The MLP Arena
TCB => Trader & Shipping Support => Topic started by: bluerose9978 on January 17, 2017, 11:30:47 AM
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Last week I mailed a package to Canada. I have a scale and I print my labels at home. So, I did what I always do. I had eBay make up the label and I checked it over and I sent out the package. But the next day, the package came back to me with no explanation. I thought it might just be a fluke so I sent it out again. Today, it came back to me. Still no explanation. My husband is going to take it to the post office if he has enough time today and talk to the rep there.
But does anyone have an explanation for this? I have never had a problem before and I want to avoid this in the future.
Post Merge: January 17, 2017, 12:42:04 PM
My husband just text me from the post office and the guy had no clue why it's been coming back to me. Hopefully it continues on. He's at a different post office, not the one connected with our zip code.
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Did they stamp anything on the package when it was returned the first time, and if so did you repackage it or obscure whatever was added?
I've heard that once a package has been stamped to be returned, any post office employee who spots the stamp will send it back, assuming something is wrong.
If that's not the case then I'm not sure what would be wrong. Frustrating!
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No, no stamping of any kind either time.
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I just had the exact same thing happen to me!
My package was supposed to be going to Austria. I printed the label through USPS just like always and mailed it Dec. 29. Dec. 30 it was delivered right back to me with no explanation whatsoever. No stamps on the package and tracking just showed it as delivered as if there were no problems (even though it specified that it was an international package). Took it in to the post office on the 31st and they couldn't explain it and just put it back in the system. Of course the holiday meant no mail delivery for a couple of days but then the very next day we had delivery it was back at my door looking a bit worse for wear. Took it back in the following day and they still couldn't figure it out but this time we drew an arrow to the correct address and wrote in big letters to send it to Austria. The tracking on USPS hasn't updated since the first time they delivered it back to me, but I was able to find it on Austria's postal website once it finally made it out of the US (it just cleared customs yesterday according to their tracking :cheer: ).
I had another package going out to Germany only a day or so after the second time it returned so I was holding my breath hoping that one wouldn't also get returned - thankfully, that one proceeded as normal.
I hope your package gets back on track.
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You know, I had this thought that somehow whatever they scan said that it goes to the US and the postal workers didn't pay attention to the addressee. I thought about circling the outgoing address.
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That's confusing :/ I've had that happen once, but I know why. I was shipping a package and paid for the postage online but also wrote my address and the recipient's address on the package itself. The package was then delivered back to me in a few days because I had accidentally written my own address in the recipient's spot and their address in the sender's spot. -_- Note that this was just a cardboard box -- only convention indicated that the recipient's address should be on the right side; there was no "to" or "from" like some packages have. But as I had been in a rush I wrote my address on the right . . . When the package came back to me, I realized what was wrong and brought the package to the post office to speak personally with an employee to ask if I could get some sort of refund, since the shipping label clearly said the correct recipient zip code, even if the address was not technically in the right place on the actual box. This employee is fairly nice when I see her normally but insisted that no refund could be given because the address was not on the right side. I even pointed out that, besides the fact that the electronic label had the correct information, a human sorting the mail should be able to figure out that a package with our zip code on it is probably headed out to the area without our zip code, and the electronic label would confirm that for them if they cared to double check. You can tell I'm still salty about that ^^; My mistake, but really the post office should exercise some common sense. As the package I was trying to mail was also a return for a refund, I also missed the return window as a result of the back-and-forth and lost quite a bit of money in addition to the postage. Live and learn, I suppose . . .
So maybe it's some weird issue like that; the post office can be picky about some things.
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The to and from are clearly in the right places. On the electronic label, the To is actually at the top and slightly to the right. The From is at the bottom. I checked that it was filled out correctly, and as the clerk at the post office said, they had no idea why it was sent back.
But I've been given some advice that if it does come back to cross out the barcode and circle the outgoing address. Hopefully, this will catch someone's attention and it will get sent to the right place.
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They did change some of the limitations lately regarding how heavy an item can be to ship first class-
Or some of the specifics as to whether you need one custom form vs. another- but if you are shipping with an electronic label, the program should have picked up on those changes- no idea
The recipient double checked his/her address?
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The package is only 4 oz. A little less to be exact. The recipient has a verified shipping address. I double checked.
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The package is only 4 oz. A little less to be exact. The recipient has a verified shipping address. I double checked.
