Continuing Problems With FedEx Drop-Off
Summary: pf9000 shared frustrations about using a nearby pharmacy for FedEx package drop-offs, encountering unhelpful staff and inconsistency in package acceptance due to vague size and weight restrictions. They expressed issues with customer service when trying to escalate the problem. Others in the discussion suggested using official FedEx locations, USPS, or third-party drop-off points like Dollar General, sharing their own challenges with each method. Several participants mentioned issues with FedEx's handling and customer service as well. The conversation highlighted the struggle of balancing convenience and cost-effectiveness in choosing shipping methods, with some advocating for USPS as a simpler alternative. There were also concerns about the transparency and consistency of FedEx's policies, with varying local experiences influencing participants' preferences.
There is a Pharmacy just down the street, so it’s easier to take it there. First they make you wait for someone to come to the counter. Than the employee has an unpleasant demeanor. What’s in there. Never mind. I don’t want to know. How much does it weigh? It’s too heavy. It’s too big. We don’t have room in the storage area, so we can’t accept it. What is your weight limit? What is your size limit. Why don’t you put a sign in the window indicating that WE ARE NOT ACCEPTING ANYMORE FEDEX PACKAGES TODAY because our storage area is full? But they won’t do that. I had to take the package to the other end of the store, only to take the package back to my car and drop it off at a different location. So I opened a complaint with the Corporate Office of the Pharmacy. They didn’t get back to me. I called on the telephone, gave the case number, and the Customer support told me that you have been told many times by the Store Manager what the package requirements are and you don’t listen. That’s why we didn’t get back to you. Excuse me?
electronicsignman
·2 weeks agoI guess I have a good mailman. And if he does forget, I call the local post office and they send someone out to pick it up.
Bob
kalyoth
·2 weeks agoSounds simple to me, who used 3rd party sites to ship. If the store person does not scan the item using the shippers device, leave with it & go to another location - hopefully a carrier site. If they accept it, give them the email address for confirmation of shipment & be able to check right there that you got the email or that you can track it stating the carrier has acknowledgement of it pending pickup. At that point, its theirs. Should anything happen to it, it's covered by the insurance limitation you placed on the shipment.
I have only had 1 lost package shipped via a 3rd party location - lost on the delivery side & not the pickup side.
kibble-net
·2 weeks agoNever use the third party drop offs.
Go to a dedicated Fedex store with your Fedex packages.
Go to a dedicated UPS store with your UPS packages.
Go to a dedicated USPS location with your USPS packages.
End of story.
fm2000
·2 weeks agoNot end of story. Not all areas have UPS or FedEx stores. We only have third party drop-offs where I live. Fedex just closed their only service location we had within 75 miles (thanks Fedex...) I use third party drop-offs regularly. No disrespect, no drama, they just do their job, and packages get to their owners safe and on time.
The OPs experience is not typical, they are not following procedure and it should not be tolerated.
magicjohnsonsvariety
·2 weeks agoI never will understand this new idea of dropping off mail to private businesses...only to hope that it's picked up sometime by Fed ex...seems like you're asking for nothing but trouble...
Always just seemed to me like a cheap, money pinching way to not open up actual Fed ex locations of their own...
fm2000
·2 weeks ago · EditedIt isn't a strange or new idea. Prior to the 20th century most post offices in rural America were located in private businesses, it made complete sense from both a logistical and economic view. Dedicated post offices or private shipping facilities are very expensive to maintain (the USPS loses a fortune on unprofitable post offices). Unless one is in a heavily urbanized area a dedicated post office or UPS/Fedex location may not make economical sense given the volume of mail/packages. Having a private business handle is mutually beneficial... when the private business is professional and competent.
chapeau-noir
·2 weeks agoYes. Some of my customers on Vinted use VintedGo which is SpeedX which only has pickup in various businesses and no free-standing offices. I've dropped packages off at the local smoke shop, a cell phone store, there's one in a paper-making store, etc. etc. Someone I was talking to said she drops hers off at a Punjabi restaurant and a guy comes out from the back and takes it.
We HAD a convenient contract post office in a local Hallmark store, but they moved.
magicjohnsonsvariety
·2 weeks agoI guess UPS and Fed Ex should have thought of that in their business model/plans when they first started...relying on private businesses who may or may not be open on any given day... and/or may go completely out of business at any time does not at all sound like a good long term strategy for success...
As for USPS...they are funded by the government so profits don't really matter as much...
luckythewinner
·2 weeks agoPatient: "Doctor, my arm hurts when I do this."
Doctor: "Well, stop doing that."
