Shipping Delays

[Slot Car Corner]

We've recently received some inquiries from concerned customers about orders being "lost" or not being delivered in the same timeframe they are accustomed to. This is normally the busiest time of the year for shipping carriers (USPS, UPS, Fedex) so some delays are not unusual. The additional volume of packages invariably means longer shipping times. However, many online retailers are reporting record breaking sales, in part because of the COVID 19 pandemic. The result is even more packages being shipped which in turn places more demand on shipping carriers. USPS has posted the following notice on their website:

"ALERT: USPS is experiencing unprecedented package increases and limited employee availability due to the impacts of COVID-19."

Please keep the following points in mind when selecting a shipping service during checkout in our online store.

• USPS First Class Mail, while the lowest cost shipping option for lighter packages, is most impacted by shipping delays. First Class Packages that normally take 4-7 business days are sometimes taking 2+ weeks to be delivered. If you don't want to potentially wait 2+ weeks for your order, please consider USPS Priority Mail or UPS instead.
• USPS Priority Mail is also experiencing delays. Packages that would normally take 2-3 business days are sometimes taking over a week to be delivered.
• UPS does not seem to be experiencing the same level of delays as USPS.

The good news is while some package deliveries are delayed, the packages do eventually get delivered. To date (knock on wood...) no packages have been lost.

Finally, we want to thank our customers for their patience. Once the holiday season passes, we expect to see shipping timeframes improve.

[docdoom]

hey I can relate. last order was lost in some black hole. I blamed it on the mail in ballots that got mixed up with them and was sitting in some mail room corner waiting to be found and added the the vote count, it finally showed up smelling like pineapple for some strange reason...

[downtowndeco]

I had a guy ship something on the 30th Priority Mail & it still isn't here.

[Ragtopman]

Yep, big prob with usps. Waiting on multiple shipments from several different vendors delayed with no updates...
Use UPS or FedEx at this point imo. Good luck and they will eventually get delivered as I am sure they are way beyond being able to keep up with everyone shopping online and Covid-19 running amok. Stay safe!
thanks SCC you guys are the best!

[Scatman]

I placed an order on the 30th and on the 7th from the same store, the 7th arrived and the other is still in transportation. My guess lost in Detroit. Also, I have placed three other orders since, and have arrived. Just depends on where your supplier is located.

[mattb]

It's the same for all of us. Example PO tracking delivery date says Thurs. Not here, check tracking 4 days later and it says still in transit. I have about 5 like that the last week and 3 are still out in space. In the last month, I actually had a purchase delivered to somebody in Michigan and about 4 days later it showed up here. Another package went to the wrong local PO branch and was returned to regional PO, then process again and finally to me. All this is on the PO's tracking site. Hopefully all our deliveries will eventually show up. Last week I got a box from Oz in 6 days by EMT? a carrier I had never heard of.

The reps for UPS and Fedex have said they will have millions of packages that are accepted now and they won't make it in time for Christmas.

My broker told me last week he has been searching out cardboard companies for future investments. His company has researched and decided big increases of online shopping are here to stay and packing materials are the new tech stocks!!

[Mickey thumbs]

The USPS tracking site can be good for a few laughs when your shipment is not urgently needed. I have watched more than one package be logged in at a regional distribution center about 50 miles on the interstate from my home, then logged into another one 100 miles in the other direction on the same highway, then back again before finally getting off on the exit that leads to my PO about one mile off said interstate.
Sometimes you just gotta laugh.😂 Fortunately my wife’s Christmas present arrived yesterday by UPS.

[Mickey thumbs]

Tracking my current SCC order via USPS reminds me of when I was a kid and watched the NORAD “tracking” Santa’s sleigh on Christmas Eve shown on TV late news. Maybe if Igo to bed and close my eyes it will get here sooner.😇

[Ragtopman]

Lol! Yeah shipping companies are getting hammered right now. I, too am watching the sleigh but somehow it’s stuck!

[Starfighter Ace]

And to help matters even further, major Noreaster hits a week before Christmas! Gotta love it!

[mattb]

I'll say this,our USPS has done a great job until the last couple months. We had a new Postal Master, who knew nothing about how the post office worked and for whatever reasons slowed down the mail. Online sales are easily up 400%-500%, maybe more. The carriers are totally overloaded now. I understand and accept it. If online sales continue next year with a big increase, I'm sure the companies will adapt and increase manpower, training and capabilities permanently.

I still don't understand why I have packages that say on tracking they are "missent". They have gone to the wrong "local" PO and then they go back to start the whole procedure all over. Kind of funny really. Something sent to me in So. In. from So. Mo. goes to Iowa, back to St Louis, then to Louisville, then to Indiana and finally to me. It goes west an extra 400 miles, then comes back east, then goes southeast, then goes north. Hope everybody gets their stuff, but I do understand what is going on and it will get better.

[Silberpfeil]

I make it a point to thank the USPS delivery person and pass along some encouragement when they stop by.

It has to completely s**k to be on the receiving end of bitching when it's personally not their fault.
They're part of the solution...not the problem.

Now more than ever, a little act of appreciation / Christmas Joy can really make someone's day.

[Ragtopman]

I make it a point to thank the USPS delivery person and pass along some encouragement when they stop by.

It has to completely s**k to be on the receiving end of bitching when it's personally not their fault.
They're part of the solution...not the problem.

Now more than ever, a little act of appreciation / Christmas Joy can really make someone's day.

Well said! Thanked the postman this morning. Couldn’t imagine the work load they are doing these days...

[mattb]

As much crap as my carrier delivers and as good as he is, or the lady that retired last year. I give them a Mcd's gift card at Christmas to thank them for all they do. $10 for Mcd is not much, but it shows them I appreciate the extra care they give our deliveries. This year, the wife put a bowl of little cakes on the porch for all the delivery people that are bringing us packages. Those UPS people are making good money and probably as much overtime as they want. It's good to acknowledge them personally.

[docdoom]

Well still having issues with usps. have a package that has fallen into The Twilight Zone they can not point the finger at the holidays these time around. must be the Texas power grid fault

[Ragtopman]

Yep, I feel you. Been waiting 2 weeks for package that should have been 3 days. USPS is a mess. Hopefully it will be fixed at some point. If I have a choice in shipping I usually opt for UPS. Good luck and hope it’s delivered soon!

[Slot Car Corner]

USPS continues to be sporadic, particularly First Class. Most packages are being delivered within normal windows; however, some do go into the Twilight Zone. The packages will eventually emerge from the Twilight Zone and get delivered. To date, USPS hasn't lost any of our packages (hopefully I didn't jinx us...).