Shipping question

or however that dang word is written! : ) Use this forum to discuss those things that are related to, directly, or indirectly, fly fishing, i.e., tackle, catalogs, single malt scotch, cigar preferences, pipes, camera gear, etc. This is sort of an off topic area but one related to bamboo and fly fishing.

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prairieschooner
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Shipping question

#1

Post by prairieschooner »

I have a 9' 2-piece rod I'm going to need to ship soon; with the new USPS surcharge etc. just wondered if anyone has compared USPS, UPS, FedEx etc. pricing lately?
I spent most of my money on shotguns, fly rods, guitars and banjos. The rest I just wasted. (Apologies to W.C. Fields)

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steeliefool
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Re: Shipping question

#2

Post by steeliefool »

You can calc online with all the players. A recent comp by me found USPS the least expensive, closely followed by UPS and Fedex a dismal 3rd with an $18 length surcharge and a "delivery area" surcharge of $5.35!!
That's for 6"×6"×40" at 3lbs, mid Jersey to the pandlehandle of Idaho.

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prairieschooner
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Re: Shipping question

#3

Post by prairieschooner »

Thanks!
I spent most of my money on shotguns, fly rods, guitars and banjos. The rest I just wasted. (Apologies to W.C. Fields)

G-ManBart
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Re: Shipping question

#4

Post by G-ManBart »

Same here...a bit of an edge to USPS compared to UPS with FedEx being even more expensive.

One thing that is easily overlooked about UPS is that just insuring the package isn't really enough. My wife recently shipped a $200 item using UPS and insured it for full value. The UPS driver delivered it to the wrong address, and admitted as much when the recipient said they didn't get it, but tracking showed it as delivered. They made one attempt to recover the package, but they went during the day and nobody was home, so they were unsuccessful. It turns out, if you don't require signature confirmation, they aren't liable if it gets delivered to the wrong address! So, you have to add signature confirmation on top of the shipping and insurance costs to be really protected. This also irritates many recipients who aren't home when deliveries occur so they wind up having to make a trip to pick up the package.

I don't believe USPS has the same policy as I had something similar happen with them and they paid the claim without much hassle. I have no idea if FedEx has a similarly ridiculous policy.

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bearbutt
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Re: Shipping question

#5

Post by bearbutt »

G-ManBart wrote:
04/30/22 10:59
It turns out, if you don't require signature confirmation, they aren't liable if it gets delivered to the wrong address! So, you have to add signature confirmation on top of the shipping and insurance costs to be really protected.
In an ideal world, yes.

In Chicago--which is very far from being an ideal world, the answer is no. The reason is because UPS drivers in Chicago will, with no compunction whatsoever, falsify signatures. I had this happen over a half dozen times with wine deliveries, which are by law supposed to require the signature of someone 21 or over. Not UPS--each time they just left the wine in my building lobby. with a false signature. In one instance the wine could not be found, and I was refunded by the seller--since the signature UPS provided did not match my name--and it was up to seller and UPS to sort out the situation. Businesses have a vested interest in pressuring the shippers on these things more than individual sellers do.

Of course in some areas of the country, UPS delivery folks can be great. But after a long conversation with the delivery manager for the company where I bought my wine, it was clear that Chicago is a black hole for their deliveries, and the signature requirement is no guarantee of anything.

This is the new normal--you take your chances.

bb

G-ManBart
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Re: Shipping question

#6

Post by G-ManBart »

bearbutt wrote:
04/30/22 12:04
G-ManBart wrote:
04/30/22 10:59
It turns out, if you don't require signature confirmation, they aren't liable if it gets delivered to the wrong address! So, you have to add signature confirmation on top of the shipping and insurance costs to be really protected.
In an ideal world, yes.

In Chicago--which is very far from being an ideal world, the answer is no. The reason is because UPS drivers in Chicago will, with no compunction whatsoever, falsify signatures. I had this happen over a half dozen times with wine deliveries, which are by law supposed to require the signature of someone 21 or over. Not UPS--each time they just left the wine in my building lobby. with a false signature. In one instance the wine could not be found, and I was refunded by the seller--since the signature UPS provided did not match my name--and it was up to seller and UPS to sort out the situation. Businesses have a vested interest in pressuring the shippers on these things more than individual sellers do.

Of course in some areas of the country, UPS delivery folks can be great. But after a long conversation with the delivery manager for the company where I bought my wine, it was clear that Chicago is a black hole for their deliveries, and the signature requirement is no guarantee of anything.

This is the new normal--you take your chances.

bb
No argument there. My point was really just that without signature confirmation you have no realistic hope of having a claim honored if the package is delivered to the wrong address.

Wine going missing makes me almost cry...well, if it was really good wine I'd definitely cry!

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prairieschooner
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Re: Shipping question

#7

Post by prairieschooner »

My wife sent a package via USPS to her mom who's in extended care; you have to be buzzed in and I guess the mailman didn't want to wait and left it outside the door. It disappeared, but USPS denied the claim because it was "delivered". Signature required would have been a good thing!
I spent most of my money on shotguns, fly rods, guitars and banjos. The rest I just wasted. (Apologies to W.C. Fields)

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