Topic Wiki

Shipping Domestic

WeightUSPSUPSFedEx
13oz and UnderItems under 13oz are usually able to be shipped USPS First Class Mail. By far this is the cheapest option.
Weekly Pickup CostUPS charges $22 for weekly pickups - if you are not shipping with your own UPS account (e.g. Amazons account) If you ship with your own account at least $75 weekly then the fee is $11.It is about the same rates as UPS.
Who Pays When Refusing a packageNo oneShipperShipper
Ship to a PO box?YesNoNo

Need to ship a package with tracking?
Login to paypal and then click this link https://www.paypal.com/shiplabel/create/
https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_bulk-ship

Knowing which shipping service to use and when could be tricky. It depends on items weight, how fast needed to be delivered, contents value.

Here are 2 free tools I found that can answer many of the pricing questions on this thread:
1. Fitshipper is for when you know the delivery address, size & weight.    2. Fitshipper for listings is when you are not your sure of the destination (eBay etc.).



Items 1-5lbs is when it gets tricky.

For Fedex and UPS there is a Home Delivery charge of about $3 for all shipments that are delivered to a residential address.  This is what will usually make the rates with Fedex or UPS a lot higher than USPS Priority (on low weight packages)

The base rate - commercial address for shipping zone 1, 1lb with Fedex is $6.65, with USPS it's $5.05

With Fedex or UPS the rate increased much less per additional lb

Shipping Insurance with Fedex/UPS is a lot cheaper than USPS. This will be a key factor on deciding when to use USPS over Fedex

Direct Signature Requirement comes standard with $300 of USPS Insurance, and $500 of Fedex insurance

•°•°For Decently priced USPS labels see this post  Or this updated 8/2/21.•°•°

Latest 1/10/22 the best labels so far.
For insane rates.
https://forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=28357.msg2538377#msg2538377


Q: Under 1lb what is the best service to use?
Typically USPS Priority Mail

Q: What is flat rate? When will it give you the best price?
Flat Rate is a specific size box that does not have a weight limit, and has the same rate for most of USA. Usually this will be the cheapest when shipping to the farthest zone.

Do all companys offer flat rate?
USPS has the best flat rate service. Fedex offers "One Rate" but that will only be a savings on Express shipments. If you have discounted rates with Fedex, the "One Rates" will not be cheaper, unless the box is heavy.

Q: If you don't have a shipping scale available, what would be the best website to find out the weight of a specific product?
Amazon has the shipping weight for most items. Add an additional lb or 2 for the weight of the box.

Q:When shipping to an apt building, will the package gets left in the hallway of by the recipients door?
A:It depends on the delivery driver. I would recommend requiring a signature when shipping to an apartment so that it will not get left outside.

Q:If USPS loses a package that wasn't insured, has tracking code. Can I get money from them?
A:$100 of insurance is included in Priority Mail Express service.
$50 insurance is included in Priority Mail service.
https://www.usps.com/ship/insurance-and-extra-services.htm

Q:What Carrier is the cheapest to send packages 1LB - 5LB NY to Canada?
USPS Priority likely will be the cheapest. If you have discounted rates with Fedex or UPS they may be cheaper.

Q:Items that I am shipping that the item is packaged in a box; is it necessary to put it in a shipping box or a shipping bag is good enough?
A:Depends what you are shipping. A bag is fine for items that wont get damaged in a bag. I use a bag all the time for such items.

I buy small boxes at Uline, its about $0.30 for a 7x4x4 - which in dimensional weight its 1lb.

You could also consider bubble envelopes ...

Q:How well priced is amazon shipping?
For having inventory shipped to Amazon using their UPS account, by far that is the cheapest option. For having an item shipped to a customer using Amazons shipping rates, they are not the best rates. If you ship enough to get discounted rates with UPS of Fedex you will be bettor off using your own account.

Q: How much does it cost for UPS Pickup?
UPS charges $22 for weekly pickups - if you are not shipping with your own UPS account (e.g. Amazons account) If you ship with your own account at least $75 weekly then the fee is $11.
It is about the same rates with Fedex.

