Attention Amazon Shoppers.

[hobienick]

Originally Posted by dnmatt7

Did you know you can have Amazon mark your account spo that certain carriers aren't used? We were having issues with USPS and Amazon set our account so USPS wouldn't deliver any Amazon fulfilled purchases.

This is good to know. Unfortunately other retailers use FedEx. I have not had an issue with Amazon shipping.

[aray]

Originally Posted by dnmatt7

Did you know you can have Amazon mark your account spo that certain carriers aren't used? We were having issues with USPS and Amazon set our account so USPS wouldn't deliver any Amazon fulfilled purchases.

Good to know. How do you do that? Clearly Amazon has added that as an option since I last used them.

I should be clear: I do still use Amazon, but only in increasingly rare instances when I really can't find the products from other, more genuine/reliable, sources.

Originally Posted by NJKris

Huge Thermoworks fan. Have the Therm-a-Que (pro grade 2 channel thermocouple) and the Thermapen. You can't buy their stuff on Amazon, then or now as far as I know. You have to watch out for brands that sound like them.

Absolutely. I have the Thermapen. They have a procedure for verifying the accuracy of their cooking thermometers. It's easy for boiling water; it's surprisingly complicated to test at the freezing point (due to ice being lower, and water potentially being higher temperatures) but if you follow their procedures you can verify these thermometers, really scientific instruments, are spot-on accurate. Plus it's instant read, plus the probe is tiny-thin compared to other probes. What's not to like? Yeah, it may cost a little bit more, but Thermapen is the last thermometer I'll ever have to buy. Buy once, cry once.

Ray

[dnmatt7]

I had a call with an Amazon representative after the post office messed up 2 orders, sent them to the wrong city and then returned to Amazon. She said she could flag my account to not use USPS as long as it's an Amazon fulfilled order.

Originally Posted by aray

Good to know. How do you do that? Clearly Amazon has added that as an option since I last used them.

I should be clear: I do still use Amazon, but only in increasingly rare instances when I really can't find the products from other, more genuine/reliable, sources.



Absolutely. I have the Thermapen. They have a procedure for verifying the accuracy of their cooking thermometers. It's easy for boiling water; it's surprisingly complicated to test at the freezing point (due to ice being lower, and water potentially being higher temperatures) but if you follow their procedures you can verify these thermometers, really scientific instruments, are spot-on accurate. Plus it's instant read, plus the probe is tiny-thin compared to other probes. What's not to like? Yeah, it may cost a little bit more, but Thermapen is the last thermometer I'll ever have to buy. Buy once, cry once.

Ray

[Mr Towed]

Originally Posted by Qwkynuf

The service you are describing is called "Smart Post". Many shippers offer it as the cheapest/slowest option.

Smart post is the absolute worst. And it teases you because sometimes the tracking will make you think that it’s going to be there the next days and then it will just sit there, or go back to somewhere farther away for a day or two.

[Scott V.]

Originally Posted by Mr Towed

Smart post is the absolute worst. And it teases you because sometimes the tracking will make you think that it’s going to be there the next days and then it will just sit there, or go back to somewhere farther away for a day or two.

Yep, it is the worst. Received a Christmas gift wrong size. Called the company to return, emailed me a Smart Post FedEx label to return it. That was January 21st. The package is no longer trackable as of January 27th. FedEx told me I had to wait 30 days to declare it lost. Called today to declare it lost and was told that since I did not ship it, I could not file the claim, the shipper has to file the claim. The shipper is the one that produced the label, the company the gift was from. Now I have to contact that company to have them file a claim. BS. I'll never deal with FedEx again. $70 gift down the drain.

[Danhikeski]

I bought some smart plugs from eBay a month or so ago. I couldn’t get them to work. Contacted customer service, they wanted an Amazon order number. Wouldn’t help me, I returned themand have looked at them on Amazon, they were $10 less.

[gw1800]

Originally Posted by D W

So true. 99% of the time you won't know that the package is being delivered to the Post Office for delivery until it actually hits the Post Office. Here in Anchorage it is not uncommon for packages to be delivered to your doorstep by a local cartage company whether it be an Amazon, Walmart, DHL, UPS or FEDEX shipment. On another note, In December, I had two Walmart packages physically delivered by an Amazon truck. So go figure.

You can usually tell if it's shipping Smart Post by the shipping number. The number begins with a 9.

[gw1800]

Unless the item says "sold and shipped by Amazon", it is coming from a third party supplier.
We were looking for a certain hard to find item. Amazon had it listed for around $49, forma third party company. I called directly to the company and their price was $34 and free shipping. Arrived in three days USPS.
Amazon prices are almost always higher. That's how they keep those big planes in the air.

[Scott V.]

Originally Posted by gw1800

You can usually tell if it's shipping Smart Post by the shipping number. The number begins with a 9.

Our USPS tracking number always starts with a "9505". The SmartPost FedEx tracking number did start with a 9. I was told 2 weeks ago by FedEx that the package had been delivered to USPS for local delivery and I could track USPS by that number. Never showed on USPS. Not true according to the FedEx person I talked to today. Got the run around.

[gw1800]

Originally Posted by Scott V.

Our USPS tracking number always starts with a "9505". The SmartPost FedEx tracking number did start with a 9. I was told 2 weeks ago by FedEx that the package had been delivered to USPS for local delivery and I could track USPS by that number. Never showed on USPS. Not true according to the FedEx person I talked to today. Got the run around.

