Beware of USPS

Dave-Kat · Apr 1, 2017

I NEVER send any items of value 1st class. The cost is hardly negligible especially on a cue. I had someone send me a cue a few years ago standard economy parcel post and it never showed tracking and took 3 weeks to arrive and the box and cue were 'toast'.

I will pay the few bucks for the difference in savings between standard and Priority unless it's a super large or heavy item then I will price check with UPS, Fed-Ex etc.

I have used USPS Priority almost exclusively since its inception. 1,000 times at least. No problems. Love the flat rate boxes on weighty items that fit. Anything really fragile/breakable or over $200 gets proper insurance and signature required for the $2 and change. Never had a claim cause I pack well.

EDIT: And have been fortunate

Have a good weekend,

-Kat,

poolhustler · Apr 1, 2017

I pretty much will only send items via USPS Priority and have had great results. Just sold and shipped over 50 knives and all but one package got there safe and sound. That's pretty good in my book.

I did just receive another Revo shaft last week and the package was open due to lack of tape. The shaft was safely tucked inside still...

cuesblues · Apr 1, 2017

Is 1st class mail like when you put stamps on it any everything?
I've never seen anyone ship a shaft via 1st class mail.
1st class probably saved about a buck over priority, and with priority you get $50 free insurance.

For all the things the postal workers have to deal with, along with their unsophisticated system, they actually do pretty good.

shinobi · Apr 1, 2017

Fast Lenny said:
If you take my money for a certain insurance value then I expect to be paid that when the item gets lost. Unbelievable how bad these people are and they wonder why the USPS is in debt every year.

Exactly. The contents of the package shouldn't even be up for debate. They're telling you that you are insuring delivery of your package for $500 and charging you $X for that, and then when they lose the package they expect you to take less than the $500 payout you paid for?

Eff that noise.

0ne9marine · Apr 1, 2017

as a retired USPS employee i am saddened by claims that US Mail is poor. What almost everyone doesn't understand that the airlines handle a vast majority of the mail. We get blamed for every damaged package. Don't get me wrong sometimes we are at fault, at the large processing centers automation is used that can sometimes mangle a package. Nobody thinks of the handling of packages by the airlines. The origin and destination Post Offices handle all the mail but travel is sometimes out of our hands. I know that the doesn't help you if you, like Jay have problems but it not always our fault.

JC · Apr 1, 2017

Underachiever said:
Funny, the only shipping company I've had problems with is UPS... Every time I use them, the item is always late, and half of the time the box is totally destroyed.

But when shipping USPS, I always ship priority unless there's a significant cost difference, and there usually isn't.

Hope this resolves favorably for you, though.

This^^^^^^

JC

pab · Apr 1, 2017

I'm not surprised. I live in Vegas and recently ordered a book from St. George, Utah - less than 2 hours away. USPS picked it up in St. George, routed it to Denver, then flew it to Los Angeles and then sent it to Las Vegas. No joke. Took almost a week to get it. No wonder they're struggling.

cuedoctor · Apr 1, 2017

Kim Bye said:
I'm not gonna go into the politics here. But do you have any idea how many letters and parcels USPS handles on avereage?
Letters might have gone down, but packages has gone way up due to online shopping.
It sucks when the post office looses or misplaces your package, but please be aware of the bigger picture.
USPS is partly privately owned, and you have no statistics to back up your claim that efficiency would go up if USPS was privately owned. The comparison with UPS shows your ignorance on the matter...

And don't forget usps gets NO tax payer money. Everyone seems to think they pay taxes to the post office and think they should get extra service because they pay taxes to support it . It's not an excuse to loose or not provide service to the customer but shit happens and it all the shippers have issues once and awhile. Find a shipper that works for you and pay extra.

simplestroke · Apr 1, 2017

I don't discredit anyone's bad experience with USPS but I have shipped countless high $$ items mainly firearms and have never had any issues. I've always shipped priority mail across the country and have had no issues.

Johnson · Apr 1, 2017

I sell on Ebay fulltime and only use USPS, anything over $50 goes out Priority not only because it is faster but insurance is included for me. The faster an item gets there the less chance for any shenanigans. For every 1000 items I ship first class/priority only 1 or two get issues and if tracking shows it wasn't delivered I'm covered on Ebay. The issue could be bulkier items with First Class, I print my labels via Ebay or Paypal (which are cheaper) to avoid going to the po for them because they are ASSHOLES and HATE anyone with more than a few packages. I heard about a local woman that had a few hundred packages to ship out and they had her crying.

https://www.paypal.com/shiplabel/create/

Use paypal and you can schedule pick ups on usps.com to avoid any contact with the idiots that work for USPS. I do over 5 figures a year in shipping and they treat me like dirt at the po and it's the only one in town.

AtLarge · Apr 1, 2017

Poolhall60561 said:
Of the package shippers, USPS is the worst ...