How Much is pickup for one package?

Q: How can I get around it? Flag down a driver
Flagging a driver down not necessarily is the best way around the daily pickup fee. If you are shipping daily for the convenience it should be worth to have a daily pickup.
With Fedex if you do not have an daily pickup and give the packages to a driver you will be charged $3 per box.
Additionaly many drivers do not like accepting packages from people that do not have a daily pickup, as they have to save room on their truck for their daily pickup customers.


Q: What Are the flat rate sizes?
« Last edited by myi on January 10, 2022, 02:13:34 AM »

Author Topic: **Shipping Master Thread** What service To Use When  (Read 249104 times)

Offline ilherman

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Re: **Shipping Master Thread** What service To Use When
« Reply #160 on: December 10, 2013, 05:11:42 PM »
Can anyone recommend a decent shipping scale. I'd rather spend as least as possible but it needs to a decent one.thanx
If you sign up with Stamps.com, they will send you a 5 lb scale with the welcome package. They have a 1 month free trial where you get $5 in your shipping account. (you will have to pay $9.9o for S&H.
You can say what you think when you think what you say.

Offline metziah

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Re: **Shipping Master Thread** What service To Use When
« Reply #161 on: December 10, 2013, 05:13:16 PM »

If you sign up with Stamps.com, they will send you a 5 lb scale with the welcome package. They have a 1 month free trial where you get $5 in your shipping account. (you will have to pay $9.9o for S&H.
Thanx. I also needed a scale for up to about 50lb or 60lb

Offline mena613

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Re: **Shipping Master Thread** What service To Use When
« Reply #162 on: December 10, 2013, 05:50:21 PM »

Thanks. I am shipping internationally ( Europe ). There will be more then one package. Total weight will probs exceed 330 pounds.

I am expecting to pay a few thousand USD for it, ( need it airfreight not by ship ) but still dont want to be ripped
off.

Does anyone have experience in shipping internationally and how I could save money ?

Anyone out there who would let me use there international commercial shipping account and ill pay them in cash ?

Thanks

Offline ilherman

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Re: **Shipping Master Thread** What service To Use When
« Reply #163 on: December 10, 2013, 05:52:47 PM »
Thanx. I also needed a scale for up to about 50lb or 60lb
Personally, I use my body scale for now  :D
You can say what you think when you think what you say.

Offline metziah

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Re: **Shipping Master Thread** What service To Use When
« Reply #164 on: December 10, 2013, 07:42:58 PM »

Personally, I use my body scale for now  :D
Yeah but it's kind of hard for me to hold a box and see the numbers on the scale😉...

Offline ilherman

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Re: **Shipping Master Thread** What service To Use When
« Reply #165 on: December 10, 2013, 08:08:49 PM »
Yeah but it's kind of hard for me to hold a box and see the numbers on the scale😉...
If there is a will, there is a way......
You can say what you think when you think what you say.

Offline princea143

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Re: **Shipping Master Thread** What service To Use When
« Reply #166 on: December 15, 2013, 01:05:04 PM »
Hi All,

Does anybody know the cheapest way (not by freighter pls) to send items to another country from the US?  I just spent $67.65 for Trader Joe's goodies weighing at 8lb 3.4oz to be sent to Singapore from the Los Alamitos, CA Post Office; Priority Mail 7-10 day delivery!!!  >:(  I only spent $30 for the items!

The post office rep said that if I went DHL or FedEx, it would be more expensive.  I did some research, and all I could find was comgateway.com, but it looks like you have to buy the products from online websites to ship to their US address hub where they would ship it to the international address.  I did some calculations and this would have cut my shipping costs by a bit over 50%, except I didn't by the items online.   :(  So, anybody else have any bright ideas for items purchased traditionally to be sent overseas?

Also, how about from overseas to the US?  Thanks.

Offline Mark F

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Re: **Shipping Master Thread** What service To Use When
« Reply #167 on: December 15, 2013, 01:38:28 PM »
ShipGooder is the simple, fast way to find optimum shipping rates for local, regional and national couriers.

