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Rant: Shipping

Started by Shootydog,

45 posts in this topic

Shootydog

Shootydog

Posted
Posted

Shipping charges are insane. I have been trying to give people breaks on shipping when I sell books to them but when the post office charges so much I feel like Im short changing myself.

 

Not supposed to send comics Media. So its parcel or priority.

 

I may just stick with the flat rate boxes and thats that.

 

Makes me sick to my stomach when I have an already limited budget and I try to subsidize my book buying by selling some of my unneeded comics. The one time I tried to use media the box was opened and sent back to me.

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nocutename

nocutename

Posted
Posted

Unless you can ship media mail it is expensive, IMO. That parcel post is a joke. I believe if the package is over a pound it has to go priority anyway. For one or two comics you can ship them via first class for relatively cheap still.

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CKB

CKB

Posted
Posted

I believe the first class limit is 13 ounces. Parcel post has a high limit, but a significant rate difference over Priority mail does not kick in until large weights or long distances. 10 pounds coast to coast is about half the price Parcel Post vs. Priority Mail.

 

 

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nocutename

nocutename

Posted
Posted
I believe the first class limit is 13 ounces. Parcel post has a high limit, but a significant rate difference over Priority mail does not kick in until large weights or long distances. 10 pounds coast to coast is about half the price Parcel Post vs. Priority Mail.

 

 

Sorry you are correct, it's first class that becomes priority mail after a certain weight. I never found Parcel post to be half the cost of priority mail, ever. When the post office weights my package there is usually only a difference that is under a dollar.

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mschmidt

mschmidt

Posted
Posted
More people should ship 1st class if it's only 1-3 comics. With cardboard it should be 13oz or less and will save you a ton of money and will ship much faster then Media Mail.

 

Yep, I always get annoyed when people insist on sending a single cheap-ish comic book priority instead of first class ...

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mschmidt

mschmidt

Posted
Posted
Would a scale allow me to estimate easier? Maybe Ill pony up for one.

 

Get one of the standard USPS postal scales - it's cheap, works like a charm.

 

With the scale + online postage printing double combo, the only reason you should ever go to a physical post office is if:

 

- you're sending things First Class Mail International (can't be printed online)

- you need a huge amount of insurance on an item (the limit is $500 for online)

 

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dekeuk

dekeuk

Posted
Posted

 

 

I may just stick with the flat rate boxes and thats that.

 

 

FLAT RATE is a joke

 

overcharging just to use THEIR box

 

"ship up to 70 pounds for a flat rate"

 

what do I have to put in that box to make it 70 pounds? solid lead?

 

try it sometime. pack the box absolutely full of stuff. it will be about 20 pounds.

 

best thing to do is use your own box and tell them to ship priority, cost is sometimes half the flat rate box cost ($6 vs $11)

 

 

 

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mschmidt

mschmidt

Posted
Posted

 

 

I may just stick with the flat rate boxes and thats that.

 

 

FLAT RATE is a joke

 

overcharging just to use THEIR box

 

"ship up to 70 pounds for a flat rate"

 

what do I have to put in that box to make it 70 pounds? solid lead?

 

try it sometime. pack the box absolutely full of stuff. it will be about 20 pounds.

 

best thing to do is use your own box and tell them to ship priority, cost is sometimes half the flat rate box cost ($6 vs $11)

 

I know what you're saying, but I recently shipped jack stands & some very heavy car parts & tools in the large flat-rate boxes. Postage was $13, and the boxes weighed 45-50 lbs each.

 

But, again, there's no reason why you should be going to the post office to figure out what the cost of shipping is - calculate it yourself, and decide based on the cost.

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Shark

Shark

Posted
Posted
Im getting a scale tonight. I have had enough of this.

 

 

I bought a scale about a year ago at Office Max for about $35-$40 and it's well worth the investment. Or like Mike said you can buy one at the post office for about the same amount.

 

The weight limit for 1st Class within the United States is 13 ounces and you can reasonably ship 1 to 3 comics sandwiched between cardboard in a plain manila envelope and stay under the 13 ounces. The scale would definitely help with this. (thumbs u

 

What's strange to me is you can ship stuff via 1st Class International up to 4 pounds (64 ounces). Guess it's the USPS's way of making sure you use Priority Mail in the USA for anything over the 13 ounce limit. (shrug)

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CKB

CKB

Posted
Posted

 

 

I may just stick with the flat rate boxes and thats that.

 

 

FLAT RATE is a joke

 

overcharging just to use THEIR box

 

"ship up to 70 pounds for a flat rate"

 

what do I have to put in that box to make it 70 pounds? solid lead?

 

try it sometime. pack the box absolutely full of stuff. it will be about 20 pounds.

 

best thing to do is use your own box and tell them to ship priority, cost is sometimes half the flat rate box cost ($6 vs $11)

 

 

 

You must have been shipping something a short distance. You need quite a bit of weight to make a flat rate box worth it in your own postal "zone". If you cross a zone or two, it does not take much at all. All you need is three pounds to make the flat rate box cheaper than Priority mail for coast to coast packages.

 

Don't forget, USPS shipping rates became distance sensitive a few years ago.

 

Flat Rate boxes are keeping the USPS in business. They are not competitive pricewise with UPS or FedEx in many cases otherwise.

 

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CKB

CKB

Posted
Posted
Two slabs going across the country make a FR box worth it...

 

(shrug)

 

 

 

-slym

 

Yes. Although, IMHO, the medium flat rate boxes are too small to ship CGC books safely. The large FRBs are better, but you need break 3 pounds for it to be worth it.

 

01450 to 90210

 

2 pounds: $8.70

3 pounds: $11.95

4 pounds: $14.70 (parcel post $11.57)

10 pounds: $29.95 (parcel post $16.77) (Media $5.89)

 

Medium FRB: $10.35

Large FRB: $13.95

 

I explain this to people a lot when they query me about why shipping the Toon Tumbler Glasses is so "expensive".

 

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the blob

the blob

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Yep, I always get annoyed when people insist on sending a single cheap-ish comic book priority instead of first class ...

-----------------------------------

 

Well packed 1st class is going to be around $3. quadruple cardboard.

 

I used to do it that way, but having to buy (or find) big envelopes was a giant PITA, as was having to encapsulate them in tape. The flat rate envelopes are much sturdier. I had a couple of regular envelopes split open along the seem and the contents came out, which can happen if you don't have a bunch of tape all over.

 

But yeah, I understand where you're coming from. of course, my desire is to not sell a single cheapish book to any one customer, but rasther, several, in which case the flat rate envelope makes a lot of sense.

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the blob

the blob

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speaking of which, how much would 50-60 comics weigh with no bags/boards? i'm talking about enough to fill the flatrate PM box, but i want to give a media option

 

 

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