WTF is UPS Surepost and why is it the worst shipping method of all time?

TheGerman

TheGerman

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    • Jan 25, 2010
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    #1
    Just got tracking info for something being shipped from NC to UT via UPS. Package is like 4 pounds.

    While I know ground can be slow because you basically lose the weekends, I had to do a double take when I realized the expected delivery date was 13 days from now. THIRTEEN.

    UPS Surepost? What the fuck is this faggotry? Thirteen days? Whoever came up with this should seriously just fucking kill themselves.
     
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    #5
    Whiners be whining.

     

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    #7
    It is horrible. I had a package arrive from Salt Lake to Boise in 12 days another from Reno in 10. I happened to be reading a story about Jim Beckworth (mountain man) who was in Boise at the time during the early 1800s and decided to go to Carson City NV area on a lark. He did it, with three others in 9 days on horseback, faster than the item from sure post.

    Standard horseback (not pony express) was faster than sure post.
     
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    #11
    CMH said:
    What is UPS Surepost? It is a product that combines the worst parts of UPS and USPS in one place for your consuming pleasure.
    Click to expand...

    Because, only UPS can lower that bar so far, that in effect, it's now underground.......

    ​​​​​​What is UPS Surepost ? I'm certain it is UPS' way of marketing their services such that all other "superior" services prices will be going up.

    UPS has to be the worst company in America.
     
    #12
    The most expensive part of shipping is the "last mile" the personal delivery to each address. Because the USPS drives past 95% of every home in america everyday it makes sense (didn't say it worked) to sublet the "last mile" to someone who is already making the expense. The theory is sound, the application sucks. When it gets to a UPS hub, they don't run every package over to USPS individually. they wait until they have a truck load, can take a day to a few days. THEN it has to go through the entire USPS system.

    If you not in a hurry, and the savings is passed on to you it is not to bad. Last year I ordered a Ar-15 hand guard, shipping was free if I did the "economy shipping". It was in Wisconsin, I too am in Utah. Hand guard sat in Anchorage, AK for 4 days.
     
    #14
    The only thing I really dislike about surepost is that the delivery confirmation is to the post office, not to your mail box. It's cheaper than standard so I expect it to be slower. Living near Houston I'm lucky that I can go to a brick and mortar store for virtually anything I need "right now." Slow delivery isn't really s big deal. Like said above, "first world problems..."
     
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    #15
    Threadcutter308 said:
    Because, only UPS can lower that bar so far, that in effect, it's now underground.......

    ​​​​​​What is UPS Surepost ? I'm certain it is UPS' way of marketing their services such that all other "superior" services prices will be going up.

    UPS has to be the worst company in America.
    Click to expand...

    Close.

    EA always wins that category.
     
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    #16
    I get packages from UPS and UPS Surepost quite frequently. If the UPS driver was already going to be dropping off a regular UPS package to your address on that date he may deliver it instead of the Post Office. At least that's the way it has worked for me. Another thing, that estimated date of delivery is usually a worst case scenario. Even with the PO doing the delivery I usually get it 1-2 days sooner.

    Wanna know what is much worse than UPS SurePost? Try FedEx Surepost. I dread getting shit from Optics Planet or Midway using their "free" shipping. Invariably it is FedEx Surepost and horseback would be faster, no shit. THEY are the worst.
     
    #17
    Arc Light said:
    I get packages from UPS and UPS Surepost quite frequently. If the UPS driver was already going to be dropping off a regular UPS package to your address on that date he may deliver it instead of the Post Office. At least that's the way it has worked for me. Another thing, that estimated date of delivery is usually a worst case scenario. Even with the PO doing the delivery I usually get it 1-2 days sooner.

    Wanna know what is much worse than UPS SurePost? Try FedEx Surepost. I dread getting shit from Optics Planet or Midway using their "free" shipping. Invariably it is FedEx Surepost and horseback would be faster, no shit. THEY are the worst.
    Click to expand...

    Yeah I haven't paid attention to it, but the cheap shipping options now make sense as to why I order from some vendors and it literally takes forever to show up. I think I just see UPS and figure its ground. Getting this shipping notice today now makes me actively remember to avoid this shit.
     
