USPS Keeps Losing Posters Mailed in Tubes

by: lessthanthreerecords

I have the same problem constantly.  I ship tubes via first class and priority mail and literally do not remember the last time one was delivered on time (it's been several years at least).  I also receive tubes in the mail, and it's the same story.  I would say an average transit time is about 2 weeks, despite the estimate that is usually somewhere around 2 to 4 days.  This doesn't mention the occasional tube that takes a month or more.  I have discussed this issue at length many times over the course of years with both eBay and USPS and neither has any desire to fix the problem, or even to provide accurate estimates.  I once spoke to a USPS rep on the phone who said that the delivery dates for first class and priority mail are estimates, not guarantees.  I said that I was aware of that, but that when my last 1,000+ tubes were ALL late, it is no longer a missed estimate but rather a blatant lie.  I also ship items in padded envelopes and boxes and I do not experience anywhere near the level of delay on those packages.

by: terry55

It be nice if you could investigate the USPS, problem I have with tubes is not late but getting broken and having them pay off insurance claims.You can't even talk to anyone in claims, if you can get thru they can only confirm one was filed. I have 2 under review since May 8th and no way to talk to anyone.
WORSE of all, I have to ask my buyer to take to the broken item to the PO to get inspected, their mad already but then ask for a trip to the PO even after having them send pictures and submitting pictures on the claim. I'd rather they be lost then broken, if the USPS breaks the item they still get to keep the shipping fee. Before 2020 the USPS may break one or two packages a year, now its 1 or 2 a month if not more. If you sell on ebay, they only give you a week or so to refund, no excuses and the buyer doesn't have to take to PO if they don't want to, they don't even have to send a picture if they don't want to.
USPS is going to hell and will probably be the reason I have to close my business

by: Frank Abagnale

My suggestion is to put these circular tubes into a rectangular tube (Uline sells them) . The extra cost of these rectangular tubes is worth it. It does add sturdiness to the tube and it eliminates the chance of the tube rolling around at any time during the sorting. A friend of mine did this and his tube problems greatly improved.  

by: DTSM

Is using fed ex or UPS an option? They will probably provide better service.

by: toolguy

1st class tubes go into the twilight zone, Priority tubes not so much so.

As far as tubes being broken or bent, for anything of value I tape a stick to the tube, sometimes 2. . . .

by: The End

HUGE problem if you're in the Pinball business.
WORK AROUND : Use a lightweight tube, put it in a Long square box......

by: Snapped

It helps also, to put the label longitudinally (so print and barcode faces lengthwise instead of ‘wrapped’ around the tube). Otherwise the barcode is almost impossible to scan. When that happens, the item might be set aside during sorting for ‘manual’ attention.

by: Shanna

I too had the same issue. I spoke to my local postmaster, and she said their machine just can't read the label on a curve. She suggested their triangular Priority boxes, but I did not want to pay the Priority pricing for 1st Class packages. Then I found Uline sold triangular boxes for about the same price I was paying for tubes. They don't crush or bend like tubes can, and have a flat surface to put the label on.

by: Chicago48

To the OP:  Ship using Pirateship, or UPS, or Fedex.

by: Ebay-weary

"Pirate Ship" still uses USPS.

by: Disgruntled_Seller

The bar code scanners only scan and photo the 6 axis of the parcel and do have a hard time with the curve of the tube. The perceived value of manually scanning the tube is low as far as other parcel movement is concerned and the tube is placed for later disposition. The backlog of tubes is most probably where the most damage is also happening. The solution is what others have said, use a triangle tube or place the round tube in a rectangular long box with sufficient sides to allow the barcode to be placed flat for scanning and photo imaging..

by: fusgeyer

I have the same issue with USPS. The worst is when I use their triangles to ship via priority mail. It is a toss-up whether or not the triangles arrive damaged. I switched to sturdy tubes, but this did not help much at all. My solution --I switched to UPS for shipping of posters and plans. Cost wise, they are close in price, and UPS has never damaged a tube.