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Aloha all,
The USPS has eliminated first class and select ground into USPS Ground Advantage.
At first, it was a crap shoot as to how long it would take to Hawai’i, but now it seems that packages via GA are always going by barge, about a month to arrive.
Venders (excluding Amazon which has pretty much their own system) seem to have no option besides priority mail now to ship without the barge. I can understand why they choose GA regarding price, but a month to arrive is pretty sucky in many instances (mower belts, blades, small electronics, etc).
Or is it just my experience? Is everyone waiting a month via the dreaded San Francisco tracking to get parcels (lots of eBay and many LLC websites)?
I am lately asking vendors if I can pay extra for priority mail (especially flat rate on the small stuff) but most don’t see that to be an option now. Better than the “no shipping to Hawaii, etc.” but still…
Cheers,
Kirt
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In my first experience with it, I sent a letter containing pictures to Florida. Since it was overweight, they recommended ground advantage. Sounded good, it had tracking and everything. Cost about $6. They lost the letter. It showed up on Oahu, then never moved from there. I put in a missing mail request. They took several months to determine they couldn't find it. When I went to get a refund, they said too much time had passed and I couldn't be refunded. The Airport branch gave me a number to call, but it just wasn't worth my time.
I've had several other experiences, none of them good. I've never had anything take less than one month.
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I have mixed luck with Ground Disadvantage. Some of the stuff arrives with "First Class" speed, others take forever. I've had at least two parcels declared "lost" and then show up a few weeks later.
FWIW, I sent some documents to Honokaa in a flat-rate 'Priority' Mail envelope and it took 6 business days to get there.
One of the mailing services I use sent me an email the other day saying some of the 'Priority' Mail prices are being reduced slightly, as part of the switch to Ground Disadvantage.
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I just ordered a supplement Saturday on eBay from a seller in Texas and incredibly, it arrived yesterday via USPS Ground Advantage. Is that even possible, or did it find a wormhole or a tesseract to get here that fast?
Posts: 1,096
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Joined: Jan 2009
Thanks for the experiences feedback. Experience feedbacks? Dunno.
Only thing to add is that an order from eBay yesterday went like this: I wanted a couple items and contacted the seller about paying extra for priority mail (shipping listed as Ground Advantage). Less than twenty minutes later seller responded that priority shipping was added to the listing. I looked at the listing again and saw $10 bucks extra for priority mail for both items that were a $110 each. Sounds good, ordered them and they shipped an hour later!
Perhaps it is very easy for eBay sellers to add shipping options or this guy/gal was very on point.
Either way, it is worth asking, even though two other eBay sellers previously had no interest in shipping any differently than Ground Advantage when I inquired.
Cheers,
Kirt
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Just to derail a little, "Parcel Pool" is another nightmare...
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(01-10-2024, 07:26 AM)Chas Wrote: Just to derail a little, "Parcel Pool" is another nightmare...
I remember when 1/2 the stuff that shipped from Amazon was via parcel pocket pool. I don't know what changed but now it's like 1%. Maybe it's because I stopped using my PO Box address?
Speaking of derailment, I got an email from the PO today:
Advance Notice to POBOL PO Box Customers - January 2024 Price Change.
If your PO Box renewal fees are due in January, and you would like to renew at the existing rate, please visit usps.com/poboxes to renew before January 21, 2024. Fees paid on or after that date are subject to new rates.
I clicked the link to see if I could beat the new rate becoming effective, but the link doesn't provide any information about a rate increase and my bill isn't due until September. But it did allow me the opportunity to get frustrated about how much they have raised rates by looking at my transaction history:
2021: $162
2022: $202
2023: $216
2024: $TBD?
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Derailing the thread up the mountain aways on the old Hilo-Glenwood Rail line.
If you want a local perspective of post office disfunction, first visit either the Keaau or Pahoa PO., then Mt View or Volcano Village PO. The last two operate like a well oiled revolving door. A visit to the first two can barely be considered functional, except they do unlock the doors in the morning, and lock again in the afternoon.
How can operational standards be so different for representatives of the same agency, only a few miles apart?
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My favorite part about the Pahoa PO is that they sealed the parcel drop closed so the only way to drop off anything larger than flats that don't need a label or postage is to either wait in a long line, or "take cuts".
I'm not sure why they would do something like that, but I imagine there must have been an incident.
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Sounds almost third-world.
