USPS Priority- Why do businesses not use ?

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I wish I could show you the USPS "tracking" that shows packages as "processing" when its sitting in my living room.
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Yup-I've experienced the same thing.

I do use USPS where possible-got some of their free shipping boxes in the closet, most of which were delivered to my door free by USPS.

A couple of things I've noticed:
1. USPS tracking generally sux, but curiously, if stuff is shipped USPS from Amazon, you can go to Amazon's site and get good tracking info from Amazon's site. Use the same tracking number at USPS site, and it always seems to be way behind, and I've often received my package while it looks like it's still states away. I don't know how Amazon can provide good tracking info while USPS cannot (Amazon has to be going through some USPS tracking site?).
2. Some vendors have sent stuff to me USPS, but charged UPS rates - I guess they're making a few bucks on shipping?

UPS is OK as long as everything works, but if there's a hiccup in the system, it often devolves to a Chinese Fire Drill (apologies to the Chinese). :banghead:
 
USPS (especially priorty mail) is excellent when it comes to shipping time. Its as fast, if not faster than UPS and FedEx IMO.....and this is to Hawaii, guys. I use it when the option is available. I think vendors don't like USPS because USPS is not as vendor friendly as the other carriers in terms of coordinating pick up, tracking, claims processing, etc. That being the case, the vendors more often then not, take the hit when a package doesnt arrive or is damaged in transit.
 
Odd the differing answers. I have to side with USPS working okay for me, but I also agree that the on-line tracking is just barely above useless. Oh, it tells you where it WAS just fine, and seems to run about a day behind. As was said above, I've received stuff and the tracking info still showed it as being many states away...
 
basicblur, I'll bet they used that Mail Innovations garbage, UPS picks it up and delivers it to a large post office convenient to them.
 
basicblur, I'll bet they used that Mail Innovations garbage, UPS picks it up and delivers it to a large post office convenient to them.
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Mebbe so - that would explain some of the more detailed tracking info on Amazon vs. UPS - even though it's shipped USPS, mebbe it's actually in UPS hands and Amazon is getting tracking info from them.

The last day or so still has me bumfuggled - it would seem the last few days if it's back in the USPS system (from UPS), how is Amazon still accurately tracking it?
Since it's back in USPS hands, I'd think UPS would then be outta the loop, but Amazon seems to be getting updated tracking info for those last few days from somewhere?

Mebbe Amazon is utilizing USPS tracking info better / faster than the USPS site?
 
Blarby, 6/8/12

I am forced to use USPS at my remote US location because Fedex and UPS consider us International. USPS has lost two big dollar items this year alone, one being a SW 329 Night Guard revolver valued at more that $850 and a $170 Accurate Mold for casting lead bullets. Both were insured and had tracking numbers. The pistol just disappeared off their tracking record after leaving by plane from Hawaii. I inquired multiple times at the USPS and showed them the tracking info. Their reply- "we have no idea where it is so you should just wait, it will probably show up." I tried talking to the USPS manager who would not answer her phone and when I showed up in person to talk to her she could not be found. This went on for over two weeks after it disappeared and finally I had to contact the gun seller in Ohio who had his USPS office put out a tracer since our local USPS office was not interested in finding it. It conveniently was found the day after the tracer was done from 8,000 miles away.

The lost Accurate mold was finally returned to the sender two months later with the shipping label ripped off.

It's no wonder the USPS is broke. I would ship any other method than USPS if given the opportunity.

best wishes- oldandslow
 
Read "The Truth About the U.S. Postal Service"

oldandslow said:
It's no wonder the USPS is broke.
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The USPS is not broke at all. It actually has a huge operational profit. It's just that the profits are being diverted to pay for future retirement costs by 2016. Meanwhile Postal facilities are closing, workers have been laid off and are still being downsized at the expense of better working conditions and delivery services. I know that the letter carriers in my city have been complaining for a number of years now about how their work conditions have deteriorated. Due to the downsizing of the workforce, the workload of individual letter carriers has increased tremendously.

...The Postal Service is NOT broke. Indeed, in those four years of loudly deplored "losses," the service actually produced a $700 million operational profit (despite the worst economy since the Great Depression).

What's going on here? Right-wing sabotage of USPS financing, that's what.

