USPS problems and delays

[Frank I]

Anyone experiencing problems with the post office?

I have an incoming package that has not moved from the distribution center in TN for 6 days, still there.

I ordered some reloading supplies and got this warning...

USPS SHIPPING NOTIFICATIONPLEASE NOTE THAT WE ARE CURRENTLY EXPERIENCING SIGNIFIGANT ISSUES AND DELAYS WITH THE USPS IN OUR REGION. IF THE "USPS (Free)" SHIPPING OPTION IS CHOSEN AT CHECKOUT, EXTENDED TRANSIT TIMES AND LACK OF TRACKING INFORMATION SHOULD BE EXPECTED. PLEASE WAIT FOUR WEEKS BEFORE CONTACTING PRECISION DELTA REGARDING DELIVERY ISSUES IF THIS OPTION IS CHOSEN. 

 

[Got Uzi]

DeJoy and the entire “make USPS better” has done nothing but screw it up. Akron Ohio and Indianapolis are two of the worst black holes in the entire system. They have been trying to consolidate hubs into “mega hubs” and it’s not working like they thought it would. 

[Maddog7580]

What's new!  Part of the problem is with USPS tracking system, that's what I was told at the post office. I've had the same issues over the last few months, and then all of the sudden, POOF!, it gets updated and shows up. 

USPS is slower recently, I waited for 2 weeks for a small priority box from NV to MD.

Also, some of these shippers sit on the packages for a few, to several days, before they ship, even though a label has been generated and they send out a tracking number. I've had that happen at the "Big-Three" shooting supply houses. 

 

[SGT Fish]

Yeah the distribution centers are pretty behind. Indianapolis is known to be the worst right now. Supposedly weeks behind in some cases.  Columbus is typically a few days behind. I'm sure the others aren't doing great either 

[United Surplus Arms]

I had multiple issues with priority mail especially over the holidays. Some packages sat for 10-12 days at the Louisville distribution center. Ground was worse than priority. Half my express packages were not on time (at least those are guaranteed) It is a known issue. I put an AirTag in every package over $500 value

 

all you can do is be patient. And use UPS or FedEx when possible 

Edited March 9, 2025 by United Surplus Arms

[Buddy H]

use of AirTag discussion….. https://www.sturmgewehr.com/forums/index.php?/topic/34150-using-apple-air-tags-when-shipping-machine-guns/#comment-113680

[TGW]

I sent a package USPS registered with an air tag. It said it was in one town but actually in another one that was close by. It sat in the same place for 13 Days until the recipient went to pick it up personally when it was supposed to go to his residence. Not happy with the way USPS handled that one.

[abody71]

You can get your money back if it is priority mail and not delivered on time. I know!

[riflejunky]

I had an Garand get stuck in the new Atlanta distribution center last year and I called the postal inspectors who then put me through to another department. They took the information including the fact that it was a missing firearm and just like that it showed up the next day. Unfortunately it was a phone transfer so I did not get the number of the investigators who made it happen. You might try this approach before making a claim as in my experience the claims process is not timely.

[Babyface Nelson]

Hello all,

   For 20 plus years FedEx was the primary “carry” agent for the USPS.  Late last year FedEx opted to not renew their contract, much to a lot of people’s dismay.

   UPS was then awarded the contract and has encountered great teething issues since this was the first time as a “carry” agent. Think routes , interstructure … logistics if you will. The volume of U.S mail is gigantically enormous….  I too have experienced issues as well. Recently a birthday card mailed on the 21st of January from N.C took 45 days in transit to MS……. 

Let’s hope they can get the situation smoothed out for all of us.

”BF”
 

Edited March 9, 2025 by Babyface Nelson

[har1690]

It's amazing... All my bills arrive on time.

[StrangeRanger]

I live in the suburbs of Akron Ohio.  I recently had a package mailed to me from Florida.  It went to the Black Hole known as the USPS Indianapolis Distribution Center.  They sent it to Rochester NY who then sent it to Buffalo NY.  There is a Buffalo suburb named Akron so I suspect that somehow it got bar coded for the wrong Akron.  Anyway Buffalo then sent it to Cleveland Distribution, which sent it to a Cleveland Suburb, which sent it to Akron Distribution, which sent it to my local substation which instead of delivering it sent it to a different Cleveland suburb, which sent it to another Cleveland suburb, which sent it to Akron Distribution, which again sent it to my local PO which finally delivered it.

