UPS, USPS, or Federal Express? Question

Always good luck when getting items from the USA via USPS.

The insurance part may very well be true. Depends on what the value of the item is that you are shipping. If it is a fair amount, it might cost a bit more to use Fed Ex but worth the piece of mind.

Seems to be many bad news stories re UPS lately so I would be hesitant on them.

Either that or get the buyer to pay a bit more and go for Expedited Air or what ever the term is for that at USPS.

Last time I went to send anything to the US, I inquired about air. Over $100 for a little item so that was out. Canada Post is crazy with shipping.

I ship everyday for my business (www.barbequejunction.com)
and I will not ship outside US unless to Canada and I dont like doing that.

IMO just not worth it plus its very expensive.


Not too long ago after several emails and phone calls I decided to chance sending a package to Australia.. Item arrived fine and I was lucky. USPS was the only way it was remotely affordable and their tracking and insurance is worthless.

Sorry for the shameless biz plug

Since I live outside the US I can tell you FedEx is the way to go for International. Since they are world wide I see no reason why insurance would stop once it leaves the States. It gets rather frustrating with how many people on here refuse to ship out of the US especially when the buyer is paying shipping costs. Glad to see you are trying to get the deal done. FedEx is super fast too. I ordered school books on a Monday from the States and had them on Thurs. It was expensive though.

Our post office does NOT honor their insurance.They broke a Black Boar that I sent to Cali overnight and it was a nightmare.
Marc

batalarms said:

Our post office does NOT honor their insurance.They broke a Black Boar that I sent to Cali overnight and it was a nightmare.
Marc

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Can you elaborate? I like to hear
The circumstance.

On an almost monthly basis I ship car parts to a buddy of mine in Sweden from Philly. USPS once told me they can't insure any item once it gets into another country's postal system. To me that meant their insurance is worthless. As for claims, trying to get any of them to pay up takes an act of congress. To Sweden I have no choice but to ship USPS because other options are wayyyyyy out of line by price comparison. If it was a very expensive item I'd trust FedEx or UPS over our post office solely because those companies keep the item in their control the whole time.

They are all great until there is a claim...lol. One thing I can say with the utmost certainty, UPS is the worst of the bunch when it comes to damage they cause to long packages and claims. They are just flat-out sorry. FedEx is great....but my experience is no buyers outside the US want to pay for FedEx (and few inside the US for that matter). Way too expensive. USPS is generally the most economic, safe and reliable option for sending overseas.. Always package things well....overkill in that regard is worth it.

Ask your client how he wants it shipped.
His choice - his liability.
Problem solved.

An answer not necessarily applicable to China: :grin:

When I order from the U.S. or the UK delivered to Canada I want it sent by regular mail - no insurance.
Everything has been delivered, and never damaged.

The advantage is that it may not be inspected: no duty; no taxes; no inspection fee. in fact it is the norm. Even if the documentation shows the value accurately.

If you ship by the high priced method, you are guaranteed that your customer will be paying them.

Personally, I loathe UPS.

If he pays with paypal , all he has to do is say , I did not get it , send me another , or I want my money back . Its has happened to me more than once . You can not prove he did not get it , and he does not have to prove anything , Paypal will give him back his money , and he probably got both , money and the product , and nothing you can do about it . Ane if he pitches a ***** here on AZ , the shipper is always wrong , That's the way every one of these things go in the Main section .

Jim, can't you request shipping that requires a signature for delivery?

Not out of the country , That I know of . Jim

Should check on that as I have to sign for things USPS and then to Canada Post.

If I get a delivery notice, you always have to sign at the Post Office.

Fed Ex, DHL and UPS, I have always had to sign on the dotted line.

Was just thinking that there has to be a way to protect yourself better.

we ship $26M/yr. furniture, accessories, lighting, replacement parts. LTL, ground, air, containers. US, Canada, Mexico, China, Europe. here is the latest/hottest info i'm giving my Etail accounts - shhhh!

1) NEVER use UPS. we hate them & their 90% damage ratio - cause it has to drop 5ft from the conveyer belt & their excuse to not pay claims is always "ïnsufficient packaging". even for skids.

2) NEVER use USPS. tracking is nill & they don't pay claims.