My suggestion would be to stop taking your packages to a drop-off location that has continuing problems, employees with unpleasant demeanors, and doesn't always accept packages, and doesn't want to hear complaints.
electronicsignman
·2 weeks agoI hate Fed EX. I mostly use USPS Ground. I go on line and request a pickup at my door. They pick it up the next day. No charge for pickup. I am not spending money on gas to take it to Fed Ex, etc. Sometimes Fed Ex is cheaper than everyone else if I am shipping to California, etc. I take the package to the local Dollar General. There is no hastle there. They send the tracking to my phone.
Bob
benzexpert
·2 weeks ago · Edited"They pick it up the next day." ha ha ha if they feel like it which for me is about 50% of the time. Now that want me to leave stuff sitting in the driveway because they don't want to walk an extra 5 steps to the front door. Much easier to steal from an area that has no visibility.
So now I'm forced to go to the post office or risk my stuff disappearing.
pf9000
OP2 weeks ago · EditedI received a "Vintage TV Set" shipped by UPS which had a pipe forced through the box imploding the CRT. UPS refused to honor the claim and blamed the shipper for inadequately packaging. Also had problems with USPS damaging the merchandise in shipping. Broken glass and broken motor inside an intact box with the merchandise well padded. Almost as if they opened the box, broke it, and put it back in the box. They disassemble transmissions and leave the gears in the box. Some sort of postal inspection. This was a small transmission used for a conveyor belt drive. My Post Office sometimes forgets to pickup the next day, and sometimes the website says they picked it up while the box is still sitting on my patio. I wish I had a Dollar General in my area.
warrenshobbies
·2 weeks agoI'd never use a drug store when they have a FedEx Office in town.
pf9000
OP2 weeks agoSome of us have to spend too much time in traffic to get to the FedEx Office. Usually 30 minutes to get there, than wait in line 15 minutes and 45 minutes to get back. Walgreens is just 3 blocks away. That's why I prefer to take it there.
warrenshobbies
·2 weeks agoIsn't these locations just over a mile apart?
pf9000
OP2 weeks agoYou have to stop at every red light along the way, and wait a long time. At the Fedex location there are very few full size parking spaces. The other parking spaces are very narrow and impossible to remove a large box sitting next to you in the car. Then you have to wait in line typically 15 minutes. The Pharmacy drop-off is a lot more convenient.
benzexpert
·2 weeks agoI use dollar general and they are great at least here.
It's the mailbox place that's supposedly THE FedEx place that sucks.
Bankers hours (10-4), closed for lunch, and only open 3 hours on Friday 11-2pm. Pfft.
broto_64
·2 weeks agoYeah CVS is (words I can't say) about this stuff, I literally ran into the same thing.
I take most of mine now to Dollar General, a FedEx location also their drop boxes have a pretty sizable slot.
marjot0102
·2 weeks agoThe issues I have had are unique. About 3 yrs ago, I had two FedEx Standard shipments which initiate through FedEx and then get turned over to USPS. So, there are two tracking numbers on the package. I'm sure many of you are familiar with this.
So, USPS told me since it has their tracking number on it, and will go through them eventually, that it is okay to drop off at post office. A couple weeks went by without pkgs being delivered and when I contacted USPS, they said the pkgs were confiscated because of fraudulent label. I print my labels directly from ebay, choosing the carrier I want to use from the Printable Label Service.
Now, this same thing happened again even though I dropped the pkgs off at a FedEx Pickup location - Dollar General. The FedEx tracking part shows it moved and then when it gets to USPS, nothing happens, so I assume they are holding it. I am so frustrated! Just not sure how to remedy this situation. I never did get the other packages back from 3 years ago! If anyone has any feedback or advice, I would appreciate it. I have been selling for nearly 25 years and the only problem I have with shipping is through FedEx.
With the extremely expensive fees we have to pay (and don't get me started on why in the world we pay fees on the actual shipping cost! That is ridiculous and something I have complained about for years!), we as sellers have to use whichever method is cheapest, at least I do. Sometimes its FedEx.
gurlcat
·2 weeks ago · Edited"I am so frustrated!" -Imagine how your buyers feel.
You know who doesn't have 2 tracking numbers and give a bunch of runaround, or require you to drop off at goofy places like dollar stores?
Your United States Postal Service.