Far better than the rifle that I ordered in late November.  It came from a shop in Philadelphia and sat in the Indy Distribution Center with everyone's Christmas presents for almost three weeks before they finally sent it to Akron Distribution. 

My packages used to come through the distribution center northeast of Pittsburgh (Cranberry Twp??) and usually arrived on time with no drama.  DeJoy"s reforms have made the system so much more efficient.....NOT

 

 

Edited March 10, 2025 by StrangeRanger

[Uncle Zeek]

The past couple weeks have been weird - had one parcel on which I provided the seller a prepaid postage label (costs me less to print it out myself than for someone to go to the retail counter).   He dropped it with USPS on Wednesday in Florida and it was delivered Friday.

In contrast, have a shipment coming from Vermont, was postmarked February 17th.  Sat in Boston for over a week, and now is cooling its heels in Chicago.   Weird.

[United Surplus Arms]

18 hours ago, abody71 said:

You can get your money back if it is priority mail and not delivered on time. I know!

Just to clarify:

USPS priority mail is NOT guaranteed  ( note 1 on below link)

https://www.usps.com/ship/priority-mail.htm

However:

USPS priority EXPRESS mail (normally next day but 2 day to some markets) is guaranteed and money back for failure to deliver on time

Edited March 10, 2025 by United Surplus Arms

[Don.]

19 hours ago, Babyface Nelson said:

Hello all,

   For 20 plus years FedEx was the primary “carry” agent for the USPS.  Late last year FedEx opted to not renew their contract, much to a lot of people’s dismay.

   UPS was then awarded the contract and has encountered great teething issues since this was the first time as a “carry” agent. Think routes , interstructure … logistics if you will. The volume of U.S mail is gigantically enormous….  I too have experienced issues as well. Recently a birthday card mailed on the 21st of January from N.C took 45 days in transit to MS……. 

Let’s hope they can get the situation smoothed out for all of us.

”BF”
 

USPS and UPS are both union shops.  F’edEx isn’t union and is more timely with their deliveries in my experience.  The other two, not so much.  If you want the absolute worst service, send it UPS Surepost.  You will get the worst service both carriers can provide.

[chappy]

On 3/9/2025 at 9:20 AM, Frank I said:

Anyone experiencing problems with the post office?

I put in a tracker on abeautiful pre-sample and it stood still for 5 days and then took off like bullet and came in on time. It was nerve wracking but it did get there. I am expecting a gun that was supposedly pick up on the 3rd and it shows nly as label being made. And this one is UPS.

[Aaron in Mohnton Pa]

The last two Machine Guns that we had come here registered mail sat for weeks without movement. Tracking showed them in a City about an hour away, but the air tag showed they were at a local post Office... No movement for weeks and no update in tracking.... Had to drive there both times... Postal clerk would ask for tracking and proceed to tell me they were in a City about an hour away... I would advise them that they are in fact at their post office. They would then go in the back and locate them both times. Frustrating.

Aaron

Edited March 12, 2025 by Aaron in Mohnton Pa

[SGT Fish]

1 hour ago, Aaron in Mohnton Pa said:

The last two Machine Guns that we had come here registered mail sat for weeks without movement. Tracking showed them in a City about an hour away, but the air tag showed they were at a local post Office... No movement for weeks and no update in tracking.... Had to drive there both times... Postal clerk would ask for tracking and proceed to tell me they were in a City about an hour away... I would advise them that they are in fact at their post office. They would then go in the back and locate them both times. Frustrating.

Aaron

 

I find that my local PO tends to not scan stuff in until they are ready to put it on the truck. I'm guessing they think they are cheating the system to show that packages aren't sitting at their facility. But we all know it doesn't take 3 days to go 20 miles in a truck

[Got Uzi]

I hate registered mail as they basically “lose” the package for days if not weeks at a time because they can’t physically find it even tho it’s the “most secure” way to ship stuff. Bull$hit!!! I ship stuff next day express when it comes to stuff like that as it’s not in the system long enough for anything to happen to it. I’ve got one someone sent registered that’s still sitting at the same place in Texas since the 5th with no movement at all. It’s beyond infuriating 

I also have a Colt 9mm SMG bolt that hit Indy on the 8th and is now MIA….not like I need this stuff in hand or anything? Doesn’t matter if it’s UPS, FedEx or USPS at this point….they are all equally worthless and there’s no way a new company could afford to get started to compete with them.  

