USPS Bans Overseas Shipments Of Tablets, Smartphones

This is terrible news for us military folk stationed overseas. Where I am currently at, the on-base store (Navy Exchange) price gouges us for things we would normally just order through Amazon. They say that the pricing is high because of the cost that they incur when they ship things over (although I heard that they use military transport to get the items here so I don't know how true this is).
The USPS needs to think about the troops before they implement measures like this that will prevent us from ordering reasonably priced items and be forced to buy things from the monopoly they have on base. Unfortunately, buying things here on the local economy is even worse than buying from the NeX. You pay 3 times the amount for electronics as you would in the states due to the currency used out here. :(
 
This is lousy news for military people. I would be pretty upset and UPS is forcing business over to its competitors so its an odd move.
 
JL6speed said:
Honestly, I don't think it is very hard to instruct workers to handle with more care. I mean, how difficult is their job really?
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I love when people say shit like this.

Working in a package sorting facility can be pretty damn hard work. Spend 8 hours loading boxes that range from 1lb to 50lbs into delivery trucks and then come back and tell us how easy it was.
 
TronixA said:
This is terrible news for us military folk stationed overseas. Where I am currently at, the on-base store (Navy Exchange) price gouges us for things we would normally just order through Amazon. They say that the pricing is high because of the cost that they incur when they ship things over (although I heard that they use military transport to get the items here so I don't know how true this is).
The USPS needs to think about the troops before they implement measures like this that will prevent us from ordering reasonably priced items and be forced to buy things from the monopoly they have on base. Unfortunately, buying things here on the local economy is even worse than buying from the NeX. You pay 3 times the amount for electronics as you would in the states due to the currency used out here. :(
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Just out of curiosity when you order from amazon does it come through USPS? No other options?
 
Daggah said:
Yeah, this ban is supposedly going to be lifted in January 2013, but it's still a giant "fuck you" to those of us stationed overseas FORCED to use USPS for APO shipping. :mad:
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This!

I was turned away last week from mailing a cell that I sold in the forum. I am stationed in Germany and because AAFES is not the cheapest they are forcing our hand to buy locally. I mean there are 53K Americans just in my area...cant imagine the larger impact. I mean consider xmas and you cant order a GPS, Laptop, portable game console, etc. This is some weak shit!
 
Disposed said:
I love when people say shit like this.

Working in a package sorting facility can be pretty damn hard work. Spend 8 hours loading boxes that range from 1lb to 50lbs into delivery trucks and then come back and tell us how easy it was.
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Maybe the sorting centers should get rid of the deficient employees. Is this acceptable in other jobs or professions?
 
JoeUser said:
Yeah just lie. Anything harmful? Just say no...they don't need to know that I just shipped 5lbs of C4 to my buddy in Texas...its stable enough. If it does explode then hopefully the idiot that mistreated my packaged learned his lesson...
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The funny thing is, C4 is probably more stable than mistreated L-Ion batteries.:D
 
Also, as far as I was aware the MPS made a rule a while ago that said they wouldn't carry anything like cell phones to overseas locations. So really, the rules haven't changed at all for military members.
 
Godmachine said:
This is lousy news for military people. I would be pretty upset and UPS is forcing business over to its competitors so its an odd move.
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Sadly, when it comes to shipping overseas for military personnel, there is NO competition. USPS is the exclusive means by which to ship to APO/FPO addresses.
 
travanx said:
Maybe the sorting centers should get rid of the deficient employees. Is this acceptable in other jobs or professions?
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You assume its done on purpose and act as though replacing an employee is like replacing a bad stick of ram. When millions of packages go through a facility shits bound to happen. Its also a high demand job that most people dont last more than a couple weeks in.

Go to a UPS facility, they have open interviews all the time and will give you a tour. Watch the guys loading those packages into trucks. Look at the sheer volume of boxes they end up packing.

Besides that box in Steves picture was probably a flipping hard drive knowing newegg. You pack a big box loosely like newegg loves to do and crushing it like that is easy as hell.

Mchart said:
The military postal system only carries USPS mail.
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That sucks, cant stand USPS have had way too many problems with them over the years.
 
I've personally never had any issues with USPS and the MPS. On average I order at least 3-4 things a month and they have all arrived in passable condition and in a timely fashion. Once the packages leave the US for the UK it takes 2-3 days tops to reach my box in the UK.

I've only ever gotten one package beat to shit - But that was a box with swimfins in it. Two pieces of extruded rubber - Don't really care if the box looked like shit.
 
Jimi_Shuffler said:
my friends in Guam are so screwed. lol
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Again, as far as I was aware, the MPS did not allow things like cellphones to leave the US to begin with. So nothing has changed as far as the MPS is concerned outside the US.
 
Why did the shipper use a old box to ship your iteam?
I can see the from area was written in marker. Newegg would not send out a package like that. It looks like the shipper went cheap and used a old box. That is never a good way to send anything.
I worked at UPS and now USPS.
I have seen some crazy stuff shipped.
 
p05ta1 said:
Why did the shipper use a old box to ship your iteam?
I can see the from area was written in marker. Newegg would not send out a package like that. It looks like the shipper went cheap and used a old box. That is never a good way to send anything.
I worked at UPS and now USPS.
I have seen some crazy stuff shipped.
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Nothing's wrong with reusing boxes (and packing materials, like air bags and foam), as long as it's in good condition and previous shipping labels/marks are obscured.

Why waste something that's perfectly functional and that can be reused?
 
When I hear about things like this I always have Ace ventura image in front of me when he trashing that box mercilessly.

If we talking about sending across the world. So far I'm very happy with Fedex (USA) or EMS (Japan). UPS rates are totally prohibitive and for that simple reason never used UPS world-wide. Locally in Europe never had a problem.
 
Pitbully said:
This.

C4 is actually great, I cooked many a can of soup over a small block of C4 during the first Gulf War. As long as no one stomps on it while its on fire, its fine, it makes a good camp stove.
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All that will happen is you get a big chunk of fiery hot marshmallow consistency C4 on your foot.

Hell Mythbusters shot a flaming C4 patty with an incideiry round and it still didn't set off the C4.
 
i have a friend that ships a lot of phones over seas, and his theory is that they are being polite by saying the batteries will explode. He says about 25% of his shipments never make it through customs because the customs employees overseas steal his packages. He says he has a ton of insurance claims tied up right now...Chances are USPS never gets their money back from the stolen packages. Probably lots of lost revenue.
 
NICKSTAR said:
i have a friend that ships a lot of phones over seas, and his theory is that they are being polite by saying the batteries will explode. He says about 25% of his shipments never make it through customs because the customs employees overseas steal his packages. He says he has a ton of insurance claims tied up right now...Chances are USPS never gets their money back from the stolen packages. Probably lots of lost revenue.
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Didnt even think of that. That sounds more likely than the reasons they have given.
 
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