Rant on shipping
- Thread starter newbury
- Start date
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3 Horse Ranch
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Aug 18, 2017
- Messages
- 1,193
- Location
- Tonasket, WA
- Tractor
- NH B50H Cab, Ford 1715, Poulan Pro 46
I really don't have any complaints about the actual shipping of anything. Shipping itself seems incredibly fast. Last year I ordered a 3 point snowblower, shipped from California and it arrived within a week. This year, I ordered a SSQA snow plow shipped from Minnesota and it arrived in 8 days. I ordered a camera tripod from the east coast and it arrived in 4 days.
My biggest complaint is shipping charges. I inquired about a different snow plow also shipped from Minnesota and was quoted $1000 shipping the one I bought was the same price but with $350 shipping. I have been shopping for some ag related items such as new rippers for my box blade and found 5 of the right type for about $25 each but the shipping was the same as the shanks, doubling the price. I don't mind paying reasonable shipping charges but some companies seem to be trying to make a large profit from shipping.
I went to the Amazon site with an incognito browser and put some things in my basket. Amazon gave me 3 days shipping. When I signed in, the shipping time doubled. When I track an amazon purchase, it usually just sits in a warehouse from 3 to 5 days until it actually ships, then when it does ship it's a two to three day delivery. The delivery time is acceptable, the time it takes to ship, isn't.
Rant over.
My biggest complaint is shipping charges. I inquired about a different snow plow also shipped from Minnesota and was quoted $1000 shipping the one I bought was the same price but with $350 shipping. I have been shopping for some ag related items such as new rippers for my box blade and found 5 of the right type for about $25 each but the shipping was the same as the shanks, doubling the price. I don't mind paying reasonable shipping charges but some companies seem to be trying to make a large profit from shipping.
I went to the Amazon site with an incognito browser and put some things in my basket. Amazon gave me 3 days shipping. When I signed in, the shipping time doubled. When I track an amazon purchase, it usually just sits in a warehouse from 3 to 5 days until it actually ships, then when it does ship it's a two to three day delivery. The delivery time is acceptable, the time it takes to ship, isn't.
Rant over.
Oaktree
Super Member
Walmart does seem to process orders faster than Amazon, but their website is much clunkier and contains a lot less information about the product. Often as not, any items I'm interested in show as undeliverable to the nearest store to me. Pricing is competitive between the 2, I don't see either having an edge there.
Yeah, no kidding. The big merchants that offer "free" shipping have clearly negotiated rates that fall at or below what it actually costs to ship, so the smaller vendors (as well as individuals) are getting charged more to make up the difference. Cost me almost $60 to ship a 16 lb package 1000 mi. UPS ground recently!
Then, as you say there are the merchants who seem to see shipping as a way to make extra money.
goeduck
Super Member
Yesterday we had a delivery leaned up against the garage door where my wife parks her car. It was a decent sized package, so it would have been detected by her backup camera. A few weeks back she had medication delivered to the same spot in a small plastic bag/envelope which would not have been detected. Fortunately I saw the delivery truck and picked it up. I don't understand why some delivery people won't walk 20 feet farther to our door.
I placed a Cabelas order on the last day of February. I wanted to use up a gift card so ordered a set of scope mounts I need, and a knife sharpener. Then to get the free shipping I added a fish net. Because of the road I live on I have orders sent to my PO Box in winter.
They shipped March 1 in two boxes. via Fedex with an expected delivery date of March 4. One package with the scope mounts and sharpener was pushed back to this past Tuesday, while the other was "Unknown at this time." Meanwhile tracking showed that the latter was headed west.
The first package arrived at the distribution center 100 miles away on the 3rd... then stated it was "En route to the USPS distribution center."
They finally told me that on Tuesday, and without a USPS tracking number I had no idea where it was.
Today they changed the projected date and tracking history;
Your package is still on the way, but a delivery date is unavailable right now.
I don't know if they had lost the order or what is going on. I did receive the second package today. It's a good thing none of the items were something I needed right off.
They shipped March 1 in two boxes. via Fedex with an expected delivery date of March 4. One package with the scope mounts and sharpener was pushed back to this past Tuesday, while the other was "Unknown at this time." Meanwhile tracking showed that the latter was headed west.
The first package arrived at the distribution center 100 miles away on the 3rd... then stated it was "En route to the USPS distribution center."
They finally told me that on Tuesday, and without a USPS tracking number I had no idea where it was.
Today they changed the projected date and tracking history;
Your package is still on the way, but a delivery date is unavailable right now.
I don't know if they had lost the order or what is going on. I did receive the second package today. It's a good thing none of the items were something I needed right off.
goeduck
Super Member
I have not had a reason to track a USPS delivery for a long time, the last time I did it there was hardly any tracking points listed. I placed an order on Monday out of Wisconsin by ground and it is out for delivery already here on the West Coast. On the USPS website I see it refers to USPS Tracking Plus, a nice option.
They are not as detailed as they used to be... none of the 3 delivery services are. I believe that it was a TBN poster who said that people were getting hold of the tracking info and stealing packages after they had been delivered. If I was home I would wait until their tracking showed the truck was in town then I would look him up and save him a trip to my house... a mile each way is less to me than it is to him at the end of his day... and I'd coordinate it with going to the post office.
Pixguy
Elite Member
I ordered an item from Amazon while down in Florida for the winter about a week before we were due to leave and they usually take 2 days. I wanted it down there and they delivered 80% of their own stuff with the rest going to USPS. Day before were due to leave my wife says they're forwarding to NH. WTH? It was because they transferred it to USPS and my wife had the mail forwarding back up to NH. Days after we arrived in NH the item came and the carrier said we owed $11.25 for shipping it to NH. I called AMZ and made them credit me the 11.25. I didn't contract with USPS, they did.
That's getting to be a PITA. Fedex seems to be the worst on all counts, I am ALMOST ready to tell vendors that if they use that service I will cancel the order. I had to do that for several years with UPS. That was about 20 years ago, thankfully they seem to have worked through whatever problems they had.
CloverKnollFarms
Elite Member
Just ordered a new commercial motor for my trail mower. One day ship via UPS. Wow.