kidwired
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posted on January 14, 2002 12:11:31 AM new
I have been using USPS.
but recent expierence has convinced me to insure almost everything. This means a trip to the PO. I can purchase insurance at stamps.com but paperwork needs to be filed. Which doesnt really work for me. also the issue of tracking, requires a trip to the PO.
This means my wife has to laod up the kids and stand inline and it just doesnt work for me.
I am considering UPS. it has tracking and insured upto the 1st $100, .35 every $100 above that.
are rates comparable?
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Libra63
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posted on January 14, 2002 12:32:31 AM new
Now I asked a postal worker if I knew the amount of postage required to mail my package and then added the price of insurance to it can I mail this from home and he said yes. You know you can get free tracking off the USPS website. All you do is find the Priority Shipping Label fill it out, paste it on and it is free.
If there is some reason you cannot get to the post office yourself why not change your shipping to either Saturday when your wife could go by herself or maybe try a substation that stays open until 6. Then you could take care of the kids while she is gone for those short minutes.
Another way is maybe there is a service in your city where someone will do it for you for a slight fee. Those are popping up all over. I wish you good luck
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LaneFamily
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posted on January 14, 2002 01:01:49 AM new
In my business it is 5lbs. That is the answer to everything currently.
For the 48 unites states 4lbs & under I use USPS priority with tracking. I am lucky I do not worry about insurance, I kind of self insure.
Over 4lbs I use UPS Ground. Most of those packages start at $50.00 and run up to $250.00 and 40 lbs so it is great for the heavier items although it is slower in most cases than Priority mail.
In your case, if you do not use media or standard mail and insure items up to $100.00 then 3lbs would be your cutoff cause of the free insurance with UPS.
If you ship to Canada then there is not a lot of difference. I just did a package there that cost $18.00 by UPS or $22.00 by Airmail. Again I got free insurance with UPS but I had to do my 3 copies of an international invoice where using UPS I only do the small customs form that takes 2 seconds to fill out.
Going over seas USPS for me all the way. Example, a package to AU By either UPS or FedEx I quoted was $150.00. I got it shipped by USPS faster and $500 of insurance for $93.00. Go figure.
Hope I did not confuse you too much.
Jim
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rarriffle
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posted on January 14, 2002 02:16:02 AM new
I use UPS for most of my packages over 2 lbs. the shipping is almost always cheaper and the item arrives just as fast.
twice I have had to file an insurance claim. both times the buyer was told to keep the package and item for 5 business days in case they wanted to send a driver to look at it. the claim was paid in less that 2 weeks both times with no hassle.
i use the same UPS station all the time and they have even packaged items for me free of charge.
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ezinkjetstore
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posted on January 14, 2002 04:54:03 AM new
My packages are usually under 3lbs. I ship via USPS Priority mail in conjunction with Endicia.com I get free delivery confirmation that way, and if someone wants insurance I use u-pic.com and get it online.
My packages are usually small enough to dump right into the box outside the po.
International shipments ALWAYS go by USPS because of the enormous fees that Canadians pay to UPS to receive their item. Believe me your Canadian buyers will truly appreciate you more if they get their package from the post instead of UPS.
Keep in mind the dimensions for sending airmail letter vs airmail parcel. Most small parcels fit into the letter cateogry and go much cheaper. You can get the dimensions from the usps website www.usps.gov and go to the rate calculator for international mail.
http://www.ezinkjetstore.com
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yeahwell
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posted on January 14, 2002 05:52:09 AM new
We have been using USPS. My local post office is pretty good because they have extended hours til 6PM M-W, 8PM on Thursday and 7PM on Friday. Saturdays, the windows open at 8:30AM. This is good because if I go on THurday or Friday just before they close there is no line most of the time because most people still think of the Post office as a 9-5 operation. I also insure EVERY item. I've never had a problem with the post office (I mail about 1000+ packages a year now) but I like to insure even a $5. item because I believe that there is always going to be someone out there who will say they did not receive their item if it is not insured.
I also recently opened an account with AIRBORNE. They now have ZONE-based billing. The most expensive rate for a 1 pound package is less than $9. for two day shipping. The least expensive is $5.80 for 1 pound and i charge my customers $6.75 so that would average out since I have an equal amount of customers from all over. And, they pick up from my home and every package is automatically insured for $100. HOwever, I'm sure I will have more "casualties" with AIRBORNE so for now I'll probably still use the post office a bit. I'm thinking of doing 1/2 and 1/2 and see how it works out. Of course, i also ship overseas and that would still have to go via the post office.
