shipping options

[ohiocoalboilermanbryan]

As a buyer on Ebay, I am really getting annoyed at not being able to choose UPS or Fedex for how my products are delivered and I don't mean surepost or smart post either. The USPS in the last 4 years, has lost 3 packages, delivered two packages to the wrong address, and as of today has had a delay in delivery of 6 packages....3 in the last couple weeks. I would gladly pay the higher rate to NOT have my purchases shipped via the horrible post office. Sometimes a package will come from Arizona to here in Ohio. Get all the way to me and they will not deliver it because not enough postage was put on the package. They couldn't catch that back in Arizona instead of slamming me with additional postage? Sorry this is part ranting, but I really am tired of things like my new computer I ordered scheduled to be delivered today..... but Nowhere to be found right now in our USPS system! 😞 We as buyers I think really need to be able to choose other options for shipping even if it costs more. PLEEEEEEZE!!!!! 🙂 

[grasscarp]

I understand your frustration completely!!

As a seller, I too, am frustrated with the USPS in many cases. They have lost several packages and been extremely late on many deliveries for me.

As a buyer, I have had UPS (not USPS)  loose several boxes for me in the past months as well, and other have arrived damaged. So for me, UPS cannot be 100% relied upon either.

Not all sellers can deliver to a FedEx or UPS store for shipment. They may live too far away to justify using these carriers. Many buyers would not pay the extra for UPS or FedEx, causing the seller to minimize his/her customer base and loose sales.

USPS will pick up shipments at my house, furnish and deliver shipping supplies to me for free, saving me time and $$$ which I can pass along to my customers.

As bad as USPS is right now, I believe they are still the best option for most sellers and most buyers.

Hopefully we will soon be over this Covid mess and get back to normal. Good luck!!!!!!

[ohiocoalboilermanbryan]

I agree, there are a few sellers who do not live close to a Fedex or UPS place. For those who do, I just think it would be good to have the option for the buyer to be able to choose usps, ups, or Fedex as the shipper. I just think forcing a buyer to only choose one and USPS has been horrible in my are for a few years now, only worse now with the virus **bleep** going on. This is why I don't buy too much on Ebay anymore. Sellers can't or won't give me a better option to ship my products. And for me when I buy something for my 7 year old, and it says delivery by Sat. She expects it to be there Sat. I can explain that we have to wait till Monday, but like in my case now. the computer I bought her....has vanished from the USPS tracking system. This is not acceptable!!!!! 😞 I have never had Fedex or UPS do this to me. I guess as a seller you have way more packages in and out and have more experience with them then me. But it also might depend on the area of the country. USPS does well in other areas I hear. 

   I do get the convenience factor of the USPS for you when they bring stuff right to your house and pick up from there too.....which Fedex will do too I understand? At least picking up the packages. 

Thanks for your reply. 

Bryan

[bauble-babes]

I'm a seller who always offers shipping choices on my heavier items. However, I just discovered that my buyers never see these options at checkout. Instead, eBay has been auto selecting the Most Expensive option. I'm charged a Final Value Fee on all shipping monies paid to me, so not only am I paying more, but my buyers are paying more as well and eBay is raking in the dough.

I just posted a rant about this because I feel so ripped off:

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Technical-Issues/FURIOUS-eBay-NOT-SHOWING-BUYERS-a-SHIPPING-CHOICE-at-...

[corvettestainless]

Many packages shipped UPS and Fedex are delivered (handed off) by USPS; as well as just as many issues with Fedex and UPS. Shipping is chosen by the seller when they set up. Fedex is only a 'guess' and the buyer could pay $14 for the shipment, for the seller to later get billed $18 or $38; long after buyer has received their item (Fedex is ebay's account and is billed at the end of the month, unlike USPS is paid directly and immediately by the seller). 

Packages that are overweight by the seller's wrong input, is a simple seller issue. Most of the time, the item is delivered and the seller is back-charged the difference by USPS through ebay, again.. not effecting the buyer. 

