I don’t understand Amazon delivery schedule

[LoveDaisy]

This holiday season this is my on time rating. It changes each holiday season but USPS seems to consistently get worse each year.

Fedex
Amazon
UPS
USPS

It is never good when it switches from say UPS or Amazon to USPS. I know those will take at least 2 extra weeks.

Last year my mom sent me a Christmas card. She lives in the next town about 3 miles from me. I got it in April.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

We just had an Amazon package that was supposed to be delivered Tuesday and was delivered last night so it was days early.

Unless you see how your area is on delivery demand you probably don't realize how much they have to deliver. They have to take breaks too so sometime when you see the prompt that your package is so many stops away and you can see the vehicle on the app just sitting there for a prolonged period it's usually them taking breaks.

Most often if your package is late it's because they ran out of time to deliver it on their shift and they had to bring the package back to the facility. For the OPs situation it could be that when it was returned to the facility when it couldn't be delivered on time and it got incorrectly picked up and if it's that far away then by air likely, now they have the additional time of needing to get it back to the OP's area to get it back out for delivery. That's at least my assumption and has happened (though rarely) to us (FedEx, USPS, UPS as well).

 

[prairie_girl]

Anyone else hate that the word Amazon automates a link in every post? It’s double dumb for me because it opens the American Amazon.

Grrrr

 

[barkley]

The USPS is also a mystery at times. Normally items take a few days, but now all bets are off. I mailed a box going across the country over a week ago and it has slowly moved around, sometimes days with no updates, and today shows as still being within 25 miles of here.

I can only guess that it was misdirected or lost in their system. It took three days to go to the next state over, which is not usually part of the route, and only about 20-25 miles away, and then another four days to get back to my state. Now it may finally be back on the normal path these packages take, though it took a week rather than a day, or at worst two if a weekend was involved. And I don’t think the USPS is big on giving any sort of refund for poor service.

And of course I mailed it early because the recipient will be going away on Tuesday and I wanted it to arrive before they left!

USPS in general drives me crazy. there are a handful of items I need to mail over the course of the year (about a dozen) that I absolutely need or WANT to verify have been delivered so I don't do them through traditional snail-mail. over the past few years USPS has gotten worse and worse on tracking until in most cases it will never show as delivered and if I try to contact their customer service they just take a report on it, give me a case number and then never provide any further information I've taken to using either ups or fed ex with fed ex being more common for me now b/c ups's tracking is getting worse and worse.

 

[china mom]

I have had that happen as well. Saw the package was in my state and then it gets sent farther away and then back to my state. My Amazon gripe is when the item in the cart has a certain delivery date so you pick the item based on that date and then when you click purchase, the date changes. I had one item do that so I cancelled it and re-ordered it shortly after and my new date was the original date from the cart. I don't often need things right away but was headed out on a trip and didn't want it to come after I left just to sit on the porch for a week.

 

[amcnj]

I have had that happen as well. Saw the package was in my state and then it gets sent farther away and then back to my state. My Amazon gripe is when the item in the cart has a certain delivery date so you pick the item based on that date and then when you click purchase, the date changes. I had one item do that so I cancelled it and re-ordered it shortly after and my new date was the original date from the cart. I don't often need things right away but was headed out on a trip and didn't want it to come after I left just to sit on the porch for a week.

I agree. It is very annoying when the date shown initially differs greatly from the actual delivery. It’s almost like a bait and switch type thing, luring you in with promises of a certain delivery timeframe, but then showing you the truth once they have the order.

 

[lynxstch]

On a positive note, I had 2 Amazon packages that weren't supposed to arrive until today, suddenly show up yesterday. Same with the post office, 2 that weren't due to be here until tomorrow, were both delivered at 6:30 pm last night.

 

[tony67]

Overall I have few issues with Amazon but....
Once a package is delayed from Amazon I tend to have nothing but issues.

