I bought a couple of connectors off ebay. A 7 day week and USPS reports not having received the item yet. Write the seller, they say wait another 15 days. Reply cancel my order I'm taking my business elsewhere. Buy from another seller just down the coast. They expect 3 weeks transit time - beg them to cancel my order, citing shipping time is ridiculous.
Buy from Amazon along with a bunch of vitamins. Supposed to be here Friday.
One of these days, I'll learn "FREE Shipping = You'll completely lose the inspiration for your project by the time it gets here"
I did buy a set of capacitors and a tool off ebay; those came right away - within days. So it must be the seller... I have no idea what's up with that.
Buy from Amazon along with a bunch of vitamins. Supposed to be here Friday.
One of these days, I'll learn "FREE Shipping = You'll completely lose the inspiration for your project by the time it gets here"
I did buy a set of capacitors and a tool off ebay; those came right away - within days. So it must be the seller... I have no idea what's up with that.
Last couple years, I've noticed long shipping time from supposedly US sellers on eBay. I think those are sellers overseas who registered as US seller to gain more US customers. The package tracking route and the time it takes to arrive appear that way.
I've cancelled orders from bunch of them after waiting for a week and not seeing any progress in shipping.
True - I look for that. First was in Az, second in So Cal. Unless they somehow get in a "fake" location through the ebay system...
Apparently they use some bogus address to register. One time I had to return an item to supposedly a retail outlet due to wrong item received. They sent me a return address and it's someone's house in a residential area when I looked it up on Google map.
Last month we did not get our electric bill. Neither did our neighbors. I looked it up online and paid it before the due date, Feb 5. Today we all got our missing electric bills, 4 days after the due date.
Meanwhile the kit I ordered from Elektor is still MIA. On my first email Elector promised a resend or refund once it was missing for 30 days. On the last two emails they keep asking me to wait longer. It was ordered nearly 2 months ago.
Meanwhile the kit I ordered from Elektor is still MIA. On my first email Elector promised a resend or refund once it was missing for 30 days. On the last two emails they keep asking me to wait longer. It was ordered nearly 2 months ago.
Everything is a mess, I wonder why 🙂 I have a 3 items ordered in at Digi-key on Monday morning and it is stalled, the Mouser order same time is being picked but expect a week these days for something that was usually next day or two delivery. Everyone has to take a deep breathe and be patient while we sort out the worlds issues.
The package I sent to Iceland finally got there, after 6 months, it was bouncing around the world for a while. We thought they had Iceland and Israel mixed up.
The package I sent to Iceland finally got there, after 6 months, it was bouncing around the world for a while. We thought they had Iceland and Israel mixed up.
As you may have noticed, many services which require a large amount of "hands on" personnel have been impacted by the pandemic. The USPS is no exception.
Last Summer, I sent a package "Priority Mail", which took 10 days to get there. Fortunately, my awesome homemade salsa was frozen when sent, and was wrapped in styrofoam. All good, even though it "should have been" 2 days.
Life ain't perfect, especially these days.
Don't bitch about your birthday card, which cost what to send? - oh, 50 cents - getting there a couple days late. Lesson learned: Plan ahead.
I have noticed a pattern in screw-ups that has remained throughout the entire 15 years that I have been shipping boards around the world.
Many countries have postal codes, some like Canada and the UK use a mix of letters and numbers that pinpoint an exact address. The US used a 2 digit zone number to target a particular zone within a given state. In the 60's the Zip code added 3 more digits to the zone that targets a neighborhood anywhere in the country. More recently a dash and 4 more digits have been added to target an individual address anywhere in the country, but about half the mail is still only sent using a 5 digit zip code.
Several other countries around the world also use a 5 numerical digit postal code. Let's say you live in the US and send something abroad to a country that also uses a 5 number postal code. Even if you write the destination country in bold print on the outside of the package, guess where it goes first.
That still doesn't explain why a board sent to the Cayman islands (south of Cuba) went to Chicago, left the US (Canada I assume), returned 4 days later, then was sent to Miami (where it should have gone first) and left the US, presumably to the Cayman islands. Tracking for parcels ends at the US border unless you pay for Priority mail ($40 to ship a $35 PC board).
I had another board bound for Canada that went to Chicago, then to Canada, then back to Chicago, then back to Canada, twice (4 border crossings) before finally being routed to the purchaser in Canada.
The USPS computer systems must be powered by Microsoft.
😱 I guess I shouldn't be angry because what I've seen is only half of that in comparison.
I won an auction on eBay for a replacement spooling motor for my A810, shipped by Canada Post on Tuesday from Quebec it arrived at my mail box this morning by 10AM. Cannot complain about that.
Item purchased from Allo in India Saturday arrived today by USPS as well.
Item purchased from Allo in India Saturday arrived today by USPS as well.
