Do i really need to add the 5.00 charge from fedex for signature delivery confirmation ???

[onlythebest4_u]

Hello all, of course like most of you since the start of USPS rip you off DIM shipping started in june I have been using fedex much more frequently. Ebay always recommends my to pay an extra 5.00 for signature on delivery. Why do I need this?? I recently shipped an item that was 119.00 dollars plus shipping using Fedex. I researched the buyer and found him to be a frequent buyer and also I googled him and decided that he was someone that I could trust. I shipped the item Fedex  and did NOT request signature confirmation at delivery thus saving me 5.00. The item was delivered and I received a positive feedback from the buyer ( wow That doesn't happen like it used to). When I looked at the tracking it showed the item was delivered just like it does with USPS. So the question is if delivery confirmation with USPS is good enough for ebay to say the item was delivered then why is it not good enough if I use Fedex. Or is it ? In the past I have had a couple of customers who's items were stolen from their porch, mailbox  after delivery. USPS showed delivery confirmation so I was not liable for the problem. If fedex shows delivered then am I responsible if the item goes missing after delivery. Both show delivered. I am confused about this and wonder what the correct answer is . Any help would be appreciated !

[lja440]

I find it funny that you claim USPS is ripping you off with the addition of DIM shipping when FedEx and UPS had been doing the same for years. 

In fact I did a mock up dummy package 2# that would be the equivalent of a Priority flat rate envelope to my Mother In Laws address about a hours drive away. 

USPS FRE is $6.95 with free carrier pick-up

FedEx  envelope is $18.90 with a pick-up charge of an additional $11.45

If I want it shipped across the country (Oh to Ca)

USPS FRE is still $6.95

FedEx bumps up to $24.30 with additional $11.45 for pick-up at my rural home.

[lightlily_arts]

eBay puts signature confirmation on their shipping page, but it's not required unless the purchase total is equal to or greater than $750.   When you print labels on eBay tracking is available on all parcels.  Signature confirmation is a matter of personal choice for under $750.  I insure many of my high value items against loss or damage, and I occasionally require signature confirmation as well if the parcel is going to an apartment complex.  I google the address for a street view to see what kind of building it is, and if I feel it's not safe then I will require the signature.  Even if the tracking shows your parcel delivered that won't prevent the buyer from filing a claim for Item Not Received, or a charge back with their credit card.

[onlythebest4_u]

Well why don't you do a mock up of a 2 lb package that has dimensions over 1 cubic foot. 12x12x13. Yes that one inch will cause that package to be shipped at a 29.00 pound rate. You are not comparing Apples to Apples. USPS beats Fedex on packages smaller than or equal to 12x12x12. That is why it is Dimensional shipping. I shippe a small tv last week. It would have been 27.00 more on USPS than Fedex. It was only going from GA. to FLA !! If you sell any items that will not fit in a box 12x12x12  or the equivalent of a cubic foot no matter how the dimensions are set then you will lose your profit with USPS guaranteed. Please research this on line and learn about DIM shipping. I am a Top rated power seller. I use this site for overflow and free listings. Been here for a long time. Everyone should educate themselves and They can save a ton of money ! USPS is out of the large package business on purpose. Have you seen all of those new Amazon trucks whizzing around. The gray ones that say prime are 1st party Amazon trucks. The white ones with no markings are 3rd party Amazon shipping people. Amazon employees are able to get 10,000 dollars from Amazon to get their delivery business going. It is not a loan. I have a wonderful USPS postal lady and I speak to her every day when she picks up my packages. Her truck is almost empty of any Amazon shipments. It used to be packed daily. Yes USPS shoots themselves in both feet. Reloads and fires again. From the lady who has worked for them for 30 years. " They are a clueless bunch of morons "

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@onlythebest4_u wrote:

Well why don't you do a mock up of a 2 lb package that has dimensions over 1 cubic foot. 12x12x13. Yes that one inch will cause that package to be shipped at a 29.00 pound rate....

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The formula for dimensional weight is: the volume in cubic inches divided by 166.  So a package that's 12 by 12 by 13, which has a volume of 1872 cubic inches, would ship at a weight of (1872/166=) 11.27 so it would pay the postage cost for 12 pounds.

