FedEx is launching a new e-commerce platform as it competes with Amazon
FedEx is launching a new e-commerce platform as it competes with Amazon
FedEx’s new e-commerce platform will debut this fall.
Why on earth would I want to shop somewhere that I can guarantee will ship with FedEx? I'll actively avoid places that only offer FedEx shipping as it is.
I feel like everyone has had a bad experience with one of the major delivery services and just decides to shit on them. I've had packages busted by FedEx, usps, ups, that guy that drops off packages from his unmarked van. Like I get 97% of stuff okay, but 3% comes broken from them all.
My wife worked for FedEx. I worked for UPS. Several of our friends have worked for one or the other. Several we know do or have worked for USPS. The only carrier we're missing is DHL. We can all confirm there's plenty of shenanigans, random pilferage, and organized theft to go around for everyone. They all hire anyone with a pulse as temp workers. It always surprises me when people think one is really better than another. Maybe that's true for your home's route, but not on the whole.
I always had decent experiences with OnTrac shipping through NewEgg (though I don't buy from them anymore), packages would arrive 1-2 days earlier than expected and would be in perfect condition. But then I got on Reddit and saw people constantly shitting on them and didn't understand it.
I've had bad experiences with all of them, it's just the most consistent with FedEx. Out of the major services, I prefer USPS and DHL, by far, but even they still fumble things from time to time. FedEx has just been a consistent pain to deal with, across 3 addresses at this point. Plus, I happen to get off work and get home right around when FedEx comes through my neighborhood, so I've had the pleasure of seeing the lady that handles this area literally hurl every package small enough for her to be physically capable of doing so the 8 feet from the sidewalk to peoples' front porches. I buy a lot of small, delicate things. Do other couriers toss stuff around? Probably at some point. But I know it's a 100% guarantee it'll happen with this lady, so I'll take the "probably, at some point," over a sure thing.
If they don't deliver something to me and determine I need to go pick it up, their delivery hubs are also the least convenient to reach. One is across my county, the other halfway across the neighboring county, Both are at least 90 minute trips each way on public transportation, with a healthy walk between the last stop and their location. At least UPS drops things off a 15 minute walk away, and the post office is probably a 10 minute walk.
I've had issues with FedEx, Amazon, DHL, USPS, UPS, Ontrac. I personally can't just avoid them all unless I just want to avoid any kind of shipment. I've actually had the least issues with FedEx & DHL. It's all on a person-by-person basis.
USPS is one of the most annoying ones. In many places I've lived, I somehow keep getting couriers that marks a package delivered but it isn't there. And when I call USPS, they said I have to wait a couple days to report it missing. I know that doesn't happen to everyone; I am just unlucky.
Until they can make their drivers as reliable as Amazon drivers, they will lose. (I know Amazon delivery has a lot of problems, I'm not going to be talking about those in this post)
While it sucks that Amazon drivers are endlessly surveilled, it's a huge boon to people recieving packages to know when their package is coming and to not miss it.
To my knowledge, FedEx and UPS still just give you a delivery window of a whole ass day, and then if they just decide delivering to you is too hard, they just won't.
Seriously just the other day, we were home all day, even had a note on the door to call us, saying we're home, and we'll be out in a moment to sign for it. Nobody rang the bell or called and no note that they ever even came to our doorstep was left. Nope, just got an email notification that they missed us and that now we can pick up our package four days later at an Access Point. Kinda had hoped to get that package on the day it was meant to be delivered for a reason, you know. Kind of fucks up plans when they pull that shit.
They're only just beginning to roll out a competing system. It will be a joke for a long time yet.
Until UPS/FedEx/whoever else fix that aspect of their delivery services, no one will want to fucking use them. The inconvenience factor with those companies is way higher than with Amazon deliveries.
UPS, for several years now, gives you a stop-by-stop tracking GPS plot, once the package is 'in your area' or is under like 6 stops from you, whichever is greater (this is anecdotal from my tracking packages over the last decade+); basically the same as Amazon (but UPS had the ability first). FedEx is still window-only.
Maybe it's a region thing - I'm just a few miles from a large population center.
UPS used to give real time tracking info here, but that disappeared sometime in mid to late-2023.
Agreed on the rest though, Amazon and UPS delivery are both much better than FedEx. I could not think of FedEx being a good retailer until they can improve the quality of their deliveries.
Fedex drivers are third party companies that pay for the license to get the jobs. Fedex is dirty they can turn aroubd give contracts RPG style it to a new or existing courier company at any moment
i have done business with all four of the big American couriers. By far Bigs is the USPS despite zero pictures or surveillance. Although i feel as though the Public mail should not be used for a lot of things. Amazon has actually become a mail company to compensate
I think you mean "by far the best is USPS", and as much as I may complain about the shitshow the fed has made if it, you're right. And they're doing it with congress fucking their financing.