Edited March 12, 2025 by Got Uzi

[Frank I]

On 3/10/2025 at 11:03 AM, Don. said:

USPS and UPS are both union shops.  F’edEx isn’t union and is more timely with their deliveries in my experience.  The other two, not so much.  If you want the absolute worst service, send it UPS Surepost.  You will get the worst service both carriers can provide.

My experience with FedEx is the opposite, my house is off the main road, it is almost always a different driver who cannot find my house,  and they leave my packages at the bottom of my mailbox up on the road. I will get a delivery date and the next day by the afternoon it changes. The biggest problem is for packages that require a signature. I never know what time they are coming its anywhere from 8 am to 8 pm. I cannot divert for pick-up any packages that have "direct signature" required.

Mu UPS guy comes like clock work 11:30 - 11:45. If I'm not home, he has my door code, and he will put high-value packages in my garage. FedEx has too many different drivers to give out my code to.       

FedEx used to have a good reputation, but not anymore, IMHO their service is terrible. 

--END OF RANT--

UPDATE on the post that started this thread...My USPS Priority Mail package finally arrived, 12 days to travel 400 miles! 

UPDATE  Two FedEx 2nd Day packages that were supposed to be delivered Wednesday, its Friday they still have not been delivered... when I track them I get a (!) in a circle. Both are at the distribution point 30 miles from me where they have been since Tuesday.   

 

Edited March 20, 2025 by Frank I
update

[Frank I]

Screwed by Fuc**ing Fed Ex again!

Too lazy to drive 1/10 of a mile to my house they Left a package from Bowers, two M1 pistol grips, left by my mailbox up on the road... GONE

I called the customer "service" number (in India) I could hardly understand him. 

I tried to speak with the driver a few days later, he could not understand a word I was saying, he kept pointing to his I-pad and saying in broken English "maybe later."  

FedEx is NOT the same company it was 10 years ago.

UPDATE on my latest FedEx shipment above... the package was accidentally loaded onto a drop shipment of returns to an Amazon warehouse, FedEx told me little/no chance of recovery. Two NOS 80-year-old Thompson SMG grips are probably in the trash at Amazon. 

 

Edited March 20, 2025 by Frank I

[Don.]

18 minutes ago, Frank I said:

Screwed by Fuc**ing Fed Ex again!

Too lazy to drive 1/10 of a mile to my house they Left a package from Bowers, two M1 pistol grips, left by my mailbox up on the road... GONE

 

Sorry to hear that.  While I have marginally better service from them, I still add the apostrophe to “F’edEx”.  Covid was the last nail in the coffin in regards to service from all of the common carriers.

[MEW]

On 3/12/2025 at 5:40 AM, Got Uzi said:

 Doesn’t matter if it’s UPS, FedEx or USPS at this point….they are all equally worthless and there’s no way a new company could afford to get started to compete with them.  

^^^^^^^^1000% and the only choice we now have is comply and hope for the best as your tracking device means nothing because nobody gives a rats ass at the shipper.........

These shipping posts will never go away and everyone has their own stories without a doubt, it does feel good to vent though ehh.....

[Rex Tyson]

Louisville has had problems since before Christmas. They changed everything in KY to move through Louisville first then go out from there, even if it is in state. I was told the main office in Lexington that had a machine to cancel and sort mail, was moved to Louisville and they did not hire temp help for the holidays and that was part of the issue. Along with that huge storm that came through. Basically mismanagement and poor cost cutting efforts. You can google it. They had Rand Paul and McConnell involved to fix it here. It has gotten marginally better but not fixed.

[Mark2]

Hachikosela Muchimba, 44, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty by a federal jury yesterday on charges of mail theft and bank fraud that illegally netted him over $1.6 million, announced U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., and Special Agent in Charge Kathleen Woodson, of the U.S. Postal Service-Office of the Inspector General.

According to court documents, between December 2020 and March 2023, Muchimba was an employee of the U.S. Postal Service when he executed a scheme to steal U.S. Treasury checks and private party checks from the U.S. mail. 
 

https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/postal-worker-found-guilty-stealing-over-16-million-checks-us-mail

 

 

[Mark2]

https://www.foxnews.com/us/usps-worker-convicted-stealing-1-6-million-checks-spending-luxury-hotels-gentlemens-clubs.amp

 

[Dirty_Gaijin]

One thing that hasn't helped is the Driver no longer scans packages when they're picked up. Only for when they scan it at the mega hub. 

I had shipped a Mauser to a collector in Alaska and for multiple days it says "Waiting for Package" even though the driver had it before it finally got scanned in at the hub in Philly. 

