eBay Selling

FedEx can be cheaper than the USPS for shipping very heavy items. However, I do not condone using FedEx for any reason whatsoever. Surprised?

FedEx has a terrible reputation for damaging and losing packages. In my own highly unscientific study, I found that most of the sellers I’ve talked to about using FedEx are not happy with the service. More of them report problems than anyone I’ve ever talked to about USPS.

It doesn’t help that I’ve only used them once and that one package was completely destroyed. The package looked as if it had been thrown off the truck and run over, and I think that part of the box had indeed been run over. FedEx then refused to pay for almost $700 I was out for the sale price and the $50 or so more for the shipping. I found out that the fine print allowed only for the company to pay for the price of the item if you had a receipt. Since the item was about 30 years old, I obviously didn’t have the receipt.

If you don’t have a receipt, they will pay for the item to be repaired. The item in question only had one repair facility- over 1,000 miles away. I was instructed by FedEx to send the item there at my own expense, then to pay for the item to be shipped back to me. Then, I could apply to have the repair costs reimbursed if the whole process met with their guidelines for reimbursement.

In other words, FedEx “insurance” isn’t insurance at all. It’s a rip off and the slight cost savings of shipping with them isn’t remotely worth it.

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