this post was submitted on 14 Jan 2024

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FedEx is launching a new e-commerce platform as it competes with Amazon (www.theverge.com)

submitted 10 months ago by ooli@lemmy.world to c/technology@lemmy.world

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[–] SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 59 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (6 children)

Until they can make their drivers as reliable as Amazon drivers, they will lose. (I know Amazon delivery has a lot of problems, I'm not going to be talking about those in this post)

While it sucks that Amazon drivers are endlessly surveilled, it's a huge boon to people recieving packages to know when their package is coming and to not miss it.

To my knowledge, FedEx and UPS still just give you a delivery window of a whole ass day, and then if they just decide delivering to you is too hard, they just won't.

Seriously just the other day, we were home all day, even had a note on the door to call us, saying we're home, and we'll be out in a moment to sign for it. Nobody rang the bell or called and no note that they ever even came to our doorstep was left. Nope, just got an email notification that they missed us and that now we can pick up our package four days later at an Access Point. Kinda had hoped to get that package on the day it was meant to be delivered for a reason, you know. Kind of fucks up plans when they pull that shit.

They're only just beginning to roll out a competing system. It will be a joke for a long time yet.

Until UPS/FedEx/whoever else fix that aspect of their delivery services, no one will want to fucking use them. The inconvenience factor with those companies is way higher than with Amazon deliveries.

[–] wreckedcarzz@lemmy.world 25 points 10 months ago

UPS, for several years now, gives you a stop-by-stop tracking GPS plot, once the package is 'in your area' or is under like 6 stops from you, whichever is greater (this is anecdotal from my tracking packages over the last decade+); basically the same as Amazon (but UPS had the ability first). FedEx is still window-only.

Maybe it's a region thing - I'm just a few miles from a large population center.

[–] Reverendender@sh.itjust.works 8 points 10 months ago

I sure hope FedEx reads your post. I would love to see someone take down Amazon. I work from home, and the UPS guy knows, and thus does not attempt the typical fuckery.

[–] MaxVoltage@lemmy.world 7 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Fedex drivers are third party companies that pay for the license to get the jobs. Fedex is dirty they can turn aroubd give contracts RPG style it to a new or existing courier company at any moment

i have done business with all four of the big American couriers. By far Bigs is the USPS despite zero pictures or surveillance. Although i feel as though the Public mail should not be used for a lot of things. Amazon has actually become a mail company to compensate

[–] BearOfaTime@lemm.ee 9 points 10 months ago

I think you mean "by far the best is USPS", and as much as I may complain about the shitshow the fed has made if it, you're right. And they're doing it with congress fucking their financing.

It's very consistent, I've lost far fewer packages via USPS than anyone else (and I was shipping stuff 40 years ago, long before Fedex did resi service, and UPS was still slower than postal).

UPS has had serious tracking capability since the late 90's, and Fedex had been barcoding ever package almost from the start. Both of them demonstrate what happens when you have your customers over a barrel - Amazon came in and is beating them at their own game (Logistics).

Really pathetic for UPS - at one time they were the largest logistics provider in the world, I think. With all that knowledge, experience, and capability, instead of looking forward they sat on their hands and focused on protecting their near-monopoly.

[–] Voyajer@lemmy.world 5 points 10 months ago (2 children)

I've had both deliver my stuff to the wrong address, but the vast majority of those mistakes were from Amazon delivery (and off by much larger distances).

[–] Gormadt@lemmy.blahaj.zone 7 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Literally last week the Amazon guy dropped every package for my apartment complex at the same apartment

At least my neighbor was friendly about it and took the time to actually deliver the packages properly

I baked him muffins as thanks

[–] bradboimler@startrek.website 1 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

This is just lazy drivers call Amazon report it to customer service the DSP will lose all bonus that week called customer escalation Amazon will even pay if property is broken or the DSP will pay if you don’t call Amazon so the still get the bonus.

[–] bradboimler@startrek.website 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Okay I am a Amazon delivery driver Amazon app is very gps specific and sometimes it’s wrong by a lot and no way for us to know since the use their own gps.

[–] Voyajer@lemmy.world 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Interesting, so it gives you a GPS pin instead of the address?

[–] bradboimler@startrek.website 1 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Yes and no we do have the full address but we do not find packages by address we find them using the three digit code on the small yellow sticker on the package when delivering during the day all wrong address should be caught and delivered correctly it’s when it hits night and become dark we can’t see because no one turns on lights so it’s all guessing and at night we go 100% off gps pin. or Amazon’s GPS is way off sometimes and will say we’re at the right location and the address will match but it’s the wrong street and we don’t know.

[–] southsamurai@sh.itjust.works 5 points 10 months ago

I fucking hate amazon, but Amazon's drivers are fucking awesome. Out there busting their asses and nailing it, usually as good or better than usps and ups manages.

Fedex is shit.

[–] LodeMike@lemmy.today 4 points 10 months ago

I don’t understand why they do this? Do they love wasting everyone’s time and money?

[–] ThePowerOfGeek@lemmy.world 36 points 10 months ago (2 children)

What's the ecommerce equivalent of dismissively throwing fragile packages over fences. Because I'm wondering what to expect if I every order something via FedEx's ecommerce system.