    #19
    TheGerman said:
    Yeah I haven't paid attention to it, but the cheap shipping options now make sense as to why I order from some vendors and it literally takes forever to show up. I think I just see UPS and figure its ground. Getting this shipping notice today now makes me actively remember to avoid this shit.
    Click to expand...

    The way I figure it, If I don't need it within 2 weeks I am OK with most vendor's "free" shipping option. 9/10 times is gonna be slow ass SurePost, either UPS or most likely FedEx since it's cheaper for them. If I can't wait, and I am not a patient person, I will pay the $3.99 extra or whatever it is for good old UPS or FedEx Ground. At least I know with certainty the day it will arrive.
     
    #20
    TheGerman said:
    Just got tracking info for something being shipped from NC to UT via UPS. Package is like 4 pounds.

    While I know ground can be slow because you basically lose the weekends, I had to do a double take when I realized the expected delivery date was 13 days from now. THIRTEEN.

    UPS Surepost? What the fuck is this faggotry? Thirteen days? Whoever came up with this should seriously just fucking kill themselves.
    Click to expand...



    Having repeatedy had shipments vanish in transit with UPS, I now use DHL. Door to door from EU to any US zip in just over 24hrs.
     
    #21
    Amsdorf said:
    Next time be sure what method they use to ship it, or else, you know...you could just pop on the forum here and cry like a little girl. You are good at it.
    Click to expand...

    Hey, no problem. Glad I could help.

    Don't need you getting too worked up; you look like its a race between the diabeetus and a bad cholesterol day getting you. ;)
     
    Last edited:
    #24
    I can't stand Surepost....FedEx does the same thing. It takes two weeks to get to me. I don't think the system even works...I tracked a package and watched it bounce between Houston and Austin twice before they figured out where it should go. I now always include something like an aerosol/oil/liquid when I order from Brownell's (a couple times a week), just so they can't use SurePost.
     
    Last edited:
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    #27
    Here is the issue:

    People have a total disconnect between what it actually costs a company to ship something & what they want to pay.
    In addition thanks to the marketing lies that some big companies like eBay and Amazon push, people are under the delusion that everything arrives in like 2 days and shipping companies work for free.
    UPS, FedEx and most other carriers hugely raised the rates for residential deliveries a couple years ago due to the extra work and driving involved & nobody being home to get the package on the first couple tries. (This is also why Amazon is going to their own gig economy carriers and dedicated Sunday mail delivery contracts)

    So, in order to not loose all their residential delivery business to somebody else, UPS, FedEx, DHL etc, offer a cheaper service that takes the package most of the way to the delivery location & then gives it to the post office to go the rest of the way. Generally this results in an extra 1 to 2 business days in transit for the most part (Standard ground packages take 1 to 10 business days depending on sending and receiving location).

    Specifically this service is for small packages in the under 10 pounds mostly and generally is used for lower value items or stuff where customers want that "free shipping" lie that makes them feel good. (Nothing in life is free and shipping is NEVER free, you are just paying for it another way not broken out separately on the bill, just the same as the 3% national sales tax you pay on almost everything you buy at the store, that most don't realize is there but is part of the "no credit card surcharges" thing & goes to the credit card companies.)

    The little package going to your home address out in the middle of nowhere might cost $15 to $20 to send via UPS ground, FedEx Home Delivery etc, as compared to $9 to $12 with USPS doing the last mile delivery (and just in case you are thinking they should send them all the way with USPS, sending any larger packages all the way with the mail is a fair bit more expensive).

    So if you are upset about it, then see if the store you are buying stuff from offers upgraded shipping options, my guess is most people will whine and carry on about shipping time but if presented with a checkout option for $10 (or "free") shipping and $15 to $20 for shipping, they will pick the cheaper option, but still complain.

    What can get annoying is when you are not given the option to pay a bit extra for standard ground shipping & only have the USPS/Ground hybrid options or the expensive next day / 2 day air choices.
     
