Originally Posted by bkrownd
They BETTER have packed mine right - I am SO looking forward to my new toys, and they don't have anymore of them if it's screwed up. Ominously the tracking number they gave me is invalid. :/ (Wouldn't be surprised if that's USPS's fault, though)
I'm not picking on you but this is a common error consumers make in this era of package tracking. It's not that it's an invalid tracking number, it's that it hasn't been scanned into the system yet. In the case of UPS, you can print off a tracking number but until that package is picked up by the UPS guy, it won't show up in the tracking system. With USPS, most of their "tracking" numbers are really delivery confirmation numbers. These are more a CYA (cover your a$$) for the seller so that the buyer can't say the package never arrived. I use them for this exact reason. These numbers will show up as invalid in the USPS system until the package is actually delivered. So I guess if you are at work and waiting for something to show up, you can check and find out if it's at your house. But that's it.
Again, not a rant but I ship a lot myself and get tired of complaints about how I sent someone a bad tracking number.