Shipping USPS/Royal Mail tracking mess

I have been tracking a parcel that was shipped to me by a seller in the US on December 30 using USPS First Class.

When I checked the tracking on the Royal Mail website on January 9 it said the parcel had been returned to sender.
In fact they say on January 9

10:50 Delivered by Bath DO
10:58 Recipient not at address. Returned to sender. Bath DO​

They tried to deliver it again on January 11 with the same result. We were at home both days, I think.

I telephoned Royal Mail who said they had tried to deliver it to a different address in a village nearby and as there was no addressee there it had been returned to the sender.

This happened to me once before with a totally unrelated parcel shipped with USPS. Though the sender enters the correct address, it seems that the USPS website has a drop-down menu that changes the postcode and the name of the property. Then Royal Mail delivers the package to this other address about a mile from where I live.

The parcel seemed to be going back to the States and on January 24 it said: Item Received Northampton Peak Parcel Hub

At the same time, Royal Mail had some kind of cyber attack and couldn't send any mail internationally.

There was no tracking at all on the USPS website, but today when I checked, it said that the item had been delivered in the UK on January 9.

Your item was delivered in UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND at 10:50 am on January 9, 2023.
​

I'm not sure what to do. The parcel has vanished into limbo. USPS say it was delivered (?) and Royal Mail say it has been returned but haven't updated their tracking since January 24.

Needless to say, the seller hasn't received it. They refunded me but I want them to get their item back.

Has anyone had a similar experience and can you advise me what to do? Royal Mail weren't much use when I telephoned them before

 

There is a hub nearby but unfortunately the parcel has moved away and was last seen at Northampton, which is a long way from us. I think you're right that we'll have to change the delivery address somehow but I don't work so it would have to be a friend.

This is a good idea. I think we may be too late with this parcel as when I originally telephoned RM they said it had headed back to the States and they could do nothing to stop it.

I have mentioned it to the seller. I think part of the problem is that the parcel is sort of in limbo. But great news that the Royal Mail international services are resuming. The thing is that it had got as far as Northampton and I'm in Bath, which is a bit of a bummer...

This is a really good idea. In this case I was knackered because the parcel had the wrong address on it and so it seemed to be impossible to stop it. Royal Mail said they couldn't interfere with the mail! Which is a bit crazy since they are the mail (headdesk).

I'm going to check the tracking again and see if it's moved...

 

@EmanonUK thank you! It's all in limbo at the moment. The seller has refunded me, but I want to know what happened to the head.

 

I will do. The main problem is that the parcel had the wrong address on it. I only know this because they attempted delivery to an address in a nearby village and the people there seem to have refused it.

It's a bit of a weird situation. It seems as if USPS somehow swaps my postcode for a similar one at a similar address in the local area. I only know this because it happened once before. Then the occupant of the other house accepted the parcel and kept it because they had no idea what to do. When we visited, they produced it immediately.

I'm not sure why the occupant refused the parcel this time. It may not even be the same people living there. I telephoned Royal Mail and explained the situation but they said that they can't interfere with the mail and would have to return the parcel to the sender. Since then it's been in limbo.