Is it possibly that you are sending it by "envelope" rate instead of "package" rate? If it is fatter than 3/4" - the price jumps to $9.50, even for a tiny little package weighing 3 or 4 oz (so I have discovered)
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They make it really hard to mess up an electronic label - as long as you put in the correct weight you'll only get the options that pertain to that size package and the type of shipping you choose. If the weight were wrong (or envelope vs. package selected) it should have been marked as insufficient postage when it came back.
I suppose there's always a possibility that there was some sort of glitch with the bar code which I would guess is why they suggested crossing it out if it should happen again, but really, common sense should have alerted someone that a package with USPS printed international label is not going somewhere in the US.
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They make it really hard to mess up an electronic label - as long as you put in the correct weight you'll only get the options that pertain to that size package and the type of shipping you choose. If the weight were wrong (or envelope vs. package selected) it should have been marked as insufficient postage when it came back.
I suppose there's always a possibility that there was some sort of glitch with the bar code which I would guess is why they suggested crossing it out if it should happen again, but really, common sense should have alerted someone that a package with USPS printed international label is not going somewhere in the US.
True- except with the flat vs nonflat option- I don't think they make that very clear honestly. You could easily select "envelope" not realizing the thickness is limited to 3/4" since it doesn't say unless you dig into the rules a bit...
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The package is only 4 oz. A little less to be exact. The recipient has a verified shipping address. I double checked.
Is it possibly that you are sending it by "envelope" rate instead of "package" rate? If it is fatter than 3/4" - the price jumps to $9.50, even for a tiny little package weighing 3 or 4 oz (so I have discovered)
Nope. It said $9.50. I do this a lot. I actually got charged a little less because eBay gives sellers a discount. As I have said, it was taken to the post office and the clerk said everything on the form was filled out correctly and they had no idea why it was returned. And with no stamping on it. I even emailed customer service and got a call back today and they couldn't explain why it had been returned twice.
And I didn't select envelope. I clearly selected package. It's set up that way on my template.
Post Merge: January 18, 2017, 11:28:49 AM
In case everyone wants to see this great shipping circle my package keeps taking (judging by the Jan. 18 in Newark, it's on its way back to me again....):
Delivered, In/At Mailbox
Jan-13-17, 13:59 PM, NEWARK, OH 43055
DELIVERED IN/AT MAILBOX
Jan-13-17, 13:59 PM, NEWARK 43055
ARRIVAL AT UNIT
Jan-18-17, 07:27 AM, NEWARK 43055
ARRIVE USPS FACILITY
Jan-18-17, 06:18 AM, NEWARK 43058
DEPART USPS FACILITY
Jan-18-17, 05:24 AM, COLUMBUS 43218
DEPART USPS FACILITY
Jan-18-17, 05:17 AM, COLUMBUS 43218
PROCESSED THROUGH USPS FACILITY
Jan-18-17, 04:25 AM, COLUMBUS 43218
PROCESSED THROUGH USPS FACILITY
Jan-18-17, 02:41 AM, COLUMBUS 43218
PROCESSED THROUGH USPS FACILITY
Jan-18-17, 00:55 AM, COLUMBUS 43218
PROCESSED THROUGH USPS FACILITY
Jan-18-17, 00:06 AM, COLUMBUS 43218
PROCESSED THROUGH USPS FACILITY
Jan-17-17, 21:39 PM, COLUMBUS 43218
DEPART POST OFFICE
Jan-17-17, 18:13 PM, REYNOLDSBURG 43068
ACCEPT OR PICKUP
Jan-17-17, 15:29 PM, REYNOLDSBURG 43068
ARRIVAL AT UNIT
Jan-16-17, 13:01 PM, NEWARK 43055
DEPART USPS FACILITY
Jan-16-17, 03:25 AM, COLUMBUS 43218
DEPART USPS FACILITY
Jan-15-17, 22:58 PM, COLUMBUS 43218
PROCESSED THROUGH USPS FACILITY
Jan-15-17, 20:52 PM, COLUMBUS 43218
PROCESSED THROUGH USPS FACILITY
Jan-15-17, 00:15 AM, COLUMBUS 43218
PROCESSED THROUGH USPS FACILITY
Jan-15-17, 00:04 AM, COLUMBUS 43218
PROCESSED THROUGH USPS FACILITY
Jan-15-17, 00:01 AM, COLUMBUS 43218
PROCESSED THROUGH USPS FACILITY
Jan-14-17, 23:07 PM, COLUMBUS 43218
PROCESSED THROUGH USPS FACILITY
Jan-14-17, 22:19 PM, COLUMBUS 43218
PROCESSED THROUGH USPS FACILITY
Jan-14-17, 22:12 PM, COLUMBUS 43218
DEPART POST OFFICE
Jan-14-17, 15:50 PM, NEWARK 43055
PICKED UP
Jan-14-17, 12:36 PM, NEWARK 43055
Arrived at Unit
Jan-13-17, 04:28 AM, NEWARK, OH 43055
Arrived at USPS Facility
Jan-13-17, 04:14 AM, NEWARK, OH 43058
Departed USPS Facility
Jan-13-17, 03:20 AM, COLUMBUS, OH 43218
Arrived at USPS Facility
Jan-12-17, 19:24 PM, COLUMBUS, OH 43218
Picked Up
Jan-12-17, 13:01 PM, NEWARK, OH 43055
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Super weird-
The fact that it was returned three different times must mean something is off right?
