Shipping

This is a loaded question. You are going to get good and bad stories from everyone.

All my purchases have been mainly UPS but I have no horror stories to give you.

Agree on a loaded question, but in my experience I've had the best success with UPS, then USPS, and the worst by far FedEx. Personally, if possible, I use UPS. But again, I'm sure different for others.

#1. Your packaging is the key to success.        

#2.  I’ve shipped over 250 items, mostly RR/train stuff , 98% via USPS & have never had a claim .  USPS did crush a boxed Weaver car, but rule #1 saved the claim, the car was fine.

Hope this doesn’t jinx me !

Rich

I use USPS as they are quite bit less the my local UPS store.

However I ask the buyer if they have a preference based on their experience. A particular local office may or may not be managed well.

@ChiTown Steve posted:

I use USPS as they are quite bit less the my local UPS store. ...

I was recently introduced to Pirateship - much lower rates while using USPS and UPS.  (Edit:  removed FedEx, as a forum member who frequently uses Pirateship messaged me to say that it is not included as an option.)

I agree with @trestleking above - packing is the key.  Many packages that I receive have dented corners or an impact wound to the side; proper packing keeps this from affecting the item inside.

My biggest problem has been that items are delivered to the wrong address, so monitoring the tracking info is essential - as soon as I get the delivery text, I check the porch or ask a neighbor to check if I'm not home.  USPS has never made this mistake, as they are in the neighborhood every day.  FedEx is the worst for this, with UPS in between.  The houses in my area don't look alike, aren't too close together, and addresses are well marked, so the mistakes are the result of sloppy and inattentive drivers.   

When we had a retail hobby shop back from 1987-1995 or so we received many packages from various distributors weekly. Didn't do much shipping out until later when I began dealing in trains after we closed the store. From what I remember we only had one or two damaged shipments in all those years which were UPS and taken care of quickly.  Another time I received an original Bascule bridge that was a full Ex+/LN (and expensive!) and it appeared to be fine. Upon opening the package I was dismayed to discover one of the horizontal bridge struts was badly bent from an impact. Looking at the box again, I discovered a round hole less than an inch in diameter where something (a rod) had impaled the box in transit! 

UPS was great and allowed me to keep the damaged bridge and gave me a partial $$ refund based upon the value differential of a LN bridge and a now VG piece as I was able to bend the strut back into place but it left a visible crease. These bridges were difficult to find back then and I was glad to have one!

Had something else damaged by the post office once and the only option was a full refund but I would have had to surrender the object to collect.

I have had the best results with USPS. Fed Ex sometimes mis-delivers to the wrong address but they are OK most of the time. We like USPS best, plus Priority Mail gets packages to their destinations faster than either FedEx or UPS Ground services.

@Mallard4468 posted:

I was recently introduced to Pirateship - much lower rates while using USPS and UPS.

I need to make time and setup Pirateship as well. I don't have a lot to sell at the moment but it makes sense to use it.

I had a disappointing experience with USPS the past week. I had work done to my driveway and it was roped off to vehicle traffic. During the 2-day out of commission driveway, UPS and Fedex both delivered packages, one simply by leaving them at the mailbox, and the other left at my front door. USPS on the other hand, left me a nasty hand-written note that I had to pick up my packages at the "office" due to "driveway blocked." When I went to the post office I inquired about the reason they couldn't leave them, and they told me if a driveway is blocked they will NOT walk up the yard and hand-deliver.

As an alternative to the above, the postal worker could've simply driven up my neighbor's driveway and then walked 30 feet to my front door, which is possibly what the Fedex had done.

As my college pre-calculus teacher used to say: "Use brain. Find Solution."