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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
Who do you ship with?
Kevin Leas, Photographer
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Rochester | NY | USA | Posted: 7:49 PM on 04.25.08 |
| ->> I hit another milestone in my photography career today: my first (presumably) blown shutter on a 1D Mark II. So now I need to get it all packed up and shipped off to CPS, but I don't really have a preference to who handles the transportation. So, any horror stories about FedEx, UPS, etc. that I should know of? Or any tales of incredible satisfaction? I know it probably seems like a silly and trivial question, but I'm just trying to look out for my main body. Thanks! |
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Chuck Steenburgh, Photographer
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Lexington | VA | USA | Posted: 8:01 PM on 04.25.08 |
| ->> UPS and FedEx are both pretty good. Avoid the others (USPS, DHL). |
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Eric Canha, Photographer
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Not Listed | MA | United States | Posted: 8:08 PM on 04.25.08 |
->> Kevin
I have never had an issue with UPS getting stuff to NPS. I've shipped everything from D200's to a 400mm (in it's shipping case). That being said I've never worried because all the gear is covered by my insurance policy. Be aware that if you ship through UPS via a Staples, the shipping party insured is Staples. Which means that if something does go wrong you will have to deal with Staples and NOT UPS. This came as news to me a while back. Now Staples has customers signing an acknowledgment of the insurance policy.
If you want the body pampered insure it for >$5000. That will keep it segregated. If you insure it over 10K it gets to ride all the way in a locked cage with hand checks along the way. Or so the UPS drive has told me. |
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Bob Ford, Photographer
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Lehighton | Pa | USA | Posted: 8:10 PM on 04.25.08 |
| ->> One thing to keep in mind is there is a limit on the amount of insurance that you can put on your parcel at UPS stores. Once you get to a certain point you will need to take it to a UPS depot. If I remember correctly this went into effect about a year and a half ago. |
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Harrison Shull, Photographer
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Fayetteville, WV | Asheville, NC | | Posted: 8:59 PM on 04.25.08 |
->> FedEx, without a doubt!
I am an account holder of over ten years and have never had any problems of any kind that were not quickly and cheerfully resolved. The online shipping is easy to use and really simplifies things. Setting up an account is free the last time I checked (ten years ago!) |
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Landon Finch, Photographer
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Colorado Springs | CO | USA | Posted: 9:03 PM on 04.25.08 |
->> I've had great service from USPS, UPS, & FedEx.
I've had terrible service from USPS, UPS, FedEx, & DHL. |
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Alan Look, Photographer
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Bloomington | IL | United States | Posted: 9:05 PM on 04.25.08 |
->> I set up a FedEx account last fall - still free.
About 3 weeks ago, I shipped on a Friday (FEDEX) to CPS - NJ. They had it by Monday at 10 am, fixed my unit and FedEx had it back to me on Wednesday. |
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David Seelig, Photographer
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Hailey | ID | USA | Posted: 9:52 PM on 04.25.08 |
| ->> fedex hands down ups can be a nightmare |
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Kevin Leas, Photographer
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Rochester | NY | USA | Posted: 9:53 PM on 04.25.08 |
->> Oog...against my better judgment, I decided to check the actuations with PM (yes, I know it can be inaccurate if certain variables are met).
The verdict? This camera supposedly has less than 82,000 shots on it. If that's the case, I'm going to go from "eh, it happens" to p*ssed off pretty quickly. |
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Chuck Steenburgh, Photographer
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Lexington | VA | USA | Posted: 9:58 PM on 04.25.08 |
->> Kevin,
Don't forget that shutter life figures are typically MTBF...which stands for "mean time between failures" which is an average. So yes...it happens.
I had a D2H shutter blow after less than 65k clicks...fortunately I had an extended warranty.
Chuck |
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Wesley Hitt, Photographer
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North Little Rock | AR | USA | Posted: 10:07 PM on 04.25.08 |
->> Fed Ex all the way. I avoid UPS as much as possible.
Wesley Hitt |
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David Harpe, Photographer
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Louisville | KY | USA | Posted: 11:03 PM on 04.25.08 |
->> Fedex.
Fedex lets you bind your credit card to your shipping account, and they have great service. I've had nightmare experiences with UPS - particularly international service. |
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Jeff Kowalsky, Photographer
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West Bloomfield | MI | United States | Posted: 11:45 PM on 04.25.08 |
->> I use FedEx Ground. It is two days from Michigan to CPS in NJ. It costs around $10 to send a body in. You can drop off your packages at Kinkos.
