Some of y'all missed the posts that all the shops were taken very quickly. The msc do not need to pay a fee because shoppers will grab them as soon as they are posted. I checked within an hour of getting an email and every shop was taken, across the US. I would do it as I have a high credit limit.

Buffalo, you don't need to even speculate because they were all immediately snapped up in my state as well as Ishmael's state.

(heart)

cubbiecat, we cross posted.

(heart)

anniemaria Wrote:
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> Oh no not me. With my luck, the item would go
> missing.



Or you would really, really like the handbag and Keep it! LOL It would happen to me.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/25/2014 09:37PM by Mary Smith xoxoxo.

Wow. Haven't seen any of these but being a credit card points junkie myself I'd probably take one if I could. Especially if I could use a postal shop to do the shipping.

stilllearning Wrote:
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> cubbiecat, we cross posted.
>
> (heart)

You didn't get one either. :-(

I can't believe nobody has mentioned the fact that the interest you pay on $4,000 while waiting to be reimbursed far outweighs the 1-3% you will get back in rewards.

Depending on where you are in your billing cycle and how long the MSC takes to reimburse, it is entirely possible no interest would accrue. If the bill becomes due before the reimbursement all the shopper has to do is pay it off.

Ahhh, I understand now! See, I don't ever use my credit cards to accumulate points (I never have so I really don't know how it works). I just want to get my balances down to zero then set them aside, not charge up even more so this kind of shop is worthless to me (I really wanted to get the Louis, though, that was one of the shops...until I saw I wouldn't get to keep it).

I think that if I were more interested in designer handbags, I would be more inclined to accept this assignment. I have a few designer handbags that I love, but I will never understand what it is about a $4,000 handbag that makes it more special than a $40.00 handbag. I would rather save that money for a rental property.

I don't have a credit card with that much limit on it. LOL

I thought about it for two seconds, then thought I must be as crazy as them to even consider it! Like others, I went back to check out of curiosity, and all the shops were gone. For the first shop I clicked on, the item in question was $795.00, a far cry from the "up to 4,000 miles" I MIGHT have received. IMHO, a ruse for free work. I just hope that the folks who accepted these shops used a credit card that doesn't charge interest.

I have done shops about three shops like this, happy to receive the miles as "perks" -- each of the other times there was a shopper fee involved. And by the way, one of the shops in question was for the same company. Different client, but the same premise.

I haven't seen these for years, but did a bunch of them when I first started MSing. I racked up a quick 12,000 frequent flyer miles over a few months. It works best if you have saved up a nice cushion to avoid interest if the reimbursement runs a few days late.

I would love to know who offered these.

walesmaven Wrote:
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> I haven't seen these for years, but did a bunch of
> them when I first started MSing. I racked up a
> quick 12,000 frequent flyer miles over a few
> months. It works best if you have saved up a nice
> cushion to avoid interest if the reimbursement
> runs a few days late.
>
> I would love to know who offered these.

It was the MSC that is notorious for having ultra picky editors.

Where I live, both the USPS and UPS will often leave packages inside the building lobby without ringing doorbells or walking to the door of the intended recipient. It's also rare that either carrier will ask for your signature when they do make contact at delivery. The apartment building is locked, but people sometimes let people in the building who don't live here, plus some of the people who have lived here have stolen packages before. I've lost more than one package that was never actually delivered to me but the USPS and UPS showed that it was delivered. If the USPS or UPS shows any package as "delivered" when you use the tracking number (which only means a package was scanned by a carrier), you will have no claim for insurance or chance to recover your money from the vendor who sold you the merchandise if you didn't receive what you ordered.

FedEx always gets a signature when they deliver a package. Keep this in mind if you do any of these types of shops in the future and insist that a signature be required for delivery, if possible.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/29/2014 02:14AM by nycrocks.

Actually, FedEx only gets a signature when required by the shipper or when the driver determines that the area is "risky." I frequently come home to find that FedEx, as well as UPS, packages have been left at my garage door.

nycrocks Wrote:
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> FedEx always gets a signature when they deliver a
> package.

Not true. Just like the UPS and USPS systems, the shipper can require that the package be signed for. Perhaps people that you make purchases from who ship FedEx are also the ones that like their packages to be signed for, but it is not a result of the shipping service they choose.

bgriffin Wrote:
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> nycrocks Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > FedEx always gets a signature when they deliver
> a
> > package.
>
> Not true. Just like the UPS and USPS systems, the
> shipper can require that the package be signed
> for. Perhaps people that you make purchases from
> who ship FedEx are also the ones that like their
> packages to be signed for, but it is not a result
> of the shipping service they choose.

On FedEx shipping forms, whether they are electronic or paper, in order for a shipper to request a package be left WITHOUT a signature, it has to be specifically requested. Getting a signature is part of the normal service FedEx offers included in the fee the shipper pays to use FedEx. With UPS and USPS, shippers need to specifically request a signature and pay an extra fee for it. So you can see the potential for lost packages is much higher simply because some shippers don't always realize UPS and USPS don't automatically collect signatures on delivery. And I have seen many UPS packages that had requested signatures on delivery left without collecting a signature. The UPS drivers are in a rush and just want to dump the packages, at least where I live. It may be different in your area.