I ordered Rearden brakes from a dealer in Ohio. It arrived to my local USPS hub in PA, went missing for 21 days, then reappeared in North Dakota. 

 

Edited April 4, 2025 by Dirty_Gaijin

[Colt Chopper]

Indianapolis is the worst. I've backed off even listing things for sale due to unreliable mail service.

UPS and Fed Ex are 30 miles away. Sad

[clc3251]

I agree, I had a package spend 10 days in Indianapolis and then go 600 miles past me before it finally showed up in 14 days  

[Michael_Westen]

I had a suppressor that was being shipped to my FFL/SOT in NC and when the USPS got it to Fayetteville, NC it went to CT then NJ then back to Fayetteville, NC. Man, they are a joke.

[Saab95v6]

This problem of not scanning packages started this year. I have many of my shipping packages accepted /pending, and the whereabout go missing for 4 or 5 days sometimes more, and they finally get delivered.

[United Surplus Arms]

Sometimes they scan a package but it doesn’t make it into the bin.

when the bin arrives at the next destination, the bin gets scanned on arrival (not individual packages) - which shows online that your package made it there, but it really didn’t.

[reichstall]

So I have stuff sent from Europe even Ukraine and it arrives to the states in less than 2 weeks. than it may take usps up to a month to get it to me. Twice delivered to the wrong address the carrier said I delivered in another town, but they won't tell me where he dropped it. so, the items are gone.

[Mustbeme]

I have recent experience to share, all going to crap just in the past 1 year.  I purchased a backpack in Dec 2024.  Never showed...seller refunded and filed a claim.  It arrived safe and sound in March 2025 after the tracker showed a similar stalled status.  I paid the seller again.

I sold an item right here on this board <$50 item.  Never showed, I refunded buyer, filed a claim, claim paid (1st class ground insured for $100 automatically).  Item delivered 2 months later.

I did all the lost item claim, find my package app etc.  Anything close to $100 I now send UPS or Fedex.

Your the management....what is cheaper, $100 insured claim or motivating the personnel to locate a missing parcel and lift a finger when all the lost mail will be auctioned anyway?

[Red Cent]

Democrats are ASSHOLES.

[Greasegunner]

On 3/9/2025 at 1:20 PM, abody71 said:

You can get your money back if it is priority mail and not delivered on time. I know!

NO YOU CANT

only express mail has money back guarantee

[SteveJ]

On 3/10/2025 at 5:41 AM, United Surplus Arms said:

Just to clarify:

USPS priority mail is NOT guaranteed  ( note 1 on below link)

https://www.usps.com/ship/priority-mail.htm

However:

USPS priority EXPRESS mail (normally next day but 2 day to some markets) is guaranteed and money back for failure to deliver on time

I started using Express mail Usps. It hasn’t disappointed me yet. 

[United Surplus Arms]

4 hours ago, SteveJ said:

I started using Express mail Usps. It hasn’t disappointed me yet. 

I use Express mail USPS for all my high dollar shipments.  I get my money back about 40% of the time because it doesn't meet the on-time guarantee.

[Frank I]

On 3/9/2025 at 10:20 AM, Frank I said:

Anyone experiencing problems with the post office?

I have an incoming package that has not moved from the distribution center in TN for 6 days, still there.

I ordered some reloading supplies and got this warning...

USPS SHIPPING NOTIFICATIONPLEASE NOTE THAT WE ARE CURRENTLY EXPERIENCING SIGNIFIGANT ISSUES AND DELAYS WITH THE USPS IN OUR REGION. IF THE "USPS (Free)" SHIPPING OPTION IS CHOSEN AT CHECKOUT, EXTENDED TRANSIT TIMES AND LACK OF TRACKING INFORMATION SHOULD BE EXPECTED. PLEASE WAIT FOUR WEEKS BEFORE CONTACTING PRECISION DELTA REGARDING DELIVERY ISSUES IF THIS OPTION IS CHOSEN. 

 

My Precision Delta .45 230gr bullet (not loaded rounds) order noted above was shipped FedEx and received in a few days.

More recently, I ordered 3000 147gr 9mm bullets—this time they shipped them Priority Mail medium flat rate box. The PO picked it up and tracking showed that it was still at the same PO ten days later. I filed a complaint online with the USPS, and after two days, it finally began to move and was delivered. The 3000 rounds were in one flat rate box that weighed 63 pounds, quite heavy for a small box.   

The point of the story is filing a complaint with the USPS got results.