Ebay shipping experts--question re: first class mail

[trampslady]

How long should I expect a first class mail envelope to take between Seattle and Dallas?

Thanks for any advise!

 

[pyrxtc]

regular postal mail can take any time from 2 days to a week. My PO insists it should be there in 2 days no matter what, except natural disaster of course.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I would say two or three business days if it was mailed at a Post Office. Worst case scenario should be a week (dropped in a mailbox Friday after last pickup with no weekend pickup and Monday being a Federal Holiday).

 

[diznyfanatic]

Usually first class is one of the quicker methods and I agree with what the others have said. When I was doing a lot of shipping the Post Office told me that First Class is usually quicker than Priority! Go figure, when Priority costs so much more.

However, I've had a stray package or two take the scenic route and take up to two weeks!!! Thankfully, it didn't happen too often though.

 

[disneysteve]

I agree with everyone. I also agree that stuff happens. I once mailed a letter from one part of Philadelphia to another part of Philadelphia. It took over a week to arrive. When it did, the receiver told me the postmark was from somewhere in North Dakota. Who knows how that happened.

I have also had a Priority Mail package take over 2 weeks to reach a buyer.

 

[seashoreCM]

I . I once mailed a letter from one part of Philadelphia to another part of Philadelphia. It took over a week to arrive. When it did, the receiver told me the postmark was from somewhere in North Dakota. Who knows how that happened..

Letters are sometimes processed by a machine which slides each by a human operator who needs to type in the zip code within about 1-1/2 seconds. The machines are so boring and monotonous to use that the operators are given (regimented) short periodic rest periods. If a mistake is made, the letter is whisked off to the wrong place and only after it gets there (South Dakota or wherever) is the mistake discovered. It seems to me that if the operator entered nothing instead of an incorrect code the letter would go around again without being misdirected. Not to say that mistakes are never made with hand sorted mail.

If priority mail takes inordinately long to be delivered, particularly if circuitous postmarks are visible on it, you might consider applying for a refund of some of the postage.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[buckler]

You can use the USPS online postage calculator to get both an estimate of price AND estimated delivery time. USPS Postage Rate Calculator

For Seattle to Dallas a 1st class letter should take 3 days. The delivery times given are ESTIMATES.

 

[LightBurnsBlue]

Just thought I'd butt in on this topic...I have a part time job running the post office at a dorm on my college campus.

First Class mail usually takes 2-3 days to arrive, depending on distance. Priority is the same thing as First Class mail, exept it was designed for parcels heavier than 13 oz and has a fancy name. It also usually takes 2-3 days to arrive. A lot of people think that Priority is faster and more reliable than first class mail, but it's not true.

I haven't heard of a Post Office ever giving a refund because a Priority or First Class parcel is delivered late. USPS makes no guarantees on delivery dates, and there isn't any kind of extra service you can buy (delivery confirmation, certified, etc) that will make it arrive by a certain date. The only form of USPS mail that is guaranteed to arrive by a certain date is Express Mail (and yes, you can get a refund if it does not arrive on time).