Ebay buyers the USPS is terrible. Do you believe they are this bad?
By coolseeds
@coolseeds (3919)
United States
March 14, 2007 11:15am CST
Hi All,
I am an ebay powerseller. I have shipped packages all over the world and have had terrible experiences with the USPS.
The USPS is very rude when you call them with a problem. They have a why should I care attitude. I have called them several times & each time was that way. I think they train their phone employees to be that way.
On several occasions I have had items returned because the buyer did not live at the address. What I do when this happens is email the buyer to see if it the correct address. EVERY TIME it was the correct address. EVER TIME I reshipped the same package to the same address with no problems.
Another time the USPS returned an items that said ADDRESS DOES NOT EXIST. LOL. The buyer went to the post office & told them about this problem. She said they looked at her like she was crazy & said are you sure you live at that address for the past 7 years. She also said they were rude. This item had to be shipped to her place of employment.
About 5 times the items were ripped open during shipping. 3 of this 5 the items were missing.
Once I received about 40% of an envelope ripped. Almost like they wanted to rip the buyers address off of it. Needless to say the contents were missing. They literally sent me an envelope with my return address label on it. Nothing else. I had no way to tell whose package was not going to arrive.
I am sure there are others but this is enough for now.
So would you believe that the USPS is that bad?
4 people like this
7 responses
@CatNPK (461)
• United States
14 Mar 07
Wow! I've never had any problems with the USPS, both at work and at home (at work we ship thousands of items every year). Occasionally something is returned due to wrong address, and every time it was because the address was actually wrong. I will say that they do not have any jurisdiction over a mailed item once it leaves the US, although you can buy insurance that still covers it - for important documents private companies might be a better option for sensitive materials though. My problem with calling the USPS is never (and I mean never) getting an answer. In person at my local main office they are really nice, very efficient and helpful - even catching problems like a wrong zipcode on a package and so on. Maybe someone in your local post office just doesn't like you? (tongue in cheek)
2 people like this
@coolseeds (3919)
• United States
15 Mar 07
This is the number on the website that I call. My sorry azz mailman only comes 5 days a week & usually delivers after 5 o'clock so I couldn't call anyway.
I have a business & regardless if I want it or not should get mail every day. Other people in the neighborhood have told me that they think he skips streets. I noticed it a few years ago before anyone else mentioned it.
My post office would know better than to mess with me. LOL. They would look bad if all of a sudden they lost a couple of grand. It would definitely show up in the books & someone would probably get in trouble when the annual sales dropped.
I know about international shipping that is why I didn't mention it. I have had problems shipping to Italy & Mexico. The only thing I can figure out is that is has a 5 digit postal code like our zip code. This code is being misread as a US address.
Most USPS employees only do enough to not get fired. COME ON they make $20 an hour starting out. DO YOUR JOB RIGHT USPS. If I wasn't wasting so much on reshipping & USPS mistakes I could pay someone $20 an hour too.
If anyone works for the USPS & is offended... then slap the guy who works with you that doesn't care about the quality of his work because they are making you look bad.
2 people like this
@enchantedleppard (1540)
• United States
16 Mar 07
Do you live in a large area, like big city? I've heard horror stories about the USPS but I live in a small town and have never had a problem with outgoing or incoming. I do notice when I receive packages from big cities or more populated areas, the packages are sometimes beat up and smashed.. I always say its hard to get good customer service these days.
2 people like this
@coolseeds (3919)
• United States
16 Mar 07
I live in a small town. I can't even get an international money order cashed at my bank. I've got over $10O worth just sitting. When I gave them to the teller, the bank people looked at me like I handed them a disease. LOL.
2 people like this
@melanie652 (2524)
• United States
14 Mar 07
I had a recent problem with the post office on a package I sent priority and certified. Darn post office said they couldn't deliver and did a return to sender (back to me.) I was watching the tracking - it got there in 2 days and then "returned to sender". After that no more tracking information was available. I called the 800 # twice. First lady wouldn't tell me anything except I couldn't get my money back. I never asked about the money, I was asking what happened to my package! 2nd lady I talked to a few days later wasn't any better and almost as rude. I did finally get the package back 9 days after I sent it. I found the whole experience frustrating and am not too inclined to be very trusting of the post office now.
2 people like this
@coolseeds (3919)
• United States
14 Mar 07
That is what I am talking about. I have had some buyer's say this and that standing up for the post office. But I ship thousands of packages. Most buyers only mail 50 pieces of mail a year.
The phone # is useless unless you want someone to be mean to you. LOL. Go to the local post office. They might be nicer because they see you or know you.
@scarlet_woman (23463)
• United States
16 Mar 07
i collect old LP's and i've had quite a few instances where the items came in smashed.
when i called them,like you said,they were rude and blamed it all on the other end of the delivery.
like i'm sure they pre-broke it LOL
whenever i have no choice but to send thru them,i usually wrap the package with so much duct tape,they'd have to really want the contents to bother.
