Mail Delivery

[Railsplitter]

I am really glad that I don’t work for The United States Postal Service. Much respect for those who do.

We have a different mailman( or woman) almost everyday. Rarely do I recognize them.

I sit out on my front porch a lot because I find it peaceful and good for the soul. On countless occasions I have thanked the letter carrier for all of their hard work because I know that they do in fact work hard and these shortcomings are not their fault.

I can only imagine the complaints that they get from residents. I wouldn’t work that job if they paid me.

[SwedgeHead]

…..a whopping 3.713 million pieces of mail are lost or misdelivered EVERY SINGLE DAY!!!

If they asked my opinion I’d say drop Marketing Mail and Periodicals, change all First-Class delivery to every other day and outsource Package Services under a performance based service contract to the best value vendor.

Vote Tom for Postmaster !!

[bighomer]

I've noticed the same thing Rick wrote about, we have the same thing going on around here seems someone different almost every day.
I don't know whether things have changed up all that much about things going here and there, in about 2017 or so I bid on and won a couple of knives, one was in Cullman Alabama the other in Oregon. The knife from Oregon arrived in three days, the one from Cullman couple of weeks after going to several places in Oklahoma, Arkansas and Tennessee. The great thing about my personal dealings I've never not received a knife from all my buys from ebay or knife on line stores. Now some things that came from China took a couple of months but they always showed up. Thank you usps.

[QTCut5]

I know that they do in fact work hard and these shortcomings are not their fault.

Rick, I agree that the individuals who handle the mail work very hard and deserve much respect But, technically, it usually is their fault when mail is lost or misdelivered. They are tasked with an impossible job that demands high volume, fast paced, detail work done with absolute perfection. Regardless of the industry, these are humanly impossible requirements and consequently there will be human error; it would be unrealistic to believe or expect otherwise. This is the reality that anyone who uses the USPS must be willing to acknowledge and accept; which I emphatically do.

Since human error is inevitable, it is pointless to get too upset or angry with the USPS or individual postal workers when a package is lost. Personally, I don't get angry, but I do feel frustrated and unhappy when one of my packages is lost (as anyone would and obviously the reason for this thread) and I will try to do as much as I possibly can to remedy the situation so that I don't end up having to pay for someone else's mistake. I think everyone can agree that's not fair.

My purpose in sharing my experience in this thread is not to nitpick or denigrate the USPS for its statistically minor poor performance so much as to vent my frustration, commiserate with others who may have had similar experiences and possibly find a measure of comfort in knowing I am not alone---because it's true that misery loves company. Also, and more importantly, I find it beneficial to get the views and advice of others to help me maintain a sense of perspective. I've found that very often just by expressing and discussing frustrations openly, honestly and dispassionately, previously unconsidered solutions can be discovered. Hopefully others find this to be true for them as well.

Swedgehead, I second the motion to appoint Tom as Postmaster General

[Railsplitter]

I know that they do in fact work hard and these shortcomings are not their fault.

Rick, I agree that the individuals who handle the mail work very hard and deserve much respect But, technically, it usually is their fault when mail is lost or misdelivered. They are tasked with an impossible job that demands high volume, fast paced, detail work done with absolute perfection. Regardless of the industry, these are humanly impossible requirements and consequently there will be human error; it would be unrealistic to believe or expect otherwise. This is the reality that anyone who uses the USPS must be willing to acknowledge and accept; which I emphatically do.

Since human error is inevitable, it is pointless to get too upset or angry with the USPS or individual postal workers when a package is lost. Personally, I don't get angry, but I do feel frustrated and unhappy when one of my packages is lost (as anyone would and obviously the reason for this thread) and I will try to do as much as I possibly can to remedy the situation so that I don't end up having to pay for someone else's mistake. I think everyone can agree that's not fair.

My purpose in sharing my experience in this thread is not to nitpick or denigrate the USPS for its statistically minor poor performance so much as to vent my frustration, commiserate with others who may have had similar experiences and possibly find a measure of comfort in knowing I am not alone---because it's true that misery loves company. Also, and more importantly, I find it beneficial to get the views and advice of others to help me maintain a sense of perspective. I've found that very often just by expressing and discussing frustrations openly, honestly and dispassionately, previously unconsidered solutions can be discovered. Hopefully others find this to be true for them as well.

Swedgehead, I second the motion to appoint Tom as Postmaster General

Lots of good points in your post. Well stated!

[tvic]

Swedgehead, I second the motion to appoint Tom as Postmaster General

….only if he can swing a discount postage rate for pocket knives!