It's very consistent, I've lost far fewer packages via USPS than anyone else (and I was shipping stuff 40 years ago, long before Fedex did resi service, and UPS was still slower than postal).
UPS has had serious tracking capability since the late 90's, and Fedex had been barcoding ever package almost from the start. Both of them demonstrate what happens when you have your customers over a barrel - Amazon came in and is beating them at their own game (Logistics).
Really pathetic for UPS - at one time they were the largest logistics provider in the world, I think. With all that knowledge, experience, and capability, instead of looking forward they sat on their hands and focused on protecting their near-monopoly.
I sure hope FedEx reads your post. I would love to see someone take down Amazon. I work from home, and the UPS guy knows, and thus does not attempt the typical fuckery.
I fucking hate amazon, but Amazon's drivers are fucking awesome. Out there busting their asses and nailing it, usually as good or better than usps and ups manages.
Fedex is shit.
I've had both deliver my stuff to the wrong address, but the vast majority of those mistakes were from Amazon delivery (and off by much larger distances).
I don’t understand why they do this? Do they love wasting everyone’s time and money?
What's the ecommerce equivalent of dismissively throwing fragile packages over fences. Because I'm wondering what to expect if I every order something via FedEx's ecommerce system.
As if Amazon drivers are any better
It's very area-dependent. In my area, all delivery people are fine, but FedEx consistently can't get their delivery estimates correct and my packages overall tend to be in worse condition from them.
It's a crapshoot regardless of the company. It just depends on how bad of day your delivery person is having and anyone is capable of having a bad day.
Got a package delivered by Amazon the other day. When I got home it was on the porch. When I checked the delivery notification the photo was of my neighbors porch. Guess they redilvered it, thanks neighbor.
I guess I've been lucky. All the ones I've had deliver stuff to me have been very considerate.
Of course, now I've just jinxed myself.
Sending you wrong things that are cheaper than what you ordered?
Since Amazon has moved into shipping, FedEx wants to move into shopping.
I'll believe it when FedEx isn't a dumpster fire of a delivery service. Every time there's been some bizarre issue getting my delivery, it's been FedEx. One time, we ordered some furniture. One box on one truck came, we signed, opened it, and found half the components missing with instructions talking about a second box. We call FedEx, and "nope, says here just the one box, and we delivered it, idk, contact the seller". While we're trying to reach out to the seller, a second FedEx truck shows up thirty minutes after the first and delivers the second box. Like, wtf? Also, we had a fruit tree we order just fucking get stuck for a whole ass month in one of their distribution centers. It'd go out for shipment each day, and each day be returned. Finally, after a month, they just said "it's not coming lol".
A friend of mine used to work at fedex and based on the uhhh lets call it work flow, I'd be shocked to see this work out for them. Maybe im too skeptical and they changed a loooot. Doubt it though.
Why does everyone and their mother want to emulate Amazon?
Because money
Who doesnt want to be a strong powerful woman warrior ? Sure, Lucy Lawless is responsible somehow.
Gestures vaguely at Amazon's enormous piles of money
Are we criticizing an attempt at having some sort of competition?
The problem is they are all poor emulations. Amazon already has problems and these new "marketplace" don't address any of them. I haven't seen one be better than Amazon in any way. At least Wish, Temu, and AliExpress have a wide variety of stuff at cheaper prices. Even if everything else about them is crap.
It's going to suck magnum dong
If the quality of their deliveries, especially Fedex Ground, remain the same, they will never be able to compete.
FedEx bought Shop Runner some time ago. This is not much more than a rebranding.
they want the same access to enshittification funds as their anti-Union cohort Bezos has created.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
The platform will integrate with ShopRunner, an online e-commerce store the company bought in 2020.
The company writes that sellers using fdx can ShopRunner platform can use it to “see shipments in near real time,” choose supply chain resources based on carbon impact, and to handle returns.
FedEx says when fdx launches in the fall, it will give sellers “more efficient, cost-effective deliveries” using its data.
The move appears aimed at competing with Amazon, a company FedEx has seen as a threat to its business for years.
That’s just a few years after the online retail giant built up a logistics operation that largely uses tightly controlled third-party contractors that Amazon insists aren’t its employees.
At the same time, Amazon was continuing to build up its own logistics operation that uses a fleet of mostly tightly controlled third-party contractors that it insists aren’t employees.
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Lol