As much as I admire the Post Office, and as much as I support the Post Office, especially in these difficult times; sometimes it's hard not to be frustrated with the Post Office.
Especially when an international package that took 25 days to reach Customs in New York was then sent, for some reason, to a processing facility in Florida, which, if I know anything about geography, is 90 degrees due South from where I live in Michigan. This package has now been "In Transit To Next Facility" for 15 days. This could mean anything from "It's been on a succession of trucks moving slowly northward, one city at a time, beginning in Atlanta and reenacting Sherman's March to the Sea", to "It got wedged in the corner of a freight truck and we forgot all about it, maybe one day we'll come across it again, you just have to hope." It could even mean "We gave it to a trustworthy-looking hitchhiker who was headed your way." It's impossible to say. The Post Office, bless their shoes, can't track a package between stations.
So I'm starting to have a sneaking suspicion that my package came all this way for nothing....
3
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6 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.I used to mail over a million pieces a week via the PO truck system.To say that over my 10 years of doing that I saw some strange things is an understatement. If I were to guess, your package went to a Section Mail Facility that had a backlog, to clear that backlog, they put everything on the next available truck, basicly if there was room on a truck they put it on it just to get it off their dock. You didn't give a size of the package, but if it is small it could be in empty equipment. I had a full container of newspapers get sent there just to get them off the dock. It took 2 years before all of them were finally delivered. The PO delivers 95% of their items on time to the right address, but to that 5%, that is 100% non delivery.
Since it had to clear customs for what ever reason, it could have been an overload in customs that sent it to FL.
I'm just shooting in the dark.
glennlab
Level 10
May 20, 2020
2
I'm going to go farther and say probably 99%. It's the 1% that seems to be the rare, hard to find items that you really would prefer to have delivered.
I sometimes get other peoples' mail in my box, and I hope if my mail ends up in another box my neighbor will bring it to me. Other than that, I like the post office.
BitFlipper
Level 8
May 20, 2020
2
@MissKathleen That's been my experience, but I hope they're just putting it in my mailbox. It used to make me really nervous years ago when I was receiving payments by check for my business.
Both working from home, and selling things from my home, I've had a similar experience to @Lorajay. I couldn't ship anywhere as inexpensively and efficiently as I do through the USPS. They even pick up packages from my porch when I ship Priority Mail.
Granted, they can fuck up big time on occasion, and I once had their tracking system insist they had delivered to the right location even though their paperwork clearly said they didn't, but that seems to be a rarity. So does yours from the sound of it. I hope they get your package to you soon.
Lauren
Level 8
May 20, 2020
2
Mom’s a retired postal employee. One of the (few) conscientious.. Such stores remain never ending 
...asking a supervisor ‘where this goes’ ...only to have them throw it toward the nearest canvas bag, then ask, “Don’t you know better than to ask?” “Just throw them anywhere!”
I recently mailed a package across the US, when asked if ‘I’d like the tracking code,’ I declined.. The clerk appeared puzzled, ‘I’ll trust you,’ I said. ...just gave me that postal stare, with mask ..behind plastic. Not sure who’s least concerned, the PO, or the DMV
Varn
Level 8
May 20, 2020
1
I hope since you can track it they can track it too. When I sold glass on the Internet I received and mailed an average of 8 packages a week. They never lost one package coming or going and I only had 2 broken packages in 6 years of doing business. The broken items were items I had bought and were improperly packaged by the sender.
I live in the country and invaribly when someone sent me something using Fedex or UPS it would take an extra 2 or 3 days to receive and then they always had to call me for directions. The Post Office always knew how to find my house.
I shipped glass to England Germany and Japan on occasion. UPS was sometime an option but it was never competitive with the Post Office price.
I truly hope that your lost package is an anomaly and it arrives soon. I'm also really glad you support the Post Office because I think we need them.
Lorajay
Level 9
May 20, 2020
4
I admit it's a real rarity for this to happen to me. I do a hell of a lot of business through the post and I can't remember when a piece got lost. I did once sell some minor parts to someone and the tracking insisted the box was delivered, but he equally insisted he never got it, so I refunded his money- lucky for me it was parts I had no use for but he did.
The fact that this is a collectible apparently made by a company in Australia, and not available anywhere else, is what grinds this in. The shipping was the most expensive part of the deal and made me hesitate for a month before going ahead and buying. Naturally it's lost.
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