[PringleTree]

I mailed a Priority Mail small flat-rate box at the post office today and noticed that the price has increased overnight $1.05 from $10.65 to $11.70. When I asked him, the clerk said there are price increases effective today, although he didn't elaborate if they are across-the-board or only on certain services.

Even at $11.70 it's still a pretty good bargain.

Chris J.

[Reverand]

This may be a slight change of topic, but I would like feedback on preparing a knife for shipping. Granted, I am not shipping high-end museum-quality knives, but I do want them to arrive undamaged, and shipping them in a box increases the cost, sometimes doubling it.

I wrap a knife burrito-style in tissue paper:

Then wrap that in foam packing strips:

Then I place the knife in a zip-lock bag and tape that to a piece of cardboard. This is to keep the knife dry, and centered within the bag.

Lastly it goes in a 9x6 plastic bubble mailer. I tape the flap securely (see the red arrows) so that it doesn't get caught in the sorting equipment and get torn open.
I buy the postage and print the label through Pirate Ship, and most knives cost me less than $5 in postage.

I am just seeing if anyone has an improvement on this system, while at the same time keeping it affordable. I buy my mailers and packing material in bulk, so that helps keep my costs low, too.

[Railsplitter]

I mailed a Priority Mail small flat-rate box at the post office today and noticed that the price has increased overnight $1.05 from $10.65 to $11.70. When I asked him, the clerk said there are price increases effective today, although he didn't elaborate if they are across-the-board or only on certain services.

Even at $11.70 it's still a pretty good bargain.

Chris J.

Priority Mail boxes are indeed a good bargain. If the contents are heavy enough.

They give the boxes away for free because they want you to use them.

They want you to use them because more often than not, you can use your own box and pay less postage.

Priority Mail boxes are only a bargain if the weight of the contents would cost you more to ship in your own box. Knives (and many other items) don’t weigh enough to pay that extra postage of a Priority Box.

But we get the boxes for free. Do the math and it’s obvious that using your own boxes is cheaper in more cases than it isn’t. They just like to tempt us with those free boxes. But in the end, we pay more than necessary and they know it.

I have shipped items of all kinds in my own boxes and rarely paid more than $8.00 for shipping. It’s usually between 7-8 dollars because I’m not shipping anything heavy enough to justify the price of a Priority Box.

Additionally, Priority Mail doesn’t seem to be treated with any more priority than Ground Advantage these days.

[Railsplitter]

This may be a slight change of topic, but I would like feedback on preparing a knife for shipping. Granted, I am not shipping high-end museum-quality knives, but I do want them to arrive undamaged, and shipping them in a box increases the cost, sometimes doubling it.

I wrap a knife burrito-style in tissue paper:
IMG_7865.jpeg

Then wrap that in foam packing strips:
IMG_7866.jpeg

Then I place the knife in a zip-lock bag and tape that to a piece of cardboard. This is to keep the knife dry, and centered within the bag.
IMG_7867.jpeg

Lastly it goes in a 9x6 plastic bubble mailer. I tape the flap securely (see the red arrows) so that it doesn't get caught in the sorting equipment and get torn open.
I buy the postage and print the label through Pirate Ship, and most knives cost me less than $5 in postage.
IMG_7869.jpeg

I am just seeing if anyone has an improvement on this system, while at the same time keeping it affordable. I buy my mailers and packing material in bulk, so that helps keep my costs low, too.

I believe you are doing everything you can to prevent damage to the contents. I sincerely hope that this and all of your packages arrive safely and undamaged.

You didn’t mention if the knives are sold or not but if they are then they no longer belong to you. They belong to the buyer and they deserve to be shipped in a box. No offense intended. It’s just the truth.

[peanut740]

Priority boxes are very weakly made.I've had many over the years torn or mashed.I don't use them for shipping anymore.I buy boxes off Amazon by the bundle that are much stronger for less than .50 apiece. I wrap my knives in bubble wrap and stuff the box as full of packing peanuts as I can cram into the box and use heavy duty tape..When I get done,you can stand on the box.They ship ground advantage and usually cost $7 or so.

[jerryd6818]

I see those triple scans at Distribution Centers pretty often. For us it’s usually 3 scans in St. Louis but this recent package had 4 scans in Evansville.

I have often wondered if there is more than one facility in those cities and maybe the package is actually moving.

Do you live in the Evansville area. That's my place of birth.

[Railsplitter]

I see those triple scans at Distribution Centers pretty often. For us it’s usually 3 scans in St. Louis but this recent package had 4 scans in Evansville.

