eBay

westexxx · ‎06-19-2017

I just discovered that USPS will accept FedEx smartpost pkgs. I assume that this would be nationwide, but can only vouch for the 5 offices near me. Until 6 wks ago my closest PO would not do this and about a yr ago my rural carrier scanned some and took them with her then returned them as unacceptable?

westexxx · ‎06-20-2017

@pingpong517 wrote:
well... i think i see a few things here..
1) ususally you drop them at a Fedex office...unless YOUR USPS has some deal with Fedex...
2) stores like Office Max and staples..DO take USPS or Fedex or UPS and work that all out... BUT you need to check each out as to who takes what ...

so yes there is some overlap, but I think it is not all the same everywhere...so everyone ask...and you may find out a new place to drop packages...but be sure they scan there....

There are USPS contract places...that accept the package but don't scan it in...so it will only be scanned by the next step or machine.... and they don't take UPS or Fedex... unless they say they do...

as I stated in the OP I "can only vouch for the 5 offices near me"

tripper101 · ‎06-20-2017

Wow thanks for that. I had to pay extra to ship a few times. You know it never fails, on a shipment you could save 15 or 20 dollars it has a po box.

tripper101 · ‎06-20-2017

I would take a package and ask them to scan it. If they can scan it then it is good to go. When I was at office max the first time I asked the clerk if they took smartpost. He never heard of it but picked up the package and looked at it. He said he never saw a lable with two barcodes on it and tried scanning one of them. He looked at his screen and said that did not work. He tried the other one and said that worked, no problem the truck was due in an hour and it would go no problem. All my smartpost and home delivery goes their now they happen to be only a half mile away. I have to drive by them to get to the post office that is another mile away.

tripper101 · ‎06-20-2017

Been several years now and I have only seen shipments like that and worse, with usps. But I see much less of a package going many states over and then coming back before being delivered by usps. It is nice to be greeted nicely at fed ex or office max. Only one post office out of the five I go to has a really nice set up and people that smile. I have also noticed a lot of what I buy now on ebay comes smart post. Used to see some ups and mostly usps. Now it seems no ups and more smartpost than usps. I am a big box re user so I tend to notice.

lja440 · ‎06-20-2017

@tripper101 wrote:
Why do you deal with sellers that only offer only one type of delivery? I like to offer three on packges over 1 pound. usps priority, fed ex home delivery, smartpost. The seller can choose which they want.

Because though I choose USPS I have had sellers not comply and ship FedEx. Very rarely are packages brought up my 100 foot driveway. We have actually been in the driveway and seen the FedEx guy reach out and slap a door tag on the front of the mailbox without ever coming up or even looking up the drive.

I have even followed one up our little single lane road (a dead end) had him slap on a tag and turn around in the bus turn around and end up nose to nose with my Jeep.

I have watched him throw packages out at the end of the road or if they do go up the drive throw it out toward the garage.

One made FedEx persona non-grata at a friends house and business. He is an auctioneer and his daughter ships hundreds of packages each week. Dave said that he kicked their dog in the ribs ( an old Springer Spaniel). He called FedEx and told them they would NEVER ship through them again and if that driver ever stepped foot on their property again he would learn how it feels to be kicked in the ribs. He has a video of him doing it, she was just laying on the porch at the top of the steps. No aggression.

muttlymob · ‎06-20-2017

Do not leave any other type of package from fed ex at the post office. Only smartpost has the duel barcodes that the post office can scan.

Do not leave FedEx SmartPost at the post office either.

The two barcodes on FedEx SmartPost packages are not there for you to choose which carrier to drop the package off with.

Each barcode has a purpose, they are not interchangeable.

FedEx SmartPost is deposited with FedEx. Who scans the FedEx barcode and delivers the package to the USPS close to the recipient.

USPS then takes the package and scans the USPS barcode, and delivers the package to the final destination address.

Two barcodes does not mean two different options for delivery. It means two stages of delivery. FedEx first, USPS second.

FedEx gets paid to take the package and deliver it to the USPS.

USPS gets paid to receive the package from FedEx and deliver it the final stage to the recipient.

By giving the package directly to the USPS and bypassing the FedEx leg, you are expecting USPS to deliver a package for a part of the trip that they are not getting paid for.

lja440 · ‎06-21-2017

EXACTLY.

westexxx · ‎06-21-2017

@muttlymob wrote:
Do not leave any other type of package from fed ex at the post office. Only smartpost has the duel barcodes that the post office can scan.

Do not leave FedEx SmartPost at the post office either.

The two barcodes on FedEx SmartPost packages are not there for you to choose which carrier to drop the package off with.

