Don't ever ship anything USPS

[Stanley Design]

I bought one of those Michael Kelly fretless AEB from Grand Central Music's ebay store late october. Paid with my credit card and called them to make sure everything was fine and dandy like candy.

They told me they would give me free shipping and send through USPS because it wont cost an arm and leg when it gets to Canada, but that it'll still be insured shipping and stuff. It was supposed to be here a week or two later, but after 3 weeks I still hadn't seen it, so I called them (I had kept in touch with them about it once a week or so)

It turned out that 3 weeks before when they shipped it the customs place took it all apart and lost the tags so it had been sitting there the entire time, probaly getting banged up as well, I'm not sure. But they shipped it again (on a monday) and said "it will be there next week", it's now the end of the week and I haven't heard any sign of it.

So I called Grand Central again and asked for my money back, I was without a bass at all for well over a month, so we decided if it comes Monday and is in good condition I'll keep it and the store will send me a hardshell case and strings, if not I'll just get my money back.....

All this could have been prevented by spending 30 bucks on UPS.

[Jemetch]

Originally Posted by Todd Stanley

...the customs place took it all apart and lost the tags...

Everything goes through customs... no matter who you ship with

[Stanley Design]

Yeah but it could have been tracked and after a week of it being there the problem could have been fixed.

[Matt H]

after a recent gear purchase- i'm not buying anything shipped via canada post- so really, it goes both ways.

guitar was damaged, canada post won't acknowledge the claim unless it's shipped back to canada- meaning i'm out the guitar PERIOD, and may be out more in shipping (both ways) than the item itself cost.

(it was a usable but "project" guitar... now the neck pcoket is destroyed and the body is totally shot)

frankly- i'm not buying from canada again either now that i know international claims are essentially "i didn't do it, tough luck".

[Stanley Design]

Yeah, I know exactly what you mean, I think it'd be safe through paypal and UPS since they are all insured and you can track everything, etc. Just more expensive. This was just a hassle.

[bongomania]

What does the damage or hassle have to do with USPS? The customs office is not affiliated in any way with USPS. You could have asked that the store send it by flying monkeys, and the package would still have had to go through customs. Where it was opened/delayed/etc.

I ship a LOT of stuff internationally, and I have had better luck with USPS than with any other carrier. The customs office of the recipient's country, however, often causes delays and other headaches.

[bassjus]

If you look there will be just as many horror stories about any courier. It's really just all luck.

[JimmyM]

I used to work for UPS, and in that time I talked to a lot of people who work for other companies, including USPS and Fed Ex. They are all basically the same. They all take semis and fill them completely full with packages, they all let packages fall, they all toss them if it slows them down to do it any other way, and they all ignore "this side up" notices occasionally. There is no foolproof way to ship anything of value. People's stuff will get broken occasionally. It's on the shipper to pack the stuff in such a way that it won't get broken. It's just the way it is.

If you are shipping internationally, do yourself a favor and put both shipper and receiver's address in the box attached to the item being shipped, plus a description of the item and any other identifying info like serial numbers and colors. And never ship internationally without getting a tracking number. All postal services in America, including USPS will do it. And if it's expensive, get insurance or make sure the shipper will guarantee it if they don't offer insurance.

[Jemetch]

Originally Posted by bongomania

What does the damage or hassle have to do with USPS? The customs office is not affiliated in any way with USPS. You could have asked that the store send it by flying monkeys, and the package would still have had to go through customs. Where it was opened/delayed/etc.

I ship a LOT of stuff internationally, and I have had better luck with USPS than with any other carrier. The customs office of the recipient's country, however, often causes delays and other headaches.

Quoted for truth.

I am the recipient of a lot of stuff shipped internationally via USPS and have found their service, on the most part, to be economical and efficient. Any problems that have arisen have been due to poor packaging or addressing.

[513rocks.com]

i ship everything usps. cheapest, fastest, and best shipping out there. ive never had a problem but have never shipped to canada.

[andysvec]

Living on Guam my only option is USPS. I've used them for everything while living here and when I lived in Hawaii, never had any real problems at all.

[A9X]

Originally Posted by Jemetch

Quoted for truth.

I am the recipient of a lot of stuff shipped internationally via USPS and have found their service, on the most part, to be economical and efficient. Any problems that have arisen have been due to poor packaging or addressing.

