Best and worst delivery options...

Since i live pretty much in the center of the US and a long ways from most of the hunting and fishing that i like to do, I'm frequently forced to shop online and have the items shipped to me (I like to have what i need before i start my trip to hunt or fish rather than taking a chance on finding it when i reach my destination). Since the advent of online shopping, internet sales have become an ever larger part of the market for many companies. However, most of them tend to go cheap on the delivery options, which forms the basis of my rant and question/survey. Years ago i can't remember having issues with shipping, but recently I've had several. Most were with Fedex. They've delayed shipments from butcher box so that frozen food sat in tulsa over the weekend in late summer, they've claimed "weather delays" for a 75 degree sunny day when packages were on the truck for delivery and then rescheduled a delivery date 3 days later, and more like this. UPS has been much better, and USPS has too (except for delivering the neigbors mail to my mailbox once in a while... Lol). So I'm wondering if I'm special or if others here have shared these experiences. Is there a better way to ship? There are usually more expensive options for faster shipping but is it any better?

I buy a great deal of merchandise over the internet. And like you have my share of delivery stories. For me Fed ex has pulled some stupid moves. UPS does good for me. I refuse to order anything from Walmart if it has to be delivered, they use three illegals in a truck, had 3 deliverys, all bad, so no more. Once had DHL delivery a $1200 camera which was my wife's Christmas. They didn't come to the door dropped it off in the driveway in front of the garage door, I almost backed over it. Lost my cool on that one. My latest is, we have some little bastich stealing packages when delivered to our mailbox. Me and a trail cam are going to rock his world. Hopefully more to come on that one soon! 😁 Happy shopping!

South side of Atlanta does offer any thing in the line of Salt Water tackle so I have to rely on online although I prefer to support the store front tackle shops and they are the ones I shop first if they have a ecommerce website I'll get it from them and if possible to hold it for me to pickup in the store
Now if that isn't a option than it's B.P./Cabl. their are a number of tackle shops set up on Ebay , Last is Amazon . But most have been shipping USPS and have had great results , the larger stuff has been UPS or FedEx, UPS has been good FedEx just okay , The worst is Amazon and they keep leaving packages in random places and than I have to find it . They all have their good and bad stories

Had to put a sign on the front door before last Christmas after finding packages sitting in the rain last year for them to at least ring the door bell when I'm home all day.

not really related to your question, but I thought this was cool. A company at my neices college up in VA has a automated robot food delivery service across campus. Supposedly it was a pilot program and 3 other colleges caught on to it... i am waiting for the day r2d2 rolls up to drop new xraps and a bucket o' skrimp to me at the end of the pier.

I forgot to mention with the whole mailbox mess, my mailbox is about a quarter mile from the house with about a dozen other boxes nothing really around them. So one day I come driving down the road, look up and see a package in the road next to a mailbox. It was the last package ever delivered to the Wathen house from Walmart.com My pastor once ordered a fancy new bathroom vanity top for a remodel. It was special order from a local supplier who shipped to the house. After weeks and weeks of it not showing up. The supplier says it was delivered, but the pastor still has no sink. While coming homea different route one evening he notices a cardboard box falling apart in the front yard of an abandoned house. You guessed there lies his sink.... Moral of the story I guess is always get the insurance 🥴

well, that beats my experience with fedex, they've only lost one or two of my packages. When I called to ask why there was a weather delay on one of my packages listed as "out for delivery" from Tulsa (roughly 35 minutes away) when it was a 75 degree sunny day their response was "I don't know" and "that decision is made in Tulsa". Then they told me my package would be delivered in three days. I asked why it would take three days to reach me since it was already on the truck for delivery- they couldn't answer that question either... I told them that I wasn't impressed- in my own words...

Forgot to mention that it was supposed to be a two day delivery. Not two days, then the weekend, then three more days.