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    #29
    W54/XM-388 said:
    Here is the issue:

    People have a total disconnect between what it actually costs a company to ship something & what they want to pay.
    In addition thanks to the marketing lies that some big companies like eBay and Amazon push, people are under the delusion that everything arrives in like 2 days and shipping companies work for free.
    UPS, FedEx and most other carriers hugely raised the rates for residential deliveries a couple years ago due to the extra work and driving involved & nobody being home to get the package on the first couple tries. (This is also why Amazon is going to their own gig economy carriers and dedicated Sunday mail delivery contracts)

    So, in order to not loose all their residential delivery business to somebody else, UPS, FedEx, DHL etc, offer a cheaper service that takes the package most of the way to the delivery location & then gives it to the post office to go the rest of the way. Generally this results in an extra 1 to 2 business days in transit for the most part (Standard ground packages take 1 to 10 business days depending on sending and receiving location).

    Specifically this service is for small packages in the under 10 pounds mostly and generally is used for lower value items or stuff where customers want that "free shipping" lie that makes them feel good. (Nothing in life is free and shipping is NEVER free, you are just paying for it another way not broken out separately on the bill, just the same as the 3% national sales tax you pay on almost everything you buy at the store, that most don't realize is there but is part of the "no credit card surcharges" thing & goes to the credit card companies.)

    The little package going to your home address out in the middle of nowhere might cost $15 to $20 to send via UPS ground, FedEx Home Delivery etc, as compared to $9 to $12 with USPS doing the last mile delivery (and just in case you are thinking they should send them all the way with USPS, sending any larger packages all the way with the mail is a fair bit more expensive).

    So if you are upset about it, then see if the store you are buying stuff from offers upgraded shipping options, my guess is most people will whine and carry on about shipping time but if presented with a checkout option for $10 (or "free") shipping and $15 to $20 for shipping, they will pick the cheaper option, but still complain.

    What can get annoying is when you are not given the option to pay a bit extra for standard ground shipping & only have the USPS/Ground hybrid options or the expensive next day / 2 day air choices.
    Click to expand...



    Quoted the whole thing, the idiots commenting on shipping costs don't have any idea what is involved in shipping expenses, so they will just keep bitching, even when they get free shipping.

    But thanks for interjecting some adult, mature common sense in this whole thing.
     
    #30
    The shipping I selected was actually USPS (so I figured it would come priority or something along the lines of regular US postal shipping which is somewhere around 5ish days); apparently USPS means UPS Surepost to them...no idea WTF that was until I got the shipping notice with a UPS email which made me look at it more closely. I'm bitching about the 13 days, but reading is apparently not important here.

    So next time, let's not forget to put the hostess cakes down long enough to actually comprehend what you are reading, and point out where I mentioned anything about cost.
     
    #31
    2ndamendfan said:
    The most expensive part of shipping is the "last mile" the personal delivery to each address. Because the USPS drives past 95% of every home in america everyday it makes sense (didn't say it worked) to sublet the "last mile" to someone who is already making the expense. The theory is sound, the application sucks. When it gets to a UPS hub, they don't run every package over to USPS individually. they wait until they have a truck load, can take a day to a few days. THEN it has to go through the entire USPS system.

    If you not in a hurry, and the savings is passed on to you it is not to bad. Last year I ordered a Ar-15 hand guard, shipping was free if I did the "economy shipping". It was in Wisconsin, I too am in Utah. Hand guard sat in Anchorage, AK for 4 days.
    Click to expand...

    Actually the UPS truck backs up to the actual post office and drops the packages off at the delivery office. That's part of how they get the price break. The post office doesn't touch Surepost until it reaches the delivery office. When I was still carrying we would have 2 UPS tractor trailers pull up and unload at my office with 30 routes during the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Then outside of the Christmas season they are delivered by your letter carrier the next day. During Christmas carriers will be going back out after they deliver their route in the evening and in the morning before delivering their route to deliver parcels.
     
    #32
    packratt said:
    Actually the UPS truck backs up to the actual post office and drops the packages off at the delivery office. That's part of how they get the price break. The post office doesn't touch Surepost until it reaches the delivery office. When I was still carrying we would have 2 UPS tractor trailers pull up and unload at my office with 30 routes during the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Then outside of the Christmas season they are delivered by your letter carrier the next day. During Christmas carriers will be going back out after they deliver their route in the evening and in the morning before delivering their route to deliver parcels.
    Click to expand...

    Right, 22 UPS trucks don't stop individually at the local post office. UPS waits until they have a truck load or two to take to the USPS facility.
     
