Did the post office just hose me? 4 4

[wombat]

We use pirateship and just have the packages picked up at home .

[JollyComics]

[Westy Steve]

On 2/10/2022 at 1:30 PM, lizards2 said:

to sort of answer your question, it really depends on where your mailing too, as the USPS has a bunch of regions. It is cheaper the closer the region or within region. It is often cheaper to ship not Flat Rate within your region.

I haven't checked out whatever changes paypal has made, but you used to be able to ship up to pound first class.

It is usually cheaper to mail less than a pound using a regular Priority box, than it is a Flat-Rate box.

Typically, if you are shipping 1/2 to all the way across the U.S., and the weight is over a pound / 16 ounces, the next best option is to ship in Regional Rate boxes, as they are cheaper than flat rate, but a bit smaller than Flat Rate boxes. But I believe you have to buy the postage on line from USPS to get the cheap Regional Rate.  There is a weight limit to Regional Rate that is less than Flat Rate, but you'd never get close to that weight shipping comics. What is weird is that you have to add a weight and select not Flat Rate to select the basically Flat Rate Regional Rate.

If I ship quite a few comics, I usually pick the Flat Rate medium boxes, as they are bigger and allow you to use an interior box for extra strength.

I never buy boxes, I just order on line from USPS, AND save all the incoming stuff from purchases and reuse - boxes, bubble wrap, etc.  And that allows me to double box with little effort. A good source of free stout boxes would be your local liquor store, or dumpster dive at the local cardboard recycling bin.

Word to the wise, never, ever use the medium Flat Rate boxes in 11 1/4" x 8 3/4" x 6" to ship comics in, as they are too small to provide cushion, and books usually come in with corner duns.  Never, ever use these boxes.

11 1/4" x 8 3/4" x 6" BAD, BAD, BAD - don't even think about using these - your comics will get damaged.

Here is the Regional Rate A2 box I use:

13 1/16" x 11 1/16" x 2 1/2"

Truly great info. You just helped a lot of boardies save some coin. Thanks 

[toro]

I did the calculations on the USPS web site and it now costs 16.10 for up to 1.1 to 2lbs cross country.  The flat rate box is the same up to 2lbs.  So 2pounds 1 ounce and over go flat rate,  under 1 lbs use your own box.  But use pirate ship, paypal ship and it is cheaper.

[kav]

Got some OEM floor mats coming and I paid a pretty penny for them-and the shipping.

[Lightning55]

If you use Pirate Ship, they calculate based on Priority Mail Cubic prices.  It is always cheaper than Regional to any US destination.

If you have a group of comics to ship, like 5 that are in bags and boards, you can put them into a Gemini mailer and then put that into a Flat Rate Legal Size Envelope.  The mailer fits nicely into the envelope, very snug and super hard to bend.  It's $9.25 to any US destination, even Guam.

You can send low value CGC comics in that same envelope if you use cardboard as a stiffener.  You can't beat $9.25, and they are insured to $100 if you are using any commercial postage service.  More expensive CGC comics, a box would be advised, or double-boxed.

Edited February 10, 2022 by Lightning55

[Buzzetta]

I believe you were hosed.

[ttfitz]

On 2/10/2022 at 1:30 PM, lizards2 said:

Typically, if you are shipping 1/2 to all the way across the U.S., and the weight is over a pound / 16 ounces, the next best option is to ship in Regional Rate boxes, as they are cheaper than flat rate, but a bit smaller than Flat Rate boxes. But I believe you have to buy the postage on line from USPS to get the cheap Regional Rate.  There is a weight limit to Regional Rate that is less than Flat Rate, but you'd never get close to that weight shipping comics. What is weird is that you have to add a weight and select not Flat Rate to select the basically Flat Rate Regional Rate.

I would agree with the recommendation to use Regional boxes. It's my vague memory that the Regional box rate is essentially the 2 lb rate, so technically if you had something more than 1 lb but less than 2 lbs, you might save some money by going standard Priority, but I may be wrong.

[MattTheDuck]

This seems like a rhetorical question.

[Readcomix]

@lizards2 nailed it but had one question — can you only get Region Rate via USPS online? You CAN use Region Rate boxes at the local PO and pay there; no need to buy postage online to use them.

Also, each region has 2 size boxes, and one of the two is similar in depth to the cube-size flat rate medium that tightly fits a stack of comics with very little if any padding room. But you can fit nearly as tall a stack with room on all four sides for padding. Learned all this from @skypinkblu thank you Sha!

@kav My postmaster told me this week that the game size box is being discontinued. Hoard ‘em if you see ‘em and need ‘em. And this guy ought to know; he looks like Kang! Seriously, loved that box because you could do 2 bricks of magazines side by side, or those late-model three-packs that came shrink wrapped and were extra tall because they had a cardboard hang tag/backing board in there with the comics. You guys know what I’m talking about? Late copper books era, maybe, or very early 90’s?

