eBay Antique Print Retailer Says Postal Problems At Elk Grove Village Processing Plant Are Bad News For Her Business
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Here is another case of postal problems at an Elk Grove Village processing plant – this time involving a small business owner in the suburbs who says it's hurting her bottom line.
She told CBS 2's Tim McNicholas mail delays are forcing refunds and frustrating her customers.
Jenni Bidner sells rare antique prints on eBay – mainly newspaper illustrations from the 19th century. She showed us one from the 1850s, and another from France from 1867.
She would like mail delays to be as much a thing of the past as her prints are. But they're not.
"Every day, I go to the Post Office with 5 to 20 packages," Bidner said. "Perception is everything when you're an online retailer."
She says it's her only income, so she sends the packages first class as soon as possible. First class means they should arrive within a few days.
But when she mailed nine prints on April 6, they weren't even marked as in transit until three weeks later. She said a postal employee told her the packages had been sitting at a processing facility in Elk Grove Village.
"eBay has threatened to refund them," Bidner said. "They haven't yet, but if somebody keeps complaining, they will. It's not their fault the post office was sitting on these literally for weeks."
And is this the first time this has happened?
"Oh no," Bidner said.
Bidner estimates she has lost more than $500 over the past year in refunds due to mail delays.
She said, in some cases, eBay decides a refund is needed; while in others, she simply wants to keep the customer happy and avoid a bad review.
"So my buyers who look at the tracking information think I haven't even brought it in, so they're like: 'Did you even scan this? are you scamming me?'"
Earlier this week, Bidner finally learned her deliveries from April 6 were on the way. And no, that extra month won't add much to the antique's value.
This is the third story we've reported this month about problems at the Elk Grove Village facility. USPS said they're reaching out to the customer, but they would not answer any of our questions.
