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

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

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 204876 times)

Offline myi

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Re: **Shipping Master Thread** What service To Use When
« Reply #500 on: May 15, 2020, 12:56:43 AM »
Best option to ship a sweater weighing 10 oz to Canada?   Thanks
firstchoiceship.com

Jewish company. They offer through UPS $10 US to Canada for 1lb, each additional pound is another 1$.

I believe you have to have a commercial account.
Don't know if this is still an option but if it is, It's a great price.
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Re: **Shipping Master Thread** What service To Use When
« Reply #501 on: May 21, 2020, 02:03:46 AM »
I have 10 packages that need to go out, each one weighing 12 oz.

 They are in a small package.

Can I technically put a first class stamp and then add  11 additional ounces?
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Re: **Shipping Master Thread** What service To Use When
« Reply #502 on: May 21, 2020, 02:41:45 AM »
I have 10 packages that need to go out, each one weighing 12 oz.

 They are in a small package.

Can I technically put a first class stamp and then add  11 additional ounces?
I think if it is bigger than the dimensions of the large envelope then it gets a different rate.

What's the dimensions?
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Re: **Shipping Master Thread** What service To Use When
« Reply #503 on: May 21, 2020, 04:18:30 AM »
I think if it is bigger than the dimensions of the large envelope then it gets a different rate.

What's the dimensions?
A package with the dimensions of 10󭅇.

 Or it would cost me between 4.00-4.64 if i pay for firsts class with a tracking #.
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Re: **Shipping Master Thread** What service To Use When
« Reply #504 on: May 21, 2020, 11:49:52 AM »
A package with the dimensions of 10󭅇.

 Or it would cost me between 4.00-4.64 if i pay for firsts class with a tracking #.
Yes I think you'll have to pay the $4 since it's too thick to be considered an envelope.

You could put $4 of stamps though
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Re: **Shipping Master Thread** What service To Use When
« Reply #505 on: May 21, 2020, 12:29:19 PM »
Yes I think you'll have to pay the $4 since it's too thick to be considered an envelope.

You could put $4 of stamps though
And is that what those tracking numbers are for?
 I have a sheet of tracking numbers.
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Re: **Shipping Master Thread** What service To Use When
« Reply #506 on: May 21, 2020, 12:31:41 PM »
And is that what those tracking numbers are for?
 I have a sheet of tracking numbers.
?
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Re: **Shipping Master Thread** What service To Use When
« Reply #507 on: May 21, 2020, 01:23:40 PM »
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Re: **Shipping Master Thread** What service To Use When
« Reply #508 on: May 21, 2020, 01:36:28 PM »
Label 400.
Just Google that.
Interesting. First time I've seen that. From a little googling it seems so
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Re: **Shipping Master Thread** What service To Use When
« Reply #509 on: May 21, 2020, 01:38:48 PM »
Interesting. First time I've seen that. From a little googling it seems so
Still unsure how exactly that works, but it seems something to the effect that you explained, put postage and then use that label for the tracking.

 You can order those for free from the USPS.
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Re: **Shipping Master Thread** What service To Use When
« Reply #510 on: June 04, 2020, 09:18:02 PM »
I'm tracking a return to figure out where it is.
When USPS tracking says "Delivered to Agent"  and "Picked Up by Shipping Agent" for the status, does that mean that it went from USPS to another carrier such as UPS etc?



The "location" where it was delivered is my local post office
« Last Edit: June 04, 2020, 09:22:10 PM by etech0 »
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Re: **Shipping Master Thread** What service To Use When
« Reply #511 on: June 04, 2020, 09:26:55 PM »
I'm tracking a return to figure out where it is.
When USPS tracking says "Delivered to Agent"  and "Picked Up by Shipping Agent" for the status, does that mean that it went from USPS to another carrier such as UPS etc?



The "location" where it was delivered is my local post office
To answer your question what type of shipping service did you use? FedEx SmartPost, UPS surepost?
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Re: **Shipping Master Thread** What service To Use When
« Reply #512 on: June 04, 2020, 09:29:35 PM »
To answer your question what type of shipping service did you use? FedEx SmartPost, UPS surepost?
I don't know, it was a return label that a store gave me. We sent it via the mailbox but the tracking shows from the mailbox to the post office and then Delivered.

It says USPS parcel return service
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Re: **Shipping Master Thread** What service To Use When
« Reply #513 on: June 04, 2020, 09:38:52 PM »
I don't know, it was a return label that a store gave me. We sent it via the mailbox but the tracking shows from the mailbox to the post office and then Delivered.

It says USPS parcel return service
That would make sense that it went through two different carriers or from one place to the next place.
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Re: **Shipping Master Thread** What service To Use When
« Reply #514 on: June 04, 2020, 09:39:54 PM »
That would make sense that it went through two different carriers or from one place to the next place.
That's what I was thinking but looking for confirmation. I tried telling that to the store (hoping they could give me another tracking number) but they totally didn't get it.
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Re: **Shipping Master Thread** What service To Use When
« Reply #515 on: June 04, 2020, 09:58:20 PM »
I'm tracking a return to figure out where it is.
When USPS tracking says "Delivered to Agent"  and "Picked Up by Shipping Agent" for the status, does that mean that it went from USPS to another carrier such as UPS etc?



The "location" where it was delivered is my local post office
when you click tracking history what do you see?
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Re: **Shipping Master Thread** What service To Use When
« Reply #516 on: June 04, 2020, 09:59:43 PM »
when you click tracking history what do you see?
1. USPS in possession of item
2. Available for Returns Agent
3. Picked Up by Shipping Agent

All within 1 hour and in the same city
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Re: **Shipping Master Thread** What service To Use When
« Reply #517 on: June 04, 2020, 10:11:32 PM »
1. USPS in possession of item
2. Available for Returns Agent
3. Picked Up by Shipping Agent

All within 1 hour and in the same city
  How many days passed since?
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Re: **Shipping Master Thread** What service To Use When
« Reply #518 on: June 04, 2020, 10:12:12 PM »
  How many days passed since?
May 28th was the last day?

 I have multiple Amazon packages that never arrived yet been a couple weeks.

Only with USPS!
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Re: **Shipping Master Thread** What service To Use When
« Reply #519 on: June 04, 2020, 10:13:16 PM »
  How many days passed since?
7
May 28th was the last day?
Yup, and the store insists that it's still in transit as per that tracking #
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