Is it normal for a package to sit at the post office and not show tracking.

[Fordiesel69]

In short ordered a nicely used cell phone from a small volume 100% + feedback 24 year member / seller. The item has not moved since the lable was created and the seller communicated promptly that it was dropped off at post office. Should this be a concern or is it normal now for the website to not show progress?

1. Sep 17, 2023
   5:09pm
   PRE-SHIPMENT INFO SENT USPS AWAITS ITEM
   TAMPA, FL 33609
   
   

 

[Zee09]

It happens all the time.
And the seller could be making excuses because he has printed the label but not dropped it off.

 

[drtyler]

It hasn't been scanned at the Post Office.

It could be lost, or in transit. Sometimes the scans get missed and it shows up one day.

 

[55hambone]

I've had several USPS deliveries that went from "Label created" to "Delivered" with nothing in between.

 

[Chris142]

It fell behind the counter?

 

[Zee09]

It fell behind the counter?

I doubt it but...............................
Many years ago, I had a customer in Texas.
He ordered a $350 trigger group from me, and I insured it.
He never got it and that was before tracking in the day (USPS)

I guess he didn't believe me and really, I thought the same.
Years of mistrust on both sides. Seven years later the PO sustained heavy storm damage
and they found it behind a safe still at his local PO. So that isn't that far-fetched.

 

[Jesse_NE]

Assuming they shipped it first class (Ground Advantage), and it went to the plant on Monday, I wouldn't start worrying until after Friday. The USPS has a map where you can get a rough estimate of how long something should take to arrive.

Service Standards Maps | PostalPro

postalpro.usps.com

 

[JMJNet]

I have cases where the item actually come from China although the tracking is generated in the US.
The tracking did not move until the package enter the US.

 

[walterjay]

Anything can happen with USPS. On more than one occasion their tracking stated that it was delivered. I didn't get it until a day or two later.

 

[vavavroom]

Totally normal. Also normal for the item to get lost. All normal.

 

[CarLuver]

it happens when one just hands the package to the person and they don't scan it . i always have them scan it and give me a receipt. probably sitting in a bin with other packages waiting to be sent to the big distribution center to get its first scan

 

[vavavroom]

it happens when one just hands the package to the person and they don't scan it . i always have them scan it and give me a receipt. probably sitting in a bin with other packages waiting to be sent to the big distribution center to get its first scan

Yup. That's the drawback of just dropping mail off by plunking it down on the counter at the post office. You just hope they scan it soon. When dropping off on a Saturday or a holiday it sometimes takes up to three days until I see the package in the system.

 

[tmorris1]

It happens all the time.
And the seller could be making excuses because he has printed the label but not dropped it off.

Seller might not have actually dropped off the item, since the tracking just shows that the label was printed. It also could be messed up tracking since the USPS tracking is bad.
I have had it read that the label printed and then nothing for days and then show up as delivered.

 

[vavavroom]

Seller might not have actually dropped off the item, since the tracking just shows that the label was printed. It also could be messed up tracking since the USPS tracking is bad.
I have had it read that the label printed and then nothing for days and then show up as delivered.

I have received orders before they were shipped! This makes me suspect the USPS has time travel technology in its incredible arsenal of mail delivery tools.

 

[tmorris1]

I have received orders before they were shipped! This makes me suspect the USPS has time travel technology in its incredible arsenal of mail delivery tools.

With stamps up to $.66 cents maybe they are using that money for something good, because it isn't getting put into their tracking system.

 

[TLAR640]

In short ordered a nicely used cell phone from a small volume 100% + feedback 24 year member / seller. The item has not moved since the lable was created and the seller communicated promptly that it was dropped off at post office. Should this be a concern or is it normal now for the website to not show progress?

1. Sep 17, 2023
   5:09pm
   PRE-SHIPMENT INFO SENT USPS AWAITS ITEM
   TAMPA, FL 33609
   

This is the new norm. I recently had a shipment from across the country that had an tracking entry when the label was created and another 4 days later when the package was out for delivery. Nothing in between.

 

[Fordiesel69]

As someone stated, no tracking at all, just went to delivered. Time machine Ai must be it.

 

[Ihatetochangeoil]

Absolutely ANYTHING is "normal" at the USPS. Slow deliveries, no deliveries, lost items, blah, blah, blah. If you don't like, don't do business with them. Why do you think that UPS, Fedex, DHL exist? A few years ago, at my local post office, I was ORDERED to leave upon threat of police. I was very frustrated at their counterperson. I didn't raise my voice, curse, lose my temper, etc., all I did was quietly ask the flunkie behind the counter "Where do you think the phrase (going postal) originated?" I guess this was interpreted as "threatening." Yeah, I went so postal I left, and I try REAL hard to avoid them at any cost. To say I hate them is a gross understatement. They are as efficient as Washington DC. So now I'm busted for being political? Our whole country is broken, and if you can't see that, you're broken. Rant over.

 

[John105]

I agree with everyone that it’s normal.

Myself, it’s amazing how I torture myself with stuff I ship at work, worrying when it says “delayed due to mechanical failure” or a “file a claim button appears” etc.

Sometimes I guess we’re better off not looking at the tracking

 

[bunnspecial]

Some POs are more on top of it than others.

AFAIK, they are supposed to scan at acceptance(and mine will do it in front of me if I drop off at the counter and give me a receipt). They then are supposed to get a scan every time they pass through a sorting center-usually an arrival and departure scan.

Unfortunately, sometimes this just doesn't happen.

Here's a "typical" package tracking I might get(from an actual package last week-note tracking is bottom to top)

Cut off is the shipping label date, which was September 20th. That's not exactly unusual for an Ebay seller(or for me)-if an order comes too late to get to the PO for the day, you go ahead and get it packed and ready to go, but don't physically drop off until the next day.

This was another one last week also, though

It took the seller a few days after my purchase to even generate a label, and I'd not be surprised if it took them a few further days to get it to the PO.

Still, though, note that there was no acceptance scan, or any scans along the way for that matter until it arrived at the regional hub. From there it was tracked every step of the way, but nothing from the originating PO until then.