On 29-Feb-12 02:57, Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 13:27:15 on Tue, 28 Feb
2012, Stephen Sprunk remarked:
That's why any sensible merchant uses some sort of shipping with
delivery confirmation. Once delivered, their liability for a "FOB
destination" shipment ends.

Also, most customers _expect_ shipment tracking these days, and are
willing to pay a few dollars extra to get it. I would not do business
with a merchant that didn't offer _at minimum_ delivery confirmation,
for exactly this reason. I've had shipping problems in the past (mostly
with DHL, but once with UPS--never with FedEx) and have no desire to get
into a battle with the merchants or my bank over whose fault it is.

This is another US vs UK thing. Here in the UK it's quite unusual (and
somewhat expensive) to use a DHL/UPS/FedEx courier for most mail order
transactions. The majority still use the Royal Mail (and most often not
with either a tracking or delivery confirmation component) or one of a
variety of "low cost carriers" (cf: low cost airlines) who appear to use
part time workers and unmarked vehicles.

What would Amazon use in the USA if you bought a book for say $10?

I recently ordered a book (price: USD 15.18) from Amazon using their
free "Super Saver" shipping, which they claim is USPS with Delivery
Confirmation™.

Item(s) Subtotal: $15.18
Shipping & Handling: $1.74
Super Saver Discount: -$1.74
-----
Total Before Tax: $15.18
Sales Tax: $0.00
-----
Total for This Shipment: $15.18

The link for tracking the shipment reveals that it was actually sent via
FedEx Smartpost®, an interesting hybrid system in which FedEx delivers
the package to the local post office and USPS does the final delivery to
the customer.

S

--
Stephen Sprunk "God does not play dice." --Albert Einstein
CCIE #3723 "God is an inveterate gambler, and He throws the
K5SSS dice at every possible opportunity." --Stephen Hawking