I have often wondered if there is more than one facility in those cities and maybe the package is actually moving.

Do you live in the Evansville area. That's my place of birth.

I don’t live near Evansville. That package I mentioned above was misdirected. It went past me and then later it came back.

You used to know where I live but it’s been a long time and you understandably forgot.

I prefer not to disclose my location publicly for security purposes but I will say that I am not very far away from you considering the size of the continental U.S.

[QTCut5]

UPDATE on my misdelivered package claim from 5/31/2025:

Yesterday I received a letter from USPS informing me that my second appeal had been denied due to "insufficient evidence of value". I found this strange because I had submitted my dated sales receipt three times showing all the information required per Domestic Mail Manual section 609.3.2 (purchaser, seller price, paid price, date of transaction, description of item purchased, assurance that the transaction was completed) with my original claim as well as with both appeals.

In a final last ditch effort, I sent an email to USPS (using the "Support" link) restating the issue and requesting a call back.

A customer service rep called me less than an hour later and reviewed my claim with me step by step, every detail, in its entirety, from the date of misdelivery, my initial claim, supporting documents, both appeals, and the reasons given by USPS for the claim denials. It was determined that my claim was indeed valid (i.e., USPS was at fault) and I had done everything correctly within the proper time frame to warrant reimbursement. I was then given the number for the USPS Consumer Advocate in St. Louis, MO, and told to contact them for further assistance with my valid claim.

I called the Consumer Advocate and had to leave a message with my name, phone number, and the tracking number of the lost package in order to receive a callback within 24 hours. Within ten minutes I received a callback from the Consumer Advocate and we reviewed my claim once again The advocate lady was very nice and calmly explained how the automated process works and why it denied my claim and two appeals--apparently it was because my receipt only showed the seller's name, city and state but not the full address (which, BTW, was not stated as a requirement in the claims instructions!). She then approved my claim on the spot right then and there and told me I would receive a reimbursement check in 7-10 days.

Took a lot of time, patience and persistence with meticulous attention to detail, but it looks like I will be reimbursed for the lost package It was a hard won victory and is the most time and energy I've ever invested to earn $62.09 in my life! Of course, I would rather have the knife, but the refund does take a bit of sting out of the loss.

[Railsplitter]

UPDATE on my misdelivered package claim from 5/31/2025:

Yesterday I received a letter from USPS informing me that my second appeal had been denied due to "insufficient evidence of value". I found this strange because I had submitted my dated sales receipt three times showing all the information required per Domestic Mail Manual section 609.3.2 (purchaser, seller price, paid price, date of transaction, description of item purchased, assurance that the transaction was completed) with my original claim as well as with both appeals.

In a final last ditch effort, I sent an email to USPS (using the "Support" link) restating the issue and requesting a call back.

A customer service rep called me less than an hour later and reviewed my claim with me step by step, every detail, in its entirety, from the date of misdelivery, my initial claim, supporting documents, both appeals, and the reasons given by USPS for the claim denials. It was determined that my claim was indeed valid (i.e., USPS was at fault) and I had done everything correctly within the proper time frame to warrant reimbursement. I was then given the number for the USPS Consumer Advocate in St. Louis, MO, and told to contact them for further assistance with my valid claim.

I called the Consumer Advocate and had to leave a message with my name, phone number, and the tracking number of the lost package in order to receive a callback within 24 hours. Within ten minutes I received a callback from the Consumer Advocate and we reviewed my claim once again The advocate lady was very nice and calmly explained how the automated process works and why it denied my claim and two appeals--apparently it was because my receipt only showed the seller's name, city and state but not the full address (which, BTW, was not stated as a requirement in the claims instructions!). She then approved my claim on the spot right then and there and told me I would receive a reimbursement check in 7-10 days.

Took a lot of time, patience and persistence with meticulous attention to detail, but it looks like I will be reimbursed for the lost package It was a hard won victory and is the most time and energy I've ever invested to earn $62.09 in my life! Of course, I would rather have the knife, but the refund does take a bit of sting out of the loss.

That’s great news! Glad to hear this but man, what a hassle.

Much respect for all of your efforts. They were expecting you give up and you didn’t!

[Jeepergeo]

UPDATE on my misdelivered package claim from 5/31/2025:

Yesterday I received a letter from USPS informing me that my second appeal had been denied due to "insufficient evidence of value". I found this strange because I had submitted my dated sales receipt three times showing all the information required per Domestic Mail Manual section 609.3.2 (purchaser, seller price, paid price, date of transaction, description of item purchased, assurance that the transaction was completed) with my original claim as well as with both appeals.

