USPS-UPS-FedEx-Prime: Holiday Shipping & Timeliness of Deliveries

[SD]

Knowing this time of year causes a huge surge in packages being shipped and then adding in the COVID-19 and weakened supply chain did you ship or purchaser earlier then previous years? To avoid frustrations with out of stock items and overwhelmed delivery carriers my shopping is usually completed before Thanksgiving. This year my time table was a little off but my last gift (wife's homemade cookies) was sent out 12/07 priority mail with a delivery guarantee for 12/10 so far it is still being carried as "arriving late", no worries still plenty of time. So with the exception of a single package with the USPS both FedEx and UPS have been spot on with deliveries and tracking information. Wondering what experiences others here are finding with delivery companies and supply chain slow downs?

[blues]

Timetables haven't been too lopsided or going sideways for us so far with a couple of exceptions.

One USPS package that sat at a regional distribution center for a week for no discernible reason, but then was delivered with no issues.

And FedEx Ground which is almost invariably the least dependable of our local delivery companies. They will miss scheduled deliveries regularly without rhyme or reason, and deliver up to several days later without any sort of explanation, delivery exception etc. I usually hold my breath when I know I have a package coming with FedEx.

UPS is the most reliable in our neck of the woods...I would say by far.

Amazon Prime delivery has also been quite good in our area. Surprisingly so.

[beenalongtime]

Talked with several UPS drivers I know; pretty much since late March, have been as busy as the after Thanksgiving rush. USPS is similar, although one mail carrier I know is so happy to see Amazon get their own trucks, but hasn't noticed a decline in how full his vehicle is, daily.
Fedex doesn't come around often, although I need to send something out that way (recalled, firearm). Problem is, I am in the middle of the move.

The ONLY one that truely worries me, especially after last months fiasco (it appears the post office, misdelivered a couple of bills, and the checks were overwritten, partially, then cashed), is USPS, with both houses property taxes. Last year, before all this, they received them, but didn't start processing them, until almost Feb. (crediting everyone accordingly)

[olstyn]

Amazon Prime delivery has also been quite good in our area. Surprisingly so.

Prime has been far and away the most reliable here.

An order via UPS recently was delayed several days beyond its original expected arrival date, but arrived just fine and the driver even seemingly did his best to prevent porch pirates from noticing our delivery (a new TV), so that was nice.

Haven't had any deliveries from FedEx lately, so can't comment there.

USPS has been iffy at best for the last quite a while. The JMCK order I was so happy to have received a shipping notice for seems to be in limbo somewhere between Reno, NV and here, and all the tracking says right now is "In Transit, Arriving Late" with no details on where it actually is. Not the most confidence-inspiring thing ever. OTOH, when I shipped my dad's watch out for a tune up/cosmetic repair via USPS priority mail, that shipment went through with no issues whatsoever. Probably didn't hurt that I paid a significant amount extra for insurance, I suppose...

[blues]

@olstyn

Insurance through USPS doesn't seem to be a reliable barometer of on-time processing or delivery, in my experience. Just thank the gods of vagary and chance.

[GearFondler]

@olstyn

Insurance through USPS doesn't seem to be a reliable barometer of on-time processing or delivery, in my experience. Just thank the gods of vagary and chance.

This x 1000.... There's even a history of events that suggests that paying for extra insurance only targets the package for internal theft. And that's before the nightmare stories of people trying to actually collect the insurance on lost packages. It's always a bit of a crap shoot.

[olstyn]

This x 1000.... There's even a history of events that suggests that paying for extra insurance only targets the package for internal theft. And that's before the nightmare stories of people trying to actually collect the insurance on lost packages. It's always a bit of a crap shoot.

Fair enough. Given that the watch in question is essentially irreplaceable, both because it's ~50 years old and rare *and* because any replacement wouldn't be the one that belonged to my father, I felt compelled to insure it. Had it gotten lost in transit, I absolutely would have fought with USPS to the bitter end about collecting on the insurance.

[TQP]

Everyone's been slow, Amazon seems to be less slow than most.

I have 2 packages currently in limbo with USPS. Both are over a week, and are coming from 1 state away.

I also had a UPS next day air package disappear between here and Cincinnati last week.

[tango-papa]

Purchased a rifle via Gunbroker from a dealer I've done business with - known solid/good to go.

Package shipped via USPS Priority mail 2-day.
Package shipping from Alabama to Texas.

Dealer shipped package/picked up by local USPS in Alabama on 12/01/2020.
Package departed from same local post office on 12/01/2020.
Status updated on 12/05/2020 to what appears to be the new standard bullshit/fuckery status for the USPS:

"In Transit, Arriving Late
Your package will arrive later than expected, but is still on its way. It is currently in transit to the next facility."

Dealer is aware of the issue & advised the package is likely hung up in Birmingham. Dealer advised inside info the Birmingham USPS hub has a majority of the employees playing the Covid19 game for free time off.

[Bratch]

I’ve had 3 2 day USPS packages take 2 weeks to be delivered in the last month. UPS, FedEx and Amazon have all been on time or within a day. UPS actually delivered a package a 2 days early yesterday. Was scheduled for Monday and got it Saturday.