Last year we posted about delivery delays due to USPS package assessments—an issue that occurred for one month and then seemed to resolve. Well-its back, ugh! It appears that a bunch of small packages we dropped off last week were delayed and ended up in Ohio—-a big detour for most of the packages. Has anyone else had this happen recently? Last year, people suggested it was an issue unique to Shopify Shipping–any more thoughts? I don’t think it us due to wrong postage declared, as most of our pkgs are under 2-3 ounces, so the 4 ounce Ground Advantage rate should cover them. Anyone else seeing this? So frustrating, because customers are requesting duplicate shipments, and we cannot afford to eat the shipping. Think we will have to switch from Shopify shipping.
Departed USPS Regional Facility
COLUMBUS OH DISTRIBUTION CENTER
March 31, 2026, 7:04 am
Arrived at USPS Regional Facility
COLUMBUS OH DISTRIBUTION CENTER
March 30, 2026, 1:19 pm
Delayed for postage assessment, Item in transit to destination
March 30, 2026, 9:15 am
Yeah, this isn’t a Shopify Shipping issue. It’s USPS’s Automated Package Verification (APV) system acting up. I’ve had this happen using PirateShip and ShipStation too.
Basically, their sorting machines flag the package thinking the weight/dimensions are wrong, or the barcode got smudged and needs a manual read. When it gets flagged, it often gets routed to a specific hub (like Columbus) to get checked.
Since your packages are definitely under 4oz, you won’t actually get charged extra, but the delay sucks. Check your label printer - if the barcodes are printing even slightly faded or with dead pixels, the scanners kick them out for manual assessment. Switching from Shopify won’t fix it unfortunately, it’s purely a USPS machine issue.
The local USPS scanner has no issues with the barcodes at drop-off & the packages show up in tracking, so I assume that is not the issue—unless I am not understanding..
Right, the acceptance scanner has no issue. Once it goes behind the counter, and into the back, and onto trucks, and into other locations, you can’t see anything that happens. Sorting facilities have completely different systems like high speed imaging belts. It can still fail after acceptance. Improving label quality + packaging consistency are about the only mitigating factors you can control.