Therefore, USPS is the best bet for lighter weight/sized items. 

[dtexley3]

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@ohiocoalboilermanbryan wrote:

As a buyer on Ebay, I am really getting annoyed at not being able to choose UPS or Fedex for how my products are delivered and I don't mean surepost or smart post either. The USPS in the last 4 years, has lost 3 packages, delivered two packages to the wrong address, and as of today has had a delay in delivery of 6 packages....3 in the last couple weeks. I would gladly pay the higher rate to NOT have my purchases shipped via the horrible post office. Sometimes a package will come from Arizona to here in Ohio. Get all the way to me and they will not deliver it because not enough postage was put on the package. They couldn't catch that back in Arizona instead of slamming me with additional postage? Sorry this is part ranting, but I really am tired of things like my new computer I ordered scheduled to be delivered today..... but Nowhere to be found right now in our USPS system! 😞 We as buyers I think really need to be able to choose other options for shipping even if it costs more. PLEEEEEEZE!!!!! 🙂 

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eBay now chooses what options to display to the buyer.  Doesn't matter if I offer 4 choices, eBay decides which the buyer sees.

[7606dennis]

It is the seller's responsibility to safely deliver the buyer's purchase to them.  Thus I would urge sellers to be the ones that select the shipping method that helps them to preform this most effectively.  If that means that they choose a service rather than allowing the buyer to select it, so be it.

Often large companies have the luxury to be able to offer multiple shipping methods to buyers but the small seller, not so much.  Personally, I've found some delivery carriers to not be as reliable as others.  The tendency to drop a package off on a front porch without even so much as a knock on the door is something that I take exception to. 

[ohiocoalboilermanbryan]

wow that is nuts. I noticed one time on an expensive item that someone did offer two ways of shipping, but when I went to check out, as you said, only the expensive option was chosen. It is ridiculous that they are doing this **bleep**.........and probably intentionally too. 😞 

[ohiocoalboilermanbryan]

that has not been the case with me on the packages that wrong postage is put in. Every time I have had to either go the post office and fork out money from my own pocket to get the package, or I have had to send it back across the country. As for Fedex or UPS handling the packages. You can choose as a shipper who you want to handle the package and what rate you want to pay. Fedex smart post for example is a choice the shipper makes that is cheaper than Fedex handling the package the entire way. I in this area of the country have had way less issues with Fedex and UPS than USPS and I would gladly pay the higher rate to NEVER have anything shipped via USPS again. My local post office is run my total morons I swear. 

    As for those packages that shippers choose to use UPS/USPS for a cheaper rate, I as the receiver automatically pay an extra $3 set up with UPS so that they deliver the package instead of the post office and I get the package up to 3 days earlier.  I really think it depends on the area of the country you live in.

[ohiocoalboilermanbryan]

on the other hand, like for me, UPS and Fedex have given me almost zero issues with packages at all and always on time. USPS has repeatedly lost packages, delivered them to the wrong place, or sent them to Michigan and back to Ohio again after arriving here. They are almost never on time. I am angry that I can't choose a better carrier for me. Your idea is exactly what it is now....shippers give me no choice and it is making me not want to buy here anymore.

[myboardid]

Just how much more would you be willing to pay?  A first class package that might cost under $4 to mail, I would charge you at least $25 to send via UPS.  That includes the actual shipping charge of at least $10 plus my added time and driving distance to get the package to a UPS shipping location.  FedEx would be even higher. 

[lja440]

I'm a mail carrier (rural) in Ohio. I agree with myboardid. 

But I also see your point. tRump and DeJoy are bent on destroying USPS for their own gain. DeJoy handed tRump 2.5 million and got the Postmaster General job (fyi he is not qualified in the least). DeJoy owns between 35 and 70 million dollars of stock in a trucking company with contracts with USPS (back to this later), and UPS. 

As soon as he was appointed DeJoy started locking out and in some places destroying our sorting machines.  (only in blue and swing states),(yes Ohio is one of the targeted states). These are top of the line multi million dollar machines. 

