PSA: USPS Priority Mail

[Jwar]

I would also like to add I've shipped thousands of packages over the years with USPS and have NEVER had them lose a single one. Not one.

[futuresailors]

On a fedex note, I had something shipped from within nyc, and physically walk past the fedex store where the dude dropped the package off every day. Package is currently in NJ. And shipping cost twice as much as USPS...

[Ancient Astronaught]

I use USPS for everything except amps. Then I use fedex and insure the shit out of it, FedEx isn't bad in my area. They take a lil longer but I've never had an issue with getting the item when they said and undamaged, and the reverse for shipping items.

UPS on the other hand is a complete and total cluster fuck. They are always the most expensive, take the longest, deliver at weird times, do completely stupid shit. For example last friday I had my new drum kit come in, they delivered an hour earlier than the predicted time so nobody was at home. I go on to the mobile app and request it transferred to the local UPS store for pickup as the driver literally drives right past it on his way back to the DC. I call the UPS store at the end of the day to see if it had been dropped off and they tell me it has to go back to the DC to get rerouted and then they will drop it off on Monday evening after they do all the other deliveries. WTF?!?!?! the drivers been notified of the change as it tells me so in the app and they do all that bull shit?!?! So I just elected it for customer pickup at the distribution center and it tells me yet again it won't be available till Monday even though its taken back friday night and they are open on saturday for customer pickup.... Luckily Saturday morning hit and it alerted me that it was ready for pickup. I've never had such hassles with ANY other shipping company.... the only reason they are still in business is they offer steep discounts to businesses that do alot of shipping (like Musicians Friend, Music123, Sweetwater, etc which all ship out of the exact same warehouse in Kansas) but then rip off anyone that doesnt have a business account. Plus they are the onlyc ompany thats lost a package of mine and also sent me packages that were damaged in shipping. I will never willfully use them for shipping.

[untilshewokeme]

USPS employees are great at my Post Office, but I do everything online. Anyone that doesn't needs to consider it because it is a money and time saver. You can ship anything, anywhere online as long as you know how to measure shit. It's my new go to and has saved me hundreds already.

+1 with online. Its the only way I ship. My wife bought a digital food scale back in the day and now I use it to get an exact weight on package (does up to 11lbs or something like that). Pulls all the shipping information right from PayPal, you usually save $1 to $3 on shipping, print the label out, tape it to the box and bring it to the post office on my lunch break. DONE.

[KaosCill8r]

Has anyone had any experience with the EBay Shipping Program? I would have to say it is one of the biggest scams ever. Very expensive and the slowest shipping ever. A sloth with gimpy leg on Valium would of delivered it quicker.

[goroth]

A sloth with gimpy leg on Valium would of delivered it quicker.

Wow, that's slow.

[scienceman]

As a past fedex package handler I can tell you that you don't get anything for the extra money. In fact I don't trust fedex with my packages after working there.

[UglyCasanova]

Has anyone had any experience with the EBay Shipping Program?

Yes, and after trying it two times I'm never buying anything on eBay that only offers it. I don't know how it would be shipping to Australia, but to Norway what they do is place your parcel in storage and wait for it to fill up, place it on a cargo ship and take it across the pond. The ship then arrives in the middle of nowhere (in Norway, that says a lot), gets handed to a courier I've never heard of and when they have enough shipments to justify driving their little truck to the big city, they hand the parcel to our version of USPS, and then they have to sort it, deal with the mess that is the pre-paid customs papers, ship it to my post office and send me a pick-up note. I think it took 6-7 weeks both times, and the tracking is broken.

Plus, it's fucking expensive. Worst idea ever.

[futuresailors]

As a past fedex package handler I can tell you that you don't get anything for the extra money. In fact I don't trust fedex with my packages after working there.

So the expected delivery is Monday.
That's a 6 day delivery time vs overnight with USPS (and even UPS...).

And that ebay shipping program is such a money grab. Probably partnered with fedex.

[PanicProne]

USPS is rad for international.

Help a fellow swede out! I agree it's usually fast internationally too. My only concern is that the tracking doesn't seem to work once it's (supposedly) left american shores. Have had a hard time finding the swedish/european equivalent and tracking it too. Any suggestions?

[UglyCasanova]

It's whatever your government's postal service is. PostNord?

Not much happens before it hits customs. Even that might not be updated the same day.

[Disarm D'arcy]

USPS is rad for international.

This. Cheaper, safer and just as fast as UPS.

Also, local correspondant is not a dick.

[PanicProne]

It's whatever your government's postal service is. PostNord?

Not much happens before it hits customs. Even that might not be updated the same day.

I've tried tracking via any delivery service there is over here, governmental or not. No luck. That's why I asked goroth, cause he might've the trick figured out. But thanks anyways for the reply!

[MEC]

I've had SOME luck tracking stuff typing the Customs # into the national postal service site of the recipiant's country.

[untilshewokeme]

I need to bump this topic because I've seen some sloppy behavior on some forums and reverb lately and I need to spread the gospel.

1. Ship USPS for pedals: So much faster and more reliable than any other service.
2. Ship Priority mail: Standard Post cost about the same as priority (sometimes $0.25 more, sometimes $0.25 less).
3. Buy Online: Buy postage directly on PayPal (sometimes tricky when gifted) or via USPS.com. YOU SAVE MONEY, $.050 to $3 (or more if the item is large). If you have access to a printer, its all you need.
4. Flat Rate Boxes: Be careful with flat rate boxes, I know they are readily available at the post office but unless you are shipping across country or something heavy, you are paying double for the postage if you are shipping a pedal close by.
5. FREE BOXES: If you are constantly buying and selling pedals and don't seem to have boxes, you can order free priority mail boxes on USPS.com, if your post office doesn't carry them on hand. This is the perfect box for about 90% of pedals https://store.usps.com/store/browse/usp ... d=P_O_BOX4

I love you guys, and I want you to keep as much money from a transaction as possible