I don't get it.

charlie n · Aug 3, 2017

Logistics is something I can't understand. I ordered a item off EBay. Coming from Florida to Illinois.
So it leaves first drop and travels south. Stays there 2 days and goes back to the north and stops 30 miles from where it started. Next day it heads to Kentucky. This was yesterday. I just tracked it and guess what. It past me (20 miles north of St Louis) and is now 180 miles north of me in Champaign IL. So I'm thinkin it's gonna stop in Decatur and then back to St Louis and then back to Illinois. Glad they aren't chargin by the loaded mile.

chuck machinist · Aug 3, 2017

Welcome to the world of high-tech hee hee it is
what it isCM

banjoman09 · Aug 3, 2017

That's why postage is high.......

Texasmark1 · Aug 3, 2017

Unless it's "Fast and Free" I have seen that too on free shipping; I call it boat mail. Course it's not all bad. I ordered a couple of wheels day
before yesterday and got them today about noon (FedX) from Wisconsin. But in checking the tracking data, came straight down here but
made a lot of stops on the way.

Stephen Newell · Aug 3, 2017

My brother lives in a town farther south from Decatur. If he were to mail a letter to the neighbor across the street the letter would go to St. Louis to be sorted and then back to his town just because there isn't a post office in the town.

Cory Schmidt · Aug 3, 2017

It works by hub networks...one hub has so much heading one way(for example lets say north) another hub a lot going the other (in example heading south). A truck takes some of the stuff south(that should go north) with a lot of stuff going to the hub(that would go south from there)....The truck then trades the stuff going "the wrong way" for stuff going back the other (example truck dumps shipments going south, takes full load north), all parcels checked in to be sure going correct direction from that hub. Then on to next hub. ......keeps going in that pattern till package end up at you local post office(or delivery hub) for final sorting(your parts versus neighbors shirt).

My brother ordered some parts for the chain saws, one set from Kanas(I think that was it), other from Florida(set for over a week later then other). First time marked at same place was in Green Bay...checked in same place only less then an hour apart. Previous location were Oshkosh(for Fl) and La Crosse (for Ks) went together rest of way to his mail box.

grayrider · Aug 3, 2017

Yep it drives me nuts too, 3 years ago I
ordered a pertronix electronic ignition
kit off of ebay, it was located in
Pensacola FL which is one hour and
fifteen minutes away from me, it was
shipped same day I ordered it, took 5
days to get it in the mail, if I knew
where the seller was located would have
driven down and picked it up myself. And
then I'll buy things from California and
get it in 2 days, what in the dickens is
up with that, you just never know...

Tom from IL · Aug 3, 2017

Mail from Decatur goes to
Springfield to be processed, and
then back.

Goose · Aug 3, 2017

I disremember who the carrier was, but I once had a package come from Texas to Nebraska via New Jersey.

kcm.MN · Aug 3, 2017

Charlie -- Let me guess.....FedEx??

I ordered something once that was sent FedEx, and I paid extra for overnight, as it was rather important. It was coming from.....I think North Carolina. It went from there to Ohio, then it went to Mass., then they lost it altogether. Why? Because it somehow ended up switching from FedEx to UPS. Figure THAT one out! Anyway, UPS took it from Mass. to, I think either Chicago or Iowa (can't remember which), and then up to us. Amazon couldn't figure out what happened (as it was never supposed to switch carriers), so they sent out another order. Ended up getting two orders. Contacted Amazon and they said keep them both for the hassle. Thought that was very nice of them!

pat sublett · Aug 3, 2017

A lot of this is about handling count, to justify more employees.

BIG RUH · Aug 3, 2017

OIt may visit Peoria also.

funky_g00 · Aug 3, 2017

I agree that shipping patterns do not always make sense. I once had a letter mailed to me from Aberdeen SD to North Platte NE via I think Colby KS. All three towns are on essentially the same straight stretch of highway and the only remotely direct way to Colby from Aberdeen is to drive thru North Platte, and it is a eight hour drive that took two full weeks via mail. Not to change the subject but public transportation does not make any better sense. Up until a few years ago if you flew out of any airport besides the Lincoln or Omaha airports you had to fly west to Denver in order to fly east. I also know that a eight hour car trip will take over 20 hours via greyhound bus.

Ian Beale · Aug 3, 2017

Like people it wants to get out of California quickly?

Meangreen · Aug 4, 2017

Bought a computer one time that started in California went to New York then Denver and then finally to Omaha where I got it. Forget which carrier it was.

WI Dan · Aug 4, 2017

Cory has it right. The economies of scale come into play. It's not about the individual package, it's about the channels of distributing packages.

BarnyardEngineering · Aug 4, 2017

Does it arrive when UPS/Fedex says it will?

THAT is what's important. How it gets there is completely irrelevant.

It's been a long time since a package has missed a delivery date as shown on either UPS's or Fedex's websites. Many times they show up early.

What irritates me is when it shows in the local hub two days before the listed delivery date, and sits there until the listed delivery date, because that's when they said it would be delivered.

1948CaseVAI · Aug 4, 2017

If you are talking about processing one letter or package then the system is nuts, but when you have to process millions of items the hub system is the most efficient model. If you think the service is bad now, sending everything on a direct route would result in absolute chaos and very little would get through.

I don't get it.

charlie n

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chuck machinist

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banjoman09

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Texasmark1

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Stephen Newell

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Cory Schmidt

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grayrider

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Tom from IL

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kcm.MN

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BIG RUH

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Ian Beale

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