There is a fairly new partnership FedEx Ground shipping has with USPS where FedEx drops off the package at the nearest USPS location and the USPS delivers (or is supposed to). I lost packages with this method and had no recourse.

Every single time I get a normal FedEx delivery, the delivery person comes to my door and asks me to sign, without fail. With UPS and USPS, it's up to the delivery person whether they want to walk up 3 flights of stairs to not leave my packages in the front lobby visible from the street for anyone to walk in and steal. With UPS, mostly they leave the packages on the first floor. Sometimes they don't even ring the bell so I don't know the packages have been delivered. Someone else lets them in the lobby door. Or they don't bother to ring my bell at all and just take my packages to my super next door.

There's a huge difference in the quality of service between FedEx and UPS.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/29/2014 02:58AM by nycrocks.

Every single delivery I get from FedEX is left at my door. If I'm home, the guy is in his truck by the time I'm opening the door.

That has nothing to do with that fact that your original statement, that FedEx always gets a signature, is completely untrue. FedEx does not always get a signature. They may always get one in your building. They may always get one on your packages. But they absolutely unequivocally do not get a signature on every package they deliver.

nycrocks Wrote:
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> FedEx always gets a signature when they deliver a
> package.

According to the website there is a fee required for signatures on delivery to residences. I have been shipping and receiving via FedEX frequently due to a special project. The form when I ship asks me if I want to designate a signature or not, it isn't automatic.

In my previous business I shipped and received items via USPS, UPS, and FedEx extensively. To the point that I kept 50-100 of each of their envelopes in my home office at all times. In the 6 years I ran that business I had 1 outbound package and 1 inbound package completely and totally lost. Both of those were from FedEx. The outbound package was handed to my FedEx driver when she dropped off some items and it never got scanned in. The lost inbound package was left on my doorstep and apparently stolen (or left at the wrong doorstep). I received some packages sent via FedEx that I had to sign for and some sent via UPS that I had to sign for. I had many more of both that I did not have to sign for. I had many a UPS package sent around the world and take way to long, both outbound and inbound, but they never actually lost one. And I sent a heck of a lot of USPS Priority envelopes, none of which ever got lost either.

OK, I looked and you're correct when it comes to ground shipping. I haven't seen a FedEx form in over a year and when I did, I was working with documents. All I can tell you is, here in NYC, the drivers never leave packages at residences without getting a signature and they always ring my bell and walk to my door, so obviously I feel much better about them than the other shipping services who just dump packages without even ringing my doorbell. I doubt every single FedEx sender who sent me something has paid for the extra fee for a signature. Maybe FedEx in NYC just doesn't want the insurance claim hassles that could come with just leaving packages or perhaps the drivers here take the extra measures on their own to cover themselves. Based on my experiences, if I were sending or receiving a very expensive item, I would trust FedEx over UPS or USPS any day.

Your mileage may vary, as they say.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/29/2014 03:22AM by nycrocks.

As I recall, when I did these shops I was told to send them back FedEx, signature and insurance required. The MSC provided the prepaid shipping label.

I am not even willing to consider these. I get paid, I convert the payment to something in my account to make a payment to the card...it takes more than 30 days and I get hit with interest charges. Not happening.

I had a similar assignment, but instead of an expensive bag, it was for designer sunglasses, up to $2-3 hundred dollars worth. I am supposed to pay for it, send it by mail to the MSC, and then hope to get reimbursed for it, plus a small fee of $10. Well, I don't even like purchase and return, that at least you get reimbursed right away when you return the merchandise to the store. But with purchase and mailing the product? huh? Sending away the purchased item with no proof of it whatsoever? I just thought it could be a scam, so I contacted the MSC and told her I cannot do the shop under those conditions.

LisaSTL Wrote:
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> Every single delivery I get from FedEX is left at
> my door. If I'm home, the guy is in his truck by
> the time I'm opening the door.

Same here. What really BUGS me is that the driver doesn't ring the door bell. If I didn't happen to see him from my windows, I would not have known there's a package outside my door.

These designer purse shops are back, if anyone is interested. I just got the same "enticing" (NOT) email saying "Rack up those credit card points!"

I just saw the email too. If I could go to the store and pick it up, I'd probably do it for the points. However I worry that whatever day they deliver it, I'll have to work late or won't see the package or something and then miss the 12 hour return window.

I did a bunch of these about 8 years ago (buying LV, Coach, Prada, Gucci, etc). I was not told until several thousands had already been spent that I should use Fatwallet, Upromise or other cashback sites. I got an airline ticket in addition to about $450 when I was able to purchase the purses/sunglasses at sites that were listed. I felt like I was part of a counterfeiting scheme, but I would do them again if I saw them. Since I shipped them from my job, it was not too time consuming to return them.