For those of you who are new to selling on ebay, I have some words of advice for you when it comes to shipping. Now, I know we have all grown up using the USPS for mailing our correspondence over the years, but within the last few months, the service they have provided me from my neck of the woods can best be described as atrocious! Here is the stated information provided by the USPS when it comes to its services:

1) The USPS cannot track a package or item unless you pay to have it shipped PRIORITY MAIL or CERTIFIED, which costs a small bundle, and doesn't help a seller like myself who deals in sending single sports cards through the mail. You can purchase DELIVERY CONFIRMATION, which again costs extra, but all this does is confirm when package is picked up for delivery, and when it has finally been delivered, and as the USPS has graciously acknowleged to me, there is NO GUARANTEE as to how long it will take!

2) The sign at the USPS states that PRIORITY MAIL takes 2-3 days. Tell that to two of my customers whose orders took TWO WEEKS to ship! Between the month of October to now (mid November),  I have shipped close to ten first class parcels from New Orleans. The item that took the least amount of time to arrive at its destination was 17 DAYS! This wasn't overseas, mind you! Try Illinois, Pennsylvania, Texas..........

3) When you approach the USPS as to the status of your shipments, and why they have taken so long........."there's no guarantee as to how long it will take". They can give you the number to the post office that is the intended router of your package, but the crew there is not interested in even attempting to locate your parcel.

4) Money Orders......did you know that on top of paying a fee to purchase one, you have to pay a fee to find out if it was even CASHED? And the time for that : 3o DAYS!

The reason I bring this up is that I have been ripped off one too many times by transactions that should have been routine and gone smoothly. The USPS cannot provide proof that ANYTHING you send in their care will even reach its destination. That is not saying much for a company that accepts money for services that the never render or do so incompetently. Oh, and don'y get me started on them cryong the blues about not making money! The USPS is VERY MUCH MAKING MONEY!

Now, my advice:

* Charge enough in your shipping cost to at least cover Delivery Confirmation. This at best will let you know when an item you've shipped does reach your buyer. This is important, in case the buyer tries to rip you off by saying they never received the item. This is all the proof you need to either get your money or go after having their account closed.

* Note in your advertisement that you will NOT be responsible for any lost or stolen items in the mail. Offer insurance. If the customer refuses it, the liability will not be on you. If they purchase insurance, you or your customer will be covered.  Again, this is why the Delivery Confirmation is important. It covers your rear and lets you know if you are being defrauded.

* I recomend that any large items be shipped by ANYONE but the USPS. Try DHL or UPS. Not only do they insure up to $100.00 automatically, but you get a tracking number irregardless that you can ACTUALLY USE to track your shipment! Plus, their shipping times are much better, as opposed to close to a month!

Perhaps it is just my local branch of the USPS (ELMWOOD BRANCH-NEW ORLEANS , LOUISIANA) That is an exception to the rule, but I doubt it! I personally think that there are only two people working at my local branch when it comes to handling the mail, and that one, if not both, is on crack! That's the only excuse I can come up with as to why the level of incompetence is so high and how much the service SUCKS!

I hope this has helped anyone else who has run into this frustration as well as I!

To all my customers, THANK YOU! For those I have disappointed due to the USPS, I can't apologize enough! Hopefully there is a light at the end of the tunnel!

P.S. As of today, a money order I senout on the 5th of November.......still has not arrived as of the 14th.

Azumangadio