double shipping services (ups mail innovations, fedex smartpost and DHL E-commerce)

[answeronesvc]

As a longtime seller and buyer here on e-bay, what irritates me most is double shipping services (picked up by one company and delivered by USPS) that take 3 - 4 times as long for a buyer to get their item. What I mean by double shipping is using the big three elcheapo services, UPS Mail Innovations (the quicker of the 3), FedEx Smartpost and then the slowest of all services DHL E-commerce (takes almost two weeks from one coast to the midwest).  I have personally tested all 3 against using UPS, FedEX and USPS directly and the direct services are a whole lot faster, they might cost from a few pennies to a dollar or two more but the item gets to its destination within a few days versus almost two weeks with one service. That is why I don't use double shipping services and why it irritates me that other sellers do but don't tell the buyers or provide other shipping options for a fee. I mean who really wants free shipping on something they need yesterday to a few days from now and have to wait up to two weeks for the item.

I guess all I am saying is to other sellers out there is to tell your buyers, no matter free shipping or not, that you use one of these double shipping services like UPS Mail Innovations, FedEx Smartpost and DHL E-commerce and don't offer other options so they can decide, based on their time constraints, whether they have the time to wait or if they should buy from someone else who ships direct.

I will get off my soapbox now and thank you.

[chrysylys]

At the very most, I've only seen a one day delay with any of those services.  They work well for me since the mail carrier comes by every day at nearly the same time.  The others show up when they feel like it.

[lintbrush*]

Those 3 mail services fall under Economy shipping and if the seller shows Economy under the shipping service, they're fine.  Just don't order from them if you don't like it or ask if the seller will add another option for an additional fee.

I find many big-box sellers & corporations use DHL (or the other economy) service so I doubt their going to change their method as their negotiated pricing cannot be beat.

Up until January, I would've have agreed with you that the difference is shipping is only a few pennies to $2 more.  The difference was substantial.  

Many buyers are very sticker price focused and if the cost of a "free" expedited shipping bumps the item price up too high, they won't buy.  

As a seller, I set my listing to the options I want to provide based on my experience with certain carriers and the particular item I am selling.  If it's one choice, that's the choice for a [my] reason.  If it's two.. again, it's for a reason. 

[answeronesvc]

That is the point I was trying to make, some don't offer a choice. When I sell, I always offer a choice of USPS or UPS and offer the different services that each has. I don't offer fedex because thier closest terminal in 10 miles from my house and I have tried their pickup service and lets just say that did not go well. When it is a higher priced item or electronic then I do like to use UPS and will reccomend that in the listing. If it is a larger item that I know USPS will not take, then the services that UPS will are offered and the reason is in the listing. I get why some use limited services like DHL and I say limited because they have no terminals or at least I never seen their vans anymore in the Sioux City Iowa area. When they took over airbourne express some years back, they decided to focus on international and closed alot of the hubs.

I generally have no issue with UPS Mail Innovations, they are usually as fast but FedEx Smart Post is generally a few days behind and I was told that is because it comes into the Sioux City Terminal, it goes onto a normal route and is delivered to the post office late in the day so it may be delivered the next business day or they might send to PDC in Sioux Falls and deliver day after that.  UPS has a dedicated that goes to post office 1st thing and it makes it for that days sort and is out for delivery that day.. sometimes our local ups will skip the post office and complete the delivery themselves.

[answeronesvc]

chrysylys: in response to your statement, yes the post office should come by everyday, the other services only come by when they have a package to deliver. That is not what I was talking about. What I was talking about is when the seller ships an item and they use one of the 3 I was talking about, the driver for DHL, UPS or FedEx comes by or you take to their terminal. It goes thru their particular system and is handed off to the post office for final delivery so you don't see a DHL, UPS or FedEx delivery agent because your regular mail carrier drops it off.

The reason for my post and discussion is continual issues with slow delivery. Most recently, I ordered an item from New York and one from California. The one from New York used USPS non-expidited service and the one from California used DHL E-commerce and they both posted tracking the same day and both showed on the respected tracking systems as accepted and er destination the next day. The package from New York arrived in 3 business days whereas the California package was delivery in just under two weeks. It went from California to Melrose Park Illinois, so past my location, where it was held for two days then handed over to the PDC (postal distribution center) in Illinios, then went to the PDC in Sioux Falls, SD and finally to me in Sioux City Iowa. The California package, as I stated above, came by DHL e-commerce or as I like to call them, slower than snail mail.

[takikawa4]

Since I'm rarely in a hurry to receive my items (and the one time I was, I emailed the seller BEFORE buying), I don't care if those services are used. It's not going to hurt me to wait a few days for my item to arrive.

[lintbrush*]

Again, I do not let my customers tell me how to ship.  There's a reason I pick what I do based on my experience.  I've received far less fewer beaten up packages through USPS than I do through FedEx or UPS.  FedEx used to mis-deliver all the time too.  Granted, some of it is due to the seller's poor packing  but it's still an issue.

Also, I don't like the huge delivery window for Ground.  It can come at 9:00 a.m.  It can come at 7:00 p.m.  99% USPS delivers daily between 12:00 and 1:00 like clockwork.

Granted, I have never shipped Smartpost or Mail Innovations.  They aren't a great fit for items.  Way too much time in the carriers' hands and the lowest man on the totem pole.