USPS and UPS shipping rip off

I honestly ship 20-30 packages a month and usually all of them go through the post office. I've only ever had one shipment, "Lost" and I am pretty sure if was my fault. The printer I used was running out of ink and only printed the label very lightly. I don't think the barcode was able to be scanned and after I dropped it off at the post office it went out normally and was delivered, but the buyer claimed it wasn't so they could get the item for free.

If you're paying a lot (subjective term) in shipping, you need to reassess your business process because you're probably doing something wrong.
 
Beaflag VonRathburg said:
I honestly ship 20-30 packages a month and usually all of them go through the post office. I've only ever had one shipment, "Lost" and I am pretty sure if was my fault. The printer I used was running out of ink and only printed the label very lightly. I don't think the barcode was able to be scanned and after I dropped it off at the post office it went out normally and was delivered, but the buyer claimed it wasn't so they could get the item for free.

If you're paying a lot (subjective term) in shipping, you need to reassess your business process because you're probably doing something wrong.
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Just so you know i'm not full of shit
https://tools.usps.com/go/TrackConfirmAction?qtc_tLabels1=9400111899563438824153
 
always sell locally. shipping bulky heavy stuff when your not making much is harsh. I usually just hit up craigslist with great results.
 
Romale23 said:
Just so you know i'm not full of shit
https://tools.usps.com/go/TrackConfirmAction?qtc_tLabels1=9400111899563438824153
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I'm not saying you're lying, it is completely possible it is lost. I can show you tons of odd tracking number results where their first scan says they were magically accepted in a different state four days after I shipped them or never received a delivery scan. Honestly, I think a lot of, "Lost" packages get delivered and are just never scanned due to postal worker error.

Then on the opposite end of the spectrum there's bs like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5UhzQAO7MM
 
Beaflag VonRathburg said:
I'm not saying you're lying, it is completely possible it is lost. I can show you tons of odd tracking number results where their first scan says they were magically accepted in a different state four days after I shipped them or never received a delivery scan. Honestly, I think a lot of, "Lost" packages get delivered and are just never scanned due to postal worker error.

Then on the opposite end of the spectrum there's bs like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5UhzQAO7MM
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Ya I'm just especially pissed at USPS they also lost allmy VA stuff
 
I use USPS for small items, for big ticket items I use FedEx because I save 16% on FedEx Express®, 8% on FedEx Ground®, and 60% on FedEx Freight® services when you use FedEx Ship Manager® at fedex.com or FedEx Ship Manager® Software.

:D
 
Richneerd said:
I use USPS for small items, for big ticket items I use FedEx because I save 16% on FedEx Express®, 8% on FedEx Ground®, and 60% on FedEx Freight® services when you use FedEx Ship Manager® at fedex.com or FedEx Ship Manager® Software.

:D
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is there a secret how to get that discount?
 
60% on freight is major bucks! I don't ship too many items freight anymore, but there is a Fedex freight location across town so feel free to spread the details.
 
treefortrichard said:
I got a "Sunday delivery" package today..I was shocked and happy!
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yeah amazon does sunday via usps all the time now, you are basically guaranteed 2 day delivery up to 6pm orders, it's crazy

they really push the system though, poor usps person has been delivering at my place at 5pm this past week because every carrier is now dumping into usps for last mile delivery (ups mail innovations, fedex smart post)

the trucks are completely worn out and everything is falling apart at usps, half of congress is trying to destroy them which really sucks
 
Yeah if the USPS is swearing at my house I know I ordered the wrong thing or too much.
I ordered some Sling Shot Amo one time and it was pretty heavy. Whatever you don't don't order Food item though mail order just makes you a lazy arse unless you have a disablity.
I had the USPS women shout at me when I ordered a bunch a vitamins she thought was food I haven't seen her around.
 
Comixbooks said:
Yeah if the USPS is swearing at my house I know I ordered the wrong thing or too much.
I ordered some Sling Shot Amo one time and it was pretty heavy. Whatever you don't don't order Food item though mail order just makes you a lazy arse unless you have a disablity.
I had the USPS women shout at me when I ordered a bunch a vitamins she thought was food I haven't seen her around.
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I don't want to be a jerk, but that's what they signed up for. It the package is too heavy then they shouldn't be lifting it alone, and if it's a weight a postal worker is expected to lift alone, they should do it without complaining. I'm lucky with the guy who does my mail. But I hear stories of drivers being too lazy to get out of the van to bring a package to the door and squeeze it into a mailbox. Same with envelopes that say do not fold. Come on.
 
