General Question

occ's avatar

Does it seem less "professional" to send a package by USPS instead of fed-ex?

Asked by occ (4176points) March 5th, 2008

I often have to mail things to reporters. But I work for a non-profit, and sending fed-ex is expensive. Aside from the fact that USPS takes a lot longer, does it seem less “professional” to send things that way? When I receive a fed-ex package, I open it right away because i assume it’s important…but the question is, if I were a reporter getting lots of unsolicited mail, would the USPS envelope sit at the bottom of the pile? Our organization doesn’t have a lot of money but it would be worth spending more to ship it if it means the package gets opened and draws more attention.

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10 Answers

kfiz's avatar

Nope. Your safe.

Spargett's avatar

I’ve had alot of bad experiences with USPS. They simply can’t match the quality of service that you’d get with FedEx or UPS. Every time I have something shipped from USPS, I never have the peace of mind that I’ll get what I ordered. So much goes wrong with them.

They’re also much cheaper, which can also make you look cheap if you charge the same amount as someone offering a better carrier, with worse service.

Personally with my businesses, I prefer to spend a little extra. The client always seems to notice the extra care that is put into everything. The satisfaction they get from this turns into loyal repeat business and referrals which translates into much more bottom line profit than the few bucks you save shipping with USPS.

But if you can’t afford it, I guess there isn’t much you can do. Just remember not to nickel and dime your customers if you don’t have to.

iSteve's avatar

I don’t think so…

ishotthesheriff's avatar

i honestly hate when my things get shipped with USPS, i never feel safe and it always takes forever. UPS is def the way to go (in my opinion)

kelly's avatar

DHL is available in most markets and usually is less than FEDEX or UPS. Tracking and all.

gooch's avatar

I agree with kelly DHL is better. But to answer USPS is acceptable

Spargett's avatar

DHL has horrible business practices. If you have any moral principle, I would avoid them as much as possible.

occ's avatar

Spargett, you’ve piqued my interest—what kind of horrible business practices?

kfiz's avatar

Wow. Mabey you guys just have paranoia and bad luck?

Eureka's avatar

To be honest in answering your question, I would have to say yes – the USPS will be shoved to the bottom of the pile. Everything shipped in or out at my job comes across my desk, and it seems that the only items that come USPS are catalogs or sales promotions. There have been times when I have seen my boss just toss them into the trash unopened. On the sending end, I, also, have had issues with USPS and their delivery service. Seems like things get delayed – 10 days or more – or lost altogether. As for cost – I am assuming you are mailing smaller items, but in my state, for packages over 2 pounds, FedEx is a lot less expensive than USPS.

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