Model Railroading > Package Delivery Times

I purchased an item off of EBay that was sent Priority Mail to be delivered in 3 - 5 days depending on location, according to the USPS I live within the 3 day time frame for delivery on the 3rd. day. Well it has been 6 days now, it spent one day getting thru the Chicago hub only to get to Detroit and bounce around that fair city for 2 1/2 days. On the tracking it has delivery for by the EOD today, well it's just about the end of the day and no package, so it looks like I will see it on Monday, no big deal other then that I paid priority postage rates and I still don't have it.

What makes this sad situation a little better is that I purchased a book from a dealer in St. Louis Ill that was sent media mail and I received it 4 days later, anyone see anything wrong with this situation? BTW, I live in NW Ohio. The US Postal service is not what it used to be only a few years ago!

The system is overwhelmed with high traffic flows. Some regions are doing better than others. Just be patient, it will get there.

I’ve had wild variations in delivery times too. The reduced number of flights all over the country is a huge factor- add in both capacity and connections too.
But things ARE moving..
These are not normal times we’re in!
SR

I have had substitute delivery persons, people are missing work if they show symptoms, or live with someone who does.
In light of the situation I'm really flexible about delivery times for models, I worry a little more about prescription refills but they still come very reliably.
 

I had two seperate shipments from different hobby shops and it took four days to get out of New Jersey.

Paul B
Canton, GA

The pandemic and related factors have definitely slowed things down.  I live in SoCal, and recently ordered some of the new run of IM autoracks off of eBay, from an established vendor in Longmont, CO (literally in IMs backyard lol.)  USPS tracking showed it shipped June 25th.  It arrived at the Denver distribution center on the 26th, the LA distribution later the same day(?), and from there it got weird.  The next track, on June 30th (it spent four days kicking it in LA?) showed it as "in transit" to the next facility, which would be the local post office near the city in southern LA county where I live.  It didn't arrive there until July 11th, from which it was promptly delivered by our local mail carriers.  I placed a follow-up order shortly after the first, which shipped on July 6th, and tracking just shows it in "in transit" limbo, long since missing the estimated delivery date of the 10th.  

I certainly sympathize with the issues the USPS is facing, and besides little things like leaving snacks/drinks for our local delivery person, which are greatly appreciated in the hot summer months (those trucks have no AC, and the poor guy was sweltering when I chatted for a moment last week as he pulled up to our curbside box.)  He has hope that things would improve, including new delivery trucks with AC, but unfortunately the new postmaster general that was just appointed is signaling cuts and slower delivery times.  

My postman has delivered my mail by noon on some days, and as late as 7:30 pm on others.
I have also noticed it's not the same guy every day as it had been just a couple months ago.

 

Plus do not forget the universial truth about mail and packages.
The closer you watch it the slower it goes...

WrongWayMurphy Wrote:
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> My postman has delivered my mail by noon on some
> days, and as late as 7:30 pm on others.
> I have also noticed it's not the same guy every
> day as it had been just a couple months ago.
>
>  

I've noticed the same here.  

Ha! Not in Dutch Flat (pop 300 or so).
Rex brings the mail up from Colfax, dropping sacks in Chicago Park (NCNG fame) and Gold Run along the way, then on to Alta, Emigrant Gap, and Soda Springs (all SP Donner Pass fame).
Christy puts up our mail, takes a break for lunch, and then puts up the mail down in Gold Run (pop 125 or so).
No strangers in our little towns on The Hill.
SR

I had two models each bought via eBay; both took ten days. My two ScaleTrains SD45's only took two days. An Intermountain auto rack and Genesis GP40-2 from a vendor in Nebraska only took two days.

As some noted time varies.

Posted from Android

Stuff shipped by amazon on US Snail takes a week to go cross country these days.
I wish they wouldn't use the mail.

Bill Deaver
Tehachapi, CA

FedEx Ground is all messed up also, I work at Reed's Hobby Shop in La Mesa CA and two times lately one our packages
from Walthers was sent to Oceanside CA instead of to La Mesa, and packages from Los Angeles always came in one
day, now it is taking two days.

Scott

MojaveBill Wrote:
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> Stuff shipped by amazon on US Snail takes a week
> to go cross country these days.
> I wish they wouldn't use the mail.

USPS is the cheapest which is why Amazon uses them. 
Brazos is not stupid when it comes to making money.

MojaveBill Wrote:
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> Stuff shipped by amazon on US Snail takes a week
> to go cross country these days.
> I wish they wouldn't use the mail.

Don't be cheap and pay the extra shipping, then a faster shipper (like UPS) might be willing to handle the order for you.

Recently sold some items to individuals that were located in various places east of the Mississippi. I used the post offfice and shipped using their 3 day service. Now the 3 day service is 3 BUSINESS days so you shouldn't count weekends or holidays. Tracked them all and they were delivered on time. No complaints from buyers. Why the post office? Where I live the post office is 6 miles from my house, the Fedex and UPS facilities are 23 and 20 miles from the house. Of course the wife has ordered things and she tracks them and sees all kinds of odd tracking movements, one time the package was shown in a city 300 miles away and arrived that afternoon. As others have mentioned under the current circumstances I think things are going pretty well.
CR

Y'all have it easy. Besides model railroading, I also model modern armor in 1/72nd scale. I'm waiting on some items I ordered at the end of May from Russia mailed 6 June.
Cheers
Charlie

Posted from Android

I work for USPS, I can tell you that memo HAS been implemented in many places across the country. In my area, only bits and pieces have been implemented, but many other changes have also taken place, that are very much against our contract. 

cchan006 Wrote:
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> SP_8299 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> >
> https://fortune.com/2020/07/24/usps-mail-delivery-
>
> >
> postmaster-general-louis-dejoy-us-postal-service/
>
> The article doesn't change my statement. I've seen
> other articles regarding LeJoy's memo (which was
> leaked) but it's still a plan, not something
> already implemented (blaming the future for past
> problems). .

Carrier Over time is being cut.   A while back, while carrier and I was talking, he got message to deliver to the next house, then return to the PO.

needles_sub Wrote:
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> Don't forget to factor in the big orange and his
> view of mail in ballots to complicate things.
>
> Posted from Android
So another dumb post duh. Please get over it.