like you should need insurance for that, it should probably be in the cost of the shipping.

On another note. I just sent a check to one of the members on here and must have been really tired still from my last deployment and managed to drop it in the USPS box without a stamp. Surprisingly it showed up four days later with a stamp for insufficient postage. I couldn't believe it made it back. I am surprised I ever saw the thing again. I put a stamp on it and it's on it's way again, hopefully to be delivered soon.

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

I've shipped hundred if not thousands of packages by USPS, and UPS, primarily. They both screw the pooch on rare occasions but what's amazing to me. is how often they get it right! Unfortunately, it was the OP's turn in the barrel. We all like to fuss about shipping screw ups and costs, but frankly, the record of USPS, UPS and FedEx is amazingly good and at a bargain, IMHO. Perhaps the Pony Express would do better for less but I really doubt it...and I'm not about to drive a 70lb package across the country in 2-3 days for the cost of a USPS flat rate priority mail box. Where I live, the cost of a a $6 small flat rate box won't get me far beyond the end of my 3/8 mile long driveway.

 

[L.Sherm]

I think it is just a crap shoot maybe it boils down to the area you live in, I have personally just had better luck UPS and Fedex. especially the last couple years.

 

[L.Sherm]

I agree to 95% of what you say Lawerence but after you hand over the money and Pkg to however USPS,UPS,Fedex, it becomes there responsabilty isn't that what there are getting payed for?

 

[Dusty Stevens]

1.5 years ago sent a die off to get made into a bushing die got a card from the USPS to fill out because the package got damaged and contents were gone so i could fill out this card and they would look in Atlanta were all that kind of stuff goes, well I filled out the card with description Forester 19 Badger die. Well just like I suspected the last i heard from them, how many Forester 19 badger dies could they have there? 4 months ago sent a check for a bore guide after 2 weeks nothing recieved cancelled check sent another one after 2 weeks nothing again, I know your thinking wrong address no double checked everything was correct The reciever or I have never seen those 2 checks WTF.

I bet they found a forster 19 badger die and kept looking!

Just messin around!

 

[clintsrv]

It’s important to remember that it’s the responsibility of the seller to get the item to the buyer. When I sell an item I make every effort to ensure that it gets to the buyer, intact and on time. That’s on me, not the buyer. If anything goes wrong during shipment, it’s up to me as the seller to address it and make it right. That is why I spend the money and the time to make sure my deals go through as promised to my buyers.

That’s the kind of person you would want to buy from…right? Someone who is responsible and knowledgeable about communication, packaging, shipping, follow through, etc…

If the seller does not deliver, it’s the sellers fault, and the seller must deal with. That’s the way I see it.

This 100%.