Amazon's alternative to UPS and USPS, is being expanded with SWA and coming soon

February 9, 2018

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Amazon's plans to take on UPS and FedEx are reportedly coming to fruition. According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, the online retailer's new shipping service, named "Shipping with Amazon" (SWA), will roll out in Los Angeles in the coming weeks. With SWA, Amazon will pick up packages from businesses and ship them to customers, relying almost entirely on Amazon's shipping infrastructure.

If you didn't hear about this before, Amazon had plans to expand its own delivery services, Amazon Logistics and Amazon Flex, with SWA. The news here is that SWA is finally coming to service, just in a limited scope. This will mean that they will now pick up packages for third party merchants and delivery them through their own service.

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Aside from first starting in LA, SWA will first serve third-party merchants that already sell on Amazon. The company plans to send drivers to pick up shipments from these businesses and deliver the packages for them. While shipping and delivery will mostly go through Amazon, anything outside of the retailer's reach will be given to the USPS and other shipping services for the "last mile" portion of the delivery.

For the time being, this seems like it will just cover part of the journey for some of the US, just like it is currently.

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News of this particular shipping endeavor broke in 2016, when Amazon was reportedly still in the planning stages.

I'm not familiar with the logistics involved with delivery, but perhaps this would actual cut costs for Amazon. (I remember some news a while back about Trump wanting to increase delivery fees as USPS runs at a loss with these deliveries, but maybe I mis-remembered.)

Edit: As mentioned by @AshleyAshes , Amazon already had delivery services known as Amazon Logistics and Amazon Flex, which are for third parties to cover end point shipping, this is just an expansion of it to cover picking up parcels from third party logistics. Articled edited to reflect this.

Source (Ars Technica)

AshleyAshes · February 9, 2018

4 minutes ago, tjcater said:

If you didn't hear about this before, Amazon is going to start its own delivery service, SWA. The news here is that it's finally coming to service, just in a very limited scope.

For the time being, this seems like it will just cover part of the journey for some parts of the US.

I'm not familiar with the logistics involved with delivery, but perhaps this would actual cut costs for Amazon. (I remember some news a while back about Trump wanting to increase delivery fees as USPS runs at a loss with these deliveries, but maybe I mis-remembered.)

Source (Ars Technica)

Uhh, Amazon already has it's OWN parcel delivery service for it's own goods. It's called Amazon Logistics. They use an Uber like setup where contractors use a phone app and basically pick up a 'block' of deliveries and a time window to deliver them.

This would only be expanding the system to PICK UP other parcels from outside their own logistics chain and then delver them.

Taf the Ghost · February 9, 2018

People near major distribution centers have already been able to get Same Day or even 1-2 hour service, but it's been pretty logical that Amazon would go that way. Amazon has a long ways to go before they're vertically integrated, this is just another step.

I also expect that they'll focus on the areas around their biggest markets. They have little reason to expand it nationally at any point in the near future.

DrMacintosh · February 9, 2018

When it comes to shipping, I’m more willing to trust the USPS.

Sorry Amazon.

February 9, 2018

If it's anything like their existing service, oh boy...

I had someone come into my office w/ a package and I was like "oh, do I need to sign?" He responds "I don't work for Amazon, I just found this on the ground a few blocks over."

And at home their new photo proof of delivery just shows that they delivered to the wrong house. It was fun to track down the package and find the matching porch while not looking like a criminal scoping out a house.

ProjectBox153 · February 9, 2018

Does anyone else get the feeling that Amazon is becoming something more like Google, spreading out into various (sometimes seemingly unrelated) areas?

ItsMitch · February 9, 2018

Could work well in my eyes, our parcel delivery services are trash over here.

AshleyAshes · February 9, 2018

8 minutes ago, Legendarypoet said:

If it's anything like their existing service, oh boy...

I had someone come into my office w/ a package and I was like "oh, do I need to sign?" He responds "I don't work for Amazon, I just found this on the ground a few blocks over."

And at home their new photo proof of delivery just shows that they delivered to the wrong house. It was fun to track down the package and find the matching porch while not looking like a criminal scoping out a house.