No, we sellers don't "have to" use whichever method is cheapest. What good is cheapest if it costs you a full refund for the buyer's item?
pf9000
OP2 weeks agoThe items you are selling are small and light. Some of us are selling larger, heavier items. For example 60 pounds size 27 x 22 x 18 costs approximately $76 with FedEx, $206 with USPS, and $343 with UPS Ground. It would not have sold without using FedEx.
gurlcat
·2 weeks agoDepends what that item is. The more valuable, the less likely those shipping differences will be the deal-breaker, also the more likely the buyer will care a lot about how the item will be handled.
pf9000
OP2 weeks agoShipping cost is a deal breaker. That's why I ship the cheapest way possible, and sometimes reduce the shipping charge a little more, and pay the difference out of pocket in order to sell the item. When I offer Free Shipping, that is paid by the Seller. Otherwise it just sits in a box month after month. It's either that or donate the item to charity or throw it in the trash. Some of the items I took to charity were refused. The person said: We don't want that. Some of the items I sell are considered e waste, so I cannot throw it in the trash. So essentially I am paying someone to take it.
gurlcat
·2 weeks agoI was talking about items that sell for A LOT, like over $500 or even $1000, then the difference between shipping carriers' cost is less of a factor, and the buyer is likely most interested in getting their investment delivered fast and safely (neither of which FedEx has a good track record of).
But yesterday I took a look at what you sell, and I get it. By the way I was hearbroken to see you got only 1 bid on that gorgeous WORKING radio with the 'magic eye.' What is wrong with people?!!
benzexpert
·2 weeks agoHa ha I had a listing which I didn't even realize was set to FedEx economy, which at the time I was pissed at USPS and was going to switch to all FedEx and UPS. Imagine my surprise when it was delivered by USPS. No point in using this particular Fed Ex service. And yeah, you cannot drop at PO anymore. I was going to quit using Priority mail but then the prices on
FedEx OneRate went up and they started scanning dimensions with a laser or something and bumping all my packages up to the next tier. Oh well.
gurlcat
·2 weeks ago · EditedI couldn't guess how many posts I've seen where FedEx outright LIED about larger dimensions that the sellers had stated accurately when they purchased the label, and the (fake) difference made a HUGE increase in charges, which eBay withdrew, and there was basically no recourse for those ripped-off sellers.
Meanwhile I have never seen that reported about USPS.
benzexpert
·2 weeks ago · EditedNope. 14x6x6 box, yes that's interior dimensions but USPS nor UPS doesn't nitpick on the size. Fed Ex adds an inch to each side for being a few millimeters more and the price goes up a lot! I try to tape them as tightly as possible so as to not add any extra millimeters. Not sure if that helps. And if you have an account they don't even notify you. You have to go online, click through about 20 different screens to get billing and your invoices, and there is where you will find that they made the change without so much as an email. Box mfg. need to add the exterior dimensions or shrink them just a wee bit to meet the size. Pirate ship has the ability to print UPS and you can paste the whole address at once which is nice. But still I have to go to the site, because many times it's much cheaper to use my account.
lakefor94
·2 weeks agoSounds like a potential FedEx surcharge coming to a seller near you. Probably just a matter of time before a FedEx shipment like that bites you.
I hope you are making good money on these sales because high shipping costs come with inherent risk if the buyer files a INAD.
pf9000
OP2 weeks agoWhen shipping is very high and the customer initiates a return, that's a lot of money to pay for return shipping. On some occasions I just let the customer keep the item for free. and issued a full refund. It felt very dishonest. Seemed like the customer intended to do this when the purchase was made.
lakefor94
·2 weeks agoYou understand those INAD scenarios well.
I just hope you don't run across the infamous FedEx surcharge that hurts, real bad.
pf9000
OP2 weeks agoOh, I was burned a few times by FedEx. The package bulged a little so I added an inch to the measurement. Apparently that wasn't good enough. They went ahead and charged extra. On another occasion they said it weighed more and the price jumped dramatically. They have thresholds where the price goes to a higher level. OK, so I had a discussion with FedEx about that. They said that due to heat and humidity packages can increase in weight. The cardboard absorbs moisture from the air.
pf9000
OP2 weeks agoI would ask to speak to the Post Office Manager. When I do that, I will ask for a direct email address to the Manager so that I can contact him/her directly. So I have a Business Card from the Post Office Manager as well as a direct email address and exercise persistence in getting the matter resolved.
benzexpert
·2 weeks ago · EditedRemove please
benzexpert
·2 weeks ago · EditedRemove
deltilogical
·3 weeks agoDo you have their "we have told you over and over and you don't listen" reply from them by email? That would be a blue ribbon exhibit at the State Fair in Worst Customer Service.
