Any update on non-UPS shipping options?

This is a frustrating event, but for holiday-time shipping (especially in NYC), these kinds of problems will happen with any shipping company. There's always going to be a pissed-off truck driver somewhere ruining his reputation.

For sake of clarity in our message to Shapeways, we should keep this board as feedback on systematic problems with UPS - namely shipping to Canada causes large fees regardless of day or address.

I would call them not actually correcting an issue in their records by NOT forwarding said correction a "systematic problem" with UPS. Given that their system(the 800 customer service number) failed to communicate the correction to the local office(thus requiring my second phone call to again correct the error in their system).

I guess next time I want to make a complaint to further the end goal of getting a different shipping company option available for everyone I'll be sure to look for the "#USAProblemsOnly" hashtag.

No need to look for a hashtag, simply read the thread.

I am also eager to see some non-UPS shipping options. Paying 15 bucks on top of every order makes shapeways much less economical for me in Canada.

Well here we are at the 1st Q of 2012, is there any hope for non-UPS shipping?
Unfortunately I had to stop ordering due to unreasonable UPS fees.

I just found a relevant thread.. I wonder if this would help Shapeways with costs if they just marked the packages as "Scale Models"?

http://www.modelrailroadforums.com/forum/showpost.php?s=4196 136c3bb5a6e610cd8685a348ce7d&p=241016&postcount=19

I have had an issue with UPS as well. The ring plus shipping was 34.18 which was very good. I had no issue there and considered a great purchase. UPS Canada however wanted another 17.50 and required that payment by credit card or a money order.

If I order the I Ching Pendant for 17.49 then UPS Canada will make it a 34 dollar purchase total. That is currently a deal breaker. No complaints about the product but the UPS Canada fee is more expensive then the purchased product.

Since my original post is directly above this there is no need to quote it. Today I got a letter from UPS wanting the 17.50 payment. Needless to say I wasn't overly impressed when I called them. I was polite if somewhat unimpressed.

I basically said 2 things. 1: If there wasn't any payment then the item recieved would be still in the system and it is not. 2: Since I have the item and the only way to get the item is by credit card payment or money order I have to have paid them. It isn't like they would give me the parcel with an IOU.

So basically sloppy work on UPS's end has them trying to shake me down for ANOTHER 17.50 payment. The guy asked if I've received a credit card statement. Well it was about March 22 and realistically it isn't too likely I'd have the statement this soon.

I really hope that there are being steps to find alternate ways of delivery. The ring I ordered was 27.68 and initial delivery was 6.50. If I end up getting extorted for a second payment that means that the ring will cost 59.18 which is borderline obscene for a 27 dollar ring.

Thread necromancy. :twisted:

I'm sitting here in NZ looking at a cart breakdown that shows:

Your Items : $9.97
Shipping : $19.99

We don't have the crazy UPS charges that Canadian users have to put up with but that is a massive shipping charge for a 23gram part is it not? (It would only cost an additional $103 to launch said part into low earth orbit on a Soyuz rocket) Do shapeways parts come in a giant box filled with very heavy packing material or am I going to get a bubble wrap lined courier bag to add insult to injury?

I can't speak entirely for Shapeways, but I work for a different line of business that uses UPS as its only shipping means. You actually can go to UPS's website and get a quote for what it costs to ship a package internationally, if you want to be investigative.

With UPS, the initial shipping cost is usually determined by the value of the item, first. For the purposes of the vast majority of items Shapeways will print, the size and weight of the package is not going to be a factor (unless, for example, you wanted to 3d print a truckload of metal bricks). With what I see, the standard international charge is usually a flat US$20 fee or 20-30% of the item's order value- whichever is greater. Expedited International shipping can easily double that.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but yes, I, too, would feel a bit put down in your situation, paying twice as much as the item just for delivering it to you would be annoying. However, that's actually very in line- if actually on the cheap end- with what UPS charges others to send internationally.

Hi guys!

We've been doing a LOT of research into shipping options, because we know this is an issue you are passionate about and I wanted to share our findings and get your input.

While there is no immediate solution, these are our options, with their pros and cons.

Current Situation
Shapeways uses UPS as we have negotiated a bulk discount, allowing us to offer affordable, trackable shipping around the world.
Packages going to Canada are charged an *additional* handling fee by UPS as it is a private carrier, which in some cases doubles the shipping cost for the recipient.

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS:
Option 1: USPS to Canada
Unlike our arrangement with UPS, we don't have a negotiated rate with USPS as we currently can not meet their minimum volume, therefore the average price for a package to Canada will be around $20.
Pros:Cheaper as there is no handling fee
Cons: Adds 6-10 days ON TOP of the current 10 day turnaround for any material. So for white, strong and flexible, it would be 10 days production PLUS 6-10 days of shipping with USPS. Total 16-20 days from placing the order.
USPS is not trackable. You would be able to see when your package cleared customs, but not where it was while in transit.
Time to implement: We could start to do this in about 3 months, and it could take up to (xx??) to implement.

So is this worth it to you? Would you be willing to wait longer for your packages if you knew you could eliminate the extra handling fee?