My biggest beef is that since Amazon Logistics has no 'depots' they won't bring them there so you can pick them up. Since they aren't Canada Post, they can't use the parcel locker that Canada Post installed in my building. So an item MUST be delivered. this means I've had things like hard drives or pre-ordered Blu-ray sets just left against my apartment door in the hallway.

I really wish I could opt for Canada Post delivery EVEN if it'd take another day or two. I work all day, I won't be home for deliveries, I'd prefer items be secure in the parcel locker till I get home.

February 9, 2018

18 minutes ago, AshleyAshes said:

Uhh, Amazon already has it's OWN parcel delivery service for it's own goods. It's called Amazon Logistics. They use an Uber like setup where contractors use a phone app and basically pick up a 'block' of deliveries and a time window to deliver them.

This would only be expanding the system to PICK UP other parcels from outside their own logistics chain and then delver them.

Thanks for the clarification, article has been updated to reflect this.

7 minutes ago, VegetableStu said:

eh, uber drivers (well, more than uber actually) are delivering for amazon now in my area, so...

AshleyAshes · February 9, 2018

1 minute ago, tjcater said:

Thanks for the clarification, article has been updated to reflect this.

Looks like it may also be called 'Amazon Flex' in the US? I found some articles I read previously about the system and it was called 'Flex'. But when i order stuff in Canada the delivery service is called 'Amazon Logistics' but maybe Flex is UNDER logistics. I dunno, the company is a spiderweb of subcompanies.

Hiitchy · February 9, 2018

There's an Amazon HQ / Warehouse around 15-20 minutes away from where I live. Previously on weekends they shipped with a company called Dynamex before they got more vans and trucks (unmarked because of theft) and now have their own service to do deliveries 7 days a week. I'm actually more than willing to trust Amazon to deliver my stuff than Canada Post because CP enjoys throwing stuff like my hard drives and ram at the door.

February 9, 2018

11 minutes ago, AshleyAshes said:

Looks like it may also be called 'Amazon Flex' in the US? I found some articles I read previously about the system and it was called 'Flex'. But when i order stuff in Canada the delivery service is called 'Amazon Logistics' but maybe Flex is UNDER logistics. I dunno, the company is a spiderweb of subcompanies.

From what I've read, it seems that Flex is for individuals, while Logistics are for businesses, but I could be wrong.

Edit: To clarify, its who's delivering.

Edited February 9, 2018 by Guest

General Winter · February 9, 2018

15 minutes ago, Jamiec1130 said:

Does anyone else get the feeling that Amazon is becoming something more like Google, spreading out into various (sometimes seemingly unrelated) areas?

amazon provides a shit ton of services outside buying and selling stuff, in fact its been more profitable for them to do stuff in-house and hell, they help netflix's servers if i recall correctly

February 9, 2018

17 minutes ago, AshleyAshes said:

My biggest beef is that since Amazon Logistics has no 'depots' they won't bring them there so you can pick them up. Since they aren't Canada Post, they can't use the parcel locker that Canada Post installed in my building. So an item MUST be delivered. this means I've had things like hard drives or pre-ordered Blu-ray sets just left against my apartment door in the hallway.

I really wish I could opt for Canada Post delivery EVEN if it'd take another day or two. I work all day, I won't be home for deliveries, I'd prefer items be secure in the parcel locker till I get home.

Yeah, that's a huge problem here as well, so I just end up getting everything sent to my office.

AshleyAshes · February 9, 2018

3 minutes ago, Legendarypoet said:

Yeah, that's a huge problem here as well, so I just end up getting everything sent to my office.

My previous job was RIGHT next to a Canada Post location right across the street and you can get Amazon to send directly to any canada Post location for pickup. That was great. My new job, the location is not so ideal.

TacoSenpai · February 9, 2018

48 minutes ago, AshleyAshes said:

Uhh, Amazon already has it's OWN parcel delivery service for it's own goods. It's called Amazon Logistics. They use an Uber like setup where contractors use a phone app and basically pick up a 'block' of deliveries and a time window to deliver them.

This would only be expanding the system to PICK UP other parcels from outside their own logistics chain and then delver them.