Sodapopjones said:
Didn't want to beat a dead horse, but someone else posted in the thread. Try shipping two Korean monitors back to South Korea, and then come complain about shipping costs lol...
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Originally bought a crossover 494k Which ended up being defective and not to my liking a few months later. Greensum sent me a return label for $40 And it was shipped to cali. I feel bad for people that buy from the non reputable sellers. As far as I know it's only greens up and accessorieswhole
 
Tgrove said:
Originally bought a crossover 494k Which ended up being defective and not to my liking a few months later. Greensum sent me a return label for $40 And it was shipped to cali. I feel bad for people that buy from the non reputable sellers. As far as I know it's only greens up and accessorieswhole
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Greensum handled a bad monitor for me much better than amazon did. My monitor from greensum had a huge piece of something behind the screen. I got a prepaid label to return it. I bought a 40" samsung from amazon, the box had a big hole in it and the panel and back light were separating on the bottom. Amazon refused to give me a prepaid label, they made me pay to ship it back and they say they are going to reimburse me for the shipping fees. I called them a bunch of times, same story every time. It was about $190ish to ship it at the ups store.
 
Part of the thing is, USPS touches every single house in the US automatically.

My general choice of shipping is USPS Priority flat rate boxes (nice because they are free from USPS). and you can guarantee that most packages will be delivered in 2-3 days.

FedEx for larger items.

UPS for medium sized items (Sometimes)
 
Every place has disgruntled employees and I think the postal workers are just grossly overworked and struggling to keep up. On the other hand, I recently moved and my new mail man is quite rude. I had a postal pickup for a package worth $1200 and I specified knock so I could hand it to him. I used to work from home so it would take me 10 seconds to get up and open the door. The guy was pissed that I specified knock. "You need to leave the packages outside because we don't have time to be waiting at every house." Ok, the guy has a problem lets help him out. I usually have 3-4 real postal pickups a week and schedule them all for outside delivery. Every week, on one or two of those scheduled pickups they just don't pick up the packages. I'll have received the confirmation email, "Hey we picked up your packages," come home, and they're still sitting there.

Previously, at my old house my mail man was my neighbor and lived right down the street. He brought all of my packages to my house (sounds odd, but they were addressed to be delivered elsewhere). We'd also talk about what would be the easiest way for him to pickup my packages, made it work, and we never had any issues.
 
Beaflag VonRathburg said:
Every place has disgruntled employees and I think the postal workers are just grossly overworked and struggling to keep up. On the other hand, I recently moved and my new mail man is quite rude. I had a postal pickup for a package worth $1200 and I specified knock so I could hand it to him. I used to work from home so it would take me 10 seconds to get up and open the door. The guy was pissed that I specified knock. "You need to leave the packages outside because we don't have time to be waiting at every house." Ok, the guy has a problem lets help him out. I usually have 3-4 real postal pickups a week and schedule them all for outside delivery. Every week, on one or two of those scheduled pickups they just don't pick up the packages. I'll have received the confirmation email, "Hey we picked up your packages," come home, and they're still sitting there.

Previously, at my old house my mail man was my neighbor and lived right down the street. He brought all of my packages to my house (sounds odd, but they were addressed to be delivered elsewhere). We'd also talk about what would be the easiest way for him to pickup my packages, made it work, and we never had any issues.
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We need to privatize the Mail
 
nothing can be done for this sale, but in the future overestimate shipping and a flat 13% transaction fee for ebay and PP to reflect accurately what you need to collect for a nice profit


UPS FEDEX and UPS have all moved to dimensional shipping costs, so little variation in pricing exists outside of shipping accounts.

However, general rule of thumb I like to use:

USPS: Small items to Large (Flat rate size) or large items in local area

UPS: Medium to large items

FedEx: about the same price as UPS, sometimes more.
 
beowulf7 said:
That sucks, but now you know. :( On that note, does anyone with shipping experience with USPS or UPS know how much would it cost me to send something about the size of a shoe box that weighs 2-3 pounds from TX to MD? (Even 1-week shipping will suffice.) I'm guessing $5-10, but wanted to see based on others' experience.
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mnewxcv said:
5-10 dollars is correct. Probably right around 7. That's via usps. Ups would probably be like 12.
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Just to update the thread (and it's been a while), I shipped my package via USPS in early Dec. It was 1 lb and 14 oz, so just under 2 pounds. From TX to MD, it cost $8.70. Damn, that was a bit pricey. Dimensions were about 2/3 of a shoe box, basically large enough to hold a pint glass and I had a few other items in there plus bubble wrap and paper to protect the glass.
 
your already getting a discount by using ebay's PayPal's built in shipping.
You can put the package info on the selling page so the shipper pays the actual cost of the item they won / bought.
 
Orddie said:
your already getting a discount by using ebay's PayPal's built in shipping.
You can put the package info on the selling page so the shipper pays the actual cost of the item they won / bought.
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BTW the built in shipping is no different then going on USPS click and ship facility in regards to price. The only positive is convenience. All of the buyers info is prefilled.
 
i wont be using UPS in my area from my experience this past holiday.

the driver left my package and signed herself "KIM" and noted in the shipping notes "left on front door." suffice to say, i never got the package and they did their stupid investigation and insist it was "left on the front door" and signed by "KIM," so im SOL and have to take it up with the shipper.

the usual guy we get is super nice and he knows the apt complex well. it is a bit confusing cuz every unit has a unique address and instead of numbers, the apts going from A to K. regardless, im pretty pissed that this new driver signed her name because I dont know who the hell "KIM" is and got the wrong friggin address and the company is not owning up to it.

i used to pay a little more if it was an important package and use UPS instead of USPS, but now im going to stick with FedEx in my area.