Oh he also banned overtime though now things have to be sorted by hand.

In previous years DeJoys company brought in 4+ million in 2018 and 3+ million in 2019 per the contracts with USPS for a 10 week span of time. This year under DeJoy this same company (which DeJoy owns a major portion of), in the same 10 week pay period raked in over 14 million. 

Still I have around 90% of my packages, incoming and out goingvia USPS. I have yet to have a lost or delayed package. I did however notice that Amazon (which is delivered in my area by their own trucks) is arriving 1-2 days later than previously. The one and only package that I have coming FedEx made it to cleveland once then went south, then yesterday after being in Canton Friday ended up going to WARRENDALE, Pennsylvania which makes me think that theymay have switched it up and labeled it SmartPost thoght it should have been delivered early last week via FedEx ground.  I have totally given up on a pair of shoes that were shipped FedEx and purchased July 2nd. Luckily I paid with PayPal and should have a refund on the 20th.

[csbbct]

We sellers have been complaining about this for over a year now.  All my listings are created with two shipping options - FedEx Ground and Priority Mail.  Most of my listings though only show FedEx Ground to the buyer.  Occasionally I will see Priority Mail available for buyers in my own state (CT) but if I change the zip code to one across the country (CA) where Priority Mail is needed, that option disappears.

tyler@ebay  @Anonymous  I can't remember who I was communicating with through a thread last year, but I'm still having a problem with Priority Mail not showing as an available option AND eBay allowing a buyer to select FedEx Ground when their address is a PO Box!  One just came through this morning - item#353154939428.  Luckily it's a small box and I told them I will send it Priority Mail for the same price, but many times I have oversized boxes and I cannot afford to absorb the difference in price!  This has been a problem for over a year now!  I would appreciate it if you can use some influence to get this prioritized.

[ohiocoalboilermanbryan]

I have to say, it is ridiculous what is going on with the post office right now and the funding etc. I don't really understand what the hell Trump and this new Post master is thinking. I am generally happy with Trump, but this is total **bleep**. I am on your side on this **bleep** for sure 100%. But again it seems to depend on the area the USPS does bad here in Akron. Real bad lately. I have a computer that was scheduled to be delivered on Sat. It is now Tuesday and last night it "left the Akron facility in transit to destination". For example. What the hell is it leaving Akron for. Its destination is Akron? This has happened repeatedly in the last 3 years. Once I had a camera lens arrive at Akron, And then vanish. Showing up a week later in Michigan. Two times I had packages delivered on the wrong street. I have NEVER had USP or Fedex screw up this bad. Every company has a mistake now and then. but USPS is a joke in my area. My friend works at the sorting facility in Akron and she tries to defend the USPS all the time....even with this one she has given up trying to defend the post office. After I provide tracking proof of the package vanishing over and over, she doesn't even try to defend it anymore. there is something seriously wrong at the Akron postal system!!!!!!

[ohiocoalboilermanbryan]

I know the prices of shipping via UPS are higher, and I know FedEx will also pick up at your house though not as cheap as the post office. I don't know what you do for a living, and I do know within reason time is money. But unless you live 10+ miles from a UPS store or facility I don't see how you can justify $10 when you can stop by there while out anyhow doing other things? I mean yeah it is not as convenient as USPS at your front door.  And if there is an issue with ebay and not showing shipped right away, There are hundreds of companies and people who mark my purchases shipped on a Sunday morning! seriously? how the heck did you "ship" my order on Sunday morning at any of the carriers? And tracking shows it not even picked up until way later... like Monday night. 😛 That should be illegal on ebay too. I get it, for some sellers UPS can't be an option and if I am buying a used something or other from a person like myself that just posted a couple things now and then when they were cleaning out the attic, I can expect the post office being the only option they can do. But sellers who have stores, and or sell loads of stuff especially new stuff is what I am mainly talking about. Those people have no excuse as far as I am concerned about not offering more than just he horrible post office as reasonable shipping.