Yep I found this out after getting them to deliver to my apartment I moved into

43 minutes ago, DrMacintosh said:

When it comes to shipping, I’m more willing to trust the USPS.

Sorry Amazon.

Its not too much of a problem if you say live in a normal neighborhood or townhome but if you are in a gated community or apartment complex with secure entry (like mine) then you run into problems with them not being able to enter the building because they want to go to the actual apartment directly to drop off the package. Even when you specify in the delivery instructions to take the package to say the property management office (with the address which Amazon does not give you very many characters to type btw) they still often screw it up and either send a notification that it was undeliverab;e or that they will try again later.

dalekphalm · February 10, 2018

20 hours ago, AshleyAshes said:

My previous job was RIGHT next to a Canada Post location right across the street and you can get Amazon to send directly to any canada Post location for pickup. That was great. My new job, the location is not so ideal.

You could ask your boss if they mind you having packages delivered directly to the office.

I know that I have the option of doing that here - but I have a Canada Post a few blocks from my house that's convenient enough that I don't bother with it. And the Canada Post guy that works there is so chill it's hilarious. He just loves life and loves his job.

Jito463 · February 10, 2018

21 hours ago, AshleyAshes said:

They use an Uber like setup where contractors use a phone app and basically pick up a 'block' of deliveries and a time window to deliver them.

Because what I've always wanted, is for random strangers to be handling my packages.

divito · February 12, 2018

I'm not sure who actually delivers my Amazon orders, but they're always left at my porch and I've never had to go somewhere to pick them up.

Jito463 · February 12, 2018

17 minutes ago, divito said:

I'm not sure who actually delivers my Amazon orders

The magic Amazon fairy?

dalekphalm · February 12, 2018

45 minutes ago, divito said:

I'm not sure who actually delivers my Amazon orders, but they're always left at my porch and I've never had to go somewhere to pick them up.

The shipping label on the box should indicate who delivered it. If there's no obvious branding, it was probably Amazon's in house delivery.

Mooshi · February 12, 2018

Amazon's own service sucks. Majority of the time your packages are scanned as "delivered" to meet a quota and the sneaky bastard delivers in the morning hoping you wouldn't notice.

Delicieuxz · February 12, 2018

On 09/02/2018 at 9:51 AM, Jamiec1130 said:

Does anyone else get the feeling that Amazon is becoming something more like Google, spreading out into various (sometimes seemingly unrelated) areas?

All of Amazon's ventures are related, in that they work to create a comprehensive data-generating and harvesting net that informs the CIA on every aspect of a person's life, at all times.

Every Amazon service is creating telemetry, and a virtual profile for every person that uses an Amazon service. And Amazon is providing that data to the US government.

Their online store, their keypads, their in-home delivery service, their Echo device, and everything else... it's all used to create and collect data to sell to advertisers, researchers, etc, but also to give the US gov't a god-view image of everyone in the US, and in any other countries that Amazon services operate. And Jeff Bezos' Washington Post is used to disseminate CIA propaganda directly to US citizens (so are CNN, NYT, NBC, and probably many others used for that, though).

And, in return, the US gov't is funneling dozens of billions of dollars in business towards Amazon.

Amazon is a CIA asset, and Jeff Bezos is a CIA operative. Jeff Bezos' ventures are in the vein of Operation Mockingbird, where the CIA stacked US news outlets with CIA operatives, to influence the news / propaganda that people are fed.

http://www.accuracy.org/release/cia-cloud-over-jeff-bezoss-washington-post/

https://www.rt.com/usa/410453-amazon-cloud-secret-region/

https://theintercept.com/2017/11/02/amazon-amendment-online-marketplaces/

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/norman-solomon/why-amazons-collaboration_b_4824854.html

https://www.globalresearch.ca/the-washington-post-and-amazon-doing-business-with-the-cia/5362026

https://medium.com/@SarahRRunge/amazon-the-washington-post-and-the-cia-d68a4ee802e

https://russia-insider.com/en/politics/cia-washington-post-and-russia-what-youre-not-being-told/ri18305

https://jonrappoport.wordpress.com/2017/02/28/washington-post-fake-news-partner-with-the-cia/

http://www.zdnet.com/article/amazon-the-least-transparent-tech-company/