TLDR: UPS will lose ur package and lie about it.
 
I didn't read all the responses so my apologies if this has been mentioned, but signing up for a UPS account online saves you 10% (or more?) on packages sent. The account is free.
 
Erebus said:
I didn't read all the responses so my apologies if this has been mentioned, but signing up for a UPS account online saves you 10% (or more?) on packages sent. The account is free.
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Until somebody "accidentally" uses your personal UPS account to do a early morning overnight shipment from one company to another.

Then you have to go through the hoops to get UPS to remove the charges from your account.. and then they suspend your account and mark it as inactive.

I still haven't called them back about re-enabling my account.

The only "safeguard" they have against somebody using your account is that they are able to block your account number from being shipped from a specific addresses.
 
mnewxcv said:
how would someone accidentally use my personal account?
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LiquidX said:
Bill it to the account number.
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Yep, easy as that.

There are a few ways it could happen:

1. Self filled out waybill. There is a field in there to put the Bill To account number. If it was miscopied or misread that would be accidental. There is absolutely no checking whatsoever that they do with the account number except just go ahead and use whatever is on that waybill unless the ship from address is already blocked in their system.

2. At any place that will ship UPS packages. Again, miscopied or misread.. or intentional wrong account number used. No checking is done unless the ship from address is already blocked in their system.

3. UPS Worldship program - again, same situation as the above 2.

Pretty sure you can't use an account that is not yours through their web page although I am beginning to doubt this as well as there is a drop down to select what account to use when shipping. Guessing you can add whatever accounts you want to as long as you know certain information.. but maybe only the account number is required... I haven't personally tried it.
 
I have been a bitter man since Amazon started having its UPS stuff "tendered" to the USPS for the last few miles. The USPS office in my area sucks donkey dick they could hire fence posts or a pile of rocks and more stuff would get delivered on time, or even at all.

:mad::mad::mad:
 
hardware_failure said:
I have been a bitter man since Amazon started having its UPS stuff "tendered" to the USPS for the last few miles. The USPS office in my area sucks donkey dick they could hire fence posts or a pile of rocks and more stuff would get delivered on time, or even at all.

:mad::mad::mad:
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Thats called UPS Mail Innovations...its a cheaper method of getting packages out to you. I can't complain about USPS...my regular delivery person is actually kind of awesome...I get a lot of stuff from HK and China that require me to sign delivery slips for. She let me pre sign a bunch so I don't have to go to the post office to pick them up and she leaves them on the porch.
 
magnetik said:
will it fit in one of the larger "if it fits, it ships" USPS boxes?
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If you shred the monitor up into bits and pieces, then yes.

But really, the flat rate boxes are all of a fixed size and none of them will fit the dimensions of a monitor. Not all post offices will even have every type of flat rate box type. They usually only have the basic boxes on hand, like the small $5 box, the medium, the strong Tyvek envelopes, and maybe a large flat rate box if you're lucky. The USPS office near me is a piece of shit and they don't even have small flat rates boxes at the kiosk.

Maybe try Parcel select? It will take forever, but I guess you didn't specify using that shipping method in the sale, so its not an option in this case.

You live and learn... one trick I've done to cut down on shipping cost is to put a box in a $5 flat rate envelope. So one time I had a box that was going to cost $15 to ship, but since I was able to fit it in a Tyvek envelope (the strong cloth/fiber ones), it cost me $5. So you have this fucking envelope that's basically the shape of a square inside of it, but hey, it fit.

When I go to a post office that has Tyvek envelopes, I grab a lot of them for future shipments. Its saved me a lot last year. I sold a lot of things that were larger than the $5 flat rate box, but could squeeze inside an envelope, keeping the shipping at $5, instead of $12-15 if I bump'ed up to a medium box.
 
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MooCow said:
but since I was able to fit it in a Tyvek envelope (the strong cloth/fiber ones)
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I am only aware of flat-rate Priority envelopes that are paper and plastic. Are you saying there is another kind? Is it approximately the same size?
 
MooCow said:
When I go to a post office that has Tyvek envelopes, I grab a lot of them for future shipments. Its saved me a lot last year. I sold a lot of things that were larger than the $5 flat rate box, but could squeeze inside an envelope, keeping the shipping at $5, instead of $12-15 if I bump'ed up to a medium box.
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Uh.. the Tyvek envelope is not a flat rate envelope.
 
csshih said:
Uh.. the Tyvek envelope is not a flat rate envelope.
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Okay, I guess that explains it. So he was probably saving money because the contents of the non-flat-rate envelope were lightweight enough to keep the price low.
 
csshih said:
Uh.. the Tyvek envelope is not a flat rate envelope.
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I'm still able to create a shipping label for a "paperboard" flat rate envelope and never had a problem using them on Tyvek envelopes instead. Yes, technically they are not flat rate, but they've worked for me. I've been shipping boxes in Tyvek envelopes and they've never rejected my pre-paid flat rate postage.
 
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