SHIPPING QUANDARY

September 27, 2020 by

Howdy Folks,

This is a short and sweet post to let you know I am changing a couple things with jewelry shipments. I am having a hell of a time with missing packages, jewelry shipments being returned to me for no reason at all, packages being delivered to the wrong address, packages being delivered BUT NOT ACTUALLY BEING DELIVERED. The issue is not on the sending end but the receiving end — my rural post office is awesome and is getting the job done.

I used to have a package go missing once a year or once every two years. Right now I’m having one go missing once a week. It’s bonkers. I replace (at no cost to you) or refund missing shipments not because missing shipments are my fault (they aren’t) but simply because I feel this is the kind of customer service you deserve. I make myself vulnerable by telling you this is my policy because there are bad apples out there who would exploit me for this and tell me they’ve not received a shipment that they have in fact received…but I want you to know you can always trust that I will do my very best to make things right and to take care of my customers and patrons to the best of my abilities even if that means I don’t get paid at the end of the day. When you choose to support me, you come first.

For years I have shipped your orders via priority mail here in the USA and since the US post office seems to be having some serious issues right now I am going to add “signature required” to your packages from now on so that you actually have to personally sign for these shipments. It will cost me more to send your orders out with this service and I will be covering the extra $4 to send these packages to you in this manner.

If you do not have your mail delivered to your front door I realize this will cause you to have to go in to your local post office to sign for you order and for that, I apologize. Your time is precious. I respect that. But I have to find a way to get these shipments to you safely so I’m going to try this and see if it helps!

For higher priced one of a kind pieces I will be forced to switch over to UPS or FedEx shipping which will be a real headache for me since my nearest shippers for both these companies are more than an hour drive from the farm. I’ve lost confidence and faith in the US postal service for the time being and I want your orders to be properly insured and shipped with a carrier I can trust.

If you have any other ideas for me please holler in the comment section of this post!

XX

Jillian

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Comments

  1. Brittny says
    September 27, 2020 at 12:28 pm

    Sorry to hear about your shipping mishaps! I think adding a “signature required” is a great option.

    For International orders (Canada) will we have an option for USPS shipping for those higher-priced one-of-a-kind pieces? I ask because UPS charges outrageous “brokerage fees” which, in my experience, have been very arbitrary and sometimes the fee ends up being the same price as the item I ordered! With USPS, and then Canada Post, we are charged a 12% tax + an additional $10 or so, which is great because at least I have an idea of the amount I will pay at the post office. I have not had anything delivered via FedEx, so I am not sure what their fees are like, but I think it would be similar to UPS.

    • The Noisy Plume says
      September 27, 2020 at 1:48 pm

      Hey B.

      Great question. Right now all my shipping issues are happening domestically — US addresses only. Everything headed to Europe and Canada is arriving fine and actually traveling faster than usual.

      I will be headed to the post office on Wednesday and I am going to ask my postmaster about my options for international shipments. Right now I can offer you tracking but that’s it. As soon as I ship faster than first class international the shipping costs are insane. That said, I am less concerned with deliveries outside of the USA simply because I’m not having issues with them!

      I will check in to FedEx and UPS rates as well though I think they won’t be a reasonable possibility for international addresses.

      Thanks for chiming in!

  2. Karen Tadd-Rodriguez says
    September 27, 2020 at 4:50 pm

    Hello Jillian,
    Just wondering if you purchase insurance for every package you ship via USPS? This would benefit you greatly as you would be refunded for any missing package via the USPS. Also, I get many packages from sellers who use DHL, which I think may be a bit less expensive than FedEx and UPS.
    Peace, blessings and be well!!

    • The Noisy Plume says
      September 27, 2020 at 6:07 pm

      Unfortunately, I can’t claim insurance on lost shipments if they have been “delivered”. All of my missing packages have been “delivered” but are nowhere to be found! You see my dilemma!

      I will look into DHL. Thank you for mentioning it!

  3. dina says
    September 28, 2020 at 9:44 pm

    jillian,
    i have ordered several packages in the last few months that have been delivered vis DHL, and i find their services to be stellar. their tracking is right on point, and they give you the option before the package arrives (if it is international) to have it left without a signature. everything that has arrived via their services has been impeccable.

  4. Catherine E Chandler says
    September 29, 2020 at 7:05 pm

    Just here to say, you are a great business woman and your communication is appreciated. I really hope the USPS gets back to its normal expediency and reliability in a few months – until then, I’m sure a lot of sellers will be outsourcing to other carriers in order to guarantee delivery.

  5. Cinda says
    September 29, 2020 at 9:53 pm

    Hi Jillian,
    I wouldn’t use FedEx if I were you. I have had 4 packages lost that were in their care. More often with the FedEx Smartpost, which is when they ship to your local post office then they take over. UPS is more reliable.
    Good luck with your quest to have your jewelry delivered safely and on time.