Got a shipping quote from ARNOFF for speakers shipping NY to LA. Anyone care to guess?

For large classic car parts Greyhound used to be cheap, you'd have to drop off and pick up at a station. I wonder if they still offer parcel service.
 
I just shipped a pair of 15" woofers to Slovenia using USPS. Cost was $280. Fed EX wanted $1850
 
The Greyhound estimate this month to ship a pair of CS-77A speakers from Northern Virginia to Chicago was $120, enough to squash that deal. USPS, FEDEX and UPS were much higher.
 
I have posted this in other threads--if you have FedEx PACK AND SHIP AND INSURE, there will be no "dispute" over damage. The #1 "justification" for denying a claim is "improper" or "inadequate" packaging. Let them do it all, and you have zero liability from your hands to the recipient. Take pics when you drop it off--I even stay and watch them do the packing, and have NEVER had an "issue".

Glad you've never had an issue, but I was only stating my experience. In my situation which you are referring to, the speakers were packed in the original shipping boxes with all of the original shipping materials - exactly as I received them new from Magnepan. This is an acceptable alternative under FedEx guidelines to qualify for their insurance. As I understand it from the buyer, there was no visible damage, but both speakers had developed a buzz when they arrived. They sounded perfect when they left here. I can only suspect rough handling. But in the end, no matter what you pay for their insurance, and no matter how many hoops of red tape you jump through to file a claim (and there were many), FedEx apparently has the right to simply say they're not going to pay. You then have no recourse unless you want to take them to court, which obviously isn't worth it, and they know it.
 
I have posted this in other threads--if you have FedEx PACK AND SHIP AND INSURE, there will be no "dispute" over damage. The #1 "justification" for denying a claim is "improper" or "inadequate" packaging. Let them do it all, and you have zero liability from your hands to the recipient. Take pics when you drop it off--I even stay and watch them do the packing, and have NEVER had an "issue".



I have also posted this in another thread. There is no subsidization going on--not from "pubic dollars", anyways. I get my dog food/toys/treats from Chewy. It is always delivered FedEx w/free shipping (each Chewy box weighs 40-50lbs). It always arrives on a Saturday. The large on-line retailers (like Chewy and Amazon, and others) get huge deals from the shipping companies.

They all run trucks and pay drivers on the weekends to drive the routes. Most businesses are closed on the weekend (so volume is down), so they give them "sweet" deals on shipping rates, just to keep the trucks full and the drivers busy, since they are running the routes anyways. I have looked inside the back of the FedEx truck that delivers to me on Saturday, and 90+% of the boxes in there have Chewy or Amazon logos on them. It's a "win-win-win"--the vendor gets a deal on shipping, the employer can "justify" the cost of running the truck and paying the driver, and I get "free" shipping for anything $50 or more. AND, most people are off on the weekend, so they falsely believe it is a "convenience" from the vendor, because whatever they ordered gets there while they are at home--not sitting on the porch in bad weather to get damaged or stolen by the "porch pirates" before they get home from work.

If I tried to ship a 50lb 30" X 24" X 12" box of ANYTHING via FedEx as a personal consumer, it would be $100 EASY--more, if I insured it for any value. That's how "the game" is played. I'll go with it--still cheaper and easier than going to my B&M PetSmart any day of the week to get dog food. It is what it is.
Fedex uses the USPS to deliver, and the USPS is subsidized by "public" tax dollars. Fedex is helping to keep the USPS in business. So yes, it a round about way shippers are getting helped out with shipping. It's a documented fact.
 
Fedex uses the USPS to deliver, and the USPS is subsidized by "public" tax dollars. Fedex is helping to keep the USPS in business. So yes, it a round about way shippers are getting helped out with shipping. It's a documented fact.

Wrong, wrong, wrong--on so many levels. The USPS went private in 1971 (trust me, I know a few postal employees). FedEx is FedEx, unless you opt into one of those discounted "bastardized" economy shipping deals. The major carrier takes it 90% of the way and then the USPS delivers it (whenever they feel like it). I had a vendor pull that shit, and told them I hoped that they enjoyed that last dollar that they saved by using that method of shipping, because I would never buy from them again.
 
1. dude: if you want the speakers - go for it.

real story: guy I know wanted the LS3/5a when they first came out. couldn't find them (this is
twenty years before the armchair single-button-ordering-using-the-WEB). he flew to London
for a weekend, and picked up a pair. his girlfriend loved the adventure.

me: I have this favorite city and whenever I go, I pack suitcase#1 with bubblewrap, then place
that into suitcase#2 and use my favorite airline that allows up to 70# per bag.

let nothing stand in the way of GAS.

2. Amazon has warehouses all over the country. they make arrangements for delivery using
all possible avenues. even with premiums paid for weekend deliveries. look for Uber/Lyft
commercial delivery divisions to meet future demands. I have retired friends who deliver
packages for the big boys and make about $100 for a morning's work. far safer than
picking up folks. Especially for women.

I use amazon for almost everything and I cannot predict whether my stuff comes with
USPS mail, UPS, Fedex, or some guy in a car. and they deliver every day including
Sundays, and into the late evening.

and in the future, Amazon owned/operated trucks/planes/delivery systems like the
city centralized lockers, drones, etc.

you could make billions designing that ultimate delivery algorithm of the future. and
that can be translated into airline reservations, loading, utilization, etc
 
Wrong, wrong, wrong--on so many levels. The USPS went private in 1971 (trust me, I know a few postal employees). FedEx is FedEx, unless you opt into one of those discounted "bastardized" economy shipping deals. The major carrier takes it 90% of the way and then the USPS delivers it (whenever they feel like it). I had a vendor pull that shit, and told them I hoped that they enjoyed that last dollar that they saved by using that method of shipping, because I would never buy from them again.
Sorry, I know for a fact shipping is subsidized with tax dollars. It is done indirectly so it does not look like it but it is happening. I've done work for a BIG online (won't mention the name) and we where getting a deal on shipping in the form of tax breaks.....I won't get into details, but the taxpayer is footing a percentage of shipping cost for some parcels And, I am well aware USPS is private but the fed regulates it. Regardless, the fed is propping up the post office weather you believe it or not. I also have a Postmaster in my immediate family. We've discussed subject for years.
 
Fedex uses the USPS to deliver, and the USPS is subsidized by "public" tax dollars. Fedex is helping to keep the USPS in business. So yes, it a round about way shippers are getting helped out with shipping. It's a documented fact.

FedEx only uses USPS to deliver packages if you use the Parcel Select option, which in most cases is more expensive than straight FedEx
 
FedEx only uses USPS to deliver packages if you use the Parcel Select option, which in most cases is more expensive than straight FedEx

It depends on the destination. If it is somewhere that Fed Ex serves regularly then they will deliver. All shipping companies source out some deliveries, that is just the nature of the business.

Fed Ex is by far the most affordable shipper for large parcels. (The Greyhound option is a new one on me though). The key as mentioned earlier is in packaging. NEVER trust a shipper to care for your shipment, doesnt matter who it is. Trust your packaging.

The USPS is private, independent and not subsidized by the Federal Govt.? Yea right... And the Social Security fund has a lock box and the check is in the mail. Pfft.. Wanna buy a bridge? The USPS lost $3.9 Billion in fiscal year 2018. If THAT was not subsidized by the Federal Govt, then who paid for it??? Certainly not the USPS themselves, they havent turned a profit in over a decade.
 
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