The most recent example - I ordered a $2.50 bottle of liquid smoke to make some beef ribs. (yeah I know - but its not convenient to smoke stuff outside in winter)
Package showed up - but the envelope was empty - driver could not understand the issue when I shoed him the envelope was empty.
I spent a good 10 minutes tracking down the way to chat with customer service and order was refunded.
Now keep in mind I have these beef ribs in my refrigerator needing to be cooked.
So I get a refund and reorder the liquid smoke - it gets delayed for some reason - I cant cancel it.
The next day when its still delayed I reorder it with some other stuff and it shows up the next morning - all set - except the other order is still delayed.
I've been trying to cancel it now for several days and I cant - it says its too late to cancel.
Trying to get back to the chat support is a nightmare - they bury it as they really don't want to talk to you.
It should be a simple contact us, but its not.
Once you can track it down - its not easy - then you can usually get things fixed.

Now the delayed one says it will be delivered December 22nd or 23rd. I tried to cancel again - but no such luck.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Overall I have few issues with Amazon but....
Once a package is delayed from Amazon I tend to have nothing but issues.

The most recent example - I ordered a $2.50 bottle of liquid smoke to make some beef ribs. (yeah I know - but its not convenient to smoke stuff outside in winter)
Package showed up - but the envelope was empty - driver could not understand the issue when I shoed him the envelope was empty.
I spent a good 10 minutes tracking down the way to chat with customer service and order was refunded.
Now keep in mind I have these beef ribs in my refrigerator needing to be cooked.
So I get a refund and reorder the liquid smoke - it gets delayed for some reason - I cant cancel it.
The next day when its still delayed I reorder it with some other stuff and it shows up the next morning - all set - except the other order is still delayed.
I've been trying to cancel it now for several days and I cant - it says its too late to cancel.
Trying to get back to the chat support is a nightmare - they bury it as they really don't want to talk to you.
It should be a simple contact us, but its not.
Once you can track it down - its not easy - then you can usually get things fixed.

Now the delayed one says it will be delivered December 22nd or 23rd. I tried to cancel again - but no such luck.

This also depends on if you're purchasing an item sold and shipped by Amazon as opposed to a third party.

Third party ones present the added step of contacting them as opposed to dealing with Amazon only reps, Amazon is going to want you to reach out to the seller (you should be able to do it through Amazon's website though). Then if it's third party it depends on if they had shipped their inventory to a Amazon warehouse for storage and if they did was that warehouse nearby or one not nearby. If they didn't send it to a warehouse then the third party is shipping it themselves at the moment of purchase and they then set the delivery times.

I wouldn't be able to know with what you described is exactly an issue with a 3rd party but given that your first package was empty that sorta leans into that and then most especially now with a quite long delivery time period. Also not for nothing but honestly sometimes reordering a lot can cause issues in itself. It might seem like a simple thing on our end but you now essentially have 2 reorders plus a cancelled one for the same item trying to be tracked along in their system (yes the first was an empty package but still digitally speaking it had been ordered). It's just my opinion but I think you're almost messing things up here with trying to reorder then cancel reorder then cancel, digitally and if there does happen to be a 3rd party involved or even if there isn't one but the item you want is at an Amazon warehouse but spread out in different warehouses like your 1st order was in one warehouse but your 2nd order was in another and so on.

 

[tony67]

This also depends on if you're purchasing an item sold and shipped by Amazon as opposed to a third party.

Third party ones present the added step of contacting them as opposed to dealing with Amazon only reps, Amazon is going to want you to reach out to the seller (you should be able to do it through Amazon's website though). Then if it's third party it depends on if they had shipped their inventory to a Amazon warehouse for storage and if they did was that warehouse nearby or one not nearby. If they didn't send it to a warehouse then the third party is shipping it themselves at the moment of purchase and they then set the delivery times.

I wouldn't be able to know with what you described is exactly an issue with a 3rd party but given that your first package was empty that sorta leans into that and then most especially now with a quite long delivery time period. Also not for nothing but honestly sometimes reordering a lot can cause issues in itself. It might seem like a simple thing on our end but you now essentially have 2 reorders plus a cancelled one for the same item trying to be tracked along in their system (yes the first was an empty package but still digitally speaking it had been ordered). It's just my opinion but I think you're almost messing things up here with trying to reorder then cancel reorder then cancel, digitally and if there does happen to be a 3rd party involved or even if there isn't one but the item you want is at an Amazon warehouse but spread out in different warehouses like your 1st order was in one warehouse but your 2nd order was in another and so on.

