Shipping Woes

I sell on Ebay from time to time, and I've always used UPS, especially when sending large packages. I never had any problems with them until recently. It started when hubby ordered a set of tires from a shop in California. We paid for 2-3 day delivery because we really needed the tires that weekend. They left the shop on time, but we didn't receive them until almost 2 weeks later. UPS kept rescheduling the package. I'm used to having a packaged rescheduled, but it's ridiculous when the package is rescheduled every day for 2 weeks due to train delay. Are you telling me every train in the entire country that carries UPS was late those weeks?

A couple weeks later I ordered a motherboard. The board arrived here on time, but was dead, so I had to return it. I paid almost $50 to return the board 2nd day Air (not counting the $9 cost just for a shipping box because they wouldn't accept my plain brown box) so it would be guaranteed, but it didn't show up on time. Yet again the tracking site told me it was rescheduled due to "train delays". Explain to me how I'm receiving train delays on an air mailed package? UPS refunded half the shipping cost, but I still had to pay a $30 charge to the company I ordered the motherboard from for not returning it on time, so I still ended up losing money.

Since then I have switched to USPS. Their prices are better, I love the priority mail packages that ship for a flat rate, and even though their tracking is slow, packages normally arrive with 2-3 days at most. I can also leave the packages on my porch for my mail lady to pick up as long as I leave a note in the mailbox telling her to grab them. I don't have to worry about remembering to pre-schedule a pickup, and I don't have to pay extra for it like I did with UPS.

The UPS store had a hissy fit when I wanted to use my own packaging, and basically refused to ship my package until I purchased a UPS box to put it in. USPS gives me free priority mail flat rate boxes and envelopes if I choose to go that route, or I can use any of my own packaging as long as it fits mailing standards. I think I will be using USPS from now on.