Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Shippos USPS Time in Transit Data

goshippo.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

71–77 of 77 posts

Re: Shippos USPS Time in Transit Data

#71

Post by greendude29 »

9nGQluzmnq3M wrote: post #19
9nGQluzmnq3M wrote: post #4

TL;DR: DeJoy's changes appear to have made USPS slightly slower (0.1-0.5 days) in some places, but much less than the delta caused by a holiday like July 4th (see note buried at the very end).

Is my summary inaccurate? The article is very careful not to extend any political slant to its data and findings, please extend me the same courtesy. (I'm not even American.)

It is inaccurate.

You say "slightly slower". The metrics behind the delays are much longer and your numbers only seem to include time in transit.

Second reason your summary is inaccurate: DeJoy's changes are rolled out in small pockets of the country thus far. The article seems to be indiscriminate from where those changes took place. The averages here are hence better than from those places where the changes have done the most damage.

Re: Shippos USPS Time in Transit Data

#73

Post by takeda »

sroussey wrote: post #6
Fezzik wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder if business mail is being handled differently than civilian mail - I mail letters to my Mother 1-2 times a week and standard delivery times have gone from (always) 2-3 days between Medford, OR and Mount Vernon, WA to 8-12 days for the last 4 letters I sent that she has received. And the most recent 2 appear to be on the same trajectory. It is sort of wild, though just an anecdote. I have been sending her let…

First class letters are slow. Packages not so much (better revenue).

There were reports of live animal dying because of delays or prescription being missed.

I do see much less mail in mailbox than I had before. I also had informed delivery set up and now I'm told I'm not eligible (when it worked a month or two before). Frustrating, because this is time when the informed delivery would actually let me know if I'm actually missing some mail.

Re: Shippos USPS Time in Transit Data

#74

Post by moftz »

greendude29 wrote: post #69
dawnerd wrote: post #20

One key metric missing (unless I’m blind) is time to acceptance scan. I do a lot of shipping and don’t have time to have the packages scanned in every day so I use the drop box. Last few months it’s taken the post office an extra day or two to even scan them in. So while the packages must only be on average 5-10% late they’re also being delayed a day or more just sitting waiting to be accepted. It hurt my eBay rating…

Not being as familiar with shipping, how would one find the metrics for this? Is there some kind of an initial "scan" upon drop-in to the box and then a second scan when they pick it up? If not, then I imagine the metrics would only be discoverable from USPS themselves, which of course, they are going to muzzle.

When you drop off a package at the post office, you can either wait in line for an agent at the counter to scan your package (only during business hours) and give you a receipt or you can place them in a drop box (open 24/7). The drop box usually has a last pickup time on the label (3pm, 5pm, etc) for when someone actually collects the contents and then scan in the packages to get them into the sorting/tracking system. The problem is that sometimes these bins of packages might sit for a while until someone scans them for the first time. There is a bin behind the wall for the drop box and if it gets full, they pull up a new bin for the drop box so there could be multiple bins of packages that need to be scanned.

You would need to search the tracking number and see when the first scan occurs. Shippo is only looking at shipping label creation date which could be offset quite some time from when the package gets scanned. Large businesses might have enough employees to where they can pack, label, and ship out an order that day but small businesses might have someone hand delivering packages to the post office every other day.

Re: Shippos USPS Time in Transit Data

#75

Post by dawnerd »

greendude29 wrote: post #69
dawnerd wrote: post #20

One key metric missing (unless I’m blind) is time to acceptance scan. I do a lot of shipping and don’t have time to have the packages scanned in every day so I use the drop box. Last few months it’s taken the post office an extra day or two to even scan them in. So while the packages must only be on average 5-10% late they’re also being delayed a day or more just sitting waiting to be accepted. It hurt my eBay rating…

Not being as familiar with shipping, how would one find the metrics for this? Is there some kind of an initial "scan" upon drop-in to the box and then a second scan when they pick it up? If not, then I imagine the metrics would only be discoverable from USPS themselves, which of course, they are going to muzzle.

You'd have to compare the label creation date with the scan date.

Example one of the ones I got dinged on:

Jun 30, 2020 7:29pm Tracking number provided

Jul 3, 2020 6:45am Accepted at USPS Origin Facility BEAVERTON, OR 97078

It was dropped off Jul 1 in the early morning. Ended up sitting there for two days before they got around to scanning. Admittedly it has gotten better the last couple weeks but it can still take them a day.

The easiest way around this though is using a scans form which is just a printout where they can scan once and it marks all of the packages as accepted at once. It still takes time to prepare the form, print and find someone at the dock or drop window to scan it - they don't seem to particularly like doing it.

Re: Shippos USPS Time in Transit Data

#76

Post by latchkey »

selectodude wrote: post #64
sjs382 wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wait, you're telling me that FedEx support explained that their drivers are defrauding their customers ?

FedEx contracts out a lot of last mile delivery for non-guaranteed packages to USPS. It's possible the rep was referring to that on the phone. I too have noticed USPS delivery notifications to be completely worthless for the same reasons.

If I send something via DHL to my data center, I have to add the data centers PO Box to the delivery address because DHL hands it off to USPS. USPS won't deliver it to the address for who knows what reason. Someone at the data center has to drive into town and pick it up at the PO Box.

Sorting this out the first time was me spending hours on the phone calling between DHL and USPS to find out where the package was and what was happening.

Even more inane is that USPS uses a ~20 digit number for tracking packages. Imagine reading that on the phone to a customer support person. I can't believe nobody thought to use base-32 encoding [0].

[0] https://github.com/stickfigure/unsuck/blob/b4dff541d756303ca...

Re: Shippos USPS Time in Transit Data

#77

Post by wlesieutre »

takeda wrote: post #61
programbreeding wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I personally think they do actually track things, but I would guess the postal workers are held to some kind of metric for delivery times. I think if they know they don't have the time to actually deliver your package then they'll often mark it as delivered when it hasn't been, then they just deliver it the next day. In your case it sounds like maybe your package got lost somewhere in the truck after they had already…

I had this happening to me as well. It defeats the whole purpose of tracking. If employees are doing this, this means something else should change, either extend delivery times, hire more people, optimize how things are done etc

Agreed. And not to single out USPS here either, I've absolutely had FedEx drivers sneak up to the door to hang a "We attempted delivery" tag without ringing the bell. I assume they're running out of time and don't want to wait to see if someone answers the door or not.
Post reply on HN