Option 2: Distribution Centre in Canada
Shapeways could open a small distribution centre in Canada, and ship all packages from a Canadian location, thus eliminating customs and broker fees.
This would eliminate BOTH a handling fee from a private carrier (like UPS) and the slower time of USPS.
Pros: Complete solution
Cons: Long term solution
Time to implement: This is something we have researched and since it involves opening a Shapeways outpost, we could feasibly set it up in about 6-8 months.

Is this worth the wait?

Option 3: Your ideas
If you buy other US produced products, how are those shipped to you? Are there any other ideas we could look into?

We want to solve this as much as you, so would really value your feedback here.

Thank you!
Natalia
ps: I realize this doesn't address expensive shipping to other parts of the world, but if we can figure out Canada, I believe we can apply the same solution worldwide.

Hi,

Those are both great ideas. Thanks for looking into this for us Canadian customers. UPS service is still a terrible experience here. For example, I got a shipment from them 2 weeks ago, waiting 4 days for them to find my home locally, then wrote them a cheque for customs fees (they refuse cash or debit) and still 2 weeks later they haven't cashed the cheque. I get shipments from the USA via USPS, and they most often include tracking info with frequent updates. Overall their service is good, and way better than UPS.

A shipping centre in Canada is also a great idea. Btw, when can we expect shipments to Canada from the Shapeways NYC location? That would be super convenient : )

Thanks for the great service guys!

Hi Natalia,

Good to hear you're trying to fix this issue. I think that the USPS option is a compelling one. Most of the time I don't mind the wait.

I'm a bit surprised that it will be typically $20 in shipping, however. Typical prints from Shapeways in my experience are quite small, so USPS First-Class Mail shouldn't be a problem (up to W+H+L=36 inches)
https://www.usps.com/ship/first-class-international.htm

It looks like on USPS first-class mail shipping could typically be from $3 to $6. That would be a price option I'd be excited by.

Wow, both option A and B sound great. Thanks for researching this!

For option B: I'm unaware which shipping company you'd use, but in my experience Canada Post (the equivalent of USPS) is much more expensive than the USPS. If you were to use them I don't know if the numbers would make business sense - employing a Canadian to ship locally might be the same price as an international USPS shipment. Perhaps negotiated rates with UPS Canada are more compelling, I don't have experience with that.


Thank you Natalia for any solution you bring.

- Aric

I like both options but option B sounds great. Yes, it's worth the wait - we have no choice!

USPS should not be significantly or even any more expensive than UPS. Small package from Canada to US costs about $7. If I have to pay something like that and NO additional fees I would be very happy.

Presently, if I buy anything from the US and UPS is the only choice I will write to the company and tell them what I think of that; I've had a few tell me to contact them when ordering and they will ship USPS.

Most times I won't mind the extra wait... where it becomes a problem is when Shapeways runs behind in their schedule and long delays are compounded by long mailing times (as in present situation with Silver!) and I have customers breathing down my neck wanting to know where the product is.

Plus, a Shapeways distribution centre in Canada! How long after that would it be until you are printing here?!!

And to finish off with another recent UPS story: After my horrible gouging a week or so ago I came home the other day to find a package at my doorstep. No signature and nothing to pay ($20 WSF order). I was grateful to get the package but in other parts of the world, hell, other parts of Canada, that package would not have been waiting for me when I came home... At least with USPS that package would be in a locked mailbox.

Glenn

USPS First Class is what I was thinking, too.

I've bought many things from eBay which were sent that way and all were relatively cheap.

That said I do not know what kind of packing Shapeways uses which may increase size\weight and add to the cost of postage as well as cost of the materials themselves.

The eBay purchases in question were all in bubble envelopes with minimal packing, all under $10 (small electronic components).
This would be fine probably for small stainless steel prints and small dense plastic prints for example but I don't know about the rest.

I'm sure larger pieces and fragile pieces would have to be put in a decent box.

For the record, I'm in New Zealand.

I don't understand why USPS international flat rate isn't at the top of the list. I use this to ship to Canada on a regular basis. It's cheaper than UPS to begin with and doesn't stick my customers with $20 broker fees in the end.

Thanks for the suggestions guys!

USPS International Flat "if it fits it ships" is cheaper for within the US but becomes expensive overseas...USPS First Class does sound promising though.

USPS First Class International is the way to go cheaply for shipping anywhere on the planet from the USA. I've sent many Shapeways models to all corners of the globe for less than $10 each package. The cost goes entirely by weight, all my shipments have been small boxes under 1 pound.

The only drawback is that the package cannot be tracked. This might be a problem for Shapeways, if a buyer says his package was never received you'd have to take their word for it. My guess is Shapeways wouldn't use it for that reason alone. With tracking, international shipping is $$$$$$.

That's not really an issue.

All you have to do is when offering USPS First Class as an option, make sure the buyer understands and agrees that any loss is not Shapeways responsibility.

If the buyer won't accept that, then they should pay for the tracked option.

I have taken that risk many times and so far have had no issues. Then again, my country is not exactly one known for 'losing' parcels.