[lja440]

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@onlythebest4_u wrote:

Well why don't you do a mock up of a 2 lb package that has dimensions over 1 cubic foot. 12x12x13. Yes that one inch will cause that package to be shipped at a 29.00 pound rate. You are not comparing Apples to Apples. USPS beats Fedex on packages smaller than or equal to 12x12x12. That is why it is Dimensional shipping. I shippe a small tv last week. It would have been 27.00 more on USPS than Fedex. It was only going from GA. to FLA !! If you sell any items that will not fit in a box 12x12x12  or the equivalent of a cubic foot no matter how the dimensions are set then you will lose your profit with USPS guaranteed. Please research this on line and learn about DIM shipping. I am a Top rated power seller. I use this site for overflow and free listings. Been here for a long time. Everyone should educate themselves and They can save a ton of money ! USPS is out of the large package business on purpose. Have you seen all of those new Amazon trucks whizzing around. The gray ones that say prime are 1st party Amazon trucks. The white ones with no markings are 3rd party Amazon shipping people. Amazon employees are able to get 10,000 dollars from Amazon to get their delivery business going. It is not a loan. I have a wonderful USPS postal lady and I speak to her every day when she picks up my packages. Her truck is almost empty of any Amazon shipments. It used to be packed daily. Yes USPS shoots themselves in both feet. Reloads and fires again. From the lady who has worked for them for 30 years. " They are a clueless bunch of morons "

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You must live in an urban area because my Jeep is PACKED with Amazon packages daily. I often have to return to the PO to reload because they wont all fit.

[lja440]

[lja440]

OK, 2# package with 12"x12"x13" dimensions.

To the in-laws 

USPS Priority comes to $11.32 w/free pick-up

FedEx comes to $44.61 for 2 day and $38.75 for Express Saver (don't forget rural pick-up of an additional $11.45)

Across the country to Ca from Oh

USPS Priority comes to $42.20 with free carrier pick-up

FedEx comes to (WOW!!!!!) $123.68 for 2 day and $91.70 for Express Saver (and yes they still want $11.45 to pick-up at my rural home).

Oh, and by the way Signature Tracking with USPS is only $2.60

[emerald1830]

I believe that's for you to choose especially if the buyer wants it and is willing to pay for it..Recently my son paid his seller the extra money for signature confirmation..even though the sale was for 270 dollars..he fell more comfortable and his seller was more than happy to add the extra fee..

[onlythebest4_u]

Please use the formula using Fedex ground home delivery. Also you live in a rural area. Fedex does charge a premium. You can't compare priority mail with Fedex express. No seller would use express unless the buyer was willing to pay the added cost. If you use priority mail over 1 cubic foot and mail the package a few states over to a city, suburb, you will find that I am correct. (Try a 5lb package) . I would love to use USPS for all my shipping.Like I used to do. It is picked up at my home. I live 30 miles north of Atlanta in what is considered the suburbs. My USPS lady told me today that she did not have 1 Amazon package on her truck today. I have seen 3 Amazon delivery trucks, vans pass through today. Different area different results.

[lja440]

FedEx Home Delivery base rate is $35.41 but the time frame for FedEx Home Delivery is 4 days or more. I was comparing services with the same estimated delivery. 

And I wasn't listing FedEx Express but FedEx Express Saver.

FedEx Express for that package would be at the lowest $189.68 for standard overnight by 8 pm.

[onlythebest4_u]

I seem to have missed that you work for USPS. It is a great place to be employed. One of the few companies that still have a union and still have a pension that can't be taken away like my Brother in law's was appx 6 months before he turned 60 and was eligible for it. ( a non union private company ) I know now why you have fought against me on this shipping issue. I was trying to help sellers ship for the best price they could and keep as much of their hard earned money as possible. You are not a seller but a buyer. I did not mean to insult your company but to educate other sellers in the best way to keep the money they worked so hard to  earn. For all you sellers out there you know the truth about shipping over DIM weight items USPS vs. fedex.  I think it is bad for USPS future to have taken this step. Again if I could still use USPS for my shipping of larger items then I would. It is so much easier. Lets close this discussion as you are a USPS employee I can understand your position and your wanting to fight for your company that you work for. I hope that you will have a long and lucrative employment with them ! Good evening and great blessings !

[lja440]

This is my buying/posting ID. I have several ID's for selling, one for media items, one for pottery and glass, one for vintage housewares and such. Most are in the same feedback range. 

