Large Scale Central

FedEx, UPS, USPS, Shipping Times

General Discussion
#1

I hope for most of you the shipping on these shippers is much better for you them it is here in the DFW area, or Texas in general. The past big freeze and power outages has pretty much brought shipping to a stop, or weeks to get anything that we normally would get in 3-4 days. I’m now hesitant about purchasing anything on line at this time, because not sure if it will come in the next two weeks, that seems to be the delivery time here. The worst in the USPS, then UPS, and FedEx which has been the best of the three. Good Luck with your carrier getting back to normal delivery times.

trainman

#2

USPS seems to be slow everywhere I think part of that is due to the slow down in airline service. Priority mail most often went by air and even regular post would on a space available basis. Now I suspect much more is moving by long haul truck.

#3

Add to the above the shortage of personnel due to the current situation, in which I waited four weeks for a medicine delivery to be trucked across town because they didn’t have enough personnel to unload incoming trucks, and we all see how this problem has escalated.

#4

USPS has gotten a lot better in recent weeks. I received a priority mail package today that was two day and received as such. another example is second class mail which one group I belong to mails there quarterly magazine out this way. in dec/January it took 6-7 weeks to receive, most recent arrived w/I one week of mailing.

Al P.

#5

On the news last night was a story that all of a sudden, USPS is delivering packages that were due before Christmas! I think the located a couple of containers that were though to be empty!

They also changed Priority Mail from 2-Day to 3-Day recently.

I haven’t had many issues with delays, but their Click-2-Ship website has been screwing up. A month ago, before I could print a new label, it made me pay an additional $4.50 “postage due” on a flat rate box that was paid in full when shipped. Then recently, I got double charged for a flat rate label. Trying to get a refund is an exercise in futility, so I just wrote it off (https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-frown.gif)

#6

I had an ebay purchase from shipped 2/19 that is supposed to be delivered today When the seller checked, he was told “Severe Weather Delay”. It was last checked at Chowchilla California, so no telling what route it took. Waiting with baited breath.

What the heck is “Baited Breath”?

#7

I had a package that I shipped on Nov 30th from NH to Tennessee. it showed stuck there (at the delivering post office) for the prescribed 14 days and I filed the flimsiest of refund request as the contents were 3d printed parts, so unable to really quantify cost, went for the whole enchilada at $58.40, and two days after I got paid by USPS the delivered the package.

Al P.

#8

For what it’s worth about two weeks ago I shipped two small packages internationally vis USPS; one to Italy and the other to The Netherlands. One arrived in seven days and the other took nine days. I was pretty amazed at the speed though the cost as each was about $50, yikes!

#9

the last purchase i made from the US was a bag of toy soldiers.

USPS needed 44 days to transport it from Nashville, Tennessee to Paraguay in south america. for a cost of over 40 cents per day.

#10

USPS contractor here. Been longer hours for the past year and a half, especially since the corona virus lockdowns started. The election and the holidaze were…no fun at all. Some of the regular carriers were putting in 99 hours a week; had a couple working while seriously injured (one is on medical leave now, and will be for another month), and it seemed like every week somebody or other was on quarantine leave. It’s improved a little since the new year, but not much.

That said, I did mail some G scale items almost to Korm’s corner of the world (Brazil). They got held up in customs something like two freaking months and customs hit the recipient with a hefty bureaucratic tax on the one.

#11

After reading many of your post it makes me stop and think, I realize here that there have been some unexpected things that have happened and put a disruption in deliveries, but to me it seems it’s not betting better. I wonder since we are all purchasing so many things online these days if the delivery service just can’t handle the average day to day load and when hiccup hits there system it becomes more then they can handle and seems like they don’t recover very fast, or if at all. For myself I have some hobby things I would like to order, but as deliveries have gotten so bad (time wise) I have put them on hold for the time being, I sure I’m like others, when I order it I wanted it yesterday. There was a time when UPS and FedEx shipping usually took 3-4 days and USPS took a week for deliveries, but now 2-3 weeks is common in many cases. I remember when we said it couldn’t get any worse, and it did.

trainman

#12

I saw my first Amazon delivery van the other day. Big blue with a smiley face.It won’t be long before Amazon does their own shipping and delivery.

Then UPS, Fed Ex or USPS will have a lot less volume to handle. At least in the Urban areas. We now have 2 giant Amazon

warehouses in the Spokane area. Walmart will probably follow suit.

#13

Amazon just recently opened a “Delivery Station” near me in Danbury. Blue Amazon vans started to show up late summer. I still only get about 1/3 of what I order delivered by them. Probably depends on where the product originated from. One complaint about Amazon delivery - They sometimes arrive very late in the day - as lat as 10 PM! Most days they arrive around 4PM. UPS/Fedex/USPS all arrive here by 2 PM at the latest. Advertising One Day Delivery, but not arriving at a reasonable time kind of makes “One Day” kind of meaningless.

#14

I haven’t had any delivery problems in recent memory. Not even after warnings that it’ll be late because of bad weather conditions. Sometimes stuff has even arrived prior to the commit date. I really like the e-mail tracking devices that give me a heads-up when it’ll be on my porch. The real problem that I do have, however, is the ridiculous shipping costs on Ebay these days. There have been times that I’ve been interested in buying/bidding on something and I said FGI after looking at the shipping cost.

#15

John Bouck said:

I saw my first Amazon delivery van the other day. Big blue with a smiley face.It won’t be long before Amazon does their own shipping and delivery.

Then UPS, Fed Ex or USPS will have a lot less volume to handle. At least in the Urban areas. We now have 2 giant Amazon

warehouses in the Spokane area. Walmart will probably follow suit.

Amazon parcels are part of the reason USPS is overwhelmed in my part of the world.

There are also issues with the way Amazon packages the items they ship, seems like every day one or more will bust apart on me while being moved.

#16

Their packers are rated on how fast they are. The system only requires that they dispense some measure of packing material. I’ve had numerous shipments with too large boxes, one or two air pillows and a small item rolling around inside. Another had a package of small parts burst and leak out all over. Found some on my walkway! Amazon did make good.