The biggest problem I see with USPS is their tracking service. What good is it to know when the gun was shipped and when it arrives, or is supposed to arrive. 95% of the guns I get are after the stated arrival date. Even shipped USPS Priority Mail, they seem to never get it right. Besides, you are taking a big risk as your guns will be transferred many times in shipment making the odds greater for damage. Most all my guns are shipped 2nd Day Air UPS. Costs a little more, but the guns are only transferred a couple times and sometimes they go direct. Even though my Dad retired from USPS, I have NO faith in them.
As for FedEx, I had a delivery scheduled for a certain day and it didn’t arrive. The driver said it was getting late so he took it back to the dock. I had waited all day for the package at home. I hate FedEx.
UPS is by far, the best of the Common Carriers IMHO. Big Larry
Larry,
I have used USPS exclusively for the past 20 years with nary a problem or a damaged item… I can not say the same for UPS. My local USPS is educated on the laws & regulations for shipping firearms, and they always hold them at the PO versus just leaving them on my front porch.
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
Big Larry said
The biggest problem I see with USPS is their tracking service. What good is it to know when the gun was shipped and when it arrives, or is supposed to arrive. 95% of the guns I get are after the stated arrival date. Even shipped USPS Priority Mail, they seem to never get it right. Besides, you are taking a big risk as your guns will be transferred many times in shipment making the odds greater for damage. Most all my guns are shipped 2nd Day Air UPS. Costs a little more, but the guns are only transferred a couple times and sometimes they go direct. Even though my Dad retired from USPS, I have NO faith in them.As for FedEx, I had a delivery scheduled for a certain day and it didn’t arrive. The driver said it was getting late so he took it back to the dock. I had waited all day for the package at home. I hate FedEx.
UPS is by far, the best of the Common Carriers IMHO. Big Larry
Living in a massive population area has some advantages ( very few ) but shipment and delivery services are all available. I have the best service overall with FedEx.
I ship FedEx One Rate: FedEx Express Saver ( 3rd Day ) and use their boxes ( tubes ). $10 for a 50″ x 9″x 9″, and a smaller tube ( free ) to put inside for extra protection. Minimum handling. Can deliver to my door, but to avoid what Big Larry went through, I can pick up at FedEx Shipping Center the morning of the scheduled delivery day. ( I too have waited all day for a “none delivery”. ) I’ve never been asked what’s inside, but have been told by a big shipper in our club to advise ” antiques ” if asked. Hope I’m not risking much doing that. FYI
Bill
Over the last several years I’ve noticed that USPS has improved significantly and I personally have never had a problem with them. Their tracking service is incredibly accurate and they are by far much faster that UPS. In addition, UPS often shows up after dark, often doesn’t bother to bring the parcel to the door and has often left the parcel out by the sidewalk with a delivery notice saying no one was home, when in fact I have been home as I’m retired and stick around when a package is out for delivery.
Their so called “insurance” should prove that they are are a dishonest business. I do all my shipping USPS and when bidding will go as far as to ask the seller if they will ship via USPS. If they don’t, I won’t bid. Then there is the matter of the drivers’ honesty as related to me by 3 different local gun shops.
"This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend."
Big Larry said
Not in this small town it isn’t. Big Larry
I don’t doubt that one bit, Big Larry. I just offered up my opinion. As far as I am concerned, being able to insure a gun, for example, for what someone has paid for it, far outweighs all other considerations. Again, jus my opinion.
have a good evening, friend.
james
I think you can probably find as many opinions on the best shipper as there are…well, you know the saying.
Here in my neck of the woods USPS is the worst I have ever encountered. Turnover is high so we rarely have the same carrier for any length of time. Mail regularly doesn’t show up until 9pm and even then, at least once a week you’ll see neighbors meeting in the street to swap mis-delivered mail to get it to it’s rightful recipient and I am convinced that, with packages such as Amazon, they outright lie to meet quota. I’m disabled and order a lot of “normal” stuff on Amazon for convenience, and regularly I might have three packages due and only two show up, with the tracking info on the third saying “no suitable delivery location available.” Of course the other two found a “suitable” place. It inevitably shows up the next day. Damn carrier left it in his truck and was too lazy to go back to get it and didn’t want to get dinged.
Meanwhile UPS has the same guy every time, he knows me, and with their online preferred customer program, I can digitally sign for packages if need be (when allowed by the shipper), select a 2-hour delivery window if I do have to sign, and the carrier knows to come through the gate into the backyard and leave the package at my back door. He even will grab other non-UPS packages from my porch if he sees them and put them in back as well, knowing they will be safer there and easier for me to get to.
Fed Ex is a toss up, but if you sign up there, they will also send you a notification that you have a package coming to your address and I will usually then redirect it to the local office for pickup before it even arrives if its something I need to sign for. I’m never home during the day.
Yea, so for me, USPS is borderline crooked while UPS if old-school service. But everyone’s mileage varies.
