# Amazon has started using No Name Regional Shipping Carriers. It's one big mess. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 13, 2018, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-has-started-using-no-name-regional-shipping-carriers-its-one-big-mess/810495 "2018-03-13T16:17:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2018, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-has-started-using-no-name-regional-shipping-carriers-its-one-big-mess/810495/21 "2018-03-13T19:20:23Z")
> [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](#): > > Wait, do things work that differently in America? Where else would one look for a missed delivery notice? Are they routinely taped to the door, or something? Can only the mailman put things into the mailbox? Yes to both. (And, in this case, it was the US mail carrier who left the notice in the mail.) ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2018, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-has-started-using-no-name-regional-shipping-carriers-its-one-big-mess/810495/22 "2018-03-13T19:22:11Z")
> [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](#): > > Can only the mailman put things into the mailbox? Essentially, yes. About the only exception is if you put a letter or something (with proper postage, of course) in there for the mailman to pick up. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2018, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-has-started-using-no-name-regional-shipping-carriers-its-one-big-mess/810495/23 "2018-03-13T19:34:01Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > So, I got a carrier claiming a delivery attempt was made and I have no way to contact them. No notice on my door, Zip. That kind of fake notice is regularly sent to recipients who didn’t order anything, in the hope that the ignorant will click on the link and get infected with a virus or some phishing software. I get several of those weekly, all of them – I say again, ALL of them – are bogus. If you didn’t order anything, or the notice doesn’t specify enough to verify it (product, shipper, etc.), ignore it. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2018, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-has-started-using-no-name-regional-shipping-carriers-its-one-big-mess/810495/24 "2018-03-13T19:34:24Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I’m going to start treating Amazon just like eBay. > > Click on every seller name. Check their feedback, where are they located, and when did they open their account. > > Didn’t know this was necessary on Amazon and it caused me some grief. > > This experience has taught me a valuable lesson. > It’s better to buy a product sold by Amazon even if another product is more attractive and desireable. Third party sellers can potentially cause delays. Amazon itself is full of scams. Item ratings are sometimes full of fake reviews, especially the 5 star reviews. You can sometimes tell, like if the wording is slightly off or if the review is sufficiently vague. Also if lots of people aren’t confirmed buyers or new accounts. There are websites that let you scan the reviews for potential fakes (keep in mind false positives too, though; bad reviews don’t necessarily mean bad product). Two of these websites are ReviewMeta and FakeSpot. > [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](#): > > Wait, do things work that differently in America? Where else would one look for a missed delivery notice? Are they routinely taped to the door, or something? Can only the mailman put things into the mailbox? UPS and Fedex attach a self-adhesive tag to the door. USPS is the only other people who can access my mailbox. Individual keys work on your box, while they have a master key which essentially takes the entire frame off the mailboxes. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2018, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-has-started-using-no-name-regional-shipping-carriers-its-one-big-mess/810495/25 "2018-03-13T19:42:21Z")
Amazon sat on one of my packages for two weeks earlier this month. I actually had to call their super-secret customer service line to complain. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2018, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-has-started-using-no-name-regional-shipping-carriers-its-one-big-mess/810495/26 "2018-03-13T19:43:12Z")
> [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](#): > > I ordered a “fulfillment by Amazon” thing. Full disclosure, it was Magicbax earring backs, which I saw on TV for $19.95, plus shipping (special bonus, TWO sets). But going onto Amazon I found I could do much better and got them for $2.99, with free shipping. The downside: They came from China. I ordered these things in January and got them March 2, but before I got them I got a long explanation in fractured English about how the deal was no longer available but yes my items would ship. It sounded like I wasn’t ever going to get them, frankly…but I did get them. Luckily, I wasn’t in any hurry for them. > > And they are easily worth $2.99. They are probably worth even more, for two sets. I love these things but I doubt that I’d want to have paid $19.99 plus shipping for them. They do work, but I can see them losing their grip after a lot of use. Maybe the $19.99 ones are better quality, but I doubt it. PS Amazon did not allow me to leave a review on this item because I was not a confirmed buyer. Odd! ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2018, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-has-started-using-no-name-regional-shipping-carriers-its-one-big-mess/810495/27 "2018-03-13T19:47:21Z")