In 2006, the Bush White House and Congress whacked the post office with the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act — an incredible piece of ugliness requiring the agency to PRE-PAY the health care benefits not only of current employees, but also of all employees who'll retire during the next 75 years. Yes, that includes employees who're not yet born!

No other agency and no corporation has to do this. Worse, this ridiculous law demands that USPS fully fund this seven-decade burden by 2016. Imagine the shrieks of outrage if Congress tried to slap FedEx or other private firms with such an onerous requirement.

This politically motivated mandate is costing the Postal Service $5.5 billion a year — money taken right out of postage revenue that could be going to services. That's the real source of the "financial crisis" squeezing America's post offices.

In addition, due to a 40-year-old accounting error, the federal Office of Personnel Management has overcharged the post office by as much as $80 billion for payments into the Civil Service Retirement System. This means that USPS has had billions of its sales dollars erroneously diverted into the treasury. Restore the agency's access to its own postage money, and the impending "collapse" goes away....

http://www.creators.com/opinion/jim-hightower/the-truth-about-the-u-s-postal-service.html
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If anyone thinks that this article is in error, then check out the Google search results for more sources to read about it:

https://www.google.com/search?client=opera&rls=en&q=usps+broke&sourceid=opera&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&channel=suggest#sclient=psy-ab&hl=en&client=opera&hs=B6Z&rls=en&channel=suggest&q=usps+is+not+broke&oq=usps+is+not+broke&aq=f&aqi=g-m1&aql=&gs_l=serp.12..0i5.38688.40113.0.42357.7.7.0.0.0.0.127.790.0j7.7.0...0.0.OF3HUadImIc&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&fp=32a59002efbb6aba&biw=800&bih=467
 
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I routinely get priority mail, and the "3 days" is at best a guess or maybe an average. Living in South Dakota....it OFTEN takes 4-5 days, and the the tracking system is a joke.
 
Your delayed UPS order is an anomaly. I hate USPS shipping. It took three formal complaints from me to get packages delivered to my house. There were five medium flat rate boxes that weighed 65 pounds each. They were refusing to deliver because they said they were to heavy. This is completely unacceptable. My packages were delayed over a week because of this.

I routinely ship car parts worldwide through UPS. The tracking numbers are valid instantly. They deliver the packages on time. If there is an insurance claim it's handled and not ignored like with the USPS. It's worth paying a little more for A LOT better service.


Brought to you by TapaTalk.
 
So, then, they have it, and it works.
Issue?
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Commercial rates can be lower then USPS, and I prefer ONE shipper.

I get ONE bill to process each month.

USPS has done nothing but play catch up, why should I be bothered?
 
Wildbillz said:
Yes FedEx give a discount to account holders. When I signed up it was about 10%.
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Oh my, a "negotiated" rate with UPS/FedEX can have a MUCH higher discount than that, if you have enough volume.

Back when I was running a distribution center, we used FedEx, UPS, RPS (now FedEx ground), FedEx Air, and Priority Mail. We had negotiated rates with everyone ... except USPS (they didn't negotiate then ... don't know about now).

We did tractor trailer loads of UPS/FedEx/RPS every single day ... and maybe 1 pallet of USPS Priority.

My shipping system would automatically pick the low cost carrier for the type of service required.

And yes, FedEx is a contract carrier for USPS now.
 
brickeyee said:
Commercial rates can be lower then USPS, and I prefer ONE shipper.

I get ONE bill to process each month.

USPS has done nothing but play catch up, why should I be bothered?
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ONE shipper is fine ... until that shipper goes on strike, or has some other sort of "issue".

When they do, you -will not- be able to get the other shippers to accept your packages, they will service their existing customers and won't have the capacity to handle everybody else.

Do yourself a favor and "hedge your bets" by using multiple shippers so you won't get "locked out" when things go South.
 
For those who complained about FedEx SmartPost and UPS Mail Innovations, both of which use the Postal Service for final delivery, I've received some "insider" information as to the problems with at least the FedEx version.

The package is picked up from the shipper by FedEx, but delivered to a FedEx distribution facility nearest to the Postal Service sorting facility for your deliver route.

