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Yes i figure that one out and it it pretty funny because i was talking to the lady in hilo at the UPS store and she goes remember it allways 5 days to here no matter what they say on the phone
Henry, just wait until you are ordering from a company that doesn't recognize your Hawaiian street address. Verizon told me that I gave them an invalid street address; I think their computer doesn't like the “dash” (94-1234). Anyway, after a long argument with them -- yes, I said, my address is valid; it was assigned by the county when my house was built -- they finally just sent it to 1234 Street. Then I called FedEx and gave them the correct address.
BTW, Overstock.com is one of those companies that don't ship to Hawaii. You just learn which ones do and work with them.
Just a side note, it isn't worthwhile to pay for overnight shipping even if they say they have it available because it won't be here overnight even if you pay extra. Figure three to five days for "second day" air and probably two days for "overnight". Frequently most of the stuff comes through Honolulu and gets there too late in the day it arrives to make the transfer to the outer islands in the same day.
You are absolutely correct! We paid for overnight shipping with UPS and got it 10 days later! Fedex is much better (IMHO) but still not "overnight".
This is also a pet peeve of mine. The real culprit in this is UPS (United Parcel Service), not the USPS (US Post Office). UPS controls half of the package business, with FedEx, USPS and the others splitting the rest. The reason is because they do it cheaper. They do it cheaper because they do it sloppier (trucks don't respect the rules in cities, throw packages onto doorsteps, etc), and because they don't do AK and HI at the same rate. So all the people like Amazon who contract with UPS for their bulk low fares can't offer AK and HI. And because it would require special handling for the company to put the item in a USPS box, they simply don't do it--instead of having a special procedure to charge more.
USPS on the other hand, has slightly higher but flat rates to all 50 states, but it is still probably loosing money on every box to HI. Personally, I think there should be some sort of interstate commerce law that says you cannot refuse to ship to HI and AK the way some businesses do. Charging more is fair, but it should be no more than USPS.
As for overnight shipping, all the carriers I've talked to, including USPS, only guarantee 2nd-day delivery. Though there are direct flights to all islands, and you can time it right and get next day delivery--ask your postmaster when the plane goes. I once sent some important papers 2nd day from Lihue, in the afternoon, and they were delivered the next morning in San Francisco. Obviously, that only works between certain cities, but still nice to know.
As already noted, some sellers won't bother to send via USP Flat Rate because they would have to add this into their processes. Not just stock the boxes, but either get a postal machine or stock stamps. Then the USPS requires that Flat Rate boxes are physically handed to a USPS employee so that they can go through the questions (does this contain...) which reminds me of the question that airline employees used to have to ask about your luggage.
Kind of pointless in the repetition, but I guess that's the deal. I would hope there would be some way to buy Flat Rate postage, and at the time of buying the stamp/postage label one could answer the questions.
In any case, the Flat Rate boxes would have to get either handed to the postal employee, or else someone at the seller company has to make a special trip to the post office. All this adds to time and trouble and therefore cost. They lose money so you can save money. They won't do it, because sales to HI are probably considered minimal, and UPS conveniently picks up packages right from the seller's door. Yes, post office says they will pick up too, but still it's another special call.
Some goods won't be shipped to HI because they have to go by air, and then there are restrictions. Compressed air cartridges are one example. Can't buy the cartridges to make carbonated drinks, because they won't ship them via air, and too much trouble to make sure they go by boat. Another example is if an item is classified incorrectly - copper tape was classified by a seller as a pesticide. Can't ship the pesticide to Hawaii without all kinds of paperwork. But of course that's just a wrong classification - copper tape isn't a danger. But the people in Customer Service can't get around the inventory classification of their own system. Stupid, but true.
We order a TON of stuff from Amazon all the time. Usually looking for the free shipping, and it's a bargain to us. We do notice you can sometimes find the same item for less, but without free shipping. So some sellers on Amazon are really just bundling free shipping into the cost of the item. Oh well, as long as the price we pay is what we consider fair, we're happy to get it.
I wish more companies would be more like the store I work for. From their WEB page:
Quote:
Shipping
All packages are delivered with tracking and they are insured up to $100 for free. UPS 3 Day SelectSM • Delivery by the end of the third business day. • Service Area - The 48 contiguous states. • An ideal mix of economy and guaranteed delivery. • Perfect for less time-sensitive shipments. • Three free delivery attempts. UPS Ground • Day-definite delivery typically in one to five days. • Service Area - All 50 states and Puerto Rico. • Prompt, dependable, cost-effective shipping. (Bold by me) • With guaranteed delivery, know in advance when your shipment will arrive. • An economical choice for all of your routine shipments. Combined Shipping Option: When you purchase multiple items in one order you will dramatically save money on shipping costs. Please see our shipping rate options when you check out for exact shipping fees.
The WEB store has only been in operation for about a year and I have not seen how well it is doing (sales wise), but it is a start for us and their shipping policy looks good. Also, I don't know how pricing is in comparison to other companies and what goods they will or will not ship. I'm not sure if I can post the WEB site because of forum rules about advertising, but you can DM me if you want.
When you compare shipping prices between UPS, FedEx and the post office, usually the UPS prices are about double the post office prices. The reason people frequently use the UPS or FedEx services is because they can't talk the shipper into using the post office.
When getting things shipped to Hawaii, here's the outline of how it works:
1. Find someone who will even ship to Hawaii in the first place. Eventually, you get your own list of suppliers who will ship the things you are interested in, although as time goes by you just learn to do without most of these sorts of things.
2. After you've found someone who will actually ship things to Hawaii, then try and find one who will ship with good rates. Frequently, especially if you are looking for a fairly specific item, you are so happy to have found someone who meets condition #1 that you skip all the rest of the steps.
3. Order the merchandise and then wait about twice as long as they say it will take. Also hope it doesn't have to be sent back because frequently they won't pay for return shipping.
Oh, another note, though. If someone does send you something you didn't order or ask for, I think there's a state law out there that says it is then considered a "gift" and you don't have to pay for it. Check that to make sure the law is still in effect though, before doing anything.
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