If you really want a run around, try calling UPS. They take absolutely no blame for undelivered, misdelivered or damaged packages.

This particular one was sent UPS/Smartpost. When USPS delivered it it had a tag on it that it was received by them damaged. I called our local Post Office and the Postmaster confirmed this and it had been documented. UPS would take not assume responsibility and told me to call the shipper.
The only good thing is the contents were not damaged, but the box looked like the UPS truck ran over it.
BTW, I have never had any problems with USPS.

Another incident was a package not being delivered. I had been tracking the package. I received a notice that the package WAS delivered.

When I CALLED ups they said it was delivered on the front porch at a certain time. I then told them I have a camera watching front door and no UPS driver appeared on the video at that time. I received a call from the UPS supervisor that the package was delivered to the wrong house. REALLY? They did make it right, but absolutely no apology.

[Christopher J]

thats why, when I order my grub, I call the restaurant. Order my food for pickup and haul my butt there. The markup on Ubereats, Grubhub and such is sometimes as much as the meal itself and more than I want to spend. As long as my locals offer curbside pickup, I do all the time

[IDguy]

I’m a delighted Amazon Prime customer. I probably get more items from them than any five people here. While home at least five per week. I only buy Prime items for free shipping and check customer reviews. I frequently return items that don't meet my approval. Amazon provides shipping back and I needn’t even wrap. Just drop at UPS, which is on my way to anywhere.

Awesome service.

[HookupAndGo]

I'm actually part of a small Online Veteran Store that sells products (about 3M different items) -- some good prices, some not so good (just being honest). We have actually noticed people doing exactly what was described here -- selling a product on Amazon then buying through us. I will say that Amazon will come down on these people, especially if they start failing with support or other things.

The shipping -- i gotta say, that is one of the worst parts of what we deal with as well. But, we are relatively new and are working every day to get our operations smoothed out and streamlined. As far as this goes, Amazon does do a great job -- as one person indicated, the return process is super easy and convenient. But, that takes huge scale and influence. Plus, i know they get heavily discounted shipping from the various carriers -- unlike the rest of us.

[boblinda]

Originally Posted by TitanMike

This may have been going on for a while but I just had it happen to me.

When shopping on Amazon there appears to be a new breed of merchants in the Amazon Marketplace. The merchant that just advertises products available at Walmart, Target, etc, marks the price 20% (or more), snd when the order comes in through Amazon just places the order through Walmart.com.

Unless Amazon is actually shipping you might be able to save big by checking Walmart or Target first. I thought the first time it happened to me was strange as product was shipped in Target box. Second time I caught the driver at the door when my security system announced I had a visitor approaching. He told me "delivery from walmart.

Found in online posts this is happening regularly now on amazon.

I will never buy ANYTHING from Amazon They are dangerous to this country.

[Bobaloo]

My AC Delco spark plug and wire were counterfeit, that's why the prices are so low. Not worth it to chance "fake" goods.

[redtoport]

I only use Amazon to find products. Then I buy directly from the manufacturer. I don't support the Masters of the Universe and am doing all I can to lose them.

[Mythplaced]

SO is an Amazon junkie. 4-5 boxes each week. Most items are exactly as advertised (be sure to check where it is coming from).

SO never tells me in advance of these purchases, so when the CC bill comes in I am often "surprised"!

Saw 2 identical purchases on the bill from Walmart, asked the SO about it, and am told, "I never ordered anything from WM!" The research found that these were Amazon orders that were just subcontracted to WM.

Seems a somewhat common practice.

[MarkPW]

Originally Posted by CC75

I think that is OK, in that it comes directly from the manufacturer.

This is very common and is known as the item being drop shipped. It's very different from the OP's situation because the vendor is buy wholesale from the manufacturer or distributor and likely we can't buy from them at that price. Drop shipping actually saves money for the consumer since if the vender doesn't have to invest as much in warehouse space to have a bunch of inventory.

[rmastel]

Originally Posted by TitanMike

This may have been going on for a while but I just had it happen to me.

When shopping on Amazon there appears to be a new breed of merchants in the Amazon Marketplace. The merchant that just advertises products available at Walmart, Target, etc, marks the price 20% (or more), snd when the order comes in through Amazon just places the order through Walmart.com.

Unless Amazon is actually shipping you might be able to save big by checking Walmart or Target first. I thought the first time it happened to me was strange as product was shipped in Target box. Second time I caught the driver at the door when my security system announced I had a visitor approaching. He told me "delivery from walmart.

Found in online posts this is happening regularly now on amazon.

So fun Fact, about 8 years ago I was working with an individual who told me as a side business he was selling merch on Amazon that was from the big box retail stores such as the one's you mentioned. He would advertise the product with a mark up and when the order was placed, he would then place the order from the big box store and have it shipped directly to the Amazon customer's address. The big box stores have nothing to do with this, but as far as I know are not doing anything to stop this either. Brilliant if you ask me! Not sure what percentage of markup he was getting but he was definitely making good cash.

Bottom line, do your homework before buying anything whether that be from Amazon or other online retailers and make sure you're getting the best price. Hope that information is helpful.

[bondo1954]

What gets me as I've had packages shipped from across the country via Priority Mail and I've gotten them in a couple days. Then I've had packages that have went by UPS or FedEx from across the country that have taken weeks but what's amazing is the post office uses UPS and FedEx cargo jets for a lot of their packages.