Ditto. I get a lot of stuff in from the US and EMS is best, followed by USPS Global Priority, then std airmail, then Fedex, then UPS. Even std USPS air is a couple of days faster on average then the couriers, about 40% the cost and less hassle unless it's really expensive and goes through Customs mail centre (but I know the routine now so it's not a hassle). I've got two basses from the US in the last few weeks, both USPS air sent with the necks off and were an average of about $US90 insured and 5 days to my door. Both arrived in perfect condition without even damage to the boxes.

[BlackburstJBP]

Try to stay away from using UPS! Its been 2 months now since they damaged an ampeg pro4 head shipped to me. The must have thrown the box and dropped it on its corner.Although it had been insured,they have yet to pay me for the damage.They have given me the run around,and I wont use them ever again untill they make this right

[gfab333]

Sorry to hear about your problem. It may be an anomaly. I use USPS for all my Ebay transactions. I've never had a problem.

[purfektstranger]

"What does the damage or hassle have to do with USPS? The customs office is not affiliated in any way with USPS. You could have asked that the store send it by flying monkeys, and the package would still have had to go through customs. Where it was opened/delayed/etc.

I ship a LOT of stuff internationally, and I have had better luck with USPS than with any other carrier. The customs office of the recipient's country, however, often causes delays and other headaches."

+ 1

I use USPS and Canada Post extensively and knock on wood I have never ever had something arrived damaged. True, depending on level of service chosen, you might not get tracking options but for something not too expensive I would rather use USPS than UPS and their price gouging clearance charges ( 27 bucks on an 80 buck pickup). I suspect that poor packaging, as opposed to poor shipping, is the cause of damage in alot of cases.

[C-5KO]

Originally Posted by purfektstranger

"What does the damage or hassle have to do with USPS? The customs office is not affiliated in any way with USPS. You could have asked that the store send it by flying monkeys, and the package would still have had to go through customs. Where it was opened/delayed/etc.

I ship a LOT of stuff internationally, and I have had better luck with USPS than with any other carrier. The customs office of the recipient's country, however, often causes delays and other headaches."

+ 1

I use USPS and Canada Post extensively and knock on wood I have never ever had something arrived damaged. True, depending on level of service chosen, you might not get tracking options but for something not too expensive I would rather use USPS than UPS and their price gouging clearance charges ( 27 bucks on an 80 buck pickup). I suspect that poor packaging, as opposed to poor shipping, is the cause of damage in alot of cases.

+1

I make my decision on which shipping company to use by how much the item shipped is.

Under $200, Canada Post/USPS. Over $200, UPS. While I've never had anything damaged or lost (knock on wood), I ask myself how much I'm willing to lose.

PS: UPS did lose my $4000 Elrick for 48 hours. So there really is no foolproof shipping method - except throw it in your car and drive it there.

[Frank Martin]

So what?
For example, FedEx does the same and menawhile charges three times as much
I'll never use FedUp again

[Indiana Mike]

I've had a lot of problems with ups at work.
I swear they play football with smaller packages.
We have suppliers that will no longer ship via UPS

[Spector_Ray]

Originally Posted by Todd Stanley

I bought one of those Michael Kelly fretless AEB from Grand Central Music's ebay store late october. Paid with my credit card and called them to make sure everything was fine and dandy like candy.

They told me they would give me free shipping and send through USPS because it wont cost an arm and leg when it gets to Canada, but that it'll still be insured shipping and stuff. It was supposed to be here a week or two later, but after 3 weeks I still hadn't seen it, so I called them (I had kept in touch with them about it once a week or so)

It turned out that 3 weeks before when they shipped it the customs place took it all apart and lost the tags so it had been sitting there the entire time, probaly getting banged up as well, I'm not sure. But they shipped it again (on a monday) and said "it will be there next week", it's now the end of the week and I haven't heard any sign of it.

So I called Grand Central again and asked for my money back, I was without a bass at all for well over a month, so we decided if it comes Monday and is in good condition I'll keep it and the store will send me a hardshell case and strings, if not I'll just get my money back.....

All this could have been prevented by spending 30 bucks on UPS.

I'm really sorry about your bass and the waiting game you're having to play, but it's totally unfair to blame the USPS since it was customs who screwed things up by losing all the tags and misplacing your bass. I understand that buying a bass and having to wait a month to get it is really frustrating, however, the Postal Service in no way had you waiting. They have to send it to customs then get it to the Canadian postal service. From what I've read, the USPS fulfilled it's part of the contract to the best of their ability. In the future, I'd ask questions first as to how the system works instead of pointing fingers first.

[specplyrz]

They delivered it this way!~ Said it was not "beat up more than usual" UPS absoultly sucks. They have delivered multipal packages in this condition. I only use Fed Ex for shipping now. Horrible company, UPS.