A survey of auto parts and accessories retailers reveals that, when it comes to shipping packages for e-commerce, the US Postal Service (USPS) is often underrated. Conducted by Spork Marketing, a Denver marketing agency for auto parts e-tailers, the survey asked retailers to rank UPS, FedEx and USPS on pricing, reliability, ease to work with and package care. According to respondents, the US Postal Service had the highest net rating on these marks.

“According to our survey, the US Postal Service is the best shipping carrier for retailers selling auto parts and accessories online. We found that the Postal Service had [a] good rating in every category, even though they only ‘won’ a single category,” said Jason Lancaster, president of Spork Marketing.

Survey respondents ranked UPS, FedEx and USPS accordingly:

• UPS was rated as the easiest carrier to work with, and also the most reliable. However, UPS also was rated as the most expensive carrier.
• USPS was rated as having the best pricing, and was solid in every other category.
• FedEx was rated best at protecting packages, and did well in every category except pricing, where it was rated just slightly better than UPS.

In addition to ranking the three major shipping carriers, the survey also revealed some interesting information about lost or damaged packages:

• More than 25 percent of auto parts and accessories retailers reported issues with lost or damaged packages
• Nearly 3 percent of retailers reported that 10 percent or more of the shipments were lost or damaged
• When packages are damaged, about half of respondents said the shipping company was to blame, and the rest blamed packing materials and/or packaging

“Many of the companies we work with are shipping large auto parts and accessories like running boards, body panels, tonneau covers, etc. on a regular basis. Many of these companies have issues with products getting damaged during shipping,” said Lancaster. “According to our survey, about half those problems stem from insufficient packaging materials. So, if your company is struggling with packages getting lost or damaged, you might try investing in some tougher boxes and better packing materials.”

To see the full survey results, visit http://sporkmarketing.com/5486/auto-parts-ecommerce-survey-results/.