2. analog
  3. 191210-63554

Can You Trust a Shipper? (UPS, Fed-Ex, etc)

No you cannot, and here's why: In July, I bought a Rotel tuner from an ebay seller with a rating of 99.8% on hundreds of transactions. He shipped the tuner via UPS, who delivered the tuner to a business a few miles from my house. Someone from that business signed for my package (it is a warehouse that takes in merchandise from retailers that is being returned to the wholesaler from whence it came). It took several weeks to find this out, and I went to the business back around Labor Day to see what they had to say. I was allowed into the warehouse to do a cursory search for the package, but there must have been 4,000 - 5,000 boxes. PayPal denied a claim I had filed, because the tracking info the seller shared with them showed the package had been delivered. I went to the local UPS store today and was told that a claim had been filed by the seller with UPS and they would have reimbursed him. Moral of the story: Always have your signature required when you have anything shipped, unless you want to fall into this same black hole. Better yet, avoid having anything shipped unless it is from an actual retailer or other reputable company.

 

discnik
discnik OP
160 posts
 

That is exactly what happened to me, but the recipient in my case was not trustworthy, so you are one lucky duck!

lalitk's avatar
lalitk
5,377 posts
 

With FedEx or UPS, do your due diligence and hope for the best. If you want extra care; pay bit more, palletize and ship it via FedEx Freight. High value content, opt for signature required. Even then, no guarantees. If you’re OCD about the shipping and condition of the component, buy from a reputed retailer. 

I have been buying and selling components over 20 years and almost in all instances, buyer don’t wanna pay fees or shipping cost. If you wanna cheap out as buyer, don’t expect seller to go extra mile for you. It’s a business transaction, both parties must feel good about the transaction…discuss and set expectations prior to finalizing a sale. 

awise1961
47 posts
 

Amen,

Always insist on signature required and insurance.

lalitk's avatar
lalitk
5,377 posts
 

@awise1961

Insurance through FedEx and UPS is worthless. When it comes to paying up, they will do all possible to accept any responsibility. Your best insurance is packaging, pack well to the point that box can withstand 3 stories drop or palletize your shipment, almost a requirement for anything weighs over 75lbs. A good measure is, if you can’t lift the box yourself comfortably, it ain’t going to be handled with care.

My UPS driver is a skinny dude, weighs no more than 110lbs. You can do the math. Both UPS / FedEx drivers don’t use any equipment during unloading the boxes :-)

mashif
236 posts
 

With our ubiquitous cameras, the delivery companies should be offering photo evidence of delivery. Amazon often does it and the food delivery companies almost always do.

They could have body mounted cameras and take a photo of the building location or person it's left with. That photo could show up as a text to sender and recipient in seconds. 

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