USPS shipping

[labb]

Any of you had anything shipped thru the Post Office lately? They have major issues. Had some items shipped to me a few days ago and was given a tracking number. It hasn’t been updated in three days. Give Fedx or Ups a try if you are in a hurry until USPS catches up

[shooter]

 
they're busy tracking social media posts

[BrianS]

I am in Minnesota & operate a busy repair shop.  I get packages nearly every day; certainly every week.  Year in, year out, USPS and UPS are by far the most consistent.  Fed-Ex is the worst as far as tracking info and being correct on delivery dates.  I've have the same UPS and USPS delivery drivers for YEARS at a time.  Never know who's next with Fed-Ex.

I just ordered some personal fly fishing stuff directly from New Zealand.  Tracking numbers from New Zealand post were updated consistently and items were delivered on time by USPS.
Maybe I'm just lucky...

[dogburn]

I've ordered and received a lot of stuff through USPS in the past several months, usually with no problem at all. I think there was one that got sucked into some sort of hole for a while, but finally managed to get out and get here a lot later than expected.

The other side of it is that people can create a tracking number in preparation for shipping, but if they sit on it for days before actually mailing it, then you don't see any updates because the post office doesn't even have it yet.

[labb]

My shipment is coming from tubedepot out of Memphis. They have a put a notice on their home page re: the issues that USPS is having. Essentially says that Fedx and UPS have dropped customers and those customers have over loaded postal service. Who knows. I only can speak to my problem.

[dogburn]

I got three recent shipments of items purchased on ebay, and they've all been delivered within 3 days. Two from NY state and one from California, destination Charlotte. So I can't say what's up in Memphis. I can say when I've ordered things from Amplified Parts, it's always taken a long time for things to arrive - usually that's been with free shipping, so maybe Amplified Parts doesn't put a big priority on shipping out things with free shipping, and certainly choose the cheapest option. It's always slow with them, while other things shipped via the Post Office arrive promptly. Not sure what the Tube Depot does in terms of shipping.

[mresistor]

The reason UPS and FX would have a customer drop is due mainly to pricing. I get stuff from Tube Depot via USPS very quick. BTW Memphis is the hdqts and hub for FX.  If you have a problem with FX ground it might be due to the contractor that owns the route. If you ship FX express it will be the fastest method of all of them. I am one state away from AES and I get stuff in around 4 - 5 days from them via USPS.  It is probably slower if you're on the east coast. If you order on the weekend with AES you should know that they take orders in que and it's first in first out and they are a busy business. AES = Tubesandmore. I cannot order high dollar items with USPS though as I get mail in a cluster box and if the pkg is misdelivered the dang people that receive it never get it back to me. So I do business with FX UPS frequently. YMMV. UPS is all union and their prices are sure to go up due to the settlement they just made with the Teamsters. IMO they are kind of slow as they stop in a lot of towns on the way to you. If you want to ship stuff and get it there quick with USPS ship it on a Saturday.

[RoadShow]

Maybe living outside of Nashville is the place to be.

My last 2 orders from AES / Tubesandmore were free shipping and got here in 2 days!! Over the mountains and all.  Last one ordered this Monday and it got here Wednesday via USPS.

Even FedEx and UPS aren't too bad.

Now Amazon, ridiculous.  "Order in 8 hours get it tomorrow", and it circles around getting in 5 days.

[PRR]

Amazon has NEVER promised/offered me 8-hour shipping.

Amazon is a special case because their tail wags the shipping world.

Out here in the end of the USA, I often get Amazon FREE via UPS in 48 hours *after* Amazon leaks it to UPS. Last time it was 2 days in an Amazon warehouse because 'free', then 2-day weekend, but then BAM 666 miles in 48 hours.

I have not found any to be reliably worst than the others, all through plague and labor shortage. Mild burble when it looked the Teamsters might walk and shippers were fooling with the other guys, but I think the framework is set and strike is unlikely. (If UPS does fall-back on its Managers, just don't buy anything from away.)

As said, a LOT of delay happens at the shipper/store. A lot of vendors will supply false tracking, or pre-print a tracking tag and then never drop the box off at the depot. Amazon routinely lies about this. (It is 'picked up' when it is put by the warehouse door to wait for a truck.)

All, but especially USPS, only update tracking when convenient. My yesterday order was packed in Kansas City (why???) and I don't expect it to scan again until Albany or Boston when that truck is broken-out to local sorting.

At the peak of the pan-panic there were shipping centers, especially USPS, that were just "stuck" for weeks. That seems to be sorted.

[RoadShow]

Amazon has NEVER promised/offered me 8-hour shipping.

Amazon is a special case because their tail wags the shipping world.

For Example:

[plexi50]

Amazon say's it is arriving earlier than expected. August 31th Thursday. Will it really? 2 different tracking numbers. Made by Cooper Tires.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07LC6KNQN?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

[acheld]

I do not take TubeDepot statement at its face.   They have had a similar banner on their site ever since the pandemic started years ago, and it never went away -- even when shipping problems were largely sorted.

And why would anyone go to the trouble of creating an entire web page blasting the USPS?   I mean, really?

So, I think there is another agenda there.  What it might be I don't know.

Here in semi-rural Maryland, we get great service from USPS, Fedex and UPS.   Each has had its issues now and again, but that has been true for many years.   I consider myself lucky.

I don't use TubeDepot much (not sure why or why not . . ).  AES gets it stuff to me in three days consistently.

The best, however, is Doug -- amazing how fast he manufactures my complicated boards and gets them to me. And he uses USPS Priority exclusively.

I suspect your own location/situation really matters for shipping.

[plexi50]

I do not take TubeDepot statement at its face.   They have had a similar banner on their site ever since the pandemic started years ago, and it never went away -- even when shipping problems were largely sorted.

And why would anyone go to the trouble of creating an entire web page blasting the USPS?   I mean, really?

So, I think there is another agenda there.  What it might be I don't know.

Here in semi-rural Maryland, we get great service from USPS, Fedex and UPS.   Each has had its issues now and again, but that has been true for many years.   I consider myself lucky.

I don't use TubeDepot much (not sure why or why not . . ).  AES gets it stuff to me in three days consistently.

The best, however, is Doug -- amazing how fast he manufactures my complicated boards and gets them to me. And he uses USPS Priority exclusively.

I suspect your own location/situation really matters for shipping.

Here in Largo,Fla everything USPS hit's Jacksonville first. Then to Orlando and on to Tampa. If your lucky it leaves Orlando fast and gets to Ybor City (Tampa). But there are times when a package leaves Tampa an winds up in Opalocka Miami. Then it goes back to (Tampa) and then to the Largo Post Office. I just got dizzy typing this out!
Fedex is always late in the day or evening. Same with UPS. Amazon who knows. The tracking delivery day can change.