I live in a suburb in a street in a house with a number and Australia Post deliver to me whenever they feel like getting round to it. (I thought I'd clarify my living situation because when I complained to Australia Post, they said, "Perhaps you live in a country area or in a high rise apartment?" Erm....perhaps I DON'T!) I bought nine books from the UK over a month ago and they're just starting to come through now. A letter from California took two weeks, and a parcel from NSW (to Adelaide) took over a week. Other letters have just never arrived at all.
Coincidentally, I was chatting to a random stranger yesterday who mentioned that he was a manager at the GPO, so I told him what was going on with my mail delivery and he said that with all the e-commerce these days, Australia Post are swamped and can't keep up with all the parcels. Too bad, so sad for Australia Post - figure it out - I want my stuff! But my thing is, I'm waiting on an item from the UK that I purchased on eBay over a month ago and so now I'm at a point where I'm thinking do I prepare to lodge an "item not received" with PayPal? I mean, maybe the seller sent it, maybe they didn't. Maybe the parcel is gathering cobwebs at Australia Post, maybe it isn't. PayPal give more than enough time for an item to arrive (even from China, with a mail service akin to the Pony Express) but Australia Post in all its efficient glory have blown that out of the water.
I mean, essentially, I will lodge a not received, but if Australia Post don't lift their f---ing game, this is going to be a real headache for sellers, and eBay Australia in general. Already there are international sellers who don't want to sell to Australia and if I can't get what I want from eBay, I'll just go somewhere else. Awhile ago I ordered something from China that never arrived so I lodged a not received and got a refund. Some time later the item turned up and I repaid, but not everyone is going to do that. I think this is a concern that eBay/PayPal should be looking at.
