As a shipper of about 100 packages a day, I can say that we have a fair amount of experiences (both positive and negative) with just about all shipping carriers, and would like to respond to statements that have been made.
First off it is important to state with the world (US and outside areas) as large as it is, every shipping company has areas that they serve better than others. We have plenty of customers that wish we didn't use FedEx Ground, but we also have plenty of customers who specifically state not to send by UPS, as again each company serves certain areas better than others. I am sincerely sorry if you are a person that resides in an area where a carrier that we do not use serves your area better than others available.
FedEx Ground and UPS Ground service as far as services available, price, etc are exactly identical - to the point that it is kind of scary. But by in large our claims (and this includes damage, loss, non-delivery, etc) are down about 20% with FedEx Ground compared to UPS, and that to us is very important for customers receiving their merchandise in good working order.
I would also like to comment about shipping by mail. We do ship by mail,
it's outlined on our web site, but again as a shipper of lots of packages I
think I know what they are good at and what they are not. They are good for
letters, small parcels, and things of this nature. However if something
goes wrong you are completely out of luck trying to figure out what the
problem is, where your package is, or when you will receive it. Have you
ever tried to find a phone number on the USPS web site? It's quite comical.
Also I am unsure if you have ever tried to submit a claim on loss or damage,
but purchasing additional insurance is simply a waste of money, as the USPS
does not pay claims.
So we do ship by mail, and certainly advise people to do so on small international orders of little value and are not time sensitive, where it is worth the risk. However we state that on orders shipped out by mail we will not accept a claim for loss or damage in transit, it is at the customers risk.
So like many things in life I do think you get what you pay for when employing the services of a currier such as FedEx or UPS rather than shipping by mail. It is just a question as to what is appropriate for your needs.
Regards,
Aaron Salik
Talas
20 West 20th Street
New York, NY 10011
212-219-0770 Phone
212-219-0735 Fax
http://talasonline.com
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