USPS - back to pony express days!

[Cold Spring]

I can understand some delays nowadays but to compound things the USPS isn't scanning Priority Mail envelopes - at least not those that go through Phila - and the tracking shows a vague statement: "your item is on its way". No scans at intermediate stops as in the past. Just two weeks ago my payment and FFL copy for a SxS took 9 days to arrive in So Cal. That was with 3 day Priority mail. And the seller was about to sell the gun to the next highest bidder because he thought my envelope went astray to a far away galaxy and wouldn't be located for many additional days. Icing on the cake on the 9th day was the tracking showed "we attempted to deliver at 9:30 (am) but couldn't access the location", but the seller's agent said they were open and in the office starting at 7:30 and no post office employee came by. Nice.