@coolseeds (3919)
• United States
16 Mar 07
Sorry to hear that. But that is how they are. Even with insurance. You have to fight for it. Its like is 3 hours of my time worth this.
Speaking of receiving smashed goods, I buy a lot of plants through the mail. One box had a this side up on all 6 sides of the box to show how to carry it.
The mailman put my box on the porch on its side. If I had seen him I would have slapped some sense into him.
3 people like this
@sumofalltears (3988)
• United States
18 Apr 07
I only ship a couple of packages a year and they get there, usually in good condition. But I know that the USPS needs to get their act together. The shipping rates are exhorbitant and the service is not always the best.
I just can't help but remember the Jom Carrey movie Pet Detective the beginning he is pretending to be a package delivery person. It is so funny and you could almost see it happening...:}
@coolseeds (3919)
• United States
20 Apr 07
Last week they didn't take my packages. Packages are envelopes with well protected seeds. So don't get this idea of 74 boxes sitting on my porch.
I have a small mailbox and it filled it. Probably about 12. The guy didn't take them but he put my mail between the screen door and my front door.
I called the office to complain and called the next day to talk to his supervisor. They acted like I did something and started making lame excuses for why he didn't take them. Such as (in a very snide tone) "IT ISN'T HIS RESPONSIBILITY TO REACH DOWN INTO YOUR MAILBOX LOOKING FOR OUTGOING MAIL". They were sticking out of the top. LOL
So I told them to stay off of my property. I don't get USPS delivery to my house any more. I told them if that is the service they provide, I don't want it.
I worked for the UPS during the holidays almost 20 years ago.
They wanted it done fast. That was the only concern.
It didn't matter if you wrote fragile all over the box. Usually it was already broken by the time I got to it. Sometimes the trailers were packed so tight you have to squeeze your fingers in and walk backwards until it fell.
You can't read fragile when it is packed that way. So I have an inside view of what goes on at UPS.
2 people like this
@coolseeds (3919)
• United States
27 Apr 07
I've complained more than once.
Right now I am playing phone tag with the Federal Agent. It might be FBI. It is how he tries to present himself on the messages. It is funny that they are only available M-F 9 to 5. They know I work during the day and been quite vocal that I should not have to not work in order to communicate with them. Our tax dollars hard at work.
I have been leaving messages like if you were truly concerned with resolving this matter you would leave a message when I can contact you by phone. They never answer when I call.
After I told the postmaster and several other people I didn't want that guy on my property they said I have to put it in writing. I told them the only person I am writing a letter to is my congressmen and President Bush to do what ever they can to see to it that postal workers do not get a raise and will not repeat what else I said to them. LOL. But I don't think I have to write a letter.
They are acting like "Oh Yeah. Well we are gonna bring it anyway." I said "You better read the revised trespassing laws of this state before you trespass on my property after I have given you ample notice regardless of what authority you think the USPS has." I guess they think I need to receive mail. If more people were like me and not accept poor service it would save the consumer more money.
I can mail payment after I check the total online. I don't need the USPS and showing them.
Yes I will lose sales on ebay shipping via UPS for a more expensive rate but I am a lot busier this year because my company has really grown. So I don't have as much time. It only pays about $6 per hour so I can trade it for some extra time to bs on mylot.
It is a shame that not a single one of them has apologized. I usually spend $200-$500 a month on shipping and they don't care. I had the worst mailman. One day I saw him coming out of someone's house which I thought was odd.
1 person likes this
@sumofalltears (3988)
• United States
23 Apr 07
The mailman is supposed to take outgoing mail as well as deliver mail. You can complain to the postmaster general he will be obligated to investigate. I think you have lazy postal workers where you are and they need to either do their job or find another one. Your taxes pay these people and you have the right to the service.

@MysticTomatoes (1053)
• United States
27 Mar 09
I can never, ever get the USPS office branch I use to answer their phone. It either rings solidly for a few minutes or the phone lines are all busy. The service is a joke too. The employees are rude and uncouth. I'd much rather drive across town and out of my way to visit another branch where the employees are much nicer. I'd much rather drive 15 minutes out of my way to spend 5 minutes in line than drive 2 minutes and spend half an hour in line and be waited on by a rude employee.
@irisheyes (4370)
• United States
7 May 07
Wow, I'm sorry to here this. I sell on eBay and on a few of the book sites and I always use USPS. I'm amazed at how smooth it has been. I've shipped thousands of items and had only one or two mishaps. USPS has always promptly paid the insurance claims when the item ws insured. I can't say the same for UPS. They were so bad about breaking items that I stopped using them altogether.







