The worst news a collector could possibly hear

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Posted By: Tom Boblitt

Scott.....UPS CAN'T deliver to Post Office boxes. The post office won't let them. We would, but just can't be done. Federal law prohibiting that.....although we are working on a deal to allow that......UPS will deliver to post office boxes at UPS Stores as will FedEx and all other carriers including USPS.

As for the difference in price, I'd have to know the services you were shipping. Probably Second Day Air UPS versus parcel post. Second day air includes tracking and $100 insurance and is guaranteed money back if it doesn't make it in the committed time. Parcel and Priority have no guarantees--only 'suggested' time frames. UPS also has to account for our profits/losses in our services where the post office doesn't. They lose TONS of money in parcel post and in priority mail but help subsidize it through the 37 cents first class stamp.

I understand problems with UPS and other carriers are out there. UPS carries about 14 million packages a day on a normal day and about 22 million during the Thanksgiving/Christmas timeframe. Fedex is about 4 million and 10 million during those timeframes.

Regardless of what you think, UPS and FedEx have FAR superior numbers as far as on-time deliveries, damages, and loss than does the USPS. If you haven't experienced that, then you're lucky. UPS has better numbers than FedEx does as well but there's a perception that FedEx created with the 'absolutely positively' commercials years ago. Fortunately, in all the surveys by Fortune, Business Week and other magazines, UPS is far and away above Fedex in reputation.

The USPS also gives volume to UPS between California and Hawaii and you will likely see that expanded to where UPS is carrying more Priority and Express Mail volume down the road. There's lots of competition out there but also some carriers working together to reduce costs for customersn and utilize assets better.

If you have specific UPS problems, like Tbob's, let me know via email and I'll try to help out. Just like everyone else out there, we have problem employees too. Always caution people on labelling to ensure it is not really easy to spot what is inside the package. Something from the Gold & Silver Exchange to Dan's Pawn Shop would likely be more at risk than another package.

Regardless of the problems noted in this thread, UPS claims for both Loss and Damage shipments are down for last 3 years in a row and continue to decline. New automated scanning systems will cause that to decrease even more dramatically in next 6 years.

Best of luck on whomever you ship with...........