General Forum

I work for the Post office so I am a bit biased. I have mailed many trades without having any problems other than a couple with delays. Kethupman is correct about doing your own postage. Many get it wrong and that delays the mail. Many people don't understand that a bulky envelope becomes a parcel to the post office. It becomes non machinable and costs more. Some post offices will immediately return the item for proper postage, others will send it to the receiver and try to collect from them. Notices may be left if the customer isn't home, and then the onus is on them to contact the carrier for redelivery, or go to the post office to pick it up. Also, many of the stores and businesses that operate a USPS service, have store employees and not postal workers determining proper postage on an item, and I have seen many improperly pricing packages. Personally as a frequent trader, I don't mind paying the $3.50 to ship an item and get a tracking service that follows the package every step of the way.

Part of the issue is I've sent several PWEs out. I sent 3-4 last year and this year already 10. I'd love to be able to send a package for every trade but it's just too costly for me. Since I can't track everything, it makes me uneasy. I don't care how long it takes for my cards to come, I'm just concerned about what I've sent out.

I do alot of small pwe trades on other sites and a few here

I usually have one get lost per year or so

right now I am waiting for 2 pwe that were shipped a month ago

hopefully they come in soon

mark 

As for USPS tracking, it used to be great then it changed in January I believe.  They used to tell you where it was every point in the journey.   Now, they do the same as UPS an Fed Ex.    A line graph with 3 items,  "we accepted it",  "its on its way",  "it was delivered".   I guess it is too expensive to do it the way it was, which was great.        Also, the two clerks at my post office charge different rates for the same envelope.   I never go on a Thursday because that's when the clerk who charges me less has the day off.

I noticed that a few of my listia auctions are very slow, one even said delayed when I looked up the tracking number. Ridiculous. 

When I follow packages with USPS tracking on Ebay, it depends where I'm checking to get the updates. If I look at my eBay app on the phone, it shows every step, with details. On the Ebay website, however, it just shows the three stages. 

That's the one flaw with trading here. I've gotten good at estimating costs on Ebay. I just printed out their discounted label -- with tracking -- and send. But I'm about to mail an small bubble mailer that I think the Post Office will consider an envelope. Just don't have time to go to the Post Office. I put what I consider to be extra postage on it, not tracking, and I'm letting it rip. Small stuff, so if my trade partner doesn't get it, I'll just bear the brunt of the loss, postage and all, I figure. But, as I've said elsewhere, since I've been trading and selling and buying, every package has eventually gotten to me or to where I sent it. I've actually had more trouble with the tracking, because a couple of times it's shown that the package was delivered to me, but it wasn't there. Either delivered to a neighbor or not actually delivered. But the USPS says it WAS delivered. So there's the potential for a battle. I always (ok, twice) fill out the missing package report, but it shows up within a couple of days. 

v3

Yes.

I've really just started trading here. (I'm trying to get the 2018- 1983 insert set without paying $100+.)  I've been taking everything to the Post Office to make sure I have proper postage. Different clerks charge different rates, consider this an envelope, this a package, etc. As I told one employee, just set a standard and I'll pay what you tell me, but when I come in one day and it's 71 cents and the next time it's $1.25 and then $2+ another time it gets frustrating. I mailed a "package" on February 23, with a tracking number. I was told it should arrive on Monday the 26th. I checked online on Monday to see if it had been delivered, it was still in St. Louis. It didn't leave town until Monday night. I also am charged for extra postage about every 40-50 times I receive an envelope. (I buy from Sportlots frequently.)

I mailed 3 envelopes on February 20. One arrived in 3-4 days. One yesterday, 11 days after mailing and the 3rd is still MIA. I have a lot of respect and sympathy for the PO and it's workers, but I do get tired of the inconsistency when I take something to be mailed. Enough that I'm rethinking how much I want to trade on this site.

My rant is over, sorry.

I'm still waiting for an eBay order from last October.

i mailed a post card to China on February 3 that still isn't there.

i mailed a post card to Germany on the same day that arrived in six days.

post cards are much easier to trade than trading cards.  Just put a $1.15 stamp on it, and send to any country in the world.  Well, probably not really "any country".  But Germany for sure.

Postcrossing is my new favorite thing, and I would love to have the computer savvy to set up something similar to that with trading cards.

I finally emailed about my cards and they sent a tracking number saying it was delivered on the 24th.  Now I'm beyond mad, I'm not sure if someone took my package or if the mail delivered it to the wrong place, they have done it in the past.  Now I have to wait until tomorrow to go to the post office and figure it out  It really makes me second guess ordering online items.  Without online ordering though, my only real option is Walmart so I might just take a break for a bit.

I've gone form slightly annoyed to livid. Ten days and only 2 of the 9 that I sent out, have arrived. @#$&%#!!!!!!!!!!!!

One of my trades is now on 15 days. MA to NC.