USPS Question- Am I Now Officially Screwed?

madcap_magician

madcap_magician

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On 20051231, I ordered a textbook from an Amazon Marketplace seller with the guarantee that it would ship NLT 20060104 media mail. Should have been fine, since the projected delivery date was between four and fourteen days, and should have been less because the seller shipped from in-state. It has been twenty days and I am in dire need of the textbook as of last week- I'm starting to get assignments in it. I emailed the seller and she simply confirmed that she shipped on 20060105 via media mail as ordered by Amazon. Naturally, she didn't have a tracking number or anything else.

There is almost no conceivable way the book could not have arrived by now.

Esav worked for the PO. Am I screwed now? I cannot afford to re-buy the book, especially from the bookstore here.
 
As I recall, there is no guaranteed delivery date on media mail which is why it has a deep discount. Time-critical things should not be sent that way.

Can you maybe xerox a few pages out of a classmate's book hoping that your book will arrive any day now?

Maybe the book is in the school library?
 
Pray. :( Yeah, something important like that I would have gotten an upgraded shipping, maybe even next-day especially since it's in state.

I've recieved Pirority Mail a month after it was sent out. And then I've had those rare, rare times when I've actually got something at the fifth day. oooooooooo.
 
I got a knife off ebay on 28th November and it was supposed to have been posted on 8th December. It was actually posted on 20th December (he blamed the dispatch person) and I got it on 10th January.
 
In the shipping industry you can have it one of two ways: cheap or fast. there is no such thing as shipping that is both cheap and fast. The item was shipped Media Mail which is the absolute cheapest shipping available, therefore it is also the slowest shipping available. Hang in there and try to limp along, I'm sure it will arrive before too long.
 
I have the same exact problem. If I pay 5.50 in shipping I expect USPS Priority Mail. I ordered 2 books from Amazon from a private seller the same way M_M did, they supposedly shipped NO LATER than 1/18. they are not here and the ONLY shipping price was 5.50 for one and a little more or less for the ot her. both are paperback, about 50 pp each and 5X8 and weigh just over 1 lb. I've shipped a lot of things, and when I see shipping for 5.50 I expect USPS Priority mail.

madcap, I sympathize with you, and it is bullsht that sellers can get away with using the cheapest shipping method, but about the only thing we can do is complain I guess.
 
Yeah, see the thing is, it was shipped from a Minnesota address. I think I could have WALKED to that address in less than twenty days. I wouldn't have had it shipped media mail if I'd been given an option, either. Unfortunate... I've never had a problem with USPS before.
 
Murphy's got relatives working in every industry, not just for USPS. It is very hard to figure out why a piece takes so long without looking at the markings, if any, when it finally arrives.

The biggest cause of delay in my experience was ... ta-daaaa! ... they sent it out a lot later than they said. Small shippers were notorious for holding packages until they had enough to be worth a trip to the post office.

The second BIG problem is in the post office when mail backs up at holiday time, and the oldest mail keeps getting buried by newer mail coming in. Parcels can be especially subject to this.

By and large, the class of mail is not as important, since once it gets inside the system, it's pretty much supposed to be handled on a first in, first out basis anyway.

Hang in there. I wish I could speed it up for you. :(
 
10 days after I bought it, and payed $4.50 for shipping. It came from colorado. the postage the seller paid was $1.59. I wonder where the other $2.91 went.:jerkit:

I still have another book en route, somewheres...I suppose I should expect it around groundhog day. :grumpy: :mad:

A funny postscript- it is Sevillian Steel!!!

Pete
 
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