FedEx, UPS, or USPS. Which one do you prefer?
 

I searched for this but I didn't find anything. Yesterday, I think the USPS was closed, so I decided to go to one of those FedEx Office places to send my mom a package. While I was there, I asked for insurance, but they said they do some kind of "declared value", not insurance. So, I decided to wait until this morning to use the USPS. I've never used UPS, and the "declared value" thing with FedEx bothered me. Plus, FedEx is much more expensive than the USPS. I don't get the the difference. FedEx says they guarantee overnight deliveries, but the USPS does too. I don't understand why FedEx is so expensive. Oh, and they won't deliver to PO boxes either. I mean, I understand that, it's just that I would rather use a service that delivers everywhere.

Just curious to see what everyone else prefers for shipping packages.

Whichever is cheaper. :)

FedEx and UPS are only based on necessity. If USPS can handle it, I give them the task. :)

*blink*

Declared value is probably more accurate/better than "insurance." You tell them how much it's worth, that's what they cover. You pay based on that. There are actually more limitations to what insurance will cover.

They don't deliver to PO boxes because they're not affiliated with the Post Office. (And they usually request someone there to pick up the box. But they will deliver to the person's address even if they have a PO box. They also will sometimes deliver to those storefront PO box places where there is a staff member present, but you have to address it to the physical location in c/o. They probably deliver to about the same number of places as the USPS

They cost more because they do. In theory you're paying for reliability and speed. And for them to be open on July 5th.

I use the USPS but only because of convenience. I can walk to the post office.

There is also the fact that they are privately owned. They have to make a profit while USPS just needs to cover expenses.

Yeah I was kind of covering the "because they do." part. :p

IIRC, USPS is actually a private government-affiliated entity - so, kindof like a contractor. They get some governmental benefits but are not fully government, they get grants, etc, but also function as a private entity in a lot of ways.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but I remember learning along the line that Postal Inspectors are the only private security force with federal police powers.

Yeah they're weird, and they don't get money from the government anymore except maybe for mailing the the military overseas addresses. But it owes money to the Treasury Dept because they're not always breaking even.

I don't know if any other private security/inspection force are considered federal agents, but I can confirm that these guys are and are the largest. Something to google I suppose.

I'm seeing that it's an independent agency, so, more governmental than not, but I do remember reading a few months ago that they weren't not getting a lot of money from the government anymore.

I do prefer the USPS though, for what it's worth. I've never ever had any problems with them, and post offices are easier to find than a UPS or FedEx location in my opinion.

I think they've been independent since the 80's, but they're pretty much just borrowing from the gov. these days. Wiki lists almost a 4bil loss in their last budget.

Actually IIRC they are none of the above. IIRC the USPS IS a private entity. However it is whole owned by the Federal government of the United States.

It's funny, UPS is the most convenient for me. I have no clue where the closest post office is to my home OR office, and the dropboxes have weird times. Most of the time, I'll print out a UPS label, slap it on, and drop it off downstairs with the UPS truck that's always waiting outside the office.

While I was there, she explained the declared value thing to me. Declared value is not necessarily what the customer says she/he paid for it. It's the value of the item itself, regardless of what was spent on it. She also said that if something happens to it, you have to show proof of what you paid for it, but it's still not guaranteed you'll get that back. Depending on the value of the item, you could get more or less. If it went up in value, you have to show proof that it did. The declared value sounded iffy, to me. I like USPS better.

eta: Oh, and she said though they are open on the 5th, packages were not being picked up until the 6th. They were only taking drop offs.

USPS Priority Mail is my go-to for shipping.

USPS flat rate boxes and envelopes are your friend.

Huge savings over the other guys when mailing stuff.

This. Totally agree.

If I send something I do USPS unless it has to get their then FedEx. Never had an issue with next day with FedEx.

If I'm receiving a package I prefer FedEx. Because after tracking a package I was supposed to receive from UPS and FedEx, my package was in holding for 2 days in the city and they didn't allow me to come and pick it up myself as compared to FedEx that when it actually arrived at the final loader before delivery, I had to option.

USPS. I've never had a problem with using USPS, and my dad works for the Post Office here, so I gotta keep it in the family! lol. I'll use FedEx as well since they work with the USPS to deliver packages.

I don't really like UPS, they are the ones that I've had the most problems with when it comes to delivering products. For example, I purchased something last Tuesday, and it was suppose to arrive within 5-7 days. It was going good, but for the last 3 days (according to the UPS tracker) it's been in Dallas. Today is the 7th day from when it was shipped, and it's still in Dallas. WTF UPS?!?

Probably didn't get updated due to the holiday, although I know people who worked for them in the shipping/loading planes side of things. It's probably moved since then, just not been updated.

However, it's still late.

I'm hoping that it just wasn't updated and I'll receive it soon, but I'm not holding my breath. My dad said it was probably because of the holiday, but the last scan was on the 4th of July (ok, so it's been 2 days, lol) so it's not like they weren't working. We'll see what happens though.

I used to work in IT for UPS and was responsible for keeping their shipping systems operational. Let me tell you how much fear and anxiety is caused by shipping things through them now that I know their inner workings but at least I now know not to use them in the middle of the month.

With that said, I typically prefer to ship through USPS. If I need to choose between UPS or FedEx, I'll go with UPS. The few times I've had things shipped to me through FedEx have been the bad experiences I've worried about with UPS. So now, I figure if something goes wrong i can still pick up the phone and call a friend for help in finding out why my package left the Las Vegas Hub and was sent to Nashville instead of going onto a truck and coming to my house :p

This. Although I drop it off at Office Max (open later and on Sundays) or a box at work.

I also use USPS a lot but getting to the post office when they are open can be a challenge and the lines are usually long on Saturday mornings. I never use Fed Ex. The closest Fed Ex place is a lot further away.

USPS * for most of my general stuff plus I have a PO Box with them
UPS * if I need to ship wine/alcohol
Fed Ex * for emergency overnight shipments and or the other services they offer (copier/printing/etc)

I prefer UPS over the other guys!
but I mean, they do pay my bills and all so I'm a tad bit biased. :rolleyes:

[On that note- if anyone has questions about shipping or the other services that The UPS Store offers, PM me!]

So, you work for UPS? I've never used UPS, before. However, whenever I order something online, most of those companies that I order from seem to always use UPS. Maybe I should try them.

Yes I do.

I have a friend who used to work for FedEx. She loved it, plus I think she got like 75% off on her shipping or something like that. I can't quite remember, but it was a lot.

There are definitely some perks to working in the shipping industry!

I have always used USPS when shipping. I never seem to have a problem with them and they're super convenient to where I live.