We (USPS) have always had DIM type postage for Priority over 1 cubic foot the only things that has changed is zoning FCP and adding DIM to Parcel Select/Retail Ground. 

On the other hand USPS has added more flat rate options than FedEx and UPS, Regional Rate packaging and Cubic foot pricing options that help when you are sending small heavy items. And by doing the last mile deliveries for Amazon, FedEx, and UPS there are some low cost options, though the FedEx and UPS options with this are slow.

Also with USPS you do not encounter the plethora of surcharges you get with FedEx and UPS. 

[lja440]

As for the pension, I'll never see it... Well unless the Republicans lose the Senate. 

Currently I'm 59 years old, I have been with USPS since 2000 but 13 years as a RCA (rural sub)which currently does not count toward my pension. There was a bill to allow us to buy our RCA time toward the pension but McConnell will not allow it to go to a vote. It is just in limbo. No one knows why he is blocking this. 

I have nearly 5 years in a sub capacity that I worked full time due to a hiring freeze covering my route twice after carriers I subbed for retired. Granted I still would not draw a large pension check with the other 8 years primarily working one day a week but I'd be able to draw it, such that it is, when I have 20 years in though I would probably wait a couple more.

I'd like to retire before I get to the drooling/Depends wearing stage.

[onlythebest4_u]

ATTENTION SELLERS...... It is advised not to take advise from these forums. I have found that a lot of the information given is incorrect. It is correct that Ebay does not require Fedex signature confirmation for items under 750.00. But and a BIG but. Seller protection is only good for items of 250.00 or less. This is copied and pasted from ebay Fedex policy page. Find it and read it because those are the facts of what ebay will do.

How does eBay’s seller protection policy work with FedEx shipping labels purchased on eBay?

You would be covered for transactions of up to $250, provided you meet the other basic requirements of the seller protection policy. For transactions of $250 or more, you would also have to require a signature at delivery. You could use any of the three signature options available — indirect signature, direct signature, or adult signature

What are the differences between indirect signature, direct signature, and adult signature?

• Indirect signature — Only available for residential addresses, your buyer can leave a signed note for the driver to leave the package, or a neighbor can sign for the package
• Direct signature — A signature by someone at the address is required to release the package
• Adult signature — The same as direct signature, but the signer must be at least 21 years old and able to show a government-issued photo ID

I do not think anyone purposely gives incorrect information but I find a lot of it on these forums.

This is the title of the Ebay produced page of drop down menus and just a very few of the questions that ebay answers on that page. Find it a read it for the facts from Ebay.

FedEx Label Printing Frequent Asked Questions

What’s changing with FedEx shipping on eBay? Which FedEx services can shipping labels be printed for on eBay? How can FedEx shipping labels be printed on eBay? Is a FedEx account required to print FedEx shipping labels on eBay? What about enrolling in the FedE... What are the advantages of printing FedEx shipping labels on eBay vs. using the FedEx Advantage Prog... Can shipping labels for FedEx freight services be printed on eBay? Is a residential surcharge avoidable? What is the difference between FedEx Home Delivery and FedEx Ground? What happens if a FedEx Ground shipping label is printed for a residential address? What does “declared value” mean? How is the fuel surcharge configured?

[lja440]

I think it is bad for USPS future to have taken this step. Again if I could still use USPS for my shipping of larger items then I would. It is so much easier. 

Like I have posted FedEx and UPS have been charging DIM weights for years

It is also bad for a company to operate at a loss. On every mode of transport there is not only a weight limit but also a limit to volume being that a cargo hold of a plane, a semi trailer, or the vehicle delivering to your home or business. It makes financial sense to charge for that additional space used.

The picture I posted was on a day where I had to return to the Post Office for more packages because they didn't all fit  This extra trip is not factored into my route pay. It still takes me an extra 20 minutes or so and gas to run back and forth before returning to continue with the route. 

Whenever there is a postage increase, there is this huge outcry of 'unfair', 'greedy' ...

I'll tell you this when I started with USPS in 2000 the average gas prices was around $1.50. I remember that I was warned that I would need 8 or 10 ply tires or I would constantly be getting flats. My first set cost me nearly $80 each and I was shocked at that. Now they cost twice that amount and I go through 2 sets a year (also 2 sets of brake pads and 12 oil changes a year). 

Rate hikes are much more of a NEED than a WANT.