In a final last ditch effort, I sent an email to USPS (using the "Support" link) restating the issue and requesting a call back.

A customer service rep called me less than an hour later and reviewed my claim with me step by step, every detail, in its entirety, from the date of misdelivery, my initial claim, supporting documents, both appeals, and the reasons given by USPS for the claim denials. It was determined that my claim was indeed valid (i.e., USPS was at fault) and I had done everything correctly within the proper time frame to warrant reimbursement. I was then given the number for the USPS Consumer Advocate in St. Louis, MO, and told to contact them for further assistance with my valid claim.

I called the Consumer Advocate and had to leave a message with my name, phone number, and the tracking number of the lost package in order to receive a callback within 24 hours. Within ten minutes I received a callback from the Consumer Advocate and we reviewed my claim once again The advocate lady was very nice and calmly explained how the automated process works and why it denied my claim and two appeals--apparently it was because my receipt only showed the seller's name, city and state but not the full address (which, BTW, was not stated as a requirement in the claims instructions!). She then approved my claim on the spot right then and there and told me I would receive a reimbursement check in 7-10 days.

Took a lot of time, patience and persistence with meticulous attention to detail, but it looks like I will be reimbursed for the lost package It was a hard won victory and is the most time and energy I've ever invested to earn $62.09 in my life! Of course, I would rather have the knife, but the refund does take a bit of sting out of the loss.

There are three big common lies in life:
1. I'm from the government and I'm here to help you.
2. The check is in the mail.
3. Can't repeat this lie on this site.

I hope you get your check. And for the Consumer Advocate, it sounds like they just did their job, so I don't see that being worth kudos. As for the USPS, it needs to review the SCOTUS ruling on the Chevron document that prohibits federal agencies from making up laws and requirements that are not passed by Congress and recorded in the Federal Register.

[robpa]

my Guppies got here(PA) from Fla. in 2 days in fine shape. It aint all bad!

[PringleTree]

Sorry, have to vent. Waiting on a knife coming from Kansas. Instead of sending it to my local post office, the distribution center in Harrisburg, PA, sent it to a post office in the county next door to me, where it arrived yesterday morning. Instead of figuring a way yesterday to get the package the 12 miles from the errant post office to my post office so that it could be in my mail today, those people sent it back to Harrisburg. So now, after being 12 miles away within my state, it's in another state and at least two days have been added to the trip.

I've got another that left Oregon several days ago and made it to somewhere in the Midwest and then the tracking just ended. And a third that was picked up from the seller by USPS. That's the only notation in tracking--that it was picked up by USPS. It's been in their possession for several days, but no indication of movement.

Chris J.

[QTCut5]

Despite all the unfortunate, frustrating issues like misdeliveries, lost packages, and crazy, inexplicable shipping delays, I still feel the USPS is the best shipping service available and works amazingly well the vast majority of the time.

Sometimes it works so incredibly well, in fact, it seems to defy the laws of physics, time and space.

For example, I recently received a package shipped Ground Advantage from Indiana in TWO DAYS!! (actually, 46½ hrs.)

How is this even physically possible??

[Railsplitter]

USPS must be making some changes to their routings. The last stop before my hometown has always been St. Louis but it’s been Olathe, Kansas on my last 3 shipments. Never even went to St. Louis at all.

Anybody else seeing this new Olathe, Kansas scan on their shipments?

[Railsplitter]

Had a Mail Hold on our mail but USPS did not honor the Hold.

Our neighbor says that my package is rain soaked. Of course, it’s a new knife. Hoping that new knife is okay and also expecting a few days of no mail delivery on the wrong days.

[just bob]

I just read about this and thought I would post it. Kind of ironic I spoke with a guy the other day who said he got fleeced making electronic payments and went back to writing paper checks. What's a guy to do? I use the bill pay app at my bank and very seldom write paper checks. May be a good idea not to send them through the mail.

https://www.wthr.com/article/news/natio ... cd0b959d9e

[ThatWeirdKnifeGuy]

I was so confused by my knife's tracking. Then I realized there's two Kansas City's

It was so close! Oshkosh is 15 minutes away

Just a little somethin' I found dredging the bay, but still...

[cudgee]

I may just be lucky. Until not long ago there was no mail from America to here or vice-versa. 2 weeks ago i ordered a knife from America. Arrived in 2 weeks with full tracking and constant updates. I could not be more complimentary of the USPS from this experience, but may have been a one off.

[Lansky1]

Here's my latest USPS odyssey ... MD to PA via CO with a vacation in NJ for 5 days