> [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](#): > > I ordered a “fulfillment by Amazon” thing. Did you, tho? If they shipped from China, that means they were fulfilled by the seller. I was under the impression that “Fullfilled by Amazon” meant that while the item was from a third-party seller, it was already sitting in an Amazon warehouse, stateside, ready to be packed and shipped. [https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=106096011](https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=106096011) > [@](#): > > Items “Fulfilled by Amazon” are offered by a third-party seller, but shipped from an Amazon Fulfillment Center to you. > **[Newsroom & Blog](https://www.rithum.com/blog/)** > > Hear from industry experts and discover the latest news, trends, and insights from the world of connected commerce. > [@](#): > > As the name suggests, Fulfillment by Amazon means your inventory is completely fulfilled by Amazon. They take care of it all. You send a portion of your inventory to Amazon’s fulfillment centers, where it’s stored until a customer decides to buy it. Amazon then picks, packs and ships the items to your customers, while you sit back and profit (in theory — see my next point). This thread is already full of a ton of incorrect information. Let’s not continue to lead people astray by falsely equating “Fulfilled by Amazon” with “Shipped directly from China” (which is a real thing, which you experienced). ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2018, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-has-started-using-no-name-regional-shipping-carriers-its-one-big-mess/810495/28 "2018-03-13T20:02:38Z")
Amazon does get very confusing. I understand they are trying to offer a wide selection, but it’s very hard sometimes to keep up with who is selling the product. Especially when a product is offered by several companies, there will be multiple listings. I try to always pick Amazon if possible. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2018, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-has-started-using-no-name-regional-shipping-carriers-its-one-big-mess/810495/29 "2018-03-13T21:20:04Z")
So, were the cushions attractive and comfy as advertised? It’s frustrating waiting for an update. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2018, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-has-started-using-no-name-regional-shipping-carriers-its-one-big-mess/810495/30 "2018-03-13T21:57:25Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > So, were the cushions attractive and comfy as advertised? > > It’s frustrating waiting for an update. Perhaps you should start treating posters just like eBay! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2018, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-has-started-using-no-name-regional-shipping-carriers-its-one-big-mess/810495/31 "2018-03-13T21:59:34Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I’m going to start treating Amazon just like eBay. > > Click on every seller name. Check their feedback, where are they located, and when did they open their account. > > Didn’t know this was necessary on Amazon and it caused me some grief. > > This experience has taught me a valuable lesson. > It’s better to buy a product sold by Amazon even if another product is more attractive and desireable. Third party sellers can potentially cause delays. It’s actually worse than that. For the same product, seller inventory is commingled. So if Good Co and Fraud Co are both selling iPhones, in the Amazon warehouse the inventory they supply is combined together. If you buy something from Good Co, you might actually get a product supplied by Fraud Co. ---
**Author:** ![MonkeyCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@MonkeyCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeyCat)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2018, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-has-started-using-no-name-regional-shipping-carriers-its-one-big-mess/810495/32 "2018-03-13T22:28:38Z")
Eh, I had an order from China fall through once, too. I think it was just a usb stick, though. So I didn’t report it to Amazon. I guess just be aware and don’t buy from that seller again. ---
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2018, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-has-started-using-no-name-regional-shipping-carriers-its-one-big-mess/810495/33 "2018-03-13T22:30:32Z")
