ATLANTA — Ever since postal problems started emerging around metro Atlanta in connection to the operations at a new facility in Palmetto, one of the biggest issues people have reported is impacts to their small businesses.
11Alive reached out to eBay, a critical platform for many small business operators, and the company says it's aware of those issues and taking steps to help protect their reputations.
The new Atlanta Regional Processing & Distribution Center has been the source of consternation for people experiencing mail delays. The facility opened on Feb. 24, consolidating Atlanta, Augusta, Macon and Duluth area processing and distribution centers, which are each being repurposed as local processing centers.
It's still unclear when operational backlogs will be cleared and the metro Atlanta mail system will be functioning more smoothly again, but in the meantime an eBay spokesperson told 11Alive in an email that the company will take steps to mitigate harm to seller reputations because of circumstances out of their control.
"At eBay, we are committed to helping small businesses grow and thrive on our platform," the statement said. "We are aware of the USPS delays in Atlanta and have implemented seller protections for the state of Georgia at this time. Impacts to a seller's performance metrics as a result of the delays beyond their control will be removed before their next evaluation cycle."
11Alive continues reaching out to USPS for answers to questions that would paint a fuller picture of what's going on at the Palmetto facility. They said in their latest response Tuesday they have no further updates.
Last week, USPS updated an original statement to 11Alive that, saying in part: “Operations are improving as we continue to make significant investments in the Atlanta area, including new sorting machines, upgraded facilities and more efficient transportation, that will help ensure our organization can provide reliable delivery services for years to come.”
Those experiencing delays or who have not received mail can contact the newsroom with your concerns as we continue to cover this story. Fill out our online form below, and someone from our news team will follow up with you.
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