Advice on USPS' one month delivery

lodibricks · 2019-06-29T17:19:45.000Z

I thought I'd run this scenario across the mind of the more experienced. I shipped a big set from west coast to east coast on 5/27, USPS Priority Mail for a disgustingly $48.17. I'm notified by the patient buyer that the item hadn't arrived over a week later. Tracking at that time only said it left my post office (not good). I fill out the Where's my Package form online. 6/17, I get a "we don't know" response and to fill out another "Missing Mail" claim, so I did that. Yet another week later, I now have a Refund Request through eBay. 4 weeks in, I don't think it's being delivered. I update the Missing Mail claim to deliver (if found) back to me and process the refund. This morning, I receive a USPS tracking text that it's delivered to the buyer, 1 month + 1 day from ship date. Unbelievable. Missing Mail claim hasn't been updated. Buyer has full refund and item at this point, I'm out $200+ on set & shipping. Considering how extremely patient the buyer had been, they might be willing to work with me on shipping it back (even more $$). I don't know yet it's condition after 30+ days of travelling, but I'm curious what USPS might do, if anything, to help make things right. I can very well expect them to say, "well, it's delivered, so we did our job." Do they do any refunds (or partial) for 30+ day Priority Mail deliveries? I'm just trying to figure out what I can recoup at this point. Hopefully the buyer is willing to ship it back so I'm only out 2x shipping. I have to say, I've only had maybe 2 or 3 issues with USPS out of a few thousand, so the track record has been really good. Unfortunately, when it goes wrong, the support and processes have been most unimpressive.