How do you know? Personal testimony from low-volume users isn't enough. It's possible to find stories of horrific damage, total loss, or administrative incompetence regarding all of the major carriers. Whether it is really appropriate to criticize one carrier over others, or favor one over others, I don't know. I wish we had some statistics to examine, but I won't hold my breath for that.

jay helfert · Apr 2, 2017

Dave-Kat said:
I NEVER send any items of value 1st class. The cost is hardly negligible especially on a cue. I had someone send me a cue a few years ago standard economy parcel post and it never showed tracking and took 3 weeks to arrive and the box and cue were 'toast'.

I will pay the few bucks for the difference in savings between standard and Priority unless it's a super large or heavy item then I will price check with UPS, Fed-Ex etc.

I have used USPS Priority almost exclusively since its inception. 1,000 times at least. No problems. Love the flat rate boxes on weighty items that fit. Anything really fragile/breakable or over $200 gets proper insurance and signature required for the $2 and change. Never had a claim cause I pack well.

EDIT: And have been fortunate

Have a good weekend,

-Kat,

Thanks Kat, I have been using USPS First Class mail for sending out my books for years with little to no problems. And that's after mailing literally thousands of books! I guess that experience lulled me into thinking I could do the same with a slightly larger item like a shaft. Turns out I was wrong and am learning my lesson the hard way. I also print my labels online so I don't have to wait in line at the post office.

Poolhall60561 · Apr 2, 2017

AtLarge said:
How do you know? Personal testimony from low-volume users isn't enough. It's possible to find stories of horrific damage, total loss, or administrative incompetence regarding all of the major carriers. Whether it is really appropriate to criticize one carrier over others, or favor one over others, I don't know. I wish we had some statistics to examine, but I won't hold my breath for that.

I worked in a large direct mail operation moving thousands of packages a month. We provided our clients with delivery performance reporting on all or our jobs. We used all 3 package shippers, UPS, USPS and FedEx. USPS was the worst service by far.

chefjeff · Apr 2, 2017

Fast Lenny said:
(snip). Unbelievable how bad these people are and they wonder why the USPS is in debt every year.

It is very believable, based on how they're funded and operated.

I worked there more than 30 years ago and one of my jobs was "mail search." That's pulling destroyed packages out of the machinery and sending them to "rewrap," the place where someone tries to put the pieces back together and find any label that might identify a name.

There are ZERO incentives to care about any one customer. I got paid no matter what and so does everyone in USPS get paid no matter about profits or service or any value create or destroyed. It's a monopoly and the results reflect that.

That's the reason it cannot ever be fixed, no matter how many more resources are pizzed away at it. Be thankful that courageous competitors took the risks and broke the package monopoly, so there are there are much better choices now.

Jeff Livingston

chefjeff · Apr 2, 2017

Kim Bye said:
No point in arguing about this. But some functions like the post service, roads, public transport etc. should not be about profit. It should be about the best possible service to the public. Not eveteything is measured in monitary value.

Why is it bad to profit from a mutual exchange? Both sides win in such deals, ya know.

You got a better system than that?

Jeff Livingston

chefjeff · Apr 2, 2017

BMC361 said:
USPS is self sufficient. They dont get tax money from the government.

Whoever told you that is not your friend.

Jeff Livingston

chefjeff · Apr 2, 2017

0ne9marine said:
as a retired USPS employee i am saddened by claims that US Mail is poor. What almost everyone doesn't understand that the airlines handle a vast majority of the mail. We get blamed for every damaged package. Don't get me wrong sometimes we are at fault, at the large processing centers automation is used that can sometimes mangle a package. Nobody thinks of the handling of packages by the airlines. The origin and destination Post Offices handle all the mail but travel is sometimes out of our hands. I know that the doesn't help you if you, like Jay have problems but it not always our fault.

Yes, it is.

But the denial is common.

I worked there, too, so I know. I quit because the job was immoral for me. I couldn't sleep knowing I was part of the problem and was basically robbing the money I was (over)paid for the "work" I did.

If one takes money and promises a service but doesn't deliver, just who else's fault could it be?

Jeff Livingston

mortuarymike-nv · Apr 2, 2017

problems

ideologist said:
Priority Mail or Express Mail and you have no problems

For one shaft, I can't imagine you saved money. I ship shafts Priority constantly for like $8, and the triangle boxes are free. 2 days coast to coast, in a more controlled handling stream

I only ship priority and have had the same issues Jay has had ..
Honestly The triangle boxes suck as protecting a pool cue or shaft ...

I can buy schedule 40 pvc pipe for 37 cents a foot ,,, and the plastic pipe is bullet proof compared to the triangle card board box ..

ideologist · Apr 2, 2017

mortuarymike-nv said:
I only ship priority and have had the same issues Jay has had ..
Honestly The triangle boxes suck as protecting a pool cue or shaft ...

I can buy schedule 40 pvc pipe for 37 cents a foot ,,, and the plastic pipe is bullet proof compared to the triangle card board box ..

That's very true, I've shipped a full length Titlist cue in a PVC pipe via 2-day Priority for $9. Wrap each end in a single layer of tape and hammer on end caps. Hard to beat!

But I've never had an issue with a Triangle box except for a USPS employee in Florida cutting one open and stealing a shaft out. USPS refunded my insurance price on the spot.

alstl · Apr 2, 2017

I guess nobody ever reads my posts.

Use registered mail.

Beware of USPS

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