You may have seen media reports about the difficulties the USPS is
facing recently due to the impact of the Corona Virus. The volume of
marketing mail, and hence postal revenues, have fallen. However,
package volumes have increased substantially. Many postal employees
have been working double shifts, but are still behind schedule.
Most book sellers rely on Media Mail for standard shipping. This is a
discounted service which normally ships via truck (or boat for our
friends in Puerto Rico or Hawaii) on a space-available basis. Normally
the postal service expects Media Mail to arrive in 2-10 days from
shipping. While, much of the mail is still being delivered more or
less on time, in some cases it is taking up to three weeks for media
mail to be delivered. From here in Texas, areas in Massachesusets,
Wisconsin, and parts of New York seem to be particularly delayed.
It isn't only Media Mail that is impacted, First Class and Priority
mail are also taking a day or two longer than normal. They would
normally go by air, but there are fewer flights available.
So the question is what can be done about it? In some cases,
particularly for orders of several books at once, or more expensive
light weight items, I've been able to upgrade customers to Priority
Mail at no cost to them. However, this isn't viable for orders of
low-cost or heavier items.
If you can afford it, upgrading to expidited shipping may be
beneficial, particularly in areas that are expierencing longer delays.
Another alternative is just to be patient. If you are forward-thinking
enough to order a month ahead of when you might need a book, Media
Mail is still a great solution.
Here on Alibris, orders that are undelivered after three weeks are
elgible for refunds, as are the shipping costs for orders delivered
after their target date. We honor our commitments, but know that we
generally ship items the same day or the next day (assuming the post
office is open) and once shipped any delays are out of our control.
Unfortunatley, if we are forced to upgrade shipping for more items,
we'll have to increase prices accross the board to compensate. This
would be true even for customers that may be nearby and likley to
recieve Media Mail items quickly.
In any event, I thank you for your patience and understanding. Please
join me in extending thoughts and prayers to the postal service as
they face these unpresident challenges.
