Are Online sales venues offering Guaranteed delivery driving UP shipping costs?

[mr_lincoln]

This past Saturday was Verterans Day and Banks and Post Offices were of course closed ... I was outside raking leaves when a USPS Mail truck came rolling by, RATHER SLOWLY ... not our regular carrier vehicle but one of those small trucks.  Anyway, I started to think that maybe they had some Guaranteed Delivery packages from one of several online sales venues.  Then my next thought was Holiday pay is usually Double Time and driving slowly would certainly help the carrier rack up a few more dollars on the old paycheck ...

Then I got to thinking that if all those online sales venues are offering Guaranteed Delivery AND if Saturday, Sunday and Holiday deliveries are to be more commonplace  AND if carreirs get paid double their hourly rate won't that simply drive shipping costs up?  Its only going to increase between now and Christmas ...  

[ittybitnot]

Then I got to thinking that if all those online sales venues are offering Guaranteed Delivery ...

The guaranteed delivery offered on eBay has nothing much to do with USPS working extra hours.   It is something eBay made up.  It is the seller that is offering that regardless of US Post Office behavior.  Post Office delivery is the same old same old regardless of what ebay claims. 

[mr_lincoln]

@ittybitnot  So then what's USPS doing out delivering on a double time paid holiday? 

[chipper01work]

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@mr_lincoln wrote:

@ittybitnot  So then what's USPS doing out delivering on a double time paid holiday? 

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They just started delivery on Sunday in my town with really nice usps vans. They are delivering amazon packages.

[mr_lincoln]

@chipper01work

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@chipper01work wrote:

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@mr_lincoln wrote:

@ittybitnot  So then what's USPS doing out delivering on a double time paid holiday? 

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They just started delivery on Sunday in my town with really nice usps vans. They are delivering amazon packages.

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Yes, and maybe other online sales venue packages too ... bottomline is those are not cheap delivery hours so I suspect shipping costs are being adversely affected ...

[z50com]

The USPS has an agreement with Amazon to deliver packages on Sundays & Holidays.

[nawlinsron2]

Express Mail gets delivered on holidays, too

[nc-daydreamer]

I suspect you may have a valid point.

[nhfd4976]

USPS has a next day option to ship anything you want for the next day.   It is very very expensive.  Any one can use that service.  They are trying to compete with UPS and FEDEX Next day delivery.

[nhfd4976]

Here is the USPS verbage

Priority Mail Express | USPS

Priority Mail Express

Overnight Delivery Guarantee1

Our fastest domestic service, with limited exceptions, available 365 days a year, with a money-back guarantee1 and delivery shipping to most U.S. addresses, including PO Boxes™2. Beginning at $23.75 at Post Office™ locations and online.

Priority Mail Express | USPS

Features

• Free Package Pickup4 service at your home or office
• Price includes proof of delivery signature record (if requested at time of purchase), and tracking information with USPS Tracking®
• Includes up to $100 of insurance5 with most shipments6
• Overnight scheduled delivery by 10:30 am, or on a Sunday or holiday available in many major markets for an additional fee

[mr_lincoln]

@z50com

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@z50com wrote:

The USPS has an agreement with Amazon to deliver packages on Sundays & Holidays.

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I believe that but you can bet USPS is spreading any additional cost around to ALL users ... that's the price of a postage stamp right up through Parecel Select for eBay ... point being, we're all paying for whatever agreement or service they are providing at higher Sunday & Holiday hourly delivery rates.

[mr_lincoln]

@nc-daydreamer

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@nc-daydreamer wrote:

I suspect you may have a valid point.

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Yes, without a doubt ... its NOT just one company and customer base that is paying for a special delivery set up with USPS ... its every user, stamp customer, etc. that is sharing the increased financial load. 

[nawlinsron2]

I for one am content that USPS doesn't collect a 10% postal surcharge on delivery.
Other entities might take note.

[dtexley3]

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@mr_lincoln wrote:

@z50com

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@z50com wrote:

The USPS has an agreement with Amazon to deliver packages on Sundays & Holidays.

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I believe that but you can bet USPS is spreading any additional cost around to ALL users ... that's the price of a postage stamp right up through Parecel Select for eBay ... point being, we're all paying for whatever agreement or service they are providing at higher Sunday & Holiday hourly delivery rates.

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You can be sure it costs more than the upcharge for Sunday or holiday delivery and that's spread around.  However, it's far more expensive to the US consumer to have Asian sellers ship a 13oz package for ~$0.75 when we have to pay ~$4 for the same package.  With the volume of international internet sales, that will have far more impact on postal costs than 1 Day delivery.

[luckythewinner]

Are Online sales venues offering Guaranteed delivery driving UP shipping costs?

No.

If delivery costs are rising because the price of weekend and holiday delivery is not covering the costs, then the problem rests with the fact that the delivery services are offering a product that loses money, not the fact that people use that service.

That side ... 

A recent study by CItigroup showed that the USPS rates for ALL packages - regardless of when they are delivered - are not covering their share of USPS costs.

So if you are going to blame weekend and holiday delivery, you have to blame delivery on every other day as well.