1999-2009 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
[Main 95 Bulletin Board | BBFAQ |
Prev by Date | Next by Date | Post Followup ]
Member Login / Signup - Members see fewer ads. - Latest Member Gallery Photos
"free" shipping is a scam... Posted by Larry West [Email] (#1140) [Profile/Gallery] (more from Larry West) on Sat, 20 Jun 2015 17:17:21 In Reply to: Re: Non-teech question re parts, Paul W., Sat, 20 Jun 2015 09:17:26 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
And it's NOT the merchant's fault.
In almost all cases, it's a highly discounted shipping method that uses a combination of UPS or FedEx and the US Post Office. It gets handed off to UPS or FedEx by the merchant, who takes it to a remote USPS site for integration with the regular mail stream.
Case 1: I'm in NJ, and ordered from Eeuroparts. Free shipping used to be "overnight" for me when it was all UPS ground. Placed an order with free shipping, and three days later, it got to me after taking a 3-state New England tour which took it farther away from me.
Case 2: Still in NJ, ordered some CF cards from an NYC camera store. They ship out of Long Island. Again, got free shipping. Another three days, this time, the package went straight past me, into a suburb of Philadelphia, then took the slow truck back to North Jersey.
Oh, and by the way, where I lived at that time was within 5 miles of enormous facilities for UPS, FedEx and FedEx Ground (they're different...).
Since then, I don't even think about the free shipping. I'd rather pay for the official ground shipping of choice, and actually have it come directly to me, instead of my stuff racking up more miles than even I do.
The merchant, once they hand off the package to the shipper, has little to no control over how it gets to you, let alone how long it takes.
So, if you want it quickly, DO NOT EVER choose "free" shipping. And if you really, really need it by a certain day, and couldn't order it earlier, pony up for the overnight or second day service to ensure you get it when you need it.
_______________________________________ Current: 2002 9-5 Aero Kombi Cosmic Blue 2000 9-5 SE sedan, Imola Red 1990 900S Rose Quartz, Auto Past: 1999 9-5 LPT Combi 1999 9-5 LPT sedan 2002 9-5 Arc 1990 900 5-speed 1986 900 turbo Convertible 1991 9000 turbo 1980 99 GLi 1986 900 turbo 1986 900 S 1991 900 turbo 1984 900 turbo 1976 99 GL
No Site Registration is Required to Post - Site Membership is optional (Member Features List), but helps to keep the site online
for all Saabers. If the site helps you, please consider helping the site by becoming a member.