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How did it survive? (USPS rant)

Shipping service of choice

  • USPS

    Votes: 24 24.2%
  • FEDEX

    Votes: 25 25.3%
  • UPS

    Votes: 38 38.4%
  • Pony Express would be better than all those clown shows

    Votes: 17 17.2%

  • Total voters
    99
my two cents ... so much of the shipping experience depends on the local offices. near me, usps is the best; i use their office at the airport and the service is very good. fedex is okay, usually good but a quibble or two, nothing major. ups i had one terrible experience with and use them only as a last resort.

glad to hear you rinstrument arrived safely, it looks like something heavy af got dropped on it. why would someone ship a box of bowling balls? geez ~
 
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Hey TB, my latest adventure with our fine postal service. Bass purchased 9/27, shipped the next day from NJ. I'm in Birmingham, AL. 9/30 it arrives in Atlanta, a 2 hour drive from my house. No update for TEN DAYS! I file a missing mail claim. 3 days later it resurfaces, back in NJ! The seller calls USPS, they said they were sending it back to him for reasons unknown. He redirected it back to me. 3 days later, 18 days after being shipped it finally arrived.
View attachment 7346947View attachment 7346948

Somehow it survived unscathed. I've had nothing but bad experiences with USPS lately. Unfortunately I've had nothing but bad experiences with FedEx lately as well. UPS has been solid, but only recently. At this point I'm considering just going local for gear purchases/sales.
yikes! Shipping headaches notwithstanding, tell us about your new bass!!
 
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Came here to say this. USPS is 100% self-supported, which is why the mail is still getting delivered during the govt shutdown.

Also of note is that USPS and UPS are the only shippers with union contracts, which means better pay and benefits for the workers, which theoretically means they have more reason to give a hoot about the packages they're handling.

Damage happens during shipping; it's inevitable. That's what shipping insurance is for. 👍
A lie is halfway around the world before the truth even puts its pants on.
 
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Mrs. Fran and myself use Pirateship and UPS is usually cheapest there. She ships for a side hustle a lot and has had very few problems with either UPS or USPS. I’ve sent instruments via FedEx as well and always insure for full value. Thankfully no horror stories yet.

If possible I recommend developing a relationship with your carriers and/or agents. A little social lubricant can work wonders if/when problems arise.
 
For a Bass and other large-box items - not only is UPS the only shipping service I will use - I can't fathom why anyone would USPS for such a thing.
Not just because of cost alone, but their carriers aren't equipped to handle it.

I just received a bass from a member here. I offered to cover shipping by sending him the UPS Label.
Pirateship 50x20x8 35lbs (which doesn't matter)
UPS: $53.00 arrived in 2 days
vs. USPS $88.00 Ground Adv (no way!) $120 Priority

I've never shipped a box that looks like that. (and there's a few members here that will attest to that...)

USPS works fine for the small / relatively light-weight packages - but if it's a valuable or irreplaceable item - I'll use UPS.
I agree, UPS for large stuff (thru Pirate Ship) and USPS for small. USPS is almost always faster than quoted, and UPS almost always longer. But never had a problem with UPS. My son uses FedEx for his business - he ships thousands of large packages every year - and has a pretty low problem rate.
 
For a Bass and other large-box items - not only is UPS the only shipping service I will use - I can't fathom why anyone would USPS for such a thing.
Not just because of cost alone, but their carriers aren't equipped to handle it.

I just received a bass from a member here. I offered to cover shipping by sending him the UPS Label.
Pirateship 50x20x8 35lbs (which doesn't matter)
UPS: $53.00 arrived in 2 days
vs. USPS $88.00 Ground Adv (no way!) $120 Priority

I've never shipped a box that looks like that. (and there's a few members here that will attest to that...)

USPS works fine for the small / relatively light-weight packages - but if it's a valuable or irreplaceable item - I'll use UPS.
I also use Pirate Ship and never an issue. For stuff like basses and guitars where I don't have a box. I take them to the UPS store and have them pack and ship it. It's not cheap but I've never had a problem ever with them.
 
Hey TB, my latest adventure with our fine postal service. Bass purchased 9/27, shipped the next day from NJ. I'm in Birmingham, AL. 9/30 it arrives in Atlanta, a 2 hour drive from my house. No update for TEN DAYS! I file a missing mail claim. 3 days later it resurfaces, back in NJ! The seller calls USPS, they said they were sending it back to him for reasons unknown. He redirected it back to me. 3 days later, 18 days after being shipped it finally arrived.
View attachment 7346947View attachment 7346948

Somehow it survived unscathed. I've had nothing but bad experiences with USPS lately. Unfortunately I've had nothing but bad experiences with FedEx lately as well. UPS has been solid, but only recently. At this point I'm considering just going local for gear purchases/sales.
For those on the Canadian (and I assume the rest of the world) side looking to ship anything to the USA, I went to my post office on Thursday to mail a small gift to a hot pepper friend in North Carolina. I came home with the package. Here’s why.

IMG_0175.jpeg
 
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This is also slightly disingenuous considering that DeJoy, the previous Postmaster General, cut funding and resources to the USPS in an effort to drive customers to private shipping companies.

Slagging off the USPS is "old man yells at cloud" behavior...I send/receive hundreds of packages/letters every year and very seldom have any issues.
 
Interesting UPS is rated so highly. They are abysmally slow, markedly over all the others; the Pony Express would be -faster- than them, that's for sure.

I prefer to use my tax dollars and use USPS as much as possible, they have a great track record as far as I'm concerned. Unfortunately UPS often has the best rates on large parcels, so they can stick it in a distribution center for a week and pseudo-lose packages in voids.
 
I’m not “slagging off” the USPS. It’s the only mail service i use because it needs to be protected and funded.
The fact that the previous Postmaster General was intentionally undercutting the service is just that, a fact. He was a turd who was only appointed to that position precisely because he wanted to defund the USPS. American politics at work: claim a service doesn’t work, then defund that service so that it doesn’t actually work, so it can be privatized. The service doesn’t get better but now a small number of people are making more money.

Slagging off the USPS is "old man yells at cloud" behavior...I send/receive hundreds of packages/letters every year and very seldom have any issues.
 
Your tax dollars at work!
Just like the DMV, IRS, and others, they are honey badgers. They just don't give A/F.
This dosent mean there aren't good,honest, hard working employees among their employ.. there are...but, overall they are immune to accountability. Nobody's gonna lose their job, no matter how bad they goof up.
I've had much better luck with FedEx.
I assume that you’re speaking of the USPS? I prefer UPS usually for something expensive, but your tax dollars do not fund the USPS. The US Postal Service is self-supporting.
 
I assume that you’re speaking of the USPS? I prefer UPS usually for something expensive, but your tax dollars do not fund the USPS. The US Postal Service is self-supporting.
Ok...I misspoke ( <----see: was wrong)
My sincere apologies to the fine folks at USPS, for the intimation that they are tax funded. Should have done my homework. 😕
 
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