Postal savings

snow

A heads up to anyone who ships big heavy items. I just noticed while doing some calculations on the USPS site that if you stay at a max of 25 X 16 X 25 you can ship both parcel post and priority mail, if however you go to 25 X 17 X 25 you can only ship parcel post also the price difference between the two sizes is dramatic from FAIRBANKS AK 99707 to OLATHE KS 66062 if I go with the 25 X 16 X 25 it was $69.00 via parcel post if I shipped with the 25 X 17 X 25 it was $108.00 via parcel post, both boxes weighing in at 65 lbs

Also if you print out a label online versus going to the post office the savings can be substantial especially if you select Express mail here is an example.


Large Package, weight 35 lbs 0 oz, mailed on April 30 after 8:00 AM
from FAIRBANKS AK 99707 to OLATHE KS 66062
Products Expected Delivery*Post Office Price Online Price
Express Mail® Options - Money Back Guarantee
Express Mail® Post Office Price Online Price
Wed, May 1 by 12 PM $191.55 $118.44
Express Mail® Hold For Pickup
Wed, May 1 by 12 PM $191.55 $118.44


REGARDS SNOW

zingo

That is a big savings; thanks for letting us know.

billbillw

Within the CONUS, I usually find that FedEx or UPS are better priced on the large packages, especially after you factor in insurance. but maybe coming from Fairbanks is different. I usually check all 3 to compare and let the buyer decide. I will say that USP and FexEx seem to have certain sizes that trigger higher charges as well.

Sometimes you have to do a delicate balance between safe, proper packaging and excessive box size. In my mind, 3" clearance (tightly filled with peanuts, bubble wrap, or foam) on all sides is the safe minimum for delicate items, but certain robust items may be OK with 1"-2" of dense foam.

pdxfj

I'm not sure of the exact sizes, but the "trigger" for UPS and FedEx is when they switch to "Dimensional weight". At that point it doesn't matter too much what the weight of the package is, it becomes more about the size.

As an example shipping motorcycle bodywork does not weigh a lot, but the boxes tend to be on the larger size. The last time I shipped an upper faring for my bike it was about 20lbs shipping weight, but cost over $100 because of the box size. Shipping on my AVR was about $30 for a 55lb+ box.

snow

billbillw wrote: »

Within the CONUS, I usually find that FedEx or UPS are better priced on the large packages, especially after you factor in insurance. but maybe coming from Fairbanks is different. I usually check all 3 to compare and let the buyer decide. I will say that USP and FexEx seem to have certain sizes that trigger higher charges as well.

Sometimes you have to do a delicate balance between safe, proper packaging and excessive box size. In my mind, 3" clearance (tightly filled with peanuts, bubble wrap, or foam) on all sides is the safe minimum for delicate items, but certain robust items may be OK with 1"-2" of dense foam.

Within the state here it is usually cheaper to ship UPS or FedEx also but since everything that goes out of here to the lower 48 states via these companies goes by plane it is usually more expensive and takes longer also. USPS on the other hand will use a barge to Seattle to ship parcel select items which make it cheaper. I would never use UPS to ship anything anywhere though, every single item I have ever shipped with them has been destroyed no matter how well packed.


REGARDS SNOW

snow

pdxfj wrote: »

I'm not sure of the exact sizes, but the "trigger" for UPS and FedEx is when they switch to "Dimensional weight". At that point it doesn't matter too much what the weight of the package is, it becomes more about the size.

As an example shipping motorcycle bodywork does not weigh a lot, but the boxes tend to be on the larger size. The last time I shipped an upper faring for my bike it was about 20lbs shipping weight, but cost over $100 because of the box size. Shipping on my AVR was about $30 for a 55lb+ box.

USPS does the same 108 inches total is the break off point where it takes a big price jump and can only be shipped via parcel select.


REGARDS SNOW

pglbook

I know this post is about shipping larger items but I just wanted to remind anyone who may not be aware of it that the cheapest US Postal Service shipping option is media mail shipping, which is for shipping books, CDs, DVDs, printed matter, etc. Media mail rates vary strictly by weight and the cost is the same regardless of distance (unlike priority mail which costs more the farther away one is). I ship a lot of books as I sell used books online as a p/t business and, unless the customer requests and pays for priority mail, I strictly ship by media mail. Media mail can be slow, however. Media mail takes about the same amount of time to arrive as priority mail (3 days) for nearby regions/contiguous states. However, it can take up to 14 days if shipping from coast to coast so that is one thing to keep in mind.