In early Dec. and in late Jan. I shipped two rifles via USPS Registered mail. Each one was shipped to a valid FFL address. The first one was going to a Northern VA address and second to an address in Southern GA. The tracking info. showed the first one arrived in Washington, DC and it sat there for about a week before arriving at the addressee. It arrived totally intact, no seals broken. The second one, the exact same thing. Tracking showed it went to Atlanta and sat there for a week before arriving at the addressee. It also arrived totally intact, no seals broken. Both of the recipients were told that the Postal Inspectors were holding the packages but were not given any reason for the holding. USG's attempts to put a "waiting hold" of firearm shipments?
USPS Weirdness
- Thread starter BigBoy99
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I really doubt that they're that organized to put holds on them, but then, who knows?! If you're bored someday, get a couple pieces of 1/2" iron pipe and send them the same way, just to mess with them.
Pointblank2U
US Veteran
USPS has become completely undependable here in the last couple of years. We always used to renew our dog's license via the mail, but after losing two in succession we had to go to the county facility and get one in person. I'd never mail a check anymore.
Pisgah
Member
Given the current state of the organization, I'd say you should be delighted with "only" a week's delay. Around here the headline would be "Major Improvement of USPS Service"...
My two farthings worth;
The U.S. Postal Service handles around 500 million pieces of mail/parcels every day. UPS and FedEx deliver 34 million packages combined. Those are astounding numbers and their failure rates barely budge the needle.
Gas up your car and try retrieving/delivering your own mail/parcels for the same rates as those three charge and see how that works out.
They do Herculean tasks everyday. If my stuff is late once in a while I cut them slack because they cast huge nets and there are bound to be a few holes here and there.
The U.S. Postal Service handles around 500 million pieces of mail/parcels every day. UPS and FedEx deliver 34 million packages combined. Those are astounding numbers and their failure rates barely budge the needle.
Gas up your car and try retrieving/delivering your own mail/parcels for the same rates as those three charge and see how that works out.
They do Herculean tasks everyday. If my stuff is late once in a while I cut them slack because they cast huge nets and there are bound to be a few holes here and there.
and all for $0.63
I ordered a bullet mold from Australia, I also ordered a set of handles. The mold and handles set me back $150, the shipping was another $50. Via email I was told it would take around two weeks for it to get here, they would provide tracking information. After a little over a week I checked the tracking info, it was outbound from Sydney, leaving some place like Toolummbaackooka Station. A couple days later I checked again, still in transit. Two weeks later it had arrived San Francisco customs and was tied up a couple days. A couple days later I checked again and it is outbound for Australia....two weeks later it is back in Toolummbaackooka Station. I email the guy whos reply was "Sorry mate, it was refused entry or delivery because they couldn't read your address." I replied in kind "Well good thing it was returned, go ahead and ship it again." I got this back from him "Sorry mate but we already shipped it, you'll have to cover the shipping for another go." I replied "In this country mate as the purchaser we pay the shipping once and the seller does what he needs to do to make it right." We got into a bit of an email donnybrook but in the end what got his attention was my last reply of "Mate, Nobody I ever knew won an argument with a customer." He replied "Its in the mail mate." Two weeks later it again ended up in San Francisco but this time cleared customs and was sent to me. One of the things that I think caused a problem was the fact that in the shipping bag, the mold and handles looked very much like a pistol, that added to the weight might have caused some raised eyebrows.
I know my local and surrounding post offices have been terribly understaffed for the last year and it isn’t getting any better
Rodan
Member
Not really. That may be the letter rate, but they're rates for everything else have skyrocketed.
They've jacked my PO Box rate 490% over the last 15 years, with no facility or personnel improvements in our town. It's the same 3 clerk counter with 1 clerk working as 30 years ago, but 5x the population.
Our residential delivery is a goat rope of inconsistent times, missing and mis-delivered mail. The USPS tracking system is nearly useless with some items being lost for days, and others arriving before they even show up in the system. Probably forty percent of our USPS packages experience some kind of delay or other issue.
By comparison, Amazon provides free shipping for a year (Prime) for about 1/2 the cost of my PO Box, that's quick, and accurately tracked. And I get free streaming movies and music as well.
USPS may be doing a 'herculean task' but they are definitely not doing it 'well'.
Got no problems with the USPS. Have had extremely good results shipping domestically. My wife loves to knit. She ships stuff all over the place, domestically and occasionally even internationally. Of course she also buys (ouch!!!) from all over the planet. The overwhelming vast majority of these items are shipped by the mail. Cannot ever remember a problem for her shipments.
I have had one box of three 100 count bullets that arrived in a zip lock bag. Box got damaged in shipment. Oh well. That's what they make insurance for!!! Once upon a time I bought a very nice M-1 Garand buttstock w/ handguards. I waited and waited and waited. Could not understand why it ended up misdirected. Ended up that I had sent the wrong zip code. Opps! Happily the USPS managed to find the box and get it to me w/ no damage, dings, etc. Got to say ... that was pretty cool of them!
Understand that USPS has to operate at a profit. Of course employees are a big cost. Entirely understandable that they would cut costs where possible. It is nothing less than amazing that the USPS can service every address, even those that are way out in the middle of no where, at a very affordable price. Really good that the USPS is written into the COTUS. Otherwise, it'd have long ago been redirected to private business. That would rapidly devolve into the train wreak that is repeatedly seen when customers are faced with a company that wants to maximize profit over quality. JMHO. Sincerely. bruce.
I have had one box of three 100 count bullets that arrived in a zip lock bag. Box got damaged in shipment. Oh well. That's what they make insurance for!!! Once upon a time I bought a very nice M-1 Garand buttstock w/ handguards. I waited and waited and waited. Could not understand why it ended up misdirected. Ended up that I had sent the wrong zip code. Opps! Happily the USPS managed to find the box and get it to me w/ no damage, dings, etc. Got to say ... that was pretty cool of them!
Understand that USPS has to operate at a profit. Of course employees are a big cost. Entirely understandable that they would cut costs where possible. It is nothing less than amazing that the USPS can service every address, even those that are way out in the middle of no where, at a very affordable price. Really good that the USPS is written into the COTUS. Otherwise, it'd have long ago been redirected to private business. That would rapidly devolve into the train wreak that is repeatedly seen when customers are faced with a company that wants to maximize profit over quality. JMHO. Sincerely. bruce.
smoothshooter
Member
I did not know USPS even shipped guns.
Ivan the Butcher
Member
I assume that you have to pass a pee test to get hired. If you had to pass a pee test to get any government check, Government jobs wouldn't stay empty!
Ivan
Why registered mail? I would have used Priority Mail.
They were very rare and high value rifles. The maximum insurance for Priority Mail is $5000, which would not have covered them. The insurance offered by Registered Mail would cover their value.
Yes the USPS does a good job, all things taken considered. But my only ***** with the P.O. is when things go south no one are their end appears to give a poop
So very glad that your rifles were safely and securely received. Sincerely. bruce.