Item is shipped and sold by Amazon.
The second one was out for delivery and ETA kept moving an hour out then it was delayed - this is when things tend to go wrong.
Its happened more than once over the years - pretty much anytime an item is delayed they take their sweet time delivering since they have already delayed it.

I've been a customer since the late 90s and its always been this way.
The other 99% of the time no issues at all.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Item is shipped and sold by Amazon.
The second one was out for delivery and ETA kept moving an hour out then it was delayed - this is when things tend to go wrong.
Its happened more than once over the years - pretty much anytime an item is delayed they take their sweet time delivering since they have already delayed it.

I've been a customer since the late 90s and its always been this way.
The other 99% of the time no issues at all.

That's never been the case for me, as in every time it's delayed it's really delayed. Delays happen but not like what you're talking about where once it is you've lost all hope. It really doesn't matter if you've been a customer for that long, how Amazon functions has changed a lot even recently transitioning away from using USPS. They don't delivery the same as they've delivered since the late 90s or even since 2014 when I got Prime (I had an Amazon account before then) or even just last year. Nowadays certain markets (a specific city in our metro is about to get it) have delivery by drones.

So if what you're saying is how it happens to you consistently all the time with you being really delayed once a delay occurs and you're saying that it's always been that way for now 30 years then really that points to having a lot more to do with where you live, specifically your house rather than something on Amazon's end.

I will still stand by my comment that now having 3 orders for the same item in a short timeframe when it's a delivery issue can create issues on an ordering system and really may be even more the case if your house is a problem for them.

For me I know if something goes through a facility (be it Amazon, UPS, FedEx, or USPS) on the other side of the state line it can create lags because that other side of the state line just sucks in actually processing packages through their area. If it makes it to a processing center in my county on my side of the state line I know I can have it either in a few hours or the next day (normally that's if it's coming through USPS where they have it in their facility and send it out in the regular mail delivery) unless it made its way to a processing facility in the county above mine then it's slower just not as slow as the one on the other side of the state line. Specific to Amazon we have multiple warehouses including multiple in my county alone so I tend to have more that come through in my direct area and go through one of the ones on my side of the state line, that helps.

 

[kdonnel]

Item is shipped and sold by Amazon.
The second one was out for delivery and ETA kept moving an hour out then it was delayed - this is when things tend to go wrong.
Its happened more than once over the years - pretty much anytime an item is delayed they take their sweet time delivering since they have already delayed it.

I've been a customer since the late 90s and its always been this way.
The other 99% of the time no issues at all.

I have had similar experiences with Amazon.

If a package gets delayed, there is a decent chance it will arrive many, many, many days later.

they take their sweet time delivering since they have already delayed it.

+1000 to this and not just Amazon. I remember going to eat at an Outback Steakhouse years ago. We waited and waited and finally went to ask where we were on the list. The hostess made the mistake of telling the truth. She mentioned they were measured on meeting the estimated wait time given at check in and since they had missed our wait time already, they were prioritizing the parties who they had not missed.

I assume Amazon does something similar with packages that miss their delivery target. It already counts against their metrics so they concentrate on the packages that have not missed a metric.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

We order a lot through Amazon throughout the year and this is pretty normal...even more so during the holidays. As soon as I see a later delivery window (or the window gets pushed), I know there's a pretty decent chance it's getting pushed to the next day. From what I've heard, it's not that it's on the wrong truck or anything like that. It's just that sometimes deliveries take longer than anticipated and the driver hits that "drop dead" time for their delivery shift. It's my understanding that 10pm is the latest they're allowed to deliver and 4am is the earliest. Our area is serviced mainly by Amazon branded trucks but it's also that time of year where you see a lot of drivers using personal vehicles to help boost their delivery speeds and capabilities.

 

[sam_gordon]

Not an Amazon but a 3rd party gripe...

We've had a lot of bad luck with ordering younger DD's Christmas gift and it showing up on time. When she was about 6-7, we ordered a specific pillow pet that she had asked for and it didn't show up. Santa ended up writing a note saying the pillow pet had jumped off the sleigh and he needs to go back and find it. Turns out she still remembers that 12 years later. She mentioned it last week.

