EBAY-Post Office Prices vs. Fedex and UPS - Beyond Tiki

P PremEx Tiki Socialite Houston, Texas Joined: Aug 23, 2006 Posts: 335	P PremEx Posted posted on Sun, Jun 10, 2007 5:45 PM Pretty much have to agree with stuff-o-rama there. I was using UPS and FedEx but had to give up due to large amounts of damages and unpaid claims. They're both just horrible to deal with, IMHO. Also as per above...the big advantage to me of USPS are the free boxes...plain and simple. If you've ever gone out there to buy these things...they are expensive!! Often I start to offer First Class Mail to save on postage, but then when I figure in the cost of the box (or padded envelope)...its cheaper for all to send it Priority Mail! So it's usually an example of either $3.80 First Class plus $2.00 for a box, or $4.60 for Priority Mail, box included. Pretty easy equation! Plus the Priority Mail usually gets there quicker than First Class, and here's another big plus...if you do your shipping labels online via PayPal or USPS directly...Delivery Confirmation is FREE! Another 65 cents savings that neither you or your customers have to pay. But the main reason is the damage. So, so, so many damaged boxes with UPS and FedEx. And virtually none from USPS. For 90% of my "package" (box or thick envelope) shipments...it's a regular Priority Mail box. For anything over 3lbs...it's the Priority Mail Flat Rate Box. One other more minor area of mention with the USPS, is that even if you forget to schedule a free next-day package pickup...your regular letter carrier will usually be more than happy to take your pre-labeled and pre-postage-paid packages (as long as there aren't way too many for them). One thing I've noticed over the years with customers...if the item is only $5 and the shipping is $4.60...they tend to complain about the cost of the shipping. But if the same weight and sized item is $200 and the shipping is still $4.60...they never complain!!! I think they often look at the price of the item they are buying and then relate the postage as a percentage to that and think..."Hey! I'm getting ripped off!" Not thinking that weight is weight, size is size, and postage is postage...no matter what the value of the thing is inside. :) But generally Monkeyman...if it's small and lightweight...the actual postage should not be over $4.60, or $8.95 at the highest for the Flat Rate Priority Mail box (provided the item will fit in that box, of course). Ebay sellers are permitted to add some "Handling Charges" to that shipping and handling number eBay gives you. But usually if it's going out Priority Mail, the more reputable sellers won't tack on more than a buck or two. So seeing a Priority Mail S&H on eBay of $5.60 is not uncommon. [ Edited by: PremEx 2007-06-10 17:52 ]

Pretty much have to agree with stuff-o-rama there. I was using UPS and FedEx but had to give up due to large amounts of damages and unpaid claims. They're both just horrible to deal with, IMHO.

Also as per above...the big advantage to me of USPS are the free boxes...plain and simple. If you've ever gone out there to buy these things...they are expensive!! Often I start to offer First Class Mail to save on postage, but then when I figure in the cost of the box (or padded envelope)...its cheaper for all to send it Priority Mail!

So it's usually an example of either $3.80 First Class plus $2.00 for a box, or $4.60 for Priority Mail, box included. Pretty easy equation! Plus the Priority Mail usually gets there quicker than First Class, and here's another big plus...if you do your shipping labels online via PayPal or USPS directly...Delivery Confirmation is FREE! Another 65 cents savings that neither you or your customers have to pay.

But the main reason is the damage. So, so, so many damaged boxes with UPS and FedEx. And virtually none from USPS.

For 90% of my "package" (box or thick envelope) shipments...it's a regular Priority Mail box. For anything over 3lbs...it's the Priority Mail Flat Rate Box.

One other more minor area of mention with the USPS, is that even if you forget to schedule a free next-day package pickup...your regular letter carrier will usually be more than happy to take your pre-labeled and pre-postage-paid packages (as long as there aren't way too many for them).

One thing I've noticed over the years with customers...if the item is only $5 and the shipping is $4.60...they tend to complain about the cost of the shipping. But if the same weight and sized item is $200 and the shipping is still $4.60...they never complain!!! I think they often look at the price of the item they are buying and then relate the postage as a percentage to that and think..."Hey! I'm getting ripped off!" Not thinking that weight is weight, size is size, and postage is postage...no matter what the value of the thing is inside.

But generally Monkeyman...if it's small and lightweight...the actual postage should not be over $4.60, or $8.95 at the highest for the Flat Rate Priority Mail box (provided the item will fit in that box, of course). Ebay sellers are permitted to add some "Handling Charges" to that shipping and handling number eBay gives you. But usually if it's going out Priority Mail, the more reputable sellers won't tack on more than a buck or two. So seeing a Priority Mail S&H on eBay of $5.60 is not uncommon.

[ Edited by: PremEx 2007-06-10 17:52 ]

Post #312113 by PremEx on Sun, Jun 10, 2007 5:45 PM