Fedex or UPS ?

I ship thousands of packages a year, the majority are shipped by USPS. I do use FedEx for a few things because they beat USPS on prices rarely. I have found UPS the best for odd large items (Tires, Motorcycle Frames). So I use and receive packages from all three and occasionally freight lines.

Having tracking has improved all three shippers, and I find them all equally dependable. All three pickup at my door, all three give me discounts off there rates. For the average package USPS is usually the cheapest by far, followed by UPS and FedEx is the most expensive. Although there is some variability there. All three pickup from my place, all three deliver to my door.

I only have a damaged package rate of about 1%. There is on occasional slow transit package as well. Considering everything that is amazing. For the average shipper USPS will be very hard to beat.

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www.jlmissouri.com Lewis Family Farm

My experience is solely based on ordering things for work (ie if something is down, a line is down and it costs the company about $1500/hr, and there goes this quarters profit sharing bonus)

UPS Red and NextDay are next day. Early AM is before 9 AM

FedEx Red is the morning after the day you order it, not the next day.

If I need something, I go UPS Red, early AM. I know it will be there before 9am the next day.

(Had something come early AM last Friday. Left Port Huron MI at 5 pm, and before it got to us in Shepherd MI (2 ½ hours away) it went to Detroit, Kentucky, Lansing and then out closest depot in Mt Pleasant by 7:30 am)

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Roger

USPS is terrible. They want to leave packages on the mailbox and scan them as delivered. They will not drive up any driveways. If you complain, they "forget" they have a written note saying they are not to hang packages on our mailboxes. It's a 20 mile round trip to the PO, but at least we get our package. They also mix up letters on a regular basis--giving our neighbors and us mixed up mail, we've all been here over 20 years, with the same driver.
Both UPS and Fed EX are great. I won't shop with companies that use the UPS or FedEx to USPS for delivery. I still have to go to the PO to get it and it takes forever to get to the PO, or at least to get the message that it's there.

Seems all situations are not equal. UPS is hit and miss. They will drop at wrong address or say package is undeliverable. If a package is lost or not delivered try to get it resolved thru UPS then let us know how you like them. They just say it's not our problem, go talk to the seller. Once the driver says he sit it at your doorstep that is the final word!
Thankfully a good neighbor usually shows up with the package a few days later. They could keep it if they wanted because I would never know.
The USPS may be slower but at least I can talk to someone and get a few answers
FedEx has always delivered to my address without issue
Anyway that has been my experience.

UPS has always gotten us our packages and they don't mind the dogs, both drivers carry treats. Fedex is a pain in the ass we have to drive 35 miles to town to get our packages unless they hand them off to USPS. USPS is hit or miss we only get delivery 2-3 times a week but the guy drives by every day. They do not bring packages to your door you must go into town to get them at least it's only 10 miles to that office. UPS seems to be the fastest especially if it's big or heavy.

we finally surrendered and stopped having ups or fedex try to deliver here at the house, and have everything sent to my sisters place a couple miles out on the main highway. Last time I used Fedex and tried for home delivery, they said they'd delivered.... nope... checked all the neighbors, finally had to get them on the phone, and talk to the driver.... he'd left it in town, 8 miles away, at my 'next door neighbors'. It was vaccines, that had to be refrigerated... arrgghhh

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Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. Seneca
Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival. W. Edwards Deming

We had some VERY bad experiences with shipping Priority Mail (USPS). Turns out that the US Postal Service fakes their tracking information. They don't really know where packages are. They lost a bunch of our packages and they never paid up for insurance or even the cost of postage. This happened over a period of about 18 months. We switched to UPS and FedEx as a result. Neither UPS nor FedEx has caused us any trouble. They do real tracking. They have better customer service. Sometimes one is cheaper, sometimes the other.

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