Use to compare shipping rates to save time and money!

www.shipgooder.com

Offline princea143

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Re: **Shipping Master Thread** What service To Use When
« Reply #168 on: December 15, 2013, 06:52:12 PM »
ShipGooder is the simple, fast way to find optimum shipping rates for local, regional and national couriers.

Use to compare shipping rates to save time and money!

www.shipgooder.com

Thanks!  Prices are about the same, but minutely cheaper if done online as opposed to traditionally.  Do you know commercial rates for shipping mass quantities abroad or abroad to the US?   

Offline MnM1130

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Re: **Shipping Master Thread** What service To Use When
« Reply #169 on: December 24, 2013, 09:36:01 PM »
i sold a small thing on amazon and weighs just about 1lb. whats the best way to ship this out?
Can be put in a bag (its a blanket) but not sure how to go about sending it.
USPS sells bags? envelopes? how much shud it cost?
Is there a better way?
Am i missing something?

Offline Name Changed

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Re: **Shipping Master Thread** What service To Use When
« Reply #170 on: December 24, 2013, 10:27:24 PM »
i sold a small thing on amazon and weighs just about 1lb. whats the best way to ship this out?
Can be put in a bag (its a blanket) but not sure how to go about sending it.
USPS sells bags? envelopes? how much shud it cost?
Is there a better way?
Am i missing something?
Ship USPS Priority.

Post Office Sells shipping Bags/Envelopes

Offline Mark F

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Re: **Shipping Master Thread** What service To Use When
« Reply #171 on: December 24, 2013, 10:36:13 PM »
Whats the best way to list lots of items on ebay fast?

Offline metziah

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Re: **Shipping Master Thread** What service To Use When
« Reply #172 on: December 24, 2013, 10:44:52 PM »
HELP!!! i have to ship out a package that i sold on Amazon. It weighs 23lbs. going to WA. Amazon wants 27.69 for UPS Ground, that's way more than i was expecting to pay. Can someone Please help. Thanx!!( I need it shipped 3-5 days)

Offline ilherman

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Re: **Shipping Master Thread** What service To Use When
« Reply #173 on: December 25, 2013, 12:23:01 AM »
HELP!!! i have to ship out a package that i sold on Amazon. It weighs 23lbs. going to WA. Amazon wants 27.69 for UPS Ground, that's way more than i was expecting to pay. Can someone Please help. Thanx!!( I need it shipped 3-5 days)
Next time watch out with such heavy packages.
You can say what you think when you think what you say.

Offline MnM1130

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Re: **Shipping Master Thread** What service To Use When
« Reply #174 on: December 25, 2013, 10:17:49 AM »
Ship USPS Priority.

Post Office Sells shipping Bags/Envelopes
thnks! (tried yesterday but got there to late post office was practically closed at 12)

Offline metziah

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Re: **Shipping Master Thread** What service To Use When
« Reply #175 on: December 25, 2013, 10:51:53 AM »

Next time watch out with such heavy packages.
Yup. That's the beauty of experience!!

Offline Jkhein

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Re: **Shipping Master Thread** What service To Use When
« Reply #176 on: January 07, 2014, 05:55:17 PM »
Is the current weather in the US distrupting usps/ups mail/packages?

Offline yoss6400

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Re: **Shipping Master Thread** What service To Use When
« Reply #177 on: January 07, 2014, 10:40:48 PM »
Is the current weather in the US distrupting usps/ups mail/packages?
i saw ups working regular today
"Credit Cards delaying arguments for 30 Days"

Offline ilherman

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Re: **Shipping Master Thread** What service To Use When
« Reply #178 on: January 08, 2014, 12:14:44 AM »
i saw ups working regular today
Correct, though my UPS guy was Purple today.....
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Offline Moshe123

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Re: **Shipping Master Thread** What service To Use When
« Reply #179 on: January 08, 2014, 12:21:58 AM »
Correct, though my UPS guy was Purple today.....

That was after he dropped off 79 boxes by me.