We have shipped through the United States Postal Service since 2005. The reason we choose to stay with USPS is because they are a very good mail carrier.  Like any large company, they do have some "bad apples" but over the years they have only truly "lost" a very small quantity of parcels. The trick is knowing what to do when it goes missing.

First, most people don't realize that what you see on the tracking number is completely different from what USPS sees on their computers. USPS is able to see incredible amounts of data that would really surprise you! Unfortunately they do not publish this data for anyone else to see (unless the person is a USPS employee).  So when a parcel goes "missing", even though YOU cant see where it is, USPS usually can pinpoint its location, what truck it was on last, what time the truck arrived at the last facility and even which employee scanned it!  Even though YOUR END of tracking might look like this:

USPS is able to see that the parcel is actually in transit and has arrived at the Metro Detroit, Michigan Sorting Facility (or wherever), and has already been loaded onto the next truck that is scheduled to depart for Ohio at noon.  

BUT.... even though you now know USPS can see everything behind the scenes, it doesn't solve your current problem because YOU can't see the "secret" data.  So here's exactly what you gotta do to track down a "lost" parcel,

Step 1: You must wait until the 7th full day of non delivery. USPS will not allow you to take any actions until 1 week has past. This is because 99.9999% of the time the parcel is delivered within 7 days.  So the first step is to be patient and wait out the week.  There is absolutely NOTHING you can do before the 7th day.  Remember that even if you paid for Priority Mail, the USPS website says "2-3 days" is an Estimate, not a guarantee. :( 

Step 2: On the 8th day, launch an investigation using the tracking number:

TIP: be sure to DESCRIBE the parcel in as much detail as possible!!!!! The better you can describe it the easier it is for them to find it. Our parcels rarely ever go truly missing because we ship in unique packaging that is easily identified.  You even have the option to upload a photo of the parcel, so if you always ship your merchandise in hologram silver bubble mailers with a red heart sticker on the back, be sure to upload a photo of one!

When you launch the investigation you will be given a case number. You can provide this case number to your buyer. If your buyer needs to contact USPS they need to reference this case number. DO NOT OPEN DUPLICATE CASES!!!!!! EACH TIME YOU OPEN A NEW CASE ON THE SAME PARCEL THE TIME STARTS OVER!!!!!! You are NOT speeding up the process by flooding them with duplicate cases!  You are also NOT speeding up the parcel by calling USPS daily. 

Step 3: Immediately sign yourself and your buyer up for Tracking Updates. This means that as soon as USPS locates the parcel you and your buyer will both be contacted! This is great because you don't have to keep checking tracking. Plus, your buyer will appreciate seeing the effort you are putting into helping them.  Here is a step by step guide showing how to locate your BigBrandWholesale.com tracking numbers, how to look them up on USPS.com and how to SIGN UP FOR TRACKING UPDATES:

Step 4. After you file the investigation USPS usually finds the parcel within 3 days!! Yes, seriously!  We have seen it occasionally take 4 or 5 days to find the parcel but they have almost always found it!!!  In 15+ years we have only had like 5 or 6 total parcels ever go truly "lost"! The best thing you can do during the Investigation is just relax and wait, because there is literally nothing else you can do to help and yelling at them doesn't motivate them to look for it harder.  

Step 5. If the 6th-or-so day arrives and the parcel still has not been located, refund your buyer or ship a duplicate or provide your buyer with a store credit or whatever. Remember, you still have tracking alerts activated, so let your buyer know if the parcel is located to REFUSE delivery. This way it will be sent back to you free of charge. 

Step 6. On the same day, File an insurance claim, if applicable.