[–] AbsoluteChicagoDog@lemm.ee 6 points 10 months ago (4 children)

As if Amazon drivers are any better

[–] ShepherdPie@midwest.social 4 points 10 months ago

It's a crapshoot regardless of the company. It just depends on how bad of day your delivery person is having and anyone is capable of having a bad day.

[–] Joelk111@lemmy.world 3 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

Got a package delivered by Amazon the other day. When I got home it was on the porch. When I checked the delivery notification the photo was of my neighbors porch. Guess they redilvered it, thanks neighbor.

[–] MattTheProgrammer@lemmy.world 3 points 10 months ago

It's very area-dependent. In my area, all delivery people are fine, but FedEx consistently can't get their delivery estimates correct and my packages overall tend to be in worse condition from them.

[–] ThePowerOfGeek@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago

I guess I've been lucky. All the ones I've had deliver stuff to me have been very considerate.

Of course, now I've just jinxed myself.

[–] XTornado@lemmy.ml 4 points 10 months ago

Sending you wrong things that are cheaper than what you ordered?

[–] conditional_soup@lemm.ee 27 points 10 months ago (2 children)

I'll believe it when FedEx isn't a dumpster fire of a delivery service. Every time there's been some bizarre issue getting my delivery, it's been FedEx. One time, we ordered some furniture. One box on one truck came, we signed, opened it, and found half the components missing with instructions talking about a second box. We call FedEx, and "nope, says here just the one box, and we delivered it, idk, contact the seller". While we're trying to reach out to the seller, a second FedEx truck shows up thirty minutes after the first and delivers the second box. Like, wtf? Also, we had a fruit tree we order just fucking get stuck for a whole ass month in one of their distribution centers. It'd go out for shipment each day, and each day be returned. Finally, after a month, they just said "it's not coming lol".

[–] Rentlar@lemmy.ca 3 points 10 months ago

お前のパッケージはもう無くなっている

Nani- !?

[–] agitatedpotato@lemmy.world 18 points 10 months ago

A friend of mine used to work at fedex and based on the uhhh lets call it work flow, I'd be shocked to see this work out for them. Maybe im too skeptical and they changed a loooot. Doubt it though.

[–] Alexstarfire@lemmy.world 15 points 10 months ago (4 children)

Why does everyone and their mother want to emulate Amazon?

[–] Patches@sh.itjust.works 13 points 10 months ago

Because money

[–] topinambour_rex@lemmy.world 7 points 10 months ago

Who doesnt want to be a strong powerful woman warrior ? Sure, Lucy Lawless is responsible somehow.

[–] asdfasdfasdf@lemmy.world 4 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Are we criticizing an attempt at having some sort of competition?

[–] Alexstarfire@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago

The problem is they are all poor emulations. Amazon already has problems and these new "marketplace" don't address any of them. I haven't seen one be better than Amazon in any way. At least Wish, Temu, and AliExpress have a wide variety of stuff at cheaper prices. Even if everything else about them is crap.

[–] Patch@feddit.uk 4 points 10 months ago

Gestures vaguely at Amazon's enormous piles of money

[–] Thcdenton@lemmy.world 10 points 10 months ago

It's going to suck magnum dong

[–] scytale@lemm.ee 9 points 10 months ago

If the quality of their deliveries, especially Fedex Ground, remain the same, they will never be able to compete.

[–] Tikiporch@lemmy.world 7 points 10 months ago

FedEx bought Shop Runner some time ago. This is not much more than a rebranding.

[–] MonsiuerPatEBrown@reddthat.com 5 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

they want the same access to enshittification funds as their anti-Union cohort Bezos has created.

[–] autotldr@lemmings.world 4 points 10 months ago (1 children)

This is the best summary I could come up with:

The platform will integrate with ShopRunner, an online e-commerce store the company bought in 2020.

The company writes that sellers using fdx can ShopRunner platform can use it to “see shipments in near real time,” choose supply chain resources based on carbon impact, and to handle returns.

FedEx says when fdx launches in the fall, it will give sellers “more efficient, cost-effective deliveries” using its data.

The move appears aimed at competing with Amazon, a company FedEx has seen as a threat to its business for years.

That’s just a few years after the online retail giant built up a logistics operation that largely uses tightly controlled third-party contractors that Amazon insists aren’t its employees.

At the same time, Amazon was continuing to build up its own logistics operation that uses a fleet of mostly tightly controlled third-party contractors that it insists aren’t employees.

The original article contains 296 words, the summary contains 144 words. Saved 51%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!

[–] JoMomma@lemm.ee 2 points 10 months ago

Lol

[–] shikitohno@kbin.social 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Why on earth would I want to shop somewhere that I can guarantee will ship with FedEx? I'll actively avoid places that only offer FedEx shipping as it is.

[–] Subtlysubtle@sffa.community 1 points 10 months ago

I feel like everyone has had a bad experience with one of the major delivery services and just decides to shit on them. I've had packages busted by FedEx, usps, ups, that guy that drops off packages from his unmarked van. Like I get 97% of stuff okay, but 3% comes broken from them all.