I've noticed the guys at the counter aren't always very good sources for info. My guy is honest and admits he has no idea how these things work and refers me to the bigger post office down the street when I have questions. >_<
I sure hope you can figure it out!
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Me, too! I've been hinted that the barcode may be off and that it's routing the package back to me. So, if that's the case, if I cross that out, maybe mail handlers will actually look at where the package should be going.
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I had this issue a couple times, I believe it was with packages to Canada. I print my labels via eBay as well. The post office that I use did not have any explanation and was surprised that my local post office would just deliver it back to the house. I assumed they just misread the label as to which was the destination address so I've started marking it to make it more clear on international packages.
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They make it really hard to mess up an electronic label - as long as you put in the correct weight you'll only get the options that pertain to that size package and the type of shipping you choose. If the weight were wrong (or envelope vs. package selected) it should have been marked as insufficient postage when it came back.
I suppose there's always a possibility that there was some sort of glitch with the bar code which I would guess is why they suggested crossing it out if it should happen again, but really, common sense should have alerted someone that a package with USPS printed international label is not going somewhere in the US.
True- except with the flat vs nonflat option- I don't think they make that very clear honestly. You could easily select "envelope" not realizing the thickness is limited to 3/4" since it doesn't say unless you dig into the rules a bit...
It's probably different printing through ebay, but I go through USPS Click N Ship for my international packages. They don't even have an option for printing postage for envelopes - it's automatically assumed to be a package.
In case everyone wants to see this great shipping circle my package keeps taking (judging by the Jan. 18 in Newark, it's on its way back to me again....):
You've got a lot more tracking than I did. My package went to the sorting center in Nashville and turned around and showed delivered right back to me. It never updated again after the first time it came back.
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They make it really hard to mess up an electronic label - as long as you put in the correct weight you'll only get the options that pertain to that size package and the type of shipping you choose. If the weight were wrong (or envelope vs. package selected) it should have been marked as insufficient postage when it came back.
I suppose there's always a possibility that there was some sort of glitch with the bar code which I would guess is why they suggested crossing it out if it should happen again, but really, common sense should have alerted someone that a package with USPS printed international label is not going somewhere in the US.
True- except with the flat vs nonflat option- I don't think they make that very clear honestly. You could easily select "envelope" not realizing the thickness is limited to 3/4" since it doesn't say unless you dig into the rules a bit...
It's probably different printing through ebay, but I go through USPS Click N Ship for my international packages. They don't even have an option for printing postage for envelopes - it's automatically assumed to be a package.
In case everyone wants to see this great shipping circle my package keeps taking (judging by the Jan. 18 in Newark, it's on its way back to me again....):
You've got a lot more tracking than I did. My package went to the sorting center in Nashville and turned around and showed delivered right back to me. It never updated again after the first time it came back.
I just hope it does come back to me since it showed it was back in my town yesterday morning but it somehow didn't make its way back to me. I want to be able to try and doctor the label to make sure the TO and FROM are clearly marked and cross out the barcode. My other thought had been to cancel the label and print a new one (but I didn't know if I was able to do that after putting it through the postal system already without paying again).
I just checked the tracking again and it's back in Columbus. Oh, boy. I just hope it doesn't get "lost."
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I just hope it does come back to me since it showed it was back in my town yesterday morning but it somehow didn't make its way back to me. I want to be able to try and doctor the label to make sure the TO and FROM are clearly marked and cross out the barcode. My other thought had been to cancel the label and print a new one (but I didn't know if I was able to do that after putting it through the postal system already without paying again).
I just checked the tracking again and it's back in Columbus. Oh, boy. I just hope it doesn't get "lost."
