USPS Delivery Confirmation Question

[Mr. Spider-Woman]

This came up because I bought some books on eBay a few weeks ago (paperbacks, not comics, but this is a general question applicable to comics, too) and they've yet to arrive. According to Paypal they were shipped on August 8th but that was a Sunday so I assume they actually shipped on August 9th. I paid for Media Mail shipping so even though the estimate was 2-9 days I'm not all that worried. My question is about USPS Delivery Confirmation. Based on my past experience using delivery confirmation, I was able to track the package as it made its way from a seller to me (or from me to a buyer)

 

With this specific transaction, however, there hasn't been any information available through DC. When I enter the tracking number at the USPS website I get the following message:

 

Label/Receipt Number: ####

Class: Package Services

Service(s): Delivery Confirmation™

Status: Electronic Shipping Info Received

 

The U.S. Postal Service was electronically notified by the shipper on August 09, 2010 to expect your package for mailing. This does not indicate receipt by the USPS or the actual mailing date. Delivery status information will be provided if / when available. Information, if available, is updated periodically throughout the day. Please check again later.

The way I read the message, the package may not have actually been dropped off at the post office yet. I contacted the seller a few days ago and was told it was shipped and that the package won't be scanned at every post office it goes through and may only be scanned when it arrives. Again, based on my past experience this has never been the case. Every transaction I can remember had the package scanned when it was shipped and scanned again two or three times as it moved across the country before being scanned again when it arrived at my post office.

 

I guess my question is whether or not I should be worried that there is no information available through delivery confirmation. The USPS website says delivery confirmation "gives you the date, ZIP Code™ and time your article was delivered" and doesn't mention anything else. So have I just been lucky with my past delivery confirmation experiences that let me track packages at every stop? For all I know the books could be at the post office right now. Thanks.

[Krypto Super Dawg]

I've had the same thing happen before and nothing showed up on the website until it was delivered. I also asked USPS about this and they told me Delivery confirmation is not for tracking but just to confirm delivery. However, the norm for for me has been seeing it scanned along the way.

 

[InvstmntComcSuply]

"Package may only be scanned when it arrives"

 

 

True

[zuckuss2003]

Yeah, I have had times where some packages have 5 or more updates as they make their way to the west cost, and then other with only the delivery and with media mail it can sometimes be 10 days until an update is posted.

[Secret Son]

I'm dealing with the exact situation. My comics shipped from the ebay seller on 8/12, coming from a connected state. The USPS tracking tells you nothing if things go wrong. It serves as protection for the seller when thing go right but otherwise it stinks.

[MagnetoWasRight]

Yup, same here as well. I've had a ton of packages that don't update tracking until they show up on my end. Its normal...USPS tracking isn't all that great.

[Han]

That happened to me, but the first time USPS updated it was when the package was out for delivery.

[spongerob86]

Before going out of town last week I mailed a bunch of books (text books) that I sold on ebay/half.com. About 6 had tracking and I was "watching" them before my trip.

 

A couple tracked fine and their location was updated daily. But most were wacky.

 

One was going from San Diego to northern CA, but tracking number showed it going to Dallas and sitting there for almost a week before going back to CA. Seller was emailing asking about what was taking so long since I promised it would be mailed same day, so good thing I had confirmation number.

 

Another flat rate box I mailed to a family member arrived, but several days after it arrived, tracking still said it was sitting in San Diego.

[Baron]

When I ship or ship out items, there's like a 60/40 chance USPS will scan it the first time it reaches a hub, guess it's up to the person at the PO if they feel like scanning it during routing. Its great when you can track it when it gets first scanned or out for delivery, but since you've paid for delivery confirmation, all they really need to do is scan it when it's delivered. It's a bonus if they scan it along the way.

 

Longest I've taken to receive media mail or parcel post from the east coast to the west coast was like 2 full weeks.

[the blob]

yup, usps's entry of this sort of information can be pretty random. sometimes you can see it passing through various stages of shipment, sometimes nothing shows up until delivery. sometimes, particularly with media, it can take longer for anything to show up.

[HouseofComics.Com]

I've had media take four weeks to reach me, if it's December/January. Rarely, but it happens.

[cbcnow]

On the normal our experience has been that the usps website does not update until the following day after we ship the package, once the tracking is updated on the usps website the package is usually tracked at every facility it stops at and that tracking info is posted on their website.

 

One thing you might want to do is read back through the seller`s feedback on ebay to see if any other buyers have dealt with what you are dealing with. Media mail does take a little longer usually but it seems like you have been waiting a little too long.

 

I hope everything works out!

 

Good luck!

[Mr. Spider-Woman]

Low and behold, I checked the USPS website a few minutes ago and the package is said to be at my post office right now. So it took exactly two weeks. Not unusual at all for media mail.

 

Thanks for all your replies. I now know for future reference that USPS Delivery Confirmation does not always update until packages have arrived at their destination. Frustrating but not something to worry about, at least not until the package is weeks overdue...

[Baron]

Recently there's been a couple times when I checked my delivery confirmation one day and it would read something like "Package delivery attempted. Notification left" but when I check my mailbox there was no delivery attempt request and then I'd hoof it to the post off the next day and they'd look up the package and they'd tell me that it wasn't at their office and that the delivery tracking notification must have been scanned improperly.

 

I'd then wait later that day and the postman would drop it off later that day. So sometimes when the PO scans the packages for delivery there are times they might scan it as delivered or out for delivery when it isn't even ready for the truck drop-off until the following day. Thankfully the only time I've had any issues with USPS was 6 yrs ago when someone stole a package off my porch. But all deliveries have made it so far to me and the same when I ship out items.