Each barcode has a purpose, they are not interchangeable.

FedEx SmartPost is deposited with FedEx. Who scans the FedEx barcode and delivers the package to the USPS close to the recipient.

USPS then takes the package and scans the USPS barcode, and delivers the package to the final destination address.

Two barcodes does not mean two different options for delivery. It means two stages of delivery. FedEx first, USPS second.

FedEx gets paid to take the package and deliver it to the USPS.

USPS gets paid to receive the package from FedEx and deliver it the final stage to the recipient.

By giving the package directly to the USPS and bypassing the FedEx leg, you are expecting USPS to deliver a package for a part of the trip that they are not getting paid for.

my understanding is fedex delivers smartpost pkgs to the post office nearest the final leg and then picks up the smartpost pkgs for the 1st leg?

westexxx · ‎06-21-2017

@tripper101 wrote:
Wow thanks for that. I had to pay extra to ship a few times. You know it never fails, on a shipment you could save 15 or 20 dollars it has a po box.

I would like to take credit for it, but learned from a fellow user a while back.

muttlymob · ‎06-22-2017

my understanding is fedex delivers smartpost pkgs to the post office nearest the final leg and then picks up the smartpost pkgs for the 1st leg?

Still nope. USPS does not get paid to accept and hold packages for FedEx to pick up. It may work in your area either because the local PO employees don't know they aren't supposed to do it, or there may be some local agreement to allow it.

The drivers who drop off the SmartPost packages to USPS for final delivery are not likely the same drivers who pick up SmartPost packages from FedEx locations for that first leg of the trip.

lja440 · ‎06-23-2017

@westexxx wrote:
@muttlymob wrote:
Do not leave any other type of package from fed ex at the post office. Only smartpost has the duel barcodes that the post office can scan.

Do not leave FedEx SmartPost at the post office either.

The two barcodes on FedEx SmartPost packages are not there for you to choose which carrier to drop the package off with.

Each barcode has a purpose, they are not interchangeable.

FedEx SmartPost is deposited with FedEx. Who scans the FedEx barcode and delivers the package to the USPS close to the recipient.

USPS then takes the package and scans the USPS barcode, and delivers the package to the final destination address.

Two barcodes does not mean two different options for delivery. It means two stages of delivery. FedEx first, USPS second.

FedEx gets paid to take the package and deliver it to the USPS.

USPS gets paid to receive the package from FedEx and deliver it the final stage to the recipient.

By giving the package directly to the USPS and bypassing the FedEx leg, you are expecting USPS to deliver a package for a part of the trip that they are not getting paid for.

my understanding is fedex delivers smartpost pkgs to the post office nearest the final leg and then picks up the smartpost pkgs for the 1st leg?

No, We often get miss delivered packages on our SmartPost pallet. You would think that we could just hand it back the following day. NOPE not with FedEx, they will send a "recovery truck". This can take several days and sometimes over a week. (we are about 2 hours from the terminal). The SmartPost driver can not take it back nor can he take any package. FedEx at least has stopped trying to charge us a pick-up fee at the PO for their mistakes. ($11.45)

I should disclose that in very few areas does SmartPost actually get delivered by actual FedEx drivers. They are contracted delivery. And some have looked pretty sketchy and they never seem to last more than a month or two. UPS SurePost, on the other hand, arrived in one of the actual brown UPS trucks by the drivers delivering to homes in the area, guys and girls we have seen daily around the routes for years.

UPS makes mistakes also but fewer and when we call a nearby UPS driver is sent around to pick it up pronto.

Anonymous · ‎06-23-2017

@lja440 wrote:
I should disclose that in very few areas does SmartPost actually get delivered by actual FedEx drivers. They are contracted delivery. And some have looked pretty sketchy and they never seem to last more than a month or two.

I concur, our FedEx shows up whenever the Mississippi warehouse has enough for a truckload to Kentucky, about once a week or so, it is generally a ragged old box truck with a carny reject at the wheel.

westexxx · ‎06-23-2017

@muttlymob wrote:
my understanding is fedex delivers smartpost pkgs to the post office nearest the final leg and then picks up the smartpost pkgs for the 1st leg?

Still nope. USPS does not get paid to accept and hold packages for FedEx to pick up. It may work in your area either because the local PO employees don't know they aren't supposed to do it, or there may be some local agreement to allow it.

The drivers who drop off the SmartPost packages to USPS for final delivery are not likely the same drivers who pick up SmartPost packages from FedEx locations for that first leg of the trip.

and this is the reason I said in the OP that I could only vouch for the PO's near me.