Smartpost

[deserdog]

What exactly is smartpost? Advantages, disadvantages?

[zcmi11]

Smart post sounds like a great idea but Ive not read much positive about it from a selling standpoint- it's fedex for the first leg and USPS for the final delivery.

When you need to ship low-weight packages to residential customers, consider efficient, economical FedEx SmartPost shipping service. By utilizing the U.S. Postal Service® (USPS) for final delivery, FedEx SmartPost reaches every U.S. address, including P.O. boxes and military APO, FPO and DPO destinations.

[phcd1]

SmartPost is considered Last Mile Delivery. The original shipping is provided by FedEx (which includes the $100 insurance BTW) and the last mile (or so) is provided by USPS. As a seller I like due to the cost. As a buyer I don't like it because it takes longer to get my item but the $100 insurance transfers along with the package to USPS which is a plus. Typically it takes about 9 days to receive something coast to coast. It will add a day typically to delivery time on average, I think eBay says 1-2 days.

[missalisa]

Do not use Smartpost.  The amount that you are shown may seem inviting, but the amount you are actually charged via your ebay bill will be higher.  If you charge your customer what ebay says it will cost, you have just put money out of your pocket to ship the item.  In one instance, I shipped a heavy item, thinking I was paying $21.  When the ebay bill came, I'd been charged $36.  $15 out of my pocket because I thought I was saving the customer money by using this service.  No more!  I am now removing the Smartpost option from all of my listings.

[glyph01]

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@missalisa wrote:

Do not use Smartpost.  The amount that you are shown may seem inviting, but the amount you are actually charged via your ebay bill will be higher.  If you charge your customer what ebay says it will cost, you have just put money out of your pocket to ship the item.  In one instance, I shipped a heavy item, thinking I was paying $21.  When the ebay bill came, I'd been charged $36.  $15 out of my pocket because I thought I was saving the customer money by using this service.  No more!  I am now removing the Smartpost option from all of my listings.

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By the sounds of it, it's like shared or seller subsidized shipping costs amongst the parties involved in the transaction.

[duchess-at-speakeasy]

Federal Express wants ALL its customers to use ONLY Federal Express for ALL packages.  Companies then can streamline their shipping departments by using a single carrier -- they don't have to maintain 2 different shipping procedures and employees don't have to be dual-trained or decide which to use.

Smartpost is a lower-cost service (than Home/Ground or Express) intended for lightweight parcels -- a market best served by USPS.  Companies get a price break and the convenience of a single carrier.  FedEx gets the companies' business and loyalty plus the more widespread delivery network of USPS.  (Except PO boxes, although some rural post offices now accept FedEx and other private courier deliveries for box holders.)

Smartpost packages bear dual tracking numbers (alas, the USPS number is not generally available to senders or recipients until actual delivery) and may be classed as First Class, Parcel Select or Media Mail depending on size, weight and other factors.  I have received Smartpost packages in all 3 categories from various mail order companies and a few eBay vendors. Both UPS and DHL offer similar hybrid services to their clients.  Most of these packages weigh between a few ounces to perhaps 6 lbs.  

As a buyer, I find that FedEx Smartpost (and similar services) runs 2 to 4 days slower than direct handling by USPS -- and that's to a downtown PMB that may get deliveries several times a day.  Residential customers get a single USPS delivery -- and the mail carrier usually starts the route long before FedEx/UPS/DHL arrives at the delivering PO.  One exception:  In some urban areas, USPS provides a separate "package delivery" not handled by the daily "letter carrier."  This extra delivery may include FedEx Smartpost but is intended for larger or heavier packages or those that require a signature.

~~C~~

[lja440]

I'm a USPS Rural Carrier. We get a lot of SmartPost packages as well as the UPS products, SurePost and Mail Innovations.

Both SmartPost and SurePost are delivered to the delivering Post Offices. Mail Innovations are sometimes delivered to the sorting center serving your PO or can be lumped in with SurePost ad delivered to your PO.

For the most part we (my USPS office) doesn't have any problems with SurePost and Mail Innovations. Delivery's seem pretty accurate and if a miss delivery is made UPS is quick to claim it and set it on the correct path.

We get a lot of missdeliverys of SmartPost and FedEx is slow to correct. They send 2 trucks per day (my office houses 2 zip codes), to me this is a waste of resources as it is a small office and these could be easily combined like UPS does. Miss deliveries can not just be handed back to the driver (UPS quickly sends any truck in the area to pick up or has the delivery driver pick up the next day if none are available. FedEx sends a "recovery truck" which has at times taken up to a week.

Also with FedEx or UPS we (USPS) do not have any record of these until our acceptance when our barcodes become active. There has been many irritated customers that see the FedEx tracking state that it has been turned over to USPS days and in some cases weeks before we actually get the package.

If you are thinking of using one of these services I'd recommend UPS SurePost.

[apache.falls]

smartpost = unhappy customers

[vermontthrift]

Unreliable

They wont except damage claims

Lost package claims may take up to a month

They may overcharge you via ebay a higer amount then what you thought the price initially was.

Not worth it, at the end you may think you're saving money but it may result in a nightmare.

Good Luck !

[pooh333piglet]

HI   I use smartpost for a few packages a month. It is cheaper than fedex ground or home delivery in most cases. I have not had any issues with it. My packages I use it for most are at least 5 lbs but usually heavier and are going  a long distance where USPS rates are higher. I do check the size on it carefully as if it it too big than it can actually cost more than ground as when it gets to USPS they have a higher rate for it due to size. Its a bit hard to explain. Are you shipping boxes that may be oversized? Then find out more or as you make a label check the rates and get acquanted with the rates and what might work for you.  Also you can go back to past shipped packages and act like you are making a label again and play around with what smartpost would of charged vs what you paid with USPS. Again tho for me I use it for longer distance and heavier boxes. (like when I sell 2 quilts or when I may sell 1 and it has to go to CA from me in IL) 

[kh-ornesh]

Hello Everyone,

Due to the age of the thread, it has been closed to further replies.  Please feel free to start a new thread if you wish to continue to discuss this topic.

Thanks for understanding!