    #34
    TheGerman said:
    Just got tracking info for something being shipped from NC to UT via UPS. Package is like 4 pounds.

    While I know ground can be slow because you basically lose the weekends, I had to do a double take when I realized the expected delivery date was 13 days from now. THIRTEEN.

    UPS Surepost? What the fuck is this faggotry? Thirteen days? Whoever came up with this should seriously just fucking kill themselves.
    Click to expand...

    Its where tweedle dumb hands the package over to tweedle dumber - so you have 2x cchances of it getting fucked up, and 1/2 the chance to resolve it while these dipshits point fingers at each other.
     
    #35
    Indiana here. Bought some shit from amazon (around 3 lbs and could fit in a small box), shipped out of the Indianapolis IN warehouse. A week later I am wondering what the fuck happened to the two day shipping I pay a membership for, only to see my package is in Billings, MT. Now, on day 12, finally getting closer, Minneapolis, MN. Apparently had to take a 4000 mile detour to make it 100 miles to my house. Sometimes I wonder if they purposely fuck shit up.
     
    #38
    I remember when I lost my Surepost virginity. Not long ago I ordered a pistol extractor. A tiny envelope weighing a fraction of an ounce. I paid the $13 shipping cost without whining and assumed I'd see it in a few days. Check the tracking number 3 days later and see it made it from Arizona to Chicago in just over one day and Chicago is only 2 hours from me, cool it'll obviously show up tomorrow or so I thought. Nope, I got to watch it bounce from Chicago to Milwaukee twice then show up at the local UPS hub 20 minutes away and sit there for two days before getting transferred to the post office 5 minutes away from me. It was a 12 day trip even though it covered 90%+ of the distance in 30 hours. I don't specifically remember selecting Surepost as my shipping option but I'm damn sure going to be avoiding it now.
     
    #41
    Ordered 2 books from Amazon on Dec 17. They were shipped by UPS Surepost on Dec 20 from NJ. Tracking shows they got to within 80 miles of my home on Dec 26. Then for some unknown reason they were sent 500 miles south to Fort Worth Texas. Now expected delivery is Jan 3 (over 2 1/2 weeks).

    Almost get the impression that Surepost operates as inefficiently as possible so as to not siphon business away from regular ground delivery.
     
    #42
    add a tiny box of cheap .22 ammo to your order and you can guarantee usps won't touch your shipment. of course this won't work at amazon, or other non-firearms-related shops.
     
    #43
    I just love to read these bitchin threads :)
    I live in a city that is both my regional UPS and USPS hub.
    Ground stuff usually comes through Memphis and down the interstate to my city.
    Air stuff comes in to New Orleans in the afternoon, trucked over at 6AM, out for delivery by 9AM I get it before dark :)
    Midway uses Sure Post to me. I like it. Of course the Christmas presents to both my regular UPS driver and my Postman (not the part time Amazon drivers) might help.
    An ammo source in Utah/Idaho I buy from takes a large UPS spiral through Washington, Oregon, Calif, Texas, Louisiana to get to me.


    Butt, I do feel for you guys that live off the grid in BFE :)
     
    #44
    Ordered 2 holsters same day, same company. One came from Missouri took 8 days. One came from TURKEY !!! (yes the country) via FEDEX. took 2 days. Surepost is slower than molasses in winter!

    BW
     
    #45
    Some of the companies using surepost drag their feet getting the package to the shipper. I have gotten tracking numbers and watched the status remain "Enroute to shipper" for days. If it's shipped same/next day, USPS adds one day.

    Recently ordered new grips for the MTB. Wasn't in a hurry so I didn't bother to upgrade. Package wasn't handed off to shipper for three days. Once in the system delivery date was four days later. Received in three.
     
    #47
    Resurrected thread!
    I've mentioned this trick I learned before, but if ordering from a company that also sells ammo, even if you don't need any, put some in your order. Even just a cheap box of .22LR. They can't use SurePost to ship your order that way.

    I've had packages completely lost using SurePost twice. Both times, the tracking was perfect and timely, right up until the time it was handed off to USPS and the trail went cold there. I will avoid it and pay more to do so if needed.
     
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