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Comment by akeck | Hacker News Reader

Has USPS announced any limits?

I don't have any sources but anecdotally I would say that one of my packages has a status of "delayed"

It arrived in my state, about a 45 minute drive from me on Sunday, and it is not expected to arrive until Friday. presumable sitting in a warehouse in a queue of things to go out

I currently have multiple USPS packages (incoming and outgoing) that have statuses of "In Transit, Arriving Late" and have not been scanned for many days. One package was last updated 13 days ago. An acquaintance who sells things online is seeing the same thing, packages in transit with no updates for 1-2 weeks.

It's possible we've just been unlucky and these packages are lost, but it could also be indicative of a larger logistical problem with USPS.

I shipped a package from Chicago to Baltimore last month. Based on tracking info, the USPS had it on a truck within hours. To Wichita. It made it through the distribution center there and back on a truck within another few hours, where it showed up in Washington DC 6 days later. And now I guess it's heading to Baltimore. Or at least I hope so.

My daughter sends books via media mail to a friend in suburban NYC. For basically pocket change, they get there in 3 days or so.

Merchants don’t ship USPS except last mile or to Alaska/Hawaii. It is either UPS, Fedex or DHL doing the pick up, transporting it local post office and USPS does last mile delivery for under a pound packages. Larger packages the carriers deliver themselves.

That does not match my experience in NY suburbs. Amazon is evenly split between UPS and USPS. Other merchants are Fedex Home Delivery, UPS or USPS also fairly evenly split.

Amazon isn’t a traditional retailer and has unique contracts with USPS including Sunday delivery.

Tons of retailers use USPS, they are quite competitive especially for whatever fits into an envelope (First Class Mail). You don't seem to have a grasp of the industry, might be better not to make stuff up.

Name one major merchant that uses USPS outside of shipping to Alaska and Hawaii? You do know that things delivered by USPS does mean it was shipped via USPS right? You know about smart post or surepost and how they work? I find it funny you said I don’t have a grasp, if you view my history you see jobs postings from companies I’ve built including one that does 2mm shipments a month with a negotiated USPS deal with similar rates to amazon.

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