albertabrightalberta
·3 weeks agoI never use Fedex for shipping but the few times I've had returns that went by Fedex, I took them to Staples and have never had a problem. They're pleasant (Staples) employees, smile, accept the item, hand me an acceptance receipt and tell me what time Fedex will pick it up.
simba6
·3 weeks agoMany businesses have found that making money is dang hard work. Fedex seems to only want business from large shippers.
gurlcat
·3 weeks agoQuit going in there wearing your Osama Bin Laden t-shirt and marijuana leaf necklace.
bashort
·3 weeks ago · Editedin my small town the only drop off is a really busy fairly new dollar general that looks to me to of been designed by a first time store designer who has never been inside a grocery store, they have 3 checkout lanes but the store design does not let you pass the first one to get to a open one if there is someone there with a cart, just not dealing with that with heavy packages, I use USPS or UPS.
One of the problems is Fedex will not let say the local hardware store be a drop off point which is my preferred UPS drop off , we also have a auto parts that is a UPS drop off
gurlcat
·3 weeks agoSounds like your Dollar General was designed by the same people as the one near me. I don't see how the Fire Marshall gives it a pass.
duffy4444
·3 weeks ago · EditedOMG! -- I read all the weeping and gnashing of teeth from the posts so far, and all I can say is :
Switch to USPS. I've had next to no hassles with them over the years, believe it or not.
Cheers, Duffy
gurlcat
·3 weeks agoDid you see the one saying they pay $45 a week for daily pickup? I get that for FREE with USPS!
marjot0102
·2 weeks agoI use whichever shipping method is cheapest - sometimes that is FedEx. As sellers, with all the fees incurred, we have to ship the cheapest.
jonathanbrightlight
·2 weeks agoNo, you have to ship the way that best meets your needs, including actually getting items delivered and not ending up with defects on your account that would limit or block your ability to keep selling. Chasing the absolute cheapest option can easily mess you up badly.
gurlcat
·2 weeks agoAs long as you make that decision BEFORE you post the listing, so anyone who wants to avoid FedEx can avoid buying that item from you. If you pull a switcheroo after the buyer pays, you'd be violating eBay policy, they could report you, and give you negative feedback.
squinkercat59
·Aug 17, 2026 at 2:34 PMI understand completely. My husband has had to return something via FedEx a couple of times, and the one place in our very small town that does FedEx is hardly ever open. The owner of the shop just takes off and keeps the hours he wants. One time, the place next door said he was minding a booth at the Farmer's Market. So we had to go to the next town over. Very inconvenient. I could go on and on about my dissatisfaction with FedEx, but will leave it here.
dhbookds
·Aug 17, 2026 at 11:32 AMHave you complained to Fedex? Not the store, but the national site?
pf9000
OPAug 17, 2026 at 2:11 PMIts not easy to complain to FedEx. The issue with size and weight seems arbitrary. Why don't they just put up a sign indicating their policy? Every time I go to the local Drop-Off Site at Walgreens, the size limit is different. On one Occasion, a box size 30 x 24 x 20 inches was perfectly fine, and then on another occasion, they refused to accept 28 x 20 x 20 which is a smaller box.
dhbookds
·Aug 17, 2026 at 2:38 PMdid you talk to the manager?
pf9000
OP3 weeks agoThe Manager is the problem. He is the one who keeps making up an arbitrary policy. I asked, why don't you put up a sign indicating the size and weight limit? He just scoffed at me, making some sort of shushing response. At least put a sign at the entrance so I don’t have to carry the box all the way to the end of the store and not have the package accepted. So I repeated this scenario to Walgreens Customer Support and she said, the Manager has already explained the policy to you many times, and you just don’t listen. That’s why we didn’t get back to you.
dhbookds
·3 weeks agoWell, if neither are meeting your needs and corporate Fedex won't intervene.......only option (to me) is not to use them. Personally, I'd drop a snail mail to the CEO....but I like writing letters......usually get some kind of action.......
marjot0102
·2 weeks agoHard to get past the automated messages to talk to anyone.
tobaccocardyahoo
·Aug 17, 2026 at 11:30 AMJust another example of how using the cheapest alternative gets you what you pay for.
Nothing associated with FEDEX Ground is customer service oriented.
Many of us will not buy from companies who ship via FEDEX Ground, let alone use them to ship.
arraus
·Aug 17, 2026 at 2:25 AM · Edited@pf9000
Do you have a local Walgreens that is convenient? I drop at the photo counter. They scan them.
If not, visit the FedEx website >> Locations >> Drop off a package and search for other drop off locations near you. If I remember correctly, their system is a little bit of a pain to filter out small box drops, but eventually I was able to find the right options.
