Recently, some of my blogging friends in the United States have mentioned that books they ordered from Hinterlands Press have just been delivered. As the books were mailed a month ago, it seems that Out of Time delivery has not been very timely. Sorry!
When books are ordered directly from Hinterlands Press, they are shipped within a day or two of when the order is received. The pandemic has spurred us into being completely set-up for processing orders from home. We have a scale, and we print labels directly, which include postage. Finally, our postal service picks up packages six days a week directly from our very own mailbox.
What we can’t control is what happens when the packages get to the post office. I think the postal service was extremely stressed over the holidays, and I expect they did their best, given the circumstances.
I hope now that the holidays are over, packages will arrive in a more timely fashion. In normal circumstances, books should arrive within five to seven days of when they are ordered.
Anyway, thanks for your patience and understanding.
Notes From the Hinterland 
Sorry about the postal delays.
Post is taking ages at the moment – at least a month from Europe.
All over the world, it has slowed down.
I’ve learned in past years that orders between December 1 and January 2 can be problematic. Couple that with Covid and current events and I am not surprised at delays. I talked briefly with one P.O. employee about delivery problems. In short, they have been gutted, demoralized and many are sick with Covid-19.
Gosh oh gosh! My sympathy goes out to the postal workers.
For the last month or so, I’ve learned to expect deliveries are going to take longer than predicted. I mailed four packages Priority two weeks before Christmas, and they were all extremely slow. One got there several days after Christmas. With the volume over the holidays and people being out with Covid, maybe it couldn’t be helped.
Yes, I think you’re exactly right. Normally the mail is efficient and reliable, but these are not normal times.
I expect that circumstances were beyond anyone’s control this year. We got spoiled with the ability to get things in the recent past so quickly. I keep thinking about how long it would take letters to travel in the ‘old days’– it could take weeks and then replies would take equally long. Everyone dealt with that… we can, too. 🙂
Yes, yes! Thanks for your patience.
I ordered meds for Katie from the online store like normal on Dec 8. It took 10 days before the box was checked into the USPS system, though the store said they sent it out the same day I ordered it. Then it sat in a distribution center in Wisconsin for 18 more days. THEN it got from Wisconsin to Detroit in one day, and to me the next..so a month total. I don’t know if the whole thing was Christmas, more likely it was a combination of Christmas, covid, the government taking away the sorting machines and who knows what else. I think I’ll just drive to the vet from here on to get the pills. Easier, even though the vet is 40 minutes away.
Oh, my! Yes, driving to the vets is probably the best thing to do.
No need to apologize, Laurie. We are living in crazy times and we all know it. ❤
Thanks so much for your understanding!
❤
Are you ruling out that the books might have been having magical adventures on the way?
Now that is an excellent way of thinking about it. I am sorry to admit that possibility did not occur to me. 😉
awesome!
We’ve gone up to four days with zero mail delivery, then a load arrives. Packages that we were suppose to get in 2-5 days took 11-15. I know it doesn’t help, but you certainly aren’t alone.
As it turns out, it is comforting to know I am not alone. Misery loves company? 😉
I cannot help smiling at your explanation as well as the comments that have appeared before mine. Our postal service has been dysfunctional for years – so much so that we send parcels via courier service which, even though it is expensive, will deliver to anywhere in the country within two days. As much as I have always preferred handwriting letters, I now rely on e-mails for communicating with friends and family. The mail here takes months to shift – if it arrives at all – and even then may have been tampered with en route.
Goodness! Usually our postal service is efficient and reliable, but on so many levels these have not been usual times.
Postal delays have been rampant in December. Yesterday, my neice in Winnipeg received the Christmas Card that I mailed to her on December 3! 😀
Yup. Same thing that’s happening here.
We have problems sending to granddaughter in SC. Apparently postage arrives in US quickly then takes a while. I hope all your parcels reach their destinations
Thanks, Derrick!
On Jan 2nd I posted my granddaughter a card for her birthday (which is on the 4th) with a first class stamp. It arrived 2 days ago! I gather that here in the UK lots of postal workers are off sick or self-isolating and more packages and such like are being posted because we cannot take them ourselves.
Yes, from the all the comments I’ve received, I have gathered that all over the world the mail has slowed down. I’m still amazed by how the book I sent you arrived so quickly. Do you think there might be some of time tunnel between Maine and Wales? 😉
Oooh! A time tunnel between us – what a lovely idea!
Right?
I didn’t have that problem getting the book, but I had to wait a long time for other packages in December. I am still so grateful to the PO for handling an unprecedented flow of mail-in ballots that I just hope it gets what it needs from the next administration.
You bet! Same.
Here, Here!
The dismantling of the postal system is having a long term effect, Laurie. All of our mail is taking longer too. I didn’t even think about how this is going to impact book shipments. 😦
I didn’t think of it either, until I got reports of folks receiving books a month after they had been sent. Let us hope the new administration is committed to rebuilding the postal system, which despite all the electronic options, is still an essential service. Especially during the pandemic.
I agree. And of course, the tax payers will need to pay for the restoration. Sigh.
Naturally!