Fyi, you’re original statement about local delivery companies is correct. Two of the newer programs for delivery are: 1 - Local small delivery companies You need at least a van and a uniform of some kind, but in general the bar is pretty low 2 - Average Joe/Jane person You need at least a pulse and a car, the bar is really low You sign up, you choose when and how long you want to work You go to a facility, pick up some packages and you deliver them ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2018, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-has-started-using-no-name-regional-shipping-carriers-its-one-big-mess/810495/34 "2018-03-13T22:38:12Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Did you, tho? If they shipped from China, that means they were fulfilled by the seller. I was under the impression that “Fullfilled by Amazon” meant that while the item was from a third-party seller, it was already sitting in an Amazon warehouse, stateside, ready to be packed and shipped. This was my understanding as well. If an item is “Fulfilled by Amazon”, it shouldn’t be coming from overseas. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2018, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-has-started-using-no-name-regional-shipping-carriers-its-one-big-mess/810495/35 "2018-03-13T23:09:11Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > So, were the cushions attractive and comfy as advertised? > > It’s frustrating waiting for an update. These \*4 seat cushions have logged more air miles than I have. 😉 The tracking info has a couple references to places in China. I’ve never flown outside the continental states. I think my mom will love them. I like the deep brown. Still in package but I gave them a squeeze. Very springy foam. \*2 per pack [![](https://i.imgur.com/ZGnPQTl.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/ZGnPQTl.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2018, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-has-started-using-no-name-regional-shipping-carriers-its-one-big-mess/810495/36 "2018-03-14T16:51:53Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Yes to both. (And, in this case, it was the US mail carrier who left the notice in the mail.) > [@Kimballkid](#): > > Essentially, yes. About the only exception is if you put a letter or something (with proper postage, of course) in there for the mailman to pick up. > [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > UPS and Fedex attach a self-adhesive tag to the door. USPS is the only other people who can access my mailbox. Individual keys work on your box, while they have a master key which essentially takes the entire frame off the mailboxes. I never knew that, thanks! Now I can’t decide if I like the system or not. On the one hand, no mass advertising just stuffed into every letterbox; on the other, things may end up in nonobvious locations… ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2018, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-has-started-using-no-name-regional-shipping-carriers-its-one-big-mess/810495/37 "2018-03-14T17:29:37Z")
> [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](#): > > I never knew that, thanks! Now I can’t decide if I like the system or not. On the one hand, no mass advertising just stuffed into every letterbox; on the other, things may end up in nonobvious locations… The only mass advertising comes from sellers who pay special postage rates for the privilege of having the post office stuff their material into every letterbox. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/do_not_taunt/32/2968_2.png) [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Do_Not_Taunt)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2018, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-has-started-using-no-name-regional-shipping-carriers-its-one-big-mess/810495/38 "2018-03-14T18:31:20Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I’m going to start treating Amazon just like eBay. > > Click on every seller name. Check their feedback, where are they located, and when did they open their account. > > Didn’t know this was necessary on Amazon and it caused me some grief. > > This experience has taught me a valuable lesson. > It’s better to buy a product sold by Amazon even if another product is more attractive and desireable. Third party sellers can potentially cause delays. You’re mixing up who the seller is (Amazon vs. some third party), which doesn’t really matter, with who the fulfiller is, which really matters a lot. I recommend you do what I do - prefer stuff fulfilled by Amazon and is labeled ‘Instock.’ If it’s fulfilled by a third-party or out-of-stock, assume you won’t see it for two weeks at least and act accordingly. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2018, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-has-started-using-no-name-regional-shipping-carriers-its-one-big-mess/810495/39 "2018-03-14T18:40:13Z")
I’ll start looking closely who fullfills the order. You’re right. I was getting mixed up. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2018, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-has-started-using-no-name-regional-shipping-carriers-its-one-big-mess/810495/40 "2018-03-14T19:23:55Z")
So, to summarize: Nothing has changed in the way Amazon ships things. Nothing has changed in the way they disclose who is selling & shipping any item you buy, which has always been clearly shown on the product page and again on the order confirmation page. This was not a “Fulfilled by Amazon” item. You got good prompt service from a Chinese vendor shipping from China. China Post is the Chinese national carrier. Am I missing anything? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-has-started-using-no-name-regional-shipping-carriers-its-one-big-mess/810495.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-has-started-using-no-name-regional-shipping-carriers-its-one-big-mess/810495.md?page=3)