Problem #1: FedEx and the USPS don't use the same delivery and sorting scheme, so the postal facility that seems logical to FedEx will often be completely wrong by postal standards. The postal facility will send a mis-routed package back to FedEx, who will send it right back to the postal service, who will send it right back to FedEx. Occasionally a miracle happens and a FedEx or postal worker who's tired of lugging the same package will bypass the broken system and make sure the damn thing gets delivered somehow.

Problem #2: Innacurate tracking caused by FedEx. FedEx marks all packages destined for a postal facility as being delivered to them, even though they've just been set aside in a designated area waiting to be transported to a postal facility.

Problem #4: FedEx does not deliver your package to the postal facility themselves, and the postal workers won't pick up packages from FedEx, either. The packages are transferred from FedEx to the USPS by a 3rd party contractor, paid at piece rate, and who provides his own vehicle (U-Haul, maybe?) for the job. It is in the 3rd party's best interest to wait until there is a mountain of packages waiting at FedEx to go to the post office so he can get paid lump sum, and cover his gas, rental, etc costs.

Problem #5: While your package is in some back room at FedEx waiting for "some guy with a van" to pick it up, it has already been marked as delivered to the Post Office. The Post Office has no clue where your package is, though, since they only have a vague notice to eventually expect a package with a certain tracking number. The tracking number isn't going to generate any data on the postal side until the package is delivered to them and has its arrival scan performed. Your package doesn't exist while its in FedEx's back room or "some guy with a van's" possession, so he's free to swipe anything he wants, since neither delivery service will admit to having your stuff in their possession anyway.

The worst of all worlds, indeed.
 
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USPS is weird. I've seen USPS "tracking" updates similar to post #13, and other times, I've gotten the USPS package, not realized it (left it at different door - between the screen door and interior door), logged on, and not seen any update for the last 4 days, then found the package later that evening.

Sometimes it's like you get tracking, but only really get delivery confirmation. Other times, it's the whole shebang, but either way they call it tracking.

-S
 
spoogie said:
Sometimes it's like you get tracking, but only really get delivery confirmation. Other times, it's the whole shebang, but either way they call it tracking.

-S
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actually, the USPS does NOT offer tracking, just delivery confirmation, thats what they offer, thats what they sell, unless you use Express mail.

It all depends on the post offices it passes through whether or not it gets updated with "tracking info"
 
Truthfully nothing beats DHL, shame they don't do the domestic market. Great customer support and speed.
 
Look at the detail in USPS tracking in post #13. People complaining about USPS tracking are like little kids on Christmas Eve wanting updates every 5 minutes on where Santa is.
The package was picked up, it arrived at your post office, it's out for delivery, what more do people need? The example has a lot more.
As to reliability, I've sent hundreds of forum sales through USPS the past few years and have lost 1 package going to an APO that the buyer had to eat because he didn't pay the optional insurance.
Also, small 1st Class packages the past couple of years have typically moved at Priority speed.
USPS is the best deal going.
 
Any time I order something I look at all shipping options. When it comes to USPS I do like the priority mail. Used to use it quite a bit when I had a cast bullet business. Rarely had deliveries take more then 3 days anywhere in ConUS.
 
actually, the USPS does NOT offer tracking, just delivery confirmation, that's what they offer, that's what they sell, unless you use Express mail.
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I believe this thread was about Priority.

If you really want to see how it works with a package I just sent USPS Priority 1 1/2 days ago, log on to usps.com. Type in tracking number 0311 3260 0002 4491 1586. It's only going about 90 miles. Five updates in a 24 hours. Shows exactly where it is. Took me less than two minutes total.

Lots of tracking info.

USPS boxes look perfect. UPS and FedEx deliveries look like they ran over them with the truck before delivery.
 
TJx said:
Look at the detail in USPS tracking in post #13. People complaining about USPS tracking are like little kids on Christmas Eve wanting updates every 5 minutes on where Santa is.
The package was picked up, it arrived at your post office, it's out for delivery, what more do people need? The example has a lot more.
As to reliability, I've sent hundreds of forum sales through USPS the past few years and have lost 1 package going to an APO that the buyer had to eat because he didn't pay the optional insurance.
Also, small 1st Class packages the past couple of years have typically moved at Priority speed.
USPS is the best deal going.
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I believe you're totally right. I usually look once a day to see where my package is but I have friends that are as you describe.
 
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