Parcel Post Shipping

[badb0y]

I bought some stuff off of a forum member here who used USPS parcel post to ship and it has been a week now since he shipped the item. I know it takes long to ship but the weird thing is the tracking hasn't been updated at all:
Label/Receipt Number: 9106 1288 8230 0458 6709 34
Class: Package Services
Service(s): Delivery Confirmation™/Insured > $200
Status: Electronic Shipping Info Received

The U.S. Postal Service was electronically notified by the shipper on December 10, 2010 to expect your package for mailing. This does not indicate receipt by the USPS or the actual mailing date. Delivery status information will be provided if / when available. Information, if available, is updated periodically throughout the day. Please check again later.

Is this normal for USPS to do? I called them up and they said they would only look into the matter if more than 14 days passed by...

 

[PieIsAwesome]

Yes, that's normal for parcel post.

 

[guyver01]

Parcel Post = whenever you get a chance. Average is probably 2-3 weeks.

 

[wiredspider]

It's NOT tracking, it's just delivery confirmation. So it's not uncommon for it not be updated.

 

[badb0y]

Parcel Post = whenever you get a chance. Average is probably 2-3 weeks.

Oh man that's brutal, 2-3 weeks I could have walked there and back. I am in NY, the parcel is comming from VA lol.

 

[cherrytwist]

Not to mention it's the holiday season...

 

[jupiter57]

Parcel Post = whenever you get a chance. Average is probably 2-3 weeks.

This

I almost ALWAYS ship Priority Mail, or, for inexpensive, small ticket stuff, I may use First Class, minimum. (Can't quite justify ~$5.00 to ship a $2.00 item!)

The cost difference between First Class and Parcel Post is so insignificant it is not worth the hassle of my buyers waiting longer. (The price difference for shipping a Laptop, for instance, is less than a dollar via Parcel vs First Class, and only around $2.00 more for Priority).
If a significantly priced item is not worth an extra $1-$2 to ship, I would not bother.

I remember when I started trading here, some tools were shipping practically everything Media Mail, very cheap, but absolutely took FOREVER to arrive.

Shipped a Laptop some years ago via Priority Mail 3 states over in early Dec. Due to the Christmas rush, my buyer was in a panic when it took FOREVER to arrive! (See my Heatware)
So even Priority Mail will be slow during the Holidays.

Just had to put in my $0.02!

 

[RavenSEAL]

Couldn't have paid an extra $5 for priority flat rate shipping?

 

[lxskllr]

Ime, parcel post gets to the destination just as fast as the expedited methods, at a lower cost. I'd expect 7 working days with the xmas rush. Also, the Dept of Domestic Espionage is stopping packages from outside the country that weigh over 500g. I've also read where they're stopping some domestic shipments too, so that could be an issue.

 

[RavenSEAL]

Ime, parcel post gets to the destination just as fast as the expedited methods, at a lower cost. I'd expect 7 working days with the xmas rush. Also, the Dept of Domestic Espionage is stopping packages from outside the country that weigh over 500g. I've also read where they're stopping some domestic shipments too, so that could be an issue.

USPS Flat Rate shipping takes 3-5 business days. I had one that arrived next day as a matter of fact.

 

[lxskllr]

USPS Flat Rate shipping takes 3-5 business days. I had one that arrived next day as a matter of fact.

Same as parcel post. I only pulled the 7 day figure out of my ass to allow for xmas craziness. Under normal conditions, if I put something in the mail on Monday, with a late afternoon pickup, I'd expect it to arrive on the west coast by Thurs, or Fri at the latest.

 

[CRXican]

next time pay for Priority or use UPS ground

would have been there an 2-3 days

cheapskate

 

[badb0y]

I didn't know what the exact shipping service he was going to use, the price included shipping... I would have paid more If I knew how crappy parcel post was.

 

[OBLAMA2009]

Not to mention it's the holiday season...

actually during holiday season shipping is usually faster