Package stuck in transit for 10 days - normal?

Honestly, pretty normal. I've seen this exact pattern a bunch of times — USPS has been especially inconsistent lately. My own package sat in transit for a solid 12 days with zero updates before it suddenly appeared at my door. No scans after "Arrived at USPS Regional Facility," no out-for-delivery notification, nothing. Just randomly showed up in my mailbox one afternoon.

So with USPS, the biggest bottleneck is usually at those regional distribution hubs. Packages often get stuck at major sort facilities in places like Chicago, Dallas, or Newark — yeah, those are notorious for holding stuff for a week or more. If your tracking just keeps saying "In Transit, Arriving Late" over and over, it's almost certainly sitting in a pile at one of those hubs waiting to be sorted. And honestly, the tracking system is pretty much useless once it hits that stage — USPS rarely scans again until final delivery.

As for the packaging, I was worried mine would be destroyed after sitting around that long, but it came through fine. A standard bubble mailer or padded envelope usually survives as long as it doesn't get soaked. Still, I'd recommend reinforcing any exposed corners with extra tape if you're shipping something valuable — those static piles can get tossed around when workers finally get to them.

Customs wasn't a factor for me since mine was domestic, but if you're ordering from overseas, expect even more variability. Packages can sit in customs for a week or two before clearing, then another delay at the local distribution center after that. It's a pain.

So overall, this level of delay is pretty normal for USPS right now. The service is still reliable in the sense that things almost always eventually show up, but speed is completely unpredictable. Plan for at least 10–14 days in transit minimum, and don't trust those estimated delivery dates. If it's urgent, you might want to pay up for a different courier next time, but for typical novelty ID orders, USPS's cheap rates and tendency to eventually deliver make it the go-to despite the tracking headaches.

Yeah don't stress yet. The tracking doesn't always update accurately. Give it another week before panicking.