If you have a Costco AMEX Business Card you get an additional 5% discount. |
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Ian L. Sitren, Photographer
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Palm Springs | CA | USA | Posted: 12:24 AM on 04.26.08 |
| ->> FEDEX without question. Best service, best customer service on the telephone, best real time tracking. FEDEX Ground can be unreliable in my experience. |
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Duane Burleson, Photographer
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Sterling Heights | MI | USA | Posted: 1:49 AM on 04.26.08 |
->> The last item I shipped to CPS Irvine was via USPS Priority Mail, shipped it Friday, arrived at CPS on Monday, fixed and shipped Tuesday, in my hands Wednesday.
Duane |
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Jim Colburn, Photo Editor, Photographer
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McAllen | TX | USA | Posted: 11:43 AM on 04.26.08 |
->> Try the good old Post Office. They're everywhere and they get things from here to there at prices that are comparable, and usually beat, the others.
One thing to thing about. If you pack your own box, take it to a UPS store and insure it for shipping it's only insured for loss, not damage. The UPS store has to pack it for it to be insured for damage to the shipment's contents. With the Post Office (www.usps.com) you're insured for loss OR damage in transit.
If you're receiving a shipment and the mailman can't make the delivery what do they do? They hold it at your local Post Office for you to collect. If you're receiving something from UPS they make a few delivery attempts and then ship it back from whence it came, or make you drive out to hell and gone to their sorting facility to collect it.
I also find that the lines at the Post Office are shorter and the people friendlier. |
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Steven E. Frischling, Photographer
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Live HVN : Work SFO-NYC | | | Posted: 12:15 PM on 04.26.08 |
| ->> I use FedEx and USPS |
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Mark Peters, Photographer
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Highland | IL | USA | Posted: 1:09 PM on 04.26.08 |
->> Jim -
Amen. My post office is 6 minutes away. Fed Ex/UPS - 1 hr. - and could be one of four different facilities. |
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Tom Knier, Photographer
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Lancaster | PA | USA | Posted: 1:27 PM on 04.26.08 |
->> FedEx, hands down.
I would avoid DHL, as I've seen (through the 3 times I've seen DHL used) 2 horrific experiences. One was stuff that was lost, then found, but found destroyed- and the other was stuff needed for a deadline project showing up three days late.
FedEx has never failed me. |
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Kevin Leas, Photographer
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Rochester | NY | USA | Posted: 3:07 PM on 04.26.08 |
->> Jim - I wish I could say our post offices here are the same, but they're real hit or miss, and on the bad days it's really bad.
I wound up going with FedEx - their main shipping center was right on the route between my house and my first shoot today, so I packaged it all up here and just dropped it right off. Luckily, there's almost always someone here, so missing the return shipment is highly unlikely. Thanks for the feedback, everyone!
Now...do I even want to ask who's had their shutter done recently and how much it set them back? Or should I just get back to watching the NFL draft that's running in another browser? |
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Guy Rhodes, Photographer
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East Chicago | IN | USA | Posted: 3:47 PM on 04.26.08 |
->> A theater I work for recently shipped three packages of lighting equipment (cables and rigging supplies worth around $600.00 total) via USPS. Only one package made it to the destination.
For critical or expensive stuff, I'll stick with UPS or FedEx. |
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Bob Ford, Photographer
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Lehighton | Pa | USA | Posted: 4:54 PM on 04.26.08 |
->> I refuse to use DHL only because of the delivery person that delivers in my area.
Back in the days when dye-sub printers weighed 70+ pounds my Kodak printer died and they replaced it. They shipped DHL and the delivery person came to the door and said something along the lines of, "You're gonna have to get this off the truck, it weighs 70 pounds". And she said it with a HUGE attitude.
If I didn't need it then, I would have refused to get it out of the van for her. In my opinion if they can't deliver something that weighs that much they shouldn't have accepted the job. |
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Christopher Hanewinckel, Photographer, Assistant
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Escondido | CA | USA | Posted: 5:22 PM on 04.26.08 |
| ->> Make sure you pack it really well. I work part time at a Fedex Kinkos and I have seen videos of what the belts at the hub in Tenn. look like and it doesnt matter if you have a fragile sticker on it or not. They have to meet time deadlines so there isnt any special handling for any packages. So keep that in mind when you are sending. |
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Walter Calahan, Photographer
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Westminster | MD | USA | Posted: 8:34 PM on 04.26.08 |
| ->> I've never been on a holiday cruise, but been on many US Navy ships. They are pretty reliable. Haven't sunk yet. |
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Kevin Leas, Photographer
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Rochester | NY | USA | Posted: 3:33 PM on 05.02.08 |
->> Well, FedEx worked out perfectly. Sent the camera out Saturday morning, and shot my Thursday assignments with it.