I bought something from Amazon . Acording to Amazon the package is in Pittsburgh Pa and should be delivered to me in Tyrone Ga. on 2/16 and lets me have the tracking #. Then when I enter the USPS tracking # it tells me as of 8am its in Pittsburg Pa and should be delivered to me by 8pm today somehow I doubt that happening.
USPS is pimping a new ‘upgraded tracking’ for a ‘minimal fee’
Quite possible that some of these tracking anomalies are intentional......I’ve noticed the same issues since they started offering the upgrade. But yet most of the time it still shows up when it should, just harder to keep track of it!
Quite possible that some of these tracking anomalies are intentional......I’ve noticed the same issues since they started offering the upgrade. But yet most of the time it still shows up when it should, just harder to keep track of it!
> USPS is pimping a new ‘upgraded tracking’ for a ‘minimal fee’
That's not really new (couple years), and is quite bogus. For a significant fee they keep your tracking number in the system up to 10 years; by default it evaporates in 4 months. Until this year I wudda said if I don't have a problem in 4 months, then I don't have a problem. But lately I am seeing 2 to 7 day "stalls" (not counting Customs Shed delays) so maybe the need is coming.
BTW: if you run an ad-block then you can't buy the extended tracking, the BUY button doesn't pop.
"Your item is eligible for USPS Tracking Plus™: Extended History. Purchase the extended tracking history for your item to be sent via email upon request. Choose the length of time you would like to extend access to this tracking history and select for purchase. You can only purchase extended history once, so all orders are final and are not eligible for a refund. Based on your tracking number, your regular tracking history is available only until May 29, 2021 without this purchase. You may purchase USPS Tracking Plus™ for only one tracking number at a time."
1 Year $2.59
5 Years $4.59
10 Years $9.99
That's not really new (couple years), and is quite bogus. For a significant fee they keep your tracking number in the system up to 10 years; by default it evaporates in 4 months. Until this year I wudda said if I don't have a problem in 4 months, then I don't have a problem. But lately I am seeing 2 to 7 day "stalls" (not counting Customs Shed delays) so maybe the need is coming.
BTW: if you run an ad-block then you can't buy the extended tracking, the BUY button doesn't pop.
"Your item is eligible for USPS Tracking Plus™: Extended History. Purchase the extended tracking history for your item to be sent via email upon request. Choose the length of time you would like to extend access to this tracking history and select for purchase. You can only purchase extended history once, so all orders are final and are not eligible for a refund. Based on your tracking number, your regular tracking history is available only until May 29, 2021 without this purchase. You may purchase USPS Tracking Plus™ for only one tracking number at a time."
1 Year $2.59
5 Years $4.59
10 Years $9.99
Yeah, it's been around in one form or another for a while. Given the 60 day PayPal refund window I don't think this is a terribly useful feature. Probably a revenue enhancing feature.
At least USPS and FedEx still provide some useful tracking information. Last time I was having tracking related angst I discovered that UPS had greatly reduced the level of detail in their tracker with the excuse that previously they were "providing an unnecessary level of detail" or words to that effect. Even less reason for me to trust them with shipping anything expensive or time sensitive.
At least USPS and FedEx still provide some useful tracking information. Last time I was having tracking related angst I discovered that UPS had greatly reduced the level of detail in their tracker with the excuse that previously they were "providing an unnecessary level of detail" or words to that effect. Even less reason for me to trust them with shipping anything expensive or time sensitive.
Yah it’s been available but the last few months it seems almost as if they’re intentionally holding back correct tracking info and flashing the upgrade option in your face.......could just be all the conspiracy theory floating around making me paranoid! 😀
I got two surprises from the USPS today. I was doing the paperwork to send a PC board to Germany when I noticed the dreaded 5 numeric digit postal code. I Googled the words zip code and the numbers, and to my surprise it came back with the correct city in Germany. I tried the number in a Zip Code lookup site and got "unused in the USA." I assumed that all of the numbers were used. I don't remember the country but somebody's postal codes match up with zip codes in Texas.
Two months ago I ordered a pc board kit from Germany. After a month it appeared in New Jersey, where it remained for another month. The vendor kept telling me to wait for it. This morning I got an email from the USPS saying that it was "out for delivery." The tracking number still showed New Jersey. The mail girl did bring me my board.
Two months ago I ordered a pc board kit from Germany. After a month it appeared in New Jersey, where it remained for another month. The vendor kept telling me to wait for it. This morning I got an email from the USPS saying that it was "out for delivery." The tracking number still showed New Jersey. The mail girl did bring me my board.
It's not just the USPS -- ocean shipping is in turmoil -- quarantines, COVID testing, slack economy turning into a boom economy. Article in the WSJ this morning of the chaos in EU-UK shipping.
My postman in Ohio is a champ.
My postman in Ohio is a champ.
I once ordered something from Nepal. It went from Kathmandu to somewhere in Austria and sat there for a month before heading to Singapore and then for some reason going back to Europe before finally arriving in Sydney Australia where it sat a for a while in customs before finally arriving here \. This was well before the current pandemic so I have no idea what DHL were doing with that one