Shipping Gripe

[PKile]

I've been buying a lot of stuff for my Vert restoration and have had a lot shipped to me from various places around the country. Usually stuff takes anywhere from 3 days to a week to get here. That is, unless the vendor elects to use one of those damn fool systems like UPS Mail Innovations or Fedex Smartpost. The shipment gets picked up by UPS or Fedex, it gets to within 30-40 miles of my house, then the idiots dump it on the Snail Mail guys who proceed to take another 3 or 4 days to deliver it! Who the Sam Hill came up with this idea? They even came up with cutesy names for this abomination...Innovations? Smartpost? Give me an effin break! The worst thing is you can't even tell when a shipper is going to use one of these systems...they never give you them as a shipping choice to select.

Anyone else fed up with these systems? Of course we are probably stuck with them like Obamacare...someone is making money here, but the customer gets screwed!

[bangn]

Fedex do that. Gives me the shits.

Fedex say delivery will be on such a date, the parcel gets to the delivery depot 4 days early and they hold it because its not due for delivery.

just give me my shit!

[roguetoaster]

Yep, worst one I encountered was a small package that took 9 business days (including Sat) to get from Raleigh to near Baltimore. Took 3 days for any status updates between the hand off from FedEx to USPS.

Yet at that same time a set of Euro bumpers made it to me from Australia in 3 days for only a ~$40 difference.

[ThatOneEuroE30]

You guys realize if it gets to a depot local to you and you really dont wanna wait you can just go in tell person at counter your tracking and boom you get your package. I had something get into Omaha Friday at like 3:30 and not schedule for delivery until Monday so i went and got it from the depot. Took a hole 30 min out of my day.

[roguetoaster]

I think the point here is that once it gets to the USPS system it pretty much vanishes until it's delivered. As far as I know, USPS will not allow you to come pick a package up early because it's always "in transit," "on a truck," or "sorting."

[nando]

I have a fedex account and ship with them all the time. Never heard this from anyone I've shipped to. I'm assuming you probably got shipping fairly cheap, so I wouldn't complain too much - if you want better/faster shipping, you'll have to pay for it.

[Matt-B]

my latest shipping gripe is ECS.

add 10$ oil drain to plug to car

15$ with shipping, reasonable.

add .45 nut.


28 $ shipped....wat

[PKile]

I have a fedex account and ship with them all the time. Never heard this from anyone I've shipped to. I'm assuming you probably got shipping fairly cheap, so I wouldn't complain too much - if you want better/faster shipping, you'll have to pay for it.

Then how do you explain all the ebay items that have free shipping and don't use Smartpost? Yes, I realize they probably jack up the price a bit, but it's better than waiting ages for the part.

[nando]

They add it to the cost of the item. Nothing is "free".

[MrSlacker]

I ship using FedEx SmartPost and UPS SurePost all the time.

As a seller, here is my take: all buyers are cheap AF. There are only select few who are really willing to pay extra. But guess what, only way to get a sale nowadays is to do Free Shipping. Everyone sorts by "Cheapest Price" and boom - I don't get a sale because I am $2 more expensive, but use ground shipping.

So I price as cheap as possible and use cheapest shipping method.

[nando]

Exactly!

[dnguyen1963]

Why is this a surprise? It is Econ-101.

[djjerme]

I ship using FedEx SmartPost and UPS SurePost all the time.

As a seller, here is my take: all buyers are cheap AF. There are only select few who are really willing to pay extra. But guess what, only way to get a sale nowadays is to do Free Shipping. Everyone sorts by "Cheapest Price" and boom - I don't get a sale because I am $2 more expensive, but use ground shipping.

So I price as cheap as possible and use cheapest shipping method.

THIS!

No one is making money off shipping. It seems like it gets more expensive every time I turn around.. If you are shipping anything longer then 2 feet, forget it! Might as well take it out back and burn it..

And yet, people from other countries can ship whole sub assemblies in to the US for pennies on the dollar (slight exaggeration.)

As both a seller and buyer - I get it, you hate giving money to Brown or FedEx who end up finding new ways to mutilate them (by them I mean packages.) Or if they are like the UPS driver I have lately, don't care if the package is easily accessible to thieves.

Maybe we just need 3D technology to move along at a faster clip so we can just sell the datafiles, or you send the files to a local "3D printer" facility that can handle larger pieces.

[PKile]

Why is this a surprise? It is Econ-101.

But we as consumers don't have to like it. I understand the need for a vendor to economize on shipping, but the fact that these new systems are slower and less efficient, and consumers have no idea their merchandise is stuck in them until it ships. It galls me the same way a "new and improved package" jar of peanut butter does...when you turn it over and see the concave bottom robbing you of two or three ounces. Those cutesy names irk me as well, a new innovation my ass! They should have just called them basic economy 4th class and be done with it!

[packratbimmer]

Lowest bid world we live in