The big drawback: Canon confirmed that the shutter had 68,000 shots on it. Yep, 68,000 and the shutter blew out. So much for 200,000...arg. |
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Jack McCoy, Photographer
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Baldwin | NY | USA | Posted: 3:40 PM on 05.02.08 |
| ->> Problems with my post office that should have never happened. UPS I also have issues with. Fed Ex account for ten years pick up at the house. Discount if anyone has car/house insurance with USAA. Always reliable. |
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Wade Barker, Student/Intern, Photographer
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College Station | TX | USA | Posted: 3:42 PM on 05.02.08 |
| ->> I hate USPS. I've had lots of trouble with them. I prefer Fedex but DHL and UPS are alright. UPS always seems to be cheaper when you're buying but for me, it's usually cheaper to send packages using Fedex. I always try to package things myself to make sure it's done right and to keep costs down. |
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Tony Donaldson, Photographer
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Los Angeles | CA | USA | Posted: 5:17 PM on 05.02.08 |
->> I use FedEx only. UPS has broken and misshipped a LOT of my packages, costing me time I don't have. Insurance won't cover UPS putting the package accidentally on a ground truck, in which case it will arrive at your chosen destination after you have left.
I hear DHL is a good choice if you want the item replaced, so insure your outdated gear and ship often! |
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Walt Middleton, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Columbus | OH | USA | Posted: 7:56 PM on 05.02.08 |
->> FEDEX...
I'M A BELIEVER...
Get an account and they will treat you even nicer...
and they are cheaper then too... |
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Bruce Kennedy, Photographer
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Panama City | FL | US | Posted: 12:13 AM on 05.03.08 |
->> FedEx!!!!!!!
I have tried DHL, USPS, and UPS. Only UPS seemed a close second, but still not at the same level of service as FedEx. Some may point out that USPS or UPS will save you a few dollars (less than $5.00), to ship a $5K camera and to them that a great deal (must be that new math). To me, if you ship with a signature required, and keep track or the tracking number so you know when your camera will be delivered, you should not have an issue with receiving it.
FedEx offers on-line shipping documents prepared, on-line tracking, and direct billing to a credit card. Can it get much easier? |
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Mark Smith, Photographer
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Elk City | OK | USA | Posted: 3:59 AM on 05.03.08 |
->> Carrier pigeons.....you'll need to get the genetically engineered ones that are strong enough to carry the big stuff. Warning, though, their insurance is for the birds.
(that is just soooo bad....I'm going to bed) |
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Ron Calef, Photographer
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Penn Valley | CA | USA | Posted: 11:06 AM on 05.03.08 |
| ->> FedEx if I truly need overnight service, otherwise I use USPS, as Jim noted. UPS is OK, and I agree, do avoid DHL - contract carriers don't seem to be as reliable as the employees at FedEx and UPS. The key seems to be doing a seriously bullet proof packing job when sending gear to CPS. |
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Jordan Flower, Photographer, Student/Intern
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Columbus | OH | US | Posted: 12:15 AM on 05.04.08 |
| ->> Way back in the day i worked at a ups. and the one thing i learned, i will never ship UPS. i would have loved to get a camera in there and show what happens to anything labeled fragile or handle with care. It looked more like hockey and football with boxes. pack it tight to, dont let it move around. |
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Chris Collins, Photographer
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Fayetteville/ATL | GA | US | Posted: 11:45 PM on 05.05.08 |
| ->> Wow, it seems UPS has a pretty bad name on here? Funny enough, they ship about twice as many packages a day than FedEx for some reason. |
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Eric Canha, Photographer
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Not Listed | MA | United States | Posted: 12:29 AM on 05.06.08 |
->> Chris,
While I've never had an issue sending via UPS, RECEIVING is a different story.
To date "Brown" has left 2 D2XS's at different addresses and my remotes were delivered to god knows where. Sadly and scary in each case the driver went to where he left my packages and retrieved them. I credit this with the practice of watching the tracking info when I know that there are packages on the way. In each case I was able to call the depot within an hour of the goof. They page the driver who calls and then goes to get the 'misplaced' package.
The one time that I didn't track a UPS shipment a 40# case of leather wedding albums went missing. While UPS was tracing the missing box I got a message on the studio's voice mail. A family returning from vacation found that ups had left a large heavy box on their front step. They looked up the studio in the phone book and called to ask when we were open so that THEY could deliver the box.
The albums weathered a week (including a snow storm) on someone's porch. Sadly Albums Inc. has switched to offering ONLY UPS for delivery. This past winter UPS managed to get a package to me a day EARLY and LOOSE a 2nd package (Blue label)at at the same time. When I called the depot they blamed the delayed package on snow. I was on the road the NYC, 3" of snow in NEW ENGLAND should not delay UPS.
As far as I am concerned BROWN is a very fitting color for them. |
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Doug Holleman, Photographer
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Temple | TX | USA | Posted: 12:53 AM on 05.06.08 |
| ->> I try to avoid UPS whenever I can, since they've left expensive cameras and lenses somewhere in the middle of the field in front of our property on several occassions, just because they didn't like my gravel driveway (which Fed Ex drivers or anyone else in big trucks and vans have never had any problem with). |
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