I was considering printing a new label as well, but once it's in the system you would have to pay again. So, what I was going to do if mine came back again was take it to the larger post office and speak with a manager to see if they could either figure out the problem or make a new label without charging me.
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Yeah, if mine does come back again, I might just take it to the post office and see if I can do that. After all, I had the local post office call me back regarding the situation since I had emailed customer service so I figure they must have it documented somewhere. Plus, I have tracking proving the package has been going in circles.
Even if the package doesn't come back to me, I might just go to the post office and ask to speak to a manager and show them this loop my package is caught in and ask if there is something that can get my package to be kicked in the right direction.
I have messaged the buyer a couple times, meanwhile, and have gotten no response. I don't know if this is a good or bad thing.
Post Merge: January 19, 2017, 11:35:23 AM
These are the two newest updates on tracking:
PROCESSED THROUGH USPS FACILITY
Jan-19-17, 03:04 AM, COLUMBUS 43218
PROCESSING EXCEPTION
Jan-18-17, 22:57 PM, COLUMBUS 43218
I have never seen the "exception" before in tracking... There are no updates after the 3 a.m. processing. Anyone know what the exception would be?
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From what I can find on that, it means someone finally noticed the barcode isn't being scanned properly and it will have to be processed manually.
I wish I could remember what the tracking said on a package I sent a few years ago before I was printing the labels at home. I took a package in and didn't notice until I got home that the person at the desk had swapped the first two digits of the buyers zip code meaning that although the correct zip code was written on the package itself the code they scan gave the wrong one. It was fine at first - it went straight to Texas and was just across town from the buyer when someone scanned it and sent it off to West Virginia instead. It bounced back and forth several days and I called them up a couple of times to try to get someone to actually read the label instead of relying on the scanner. It did finally get to the buyer but it took much longer than it should have. As I recall the last time I called the woman I talked to said something about putting an exception on the code to get them to look at it, but I can't remember for certain.
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When it comes to international packages I always go to the post office. Domestic I do everything online. In a perfect world one would never have to feel like an international box is somehow at risk if you don't watch the lady put it in the package bin. I guess I just feel safer this way. I don't sell enough internationally for this to be an issue for me time wise. If it does come back to you that is just so irritating. I feel it would be an error on the label itself. I would debox it, put it in a brand new box, unless there is a way to remove every label from the box cleanly... and ship it inside the post office instead of using the online label.
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From what I can find on that, it means someone finally noticed the barcode isn't being scanned properly and it will have to be processed manually.
With luck, that means my package will actually reach its destination. I'll keep an eye on the tracking and see where it goes from there. Thanks, Breyer.
No updates on tracking today so far. I hope that's a good thing.
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UPDATE: Here are the newest updates for my package. Looks like it's cleared customs and is on the way to my buyer, thankfully! Thanks for everyone's help in this! It looks to have been a faulty barcode all along. I really don't know how it could have been avoided in the first place but now I know what happened and I'll keep tracking the package until it reaches its destination.
PROCESSED THROUGH OFFICE OF EXCHANGE
Jan-23-17, 06:27 AM, CA
CUSTOMS CLEARANCE
Jan-23-17, 06:27 AM, CA
INTERNATIONAL DISPATCH READY
Jan-21-17, 10:04 AM, ISC CHICAGO IL (USPS) 60688
ARRIVED AT INTERNATIONAL SERVICE CENTER
Jan-21-17, 08:33 AM, ISC CHICAGO IL (USPS) 60688
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:cheer: That'a great news! I also just got word that my package that kept being returned was picked up by my buyer today. :)
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:cheer: That'a great news! I also just got word that my package that kept being returned was picked up by my buyer today. :)
That's great news! So silly that things like this happen and USPS can't give us an explanation, even if you contact their customer service department. You'd think they would have someone who could at least give the option that the barcode might be giving the sorter problems.
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UPDATE: Here are the newest updates for my package. Looks like it's cleared customs and is on the way to my buyer, thankfully! Thanks for everyone's help in this! It looks to have been a faulty barcode all along. I really don't know how it could have been avoided in the first place but now I know what happened and I'll keep tracking the package until it reaches its destination.
Yay, at last!
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:bigups: :cheer: :hug: :whew:
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DELIVERED
Jan-26-17, 11:59 AM, CA
YAY!!!! :biggrin: :biggrin: :biggrin:
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Oh goodness that is a huge relief.
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Oh goodness that is a huge relief.
Yes, and the buyer already left positive feedback. All's well that ends well.