Whats the deal on shipping??

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bbqreloader

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I have noticed as of late that it seems to be common practice to create a shipping label (UPS, USPS FED EX) for an item but it does not ship until 2 or 3 days later (testing that time limit up to 4 days with ammo I ordered before I send email)

Not in the business of retail or any kind of shipping but just curious as to the flow of operations.
As a customer when a shipping label is created and I get an email, that tells me that the company has my product READY to get shipped. It just seems that some companies use it as a buffer for products that they don't have in stock (item not back ordered at time of purchase) so they can scramble to get it.

I'm not here to bash, but for those that have this kind of experience (shipping) whats the flow that it would take 2 or 3 days for a product to get out after a label gets created? Or is it a notification thing thru the service they use that I can turn off that a label was created until it is actually shipped.
 
If you are referring to an online purchase. Most online re sellers create a shipping label as part of the purchase process. So the label is actually created before the product has made its way thorough the process of getting picked from inventory then packaged, then either delivered to the shipper, or picked up by the shipper.
 
Much of it is automated, but 3-4 days is a long time for it to be pending. I’ve had it happen and I don’t like it, but it’s rare because I usually pay for expedited shipping so I don’t have several things in transit over a long period of time.

I bought a new receiver sight from an eBay vendor last month and it was 5 days from checkout and shipping label creation to when he actually dropped the envelope in the mail. I asked him why so long and he actually was honest and said he didn’t care when I got it and he wasn’t going to make a special trip to the post office for one person’s shipment.

I ordered another small item from Brownells and it was at my house two days from the time I placed the order.

Some vendors are just slow.
 
Depends on how busy they are, and at THIS time of year, most are swamped. Automated shipping label generation is part of their internal order processing/tracking/picking-pulling operations, just like the order number that is generated. Just another way to make sure the right product goes with the right order number for shipment to the right customer. Midway takes 2 days, (on a good day) between order number/shipping label creation and actual delivery to UPS or whomever.
 
Some sellers get paid or get paid faster once a shipping label is created- pretty sure Ebay operates this way.
 
Places that ship more than practical to bring in will have a truck come to them. I assumed they use a company software to generate the labels, and notify the agency that does the shipping. At a convenient time when a truck is free they do the pickups.
 
I'd assume it has always happened this way, however 5 years ago customers didn't get all the automatic updates. Now we get an update every time the status of an order changes even though it doesn't really have any practical impact.
 
Happens a lot on eBay, I’ve sold stuff on there and as soon as I print a label to ship it it is marked as shipped. The online tracking just makes it more apparent. Waiting three or four days for them to actually physically ship it would get annoying though.
 
The labor shortage is a big problem right now for the shipping industry. Robotics and automated transportation will fix the issue in the near future.
 
Par for the course. I create "Click-N-Ship" priority labels when I ship and the labels are registered instantly with the post office. If I don't take the item to the P.O. right away, you will see what you are seeing. Delays in actually getting the package to the shipper may be accidental or on purpose in order to get your funds to clear. You might complain to the shipper!
 
Par for the course. I create "Click-N-Ship" priority labels when I ship and the labels are registered instantly with the post office. If I don't take the item to the P.O. right away, you will see what you are seeing. Delays in actually getting the package to the shipper may be accidental or on purpose in order to get your funds to clear. You might complain to the shipper!
Complain about what? They are swamped at the busiest time of the entire year. I wonder how many of these young kids would have liked "the old days", when you mail in an order form and a check via snail mail and then wait several weeks to a month or more for the USPS to get the order to the vendor; then have them take several days to pick and pack, and then more time to ship
 
George- as soon as the post office or the trucking company gets the item, it is scanned and will show up on a trace. Therefore if a trace does not show the item as deposited, you can figure the person who is sending the item has created the shipping label and not deposited it with the shipping company.
Complain to the person sending the item. He is letting the item languish on his out basket.
 
eBay sellers list handling time. Some list 3 days. When I sell I list one business day handling time and get the item in no later than. Sometimes I can do it same day and I do. Luck of the draw with eBay.
 
Thanks for all the replies. The order is from a company that also operates online, I did get frustrated that it it was taking so long. But the clarifications made it apparent that the ordering process includes some steps that I did not consider, i.e. online order auto generates a shipping label. Just imagined someone at a computer printing out a label and slapping it on the box as it was ready to go out the door.
Good news is that after checking again, I have some more 22 ammo en route as of this afternoon to load into my new M&P 22 compact I just got to train the kids on!
 
I take advantage of Palmetto's free shipping. Last Friday the 14th I ordered a Sig Sauer red dot knowing up front their policy of 4-5 business days before handing it off to UPS. As of yesterday afternoon the order still showed processing no tracking number. I'm thinking if they get it off tomorrow, which would be five business days, it will probably get here before Christmas but if not no big deal as, knowing what time of year it is I should have got my order in a day or two earlier, and you can't complain about free shipping.
Last night about 8 PM my grandson came over to forage through my refrigerator and brought a box in with him that had been sitting on the porch. Yup it was the RDS I ordered. My order is still showing processing on the PSA site but I'm not complaining. They must be swamped with work.
 
I have worked in the "order" department of a major on-line company and this is how our shipping and order processing was handled.
Once an order is made and payment received, a shipping label is automatically created for the order.
Now, the product will need to be collected from stock, verified as to serial number, etc., before being sent to shipping.
Once in shipping, the order is packaged, and shipping information is inputted into system, for example, package size, weight, and then the, previously created shipping label is updated and printed and attached to the package, and the carrier is notified.
This whole process can happen quickly, like same day in some cases, but, it can also take a day or two if very busy.
So, that is why, sometimes, it takes some time between when the label is generated and when it actually ships.
 
Seems to be SOP for many online vendors. I try to support vendors that have stated shipping times like within 24 hours, 1 or 2 business days, etc and then actually meet or exceed their shipping commitments. I ordered a replacement laptop battery yesterday from an eBay vendor; I had the USPS tracking number within 15 minutes of placing the order. LOL........as of this morning, USPS is awaiting the item from the vendor which may not actually deliver it to USPS until tomorrow or Wednesday. Fine with me as the promised delivery date is by 12/31. Austin to Ft. Worth will be one business day once USPS get the item.

Kind of like the airlines, as long as they push away from the gate on time they can claim X percentage of on-time departures. It doesn't matter how long the flight may sit on the tarmac.
 
Time of shipping is not what bothers me but the actual cost of shipping some places charge. Could be something as small as a screw and they charge 6-7 bucks shipping knowing good and well it just could just be put in a envelope with a stamp.
 
Time of shipping is not what bothers me but the actual cost of shipping some places charge. Could be something as small as a screw and they charge 6-7 bucks shipping knowing good and well it just could just be put in a envelope with a stamp.
Except someone has to go to the warehouse, find the part and get, bring it to the shipping department where someone else has to check the computer and get it ready for shipping, then there is the cost of packaging and postage; none of that is free.
 
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