This year, we ordered a custom book (her name, her interests made into a novel) on December 4. According to the order confirmation email... "Delivered in 7-10 days for Standard Delivery". This is day 7, and still no shipping confirmation. I emailed the company and they said it's waiting to ship, don't know when it will ship, and might not make it for Christmas.

"Jumping off the sleigh" is a great excuse when they're younger than 10, but when they're 19, not so much.

 

[lynxstch]

I have never had to contact a third party seller on Amazon. If I need to return something, I go through Amazon, whether it came from them or a third party seller. Never had any issue getting a refund. Sometimes as soon as the item is dropped off at UPS, I get an email that my refund has been issued.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I have never had to contact a third party seller on Amazon. If I need to return something, I go through Amazon, whether it came from them or a third party seller. Never had any issue getting a refund. Sometimes as soon as the item is dropped off at UPS, I get an email that my refund has been issued.

It's a specific process depending on what the circumstances of that item is that directs you to what you may have to do. You're also talking about returning an item, the prior conversation was largely about delivery delays and reordering an item that kept getting delayed.

This is from a third party seller for an item I purchased last month after selecting "Product Support" from the order


There are also specific prompts for when your package hasn't arrived, you can see that in the above screenshot. I'm not going to go through the prompts to get the screenshots because my product did arrive. In my case that items was sold by Tea Forte but Ships from Amazon (and a local warehouse in that particular situation). A few years ago I got a garden flag that was from my alma mater, it was sold and shipped by the 3rd party seller.

When you purchase something sold and shipped by Amazon you're just dealing with Amazon themselves. If you're purchasing something from a 3rd party it depends on that item for what/who you deal with/do (as in was it shipped by the seller).

This is from Amazon's FAQs https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=GEF528GN65XSJ7V8



From the hyperlink of "Cancel Items and Orders"


Additionally here's about when a delivery is late https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/?nodeId=GL669SSDXFCJ2ZA6



In recent years the amount of items that are from 3rd party but sold from them have likely been reduced so many of us are getting stuff that is shipped from Amazon even if sold by a 3rd party but there are still situations where it's not that way.

 

[CynBeth]

I do not want to jinx anything but have mostly have positive experiences with Amazon. One thing that was different than usual with what we just got is when they split up our order into 2 packages delivered on different days we did not receive either time the has been delivered e-mail with picture when they left a package on our doorstep. We always look for that so the box is not left out for very long. At least we got everything just around when they said it would be received no complaint at all just mentioning it is weird to not get that
e-mail. Maybe the holiday rush or they stopped doing it.

 

[MGMmjl]

We have one package that was supposed to be delivered yesterday. On the way home last night around 8 pm, we saw an Amazon delivery van sitting in the parking lot of a nearby church. We got a notification around 8:30 that our package was 10 stops away. We never got it last night, and the last scan said that it is at a carrier facility.

We ordered another item yesterday, with the estimated delivery today. That package was delivered about an hour ago. The other package still hasn't gotten here.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

We ordered another item yesterday, with the estimated delivery today. That package was delivered about an hour ago. The other package still hasn't gotten here.

The delivery window of what your package is matters a lot when you're in the process of ordering as far as your packages. Mentioning this since several people have noted packages ordered at different times and delivered at different times. And which warehouse it's coming from also matters. I noticed a while back Amazon started putting this on certain items letting you know it's coming from an even closer warehouse which can help speed up delivery.

To your other package likely the Amazon driver from last night timed out before your package could be delivered. Unfortunately the 10 stops notification can be there for quite a while as it's not always super fast quick stops (and in fact probably isn't around Prime Day timeframe and from Thanksgiving-Christmas when people are ordering so much). Also nighttime (and early morning) delivery is harder because of lack of being able to see house numbers with it being dark out. And if the driver needed to take a break.

A 2-day delivery vs an overnight delivery mean that the 2 day delivery item may come after the overnight delivery item despite the 2-day item was ordered days prior. Or an order that says 1-day delivery or same-day delivery or today between 12pm-2pm or 5-10pm. Most of those are about if you order the item within X amount of time.