Steve
WACA Member. CFM Member. NRA Lifer.
supergimp said
Meanwhile UPS has the same guy every time…
Maybe because I’m in a rural area, drivers are rotated, or something, but I hardly see the same one twice; of course, I rarely see them at all, because items are usually deposited on my steps. But I’ve often been called to ask for directions, though I’ve lived in the same clearly visible house 75-80 yds from a main road for 35 yrs. Actually, I always ask to have items sent to my PO box, but many shippers flat out refuse to do this. Post Offices around here in northern NY (often rented space in another bldg., rather than those ugly brick boxes the gov’t builds) average only about 8 m. apart, so within those small areas, postal employees tend to know everyone but newcomers.
I am about to experience what it is like to go through a claim with UPS, and it already does not sound good. I shipped a nice vintage 22 rifle from here to SC. Value around $1000.00, packed in heavy cardboard box, in a heavy padded gun case, packed with bunched up newspaper, taped well, red FRAGIL signs all over the box. Along the way in Salt Lake City, Utah it got banged up. Gun out of box, box tore up, tang sight ripped off, case gone, and butt stock broken at the wrist. They will not send pictures or even discuss in any detail what the damages really are. I have to wait for their people to access the situation and then they will let me know. After reading online about how UPS handles claims, I do not have much hope. They just will come back and say that the package was not wrapped correctly, and they are not responsible for any damages. And no they don’t care if you had insurance or not. I understand that’s how they work. I will let you know what happens. Peter
Eagle said
…red FRAGIL signs all over the box.
I’ve known the owner of the nearest UPS store for over 20 yrs, because I have them do all the copying, sign-making, other paper-related stuff for the gun club I manage. Don’t often ship there myself, preferring USPS, but once when I was returning an item I asked whether it made any difference to check the “fragile” box on the shipping form; he said “none whatsoever–it’s on the form only to make the customer less anxious.”
I’ve seen some incredibly large & heavy items in this store waiting to be wrapped for shipment, several Moose heads, for ex., but when I was there a few days ago to have some paperwork done, I was amazed to see an enormous antique cast iron sink, like something used in a commercial kitchen–I picked up on one end, and it weighed not less than 300 lb, maybe more. The handling of such large heavy items by UPS is one of the reasons, I think, that other items loaded on the same truck often get damaged.
Eagle said
I am about to experience what it is like to go through a claim with UPS, and it already does not sound good. I shipped a nice vintage 22 rifle from here to SC. Value around $1000.00, packed in heavy cardboard box, in a heavy padded gun case, packed with bunched up newspaper, taped well, red FRAGIL signs all over the box. Along the way in Salt Lake City, Utah it got banged up. Gun out of box, box tore up, tang sight ripped off, case gone, and butt stock broken at the wrist. They will not send pictures or even discuss in any detail what the damages really are. I have to wait for their people to access the situation and then they will let me know. After reading online about how UPS handles claims, I do not have much hope. They just will come back and say that the package was not wrapped correctly, and they are not responsible for any damages. And no they don’t care if you had insurance or not. I understand that’s how they work. I will let you know what happens. Peter
Peter, I am really sorry to hear that. I do hope that your claim is honored. Please keep us posted on their actions.
James
November 7, 2015
I’ve done UPS and USPS and generally prefer UPS. I have a very good driver where I work so I figure that helps a little. When shipping USPS sometimes a bit of education of the clerk is necessary and sometimes I just don’t feel it’s worth the hassle. Once mailed a rifle “priority” because I gave up on educating the clerk and the supervisor was at lunch. It may have actually been a good thing, just didn’t appreciate the extra expense.
FedEx loves to blame their conveyor belts for any damage, as if that’s an excuse. At my job I spend a fair bit of my time filing transportation claims, FedEx Ground seems to be especially talented at inflicting damage but they don’t ship firearms.
I have to admit, I am a little biased when it come to UPS. My Grandson is a UPS driver in California and I am a retired Teamster from Consolidated Freightways. My pension checks come from Prudential and Prudential is now kept funded most in part, by the Teamster Union folks at UPS. So, no matter what, I will continue to ship UPS. I am a very loyal retired Teamster. Big Larry
Update…After 2 weeks + at Salt Lake, City, Utah, I got a notice that the status of my claim had changed…they find that the merchandise in the package was damaged…no kidding! I have called the damage control people several times after I filed a claim. I have no claim # or anything else. The people I talked to have an accent, and when I asked where they were from they said “Virginia”. Is there a Virginia in the Philippines??
Well. Happy to see things moving forward. I hope this gets resolved for you.
Whenever I have to deal with call centers like this I also ask where they are from. When they respond and you know they are lying I like to strike up a friendly conversation about their “hometown,” maybe pretending I will be visiting and start asking for restaurant recommendations.
Its also fun to open the conversation with “This call may be monitored for quality control.” Always throws them off.
Turnabout is fair play.
Good luck.
WACA Member. CFM Member. NRA Lifer.
Eagle said
…The people I talked to have an accent, and when I asked where they were from they said “Virginia”. Is there a Virginia in the Philippines??
Not that I’m aware of; on the other hand, as a result of 8 years of (almost) unrestricted immigration, the call-center location might really be Virginia!
What becomes of a damaged item if UPS eventually does pay the full insurance claim? Is it returned, or does it become “their” property?
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