FedEx Drop Off Location Search: https://local.fedex.com/en-us
Getting a hold of someone at FedEx has been a multi-hour experience for me. No decent CS anymore.
Good luck!
pf9000
OPAug 17, 2026 at 2:43 AMYou are fortunate to have a local Walgreens that is happy to accept your packages. My local Walgreens doesn’t want to accept any packages, and they harass the customer by making up arbitrary size and weight requirements. And if that doesn’t work, they say that there is no room for your package in the storage area. I go there because it’s only 3 blocks away, instead of driving several miles farther away with those annoying Stop Lights along the way which always turn red when my car approaches. Walgreens did accepted a package 30 x 24 x 20 inches on one occasion and afterwards refused to accept 28 x 20 x 20. So the smaller package was too big, but the larger package was just fine.
arraus
·Aug 17, 2026 at 11:22 AM · Edited@pf9000
Try again... contact store, or Walgreen's corp, management if you need to. They have a contract with FedEx.
Walgreens accepts FedEx packages with a maximum size limit of 48” x 25” x 25” and a maximum weight of 55 lbs.
Are you bringing in more than 5 large packages at once? They can refuse for storage limits, but that is usually rare.
Once I started shipping more than 5 packages a day, I started getting FedEx Daily Weekday Pickup. But, it's pricy. I pay about $45 A WEEK for that. I feel violated but it's a time saver.
The issues stink. IMO the carriers just keep getting worse and worse. When USPS lowers its standards & increases their prices, FedEx and UPS follow.
I wish eBay would negotiate pickup service options in it's deal with FedEx.
stuff4divas
·Aug 17, 2026 at 2:20 AM@pf9000 ah, ok, what is your question for us?
pf9000
OPAug 17, 2026 at 2:50 AMDon't you think they should put a sign in the window indicating their size and weight requirements and whether the Storage Area is full right now and we are no longer accepting anymore packages today, please come back tomorrow. Instead of taking the package out of the car, taking it to the other end of the store. Waiting for someone to show up at the counter and than refuse to accept your package? I would have known not to bring the package into the store had there been a sign in the window at the entrance.
ten_o_nine
·Aug 17, 2026 at 3:05 AMMaybe they should, that's a FedEx issue not an eBay one.
arraus
·Aug 17, 2026 at 11:26 AM@pf9000 Great idea to have a "FedEx Daily Limit Reached" sign or something... so people aren't dragging in packages needlessly.
Save their phone number if you can call ahead to confirm. That might do it (or not).
gurlcat
·3 weeks ago · EditedSomething tells me they'd say "yeah we're at capacity" every time if you called ahead. Kind of like how the McDonald's ice cream machine is ALWAYS "down" if you order at the drive-through, but only half the time if you order at the counter, where you can see the machine.
shado-x
·Aug 17, 2026 at 2:17 AMGo to an actual FedEx Office or FedEx Ship Center (an actual FedEx distribution center) and get a receipt directly from FedEx so that the insurance responsibility kicks in. Much like you go directly to the US Postal Service. Why go to a Pharmacy, they are not FedEx.
arraus
·Aug 17, 2026 at 2:24 AMNo, it's not quite that simple for FedEx. FedEx doesn't have offices to drop off at like USPS does. There are other alternatives though.
warrenshobbies
·Aug 17, 2026 at 11:25 AM · EditedThere are FedEx Office stores everywhere, including the seller's town.
arraus
·Aug 17, 2026 at 11:41 AM · Edited@warrenshobbies
I ship FedEx daily in a populated area, and finding a decent drop-off is still a pain. My town looks like there are "FedEx Office stores everywhere" but most are not viable.
Drop boxes are too small for large boxes. Office Depot means waiting 30+ minutes in line behind people doing Amazon returns. Another FedEx ShipCenter is out of the way. Office buildings don't scan. Walgreens is usually the best option. So, when they refuse packages after you drag them in, it's a huge frustration and time waste.
Extremely populated areas may require 30 minutes just to drive .5 miles.
I literally pay $45 a week for daily FedEx pickup just to avoid the hassle of drop-offs. It's not as simple as "there's an office everywhere".
Glad you're able to easily drop off large FedEx packages on a weekly basis in your area but that's not true for most. I'm trying to assist this seller with a seller issue many of us have.
warrenshobbies
·2 weeks ago · EditedFedEx Office. 5 minutes.
shire123
·Aug 17, 2026 at 11:37 AMMy closest FedEx Center is over 45 miles aways. Way too far for regular drop offs.