3) ALWAYS use FedX.

and....ready? (shhhh!)

take whatever you have, to Kinkos/FedX store. MAKE THEM PACK/SHIP IT. INSURE IT @ TRIPLE VALUE. they are 100% responsible. save the BOL in YOUR NAME as shippper - so the claim $$$$ can come back to you.

they take better care of their own. they take special care when it's insured. and they will pay out to you - triple. 200% profit....

and air freight it. it's monsoon season now & can get waterlogged if "grounded" on a container. (unless your end game is 200%)

Jim Baxter said:

If he pays with paypal , all he has to do is say , I did not get it , send me another , or I want my money back . Its has happened to me more than once . You can not prove he did not get it , and he does not have to prove anything , Paypal will give him back his money , and he probably got both , money and the product , and nothing you can do about it . Ane if he pitches a ***** here on AZ , the shipper is always wrong , That's the way every one of these things go in the Main section .

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I agree with what you are saying. So, I often wondered how some of the big sellers on eBay who ship abroad manage to protect themselves against endless scams. It isn't clear to me if Paypal is giving their big sellers preferential treatment or if they know something the rest of us don't know, on how to protect themselves.

one more thing -

you have GOT to be clear w/ your customer of this, in your contract regarding Claims:

1) sign that BOL (or ground screen) as NOT INSPECTED. that's everyone's OUT!!!!

2) if it's left @ the door w/ no sig, all the better

3) consignee has GOT to take a pic of where carton was left & condition. then snap a pic after cracking the top. then snap a pic once packaging pulled out. again, as unwrapped. then final product. AND SAVE THE CARTON. till claim filed/paid.

**Claim time is 5-10 actual days, depending on shipper.

freight carriers suck right now. the economy is bad & they are cramming (throwing) cartons wherever to save time/dim space & bank on people not dealing w/ the hassle of Claim. i deal with this every day. and accts (stores & their customers) who are too stupid to do what i advise them when i drop-ship.

good luck....

shinobi said:

I agree with what you are saying. So, I often wondered how some of the big sellers on eBay who ship abroad manage to protect themselves against endless scams. It isn't clear to me if Paypal is giving their big sellers preferential treatment or if they know something the rest of us don't know, on how to protect themselves.

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JIM BAXTER is 100% right. it's the biggest scam running right now for buyers.

i'm not well-versed on PayPal (cause my wholesalers don't accept it), but i've heard a little from my dealers. new rules for PayPal - the customer is always right. same as VISA, MC, AMX. they'll jerk that $$$$$ out of your acct as soon as the claim hits - whether bogus claim, or not. and it can put you out of business (GOB)....

it's gotten ridiculous, in this economy. and here's how i combat it - make the consumer pay 50% in cash/check/Paypal GIFT; balance 50% & freight via CC or Paypal @ delivery/ship. cost is covered. make my acct/dealer pay via CC to my wholesaler; prepaid or Net 30.

this covers my acct in the event of defect or transit damage. BUT - new rules are 90 days claim.

i shipped a $30K order of chairs/stools. customer wanted to charge via AmX @ DEC 31 for tax breaks - done. ETA was FEB. shipped/recd MAR 1. by MAY, we discovered it was a bad batch & seats were defective. my (ex) mfg screwed around & delayed & refused to honor the 1-yr warranty. my acct filed a dispute w/ AmX, per me.

the chairs were technically 60 days old. AmX covers for 90 days claim. Warranty was 1 year. but the CHARGE....was DEC 31. denied.

i fought AmX for almost a year on this. everything was completely documented. and right. but in this AmX case - the customer wasn't. out $21K. (at least the mfg is now GOB)

for international, do not even consider any other than fed-ex. I have a friend that owns a mail boxes etc and he told me that fed ex is the only one that can be trusted to deliver the item safely,,,,,,,,that;s all I needed to hear

tduncan said:

Can you elaborate? I like to hear
The circumstance.

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I sent a well packed Black Boar RS2,overnight and it arrived with the butt snapped in half.I should have used a PVC tube.
It took months of fighting with them (USPS) every day and getting lawyers involved to recover the value.Here is a pic of the way that the cue arrived.This is an example of the way that the Post Office cares for our items.
I had already been paid for the cue (as a gift) and I could have "walked away" from this,but I fought for my buyer and eventually I got him his money back.
Marc