Weird Post Office route?

[True]

I wasn't sure if this was an OT or a WYP topic, I apologies if it's in the wrong area!

But I ordered something from ebay, and it was processed/shipped in a timely fashion, so I'm not ready to blame the seller yet. I think it's actually a PO mistake? Or maybe not? I'm actually kinda just wondering if, for some strange reason, this is normal..

The seller is from Houston TX. The thing I ordered was a T-shirt, so I assume it would most likely be in a bubble mailer? or regardless a flat box. (i don't know if this information matters but figured Id put it out there lol)

The parcel would be coming to me in MI. Due to be delivered on the 16th at the latest. However, I checked tracking today, and find it's somehow hopped a boat to San Juan PR of all places...
It DOES say that it's been delayed and ill be notified of a new delivery date once its available. Is this... normal? Do things often get routed that way from Houston? or should I worry? I've been hunting down this Tshirt for weeks, Was really excited that I found one, as well as one in my size, as literally no one else was selling one until this one. I would just be crushed if it vanished!


[moving to TS ~ Kiwi]

[goddessofpeep]

This is happening a lot lately. Due to congress's war on the post office, several major mail processing centers have been closed, and a lot of postal jobs were lost. The postal service has less people and less resources to handle the mail, so you get a lot of packages taking "vacations" to distant places, or other weird problems.  I've had packages bounce all over the place for a week or more due to this.

This is NOT the seller's fault. There is nothing they can do to prevent it.  If you want to blame someone, blame congress for all the budget cuts:/ It should arrive eventually, it just might take a while. As long as it's still showing up in the tracking system once in a while, you should eventually get it.  I had one package shipped from Indiana to California end up in Puerto Rico for a full week before it got back to the continental US again.

Good luck!

[True]

Yeah the seller has been really good. The packaged shipping started the day after I bought it (i bought it at night, so yeah lol) They contacted me again a few days later when he noticed the tracking hadn't updated in a few days, and now with the crazy location rofl, I just hope it eventually comes home.

Its a shame about the PO drama. :/ I really like the people at the post office near me.

[CoonhoundBetty]

Eerily similar to a package I just had show up from TX to me in MI! It did show up today, but sat in TX for 11 days. Maybe the route from TX to MI just sucks for mail LOL That is so weird to go to PR though!

[True]

Yay! I finally got it! and in all it was only 3 days late, so not as bad as I feared it might be! The seller was really attentive, even though neither of us really understood what was happening, xD they did their best to try and figure it out. definitely left them a positive feedback!

[CoonhoundBetty]

Yay! Glad you got your item!

[Galactica]

I have had that happen before-  a package that I've posted will show scanned somewhere completely out of the way- (like 6 states away)   but then reappear in the state it should be...

I never did figure out why, but I think sometimes the scan code gets read wrong or something.   

[True]

Oh this one was definitely in the wrong place xD it was delayed a few days while they sorted it out lol.

But my disney swap box, now that one, went directly to its destination... but then it was scanned as being back in my city.. I was like "what.. how.." xD luckily it was just a weird mistake and it didn't actually end up back in my city, and my partner got their box. :p

[Ringlets]

  I'm really glad your parcel showed up. I've read a lot of people having similar issues to you with the PO and its happening more often now. Sometimes the tracking doesn't update for a while either, or it updates with something really odd. If there's tracking I don't tend to worry too much about it if it happens now, although it can be a bit stressful if your parcel seems to be heading in completely the wrong direction!
 I remember the case of a pony taking a detour to Hawaii instead of going to the east coast (I think that's where it should have gone ..the memory is a bit off. It was supposed to be somewhere nearer the sellers state anyways) and other parcels supposedly ending up in the wrong country first, let alone the wrong State . Thankfully , most of them safely reached the buyer in the end, even if it was a bit late