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stopwhining
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posted on January 14, 2002 05:55:19 AM new
your local mail box,drop off services also accept usps mail ,you can leave these packages with them,but i believe most of them do markup the cost .if you need a mail box and someone to receive and sign for shipments for you,they will do so when they are open,you may consider talking to them to see if you can work out a deal with them,some one who posted here did,she did a lot of shipping thru her local mailbox service.
as for intl shipment,private carriers are always more expensive but they are faster especially for items which need to clear customs,the price private shippers quote include the local customs,so this is one reason why it can be much higher,that is also one reason why it clears customs faster.
federal express does a good job with intl delivery,crisp and efficient ,it is their claim to fame if you need to impress someone,of course you have to pay for it,
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stopwhining
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posted on January 14, 2002 05:58:43 AM new
fed exp ground has revised their fee schedule,you may want to give them a call as they may work out cheaper for you given the usps rate increase coming.
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richierich
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posted on January 14, 2002 09:22:42 AM new
Libra63 -"Now I asked a postal worker if I knew the amount of postage required to mail my package and then added the price of insurance to it can I mail this from home and he said yes. "
According to my post office - the green insurance slip MUST be stamped and initialed by a postal window clerk. Therefore, you can not give it to the postal delivery person. I can not even drop them off at the bulk mail center in back. I have to wait in line.
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kidwired
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posted on January 14, 2002 10:50:00 AM new
right you can pay for insurance, by adding it t your postage but the item will NOT be insured unless you fill out the form. Otherwise your just paying extra postage.
From what I can tell about the USPS tracking it does not tell you that it was actually delivered, only that it made it to the recepients local PO.
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ewora
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posted on January 14, 2002 09:02:04 PM new
Anything over 1lb I am required to hand to a postal employee. I can't just slap postage on in and mail it from home or drop in the box. I tried it and the packages were sent back to me with a note saying I had to take it in to the post office. Frustrating.
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kidwired
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posted on January 15, 2002 08:34:00 AM new
ok so of the shippers who is the least espensive to ship items under 5lbs?
fed ex
ups
airbornes
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mballai
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posted on January 15, 2002 08:43:39 AM new
The best thing to do is hit the PO first thing in the morning when they open on a weekday. I do this at 7AM and never have to wait more than a couple of minutes. I've mailed packages at other times and waited 15-30 minutes.
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pkopesch
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posted on January 15, 2002 10:10:58 AM new
If you can't stand standing in line at the Post Office, I think the best way to ship is with Stamps.com and U-Pic insurance. You can print the postage from your computer and then once a week I send a report to U-Pic (now called Pic for Parcel Insurance Co.) listing the items, Id #, How sent and amount insured. I have only had to make one claim in last 8 or 9 months and they pay pretty quick. They suggest now putting "insured" on the package which seems to work better since I have had only the one claim. Stamps.com charges me $18.99 per month for the service. You download it on your computer. You can print the postage, the address and the return address all together and it makes the package look more professional. Pam
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pkopesch
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posted on January 15, 2002 10:12:10 AM new
I forgot to say that the PO where I take my packages let me put the packages on an empty counter and not wait in line. I got to know the clerks and they have been very nice about the whole thing.
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kidwired
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posted on January 15, 2002 10:18:05 AM new
ok the whole PO thing doesnt work for us. I cannot go when they are open, our PO is not open late either.
My wife has to load up and haul a 1yr old and a 4yr old while she wrestles an armload of packages.
Picture this.... your holding a crying baby, preschooler pulling on you demanding attention "MOMMY, MOMMY, MOMMY!!!!" and 5-6 packages of varius size in your arms.
Rude PO employee and enough things on your todo list already.
I just want to get my tracking and insurance online, print my labels and she can drop this stuff off.. period. I think I can accomplish this using UPS or fed ex but dont know which has the best rates for packages under 5lbs. (I do not do international)
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kidwired
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posted on January 15, 2002 10:23:03 AM new
oh hi pkopesch, I diodnt see your post.
yeah I use stamps.com, upic huh? what about tracking?
$18.99 per month?!?!?!?!?
I'm not selling enough for that kind of overhead. I'm just selling MY stuff.
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neatstuffusa
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posted on January 15, 2002 04:16:02 PM new
Oh...I dunno. Here's my story.
I had a box that was 18x12x9.5" and weighed 8 lbs 6oz and I wanted to have it insured for $100. I'm in Indiana and it needed to go to California.
I check the USPS web site and calculated that, by insured priority mail, it would cost $16.85.
Went to the UPS web site and, for ground, it was $11.38.
Went to the FedEx web site and it was $8.36.
Took it to the FedEx terminal yesterday morning and the guy at the counter didn't have a @&^%*%# clue how to do a "ground" package on his computer. After 35 minutes and four phone calls to somewhere, he finally wrote down a tracking number for me that doesn't show up in the FedEx tracking system even now.
I sent an email to customer support early this morning and still haven't received an answer.
He got the charge right ($8.36) but where my package is now seems to be anybody's guess.
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yeahwell
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posted on January 16, 2002 08:59:58 AM new
check AIRBORNE. they have a two-day service which is fairly reasonable and all packages are automatically insured for $100. They pick up from you at no add'l charge!
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