"Shipping partner"......what is this exactly?
Hello - I'm not sure how long this has been going on, but around the beginning of this year, I noticed on many of my purchases, the seller has gone through a "shipping partner" in sending the item. Almost always, it also states that "USPS awaits item". While tracking is normally provided, sometimes I wonder why something sits in a single place for so long (on one occasion, a 3-week waiting period) . My experience in receiving purchases sent via "shipping partners" has varied from normal wait times, to very long wait times.
So as I'm totally unfamiliar with this, I thought I'd come here to ask - what exactly are these "shipping partners" and how do they operate?
Thanks
2 comments
mudshark61369
·1 year ago@poilu1940,
"Almost always, it also states that "USPS awaits item". While tracking is normally provided, sometimes I wonder why something sits in a single place for so long (on one occasion, a 3-week waiting period)".
That is often an indication of a China based seller whose item is sent using one of several international "shipping partners" of the USPS. The final delivery USPS tracking is automatically entered but does not update, until the package reaches the U.S. passes through customs and is turned over to the USPS.
You can tell some of those sellers are china based by longer estimated delivery time frames.
fbusoni
·1 year ago@poilu1940
In my experience, shipping partner generally refers to UPS or FedEx "smart post."
The item costs less to ship, at times, and is eventually handed off to USPS once it arrives in your zip code -- for the simple reason that UPS or FedEx do not deliver to your area.