[skypinkblu]

Buy a scale on Amazon (not the USPS site, I print on PP or USPS.com if it's regional boxes, and I set up a free pick up unless it's something very expensive and I'm not going to be home. They ring the door bell, scan your box and take it to the PO for you.

Never buy the tape, boxes, or anything else in the Post Office, there was just an article about how much money they are losing, it seems that stuff is the ONLY thing they make money on.

[Sigur Ros]

On 2/10/2022 at 12:07 PM, Westy Steve said:

I was mailing some comics. I knew it was too heavy to go first class and realized I’d have to mail it priority. Rather than take a priority FLAT RATE box (because that was all they had) I figured I would purchase a box. So I picked out a box the same size as a priority box, but it was brown in color. First they charged me five dollars for the box, (which is higher than I expected) but then they still charged me $16.10 for flat rate priority. The employee told me this was the only way to mail a box that size. I asked her if  they could charge me based on the measurements of the box and the weight of the box, and she said no. I mean, what if I walk in off the street with my own box? Don’t they measured and Weigh it?  There was a hell of a line behind me so I didn’t fight it. So basically, it would’ve cost the same amount if I would’ve mailed a box of rocks or one half cubic feet of lead. There is no advantage to mailing something light weight when you ship in a box via priority???   It all goes flat rate?

You got hosed. 

When I ship a slab I use the medium flat rate box, wrap it in brown shipping paper, get online with a discount postage web site (Pirate Ship is what I use), and send Priority for around $12 based on those dims/weight. 

Yes... They can charge you based on box dimensions and weight. 

Edited February 11, 2022 by Sigur Ros

[lizards2]

On 2/10/2022 at 4:33 PM, Readcomix said:

@lizards2 nailed it but had one question — can you only get Region Rate via USPS online? You CAN use Region Rate boxes at the local PO and pay there; no need to buy postage online to use them.

 

Regional Rate used to only be available online.  You are correct in that USPS implemented another rate of "assisted Regional Rate" postage. From what I read, you pay more at the P.O. than you do online at the USPS website where it is unassisted. I have not tested this, nor have I verified.

I agree with Sha about buying your own postage scale and printing all your postage online. I did use the pick-up service at home for a while but realized that the posties didn't always scan packages in for tracking. I live in a small place, six blocks from a tiny, slow USPS office, so I always take my boxes to the window to make sure they scan them in and obtain receipts.

[toro]

I use the 1095 box perfect size for slabs.  You have to order those online.  They are never in the PO.

[Readcomix]

On 2/11/2022 at 8:12 AM, lizards2 said:

Regional Rate used to only be available online.  You are correct in that USPS implemented another rate of "assisted Regional Rate" postage. From what I read, you pay more at the P.O. than you do online at the USPS website where it is unassisted. I have not tested this, nor have I verified.

I agree with Sha about buying your own postage scale and printing all your postage online. I did use the pick-up service at home for a while but realized that the posties didn't always scan packages in for tracking. I live in a small place, six blocks from a tiny, slow USPS office, so I always take my boxes to the window to make sure they scan them in and obtain receipts.

I did NOT know Regionals are even cheaper if you set up home postage  Good to know you can use them either way.

You raise a REALLY good point about pick-ups and scans -- behavior varies by postal employee; ya gotta know the proclivities of your local team. Even then, folks take vacations, get sick etc and then there's whoever is subbing. Like you, I'm nearby a dinky, quiet PO so I go there.

[lizards2]

On 2/11/2022 at 5:50 AM, Readcomix said:

On 2/11/2022 at 5:12 AM, lizards2 said:

Regional Rate used to only be available online.  You are correct in that USPS implemented another rate of "assisted Regional Rate" postage. From what I read, you pay more at the P.O. than you do online at the USPS website where it is unassisted. I have not tested this, nor have I verified.

I agree with Sha about buying your own postage scale and printing all your postage online. I did use the pick-up service at home for a while but realized that the posties didn't always scan packages in for tracking. I live in a small place, six blocks from a tiny, slow USPS office, so I always take my boxes to the window to make sure they scan them in and obtain receipts.

I did NOT know Regionals are even cheaper if you set up home postage  Good to know you can use them either way.

You raise a REALLY good point about pick-ups and scans -- behavior varies by postal employee; ya gotta know the proclivities of your local team. Even then, folks take vacations, get sick etc and then there's whoever is subbing. Like you, I'm nearby a dinky, quiet PO so I go there.

What I was told by my best postie, the femailman, was that notifications for pick-ups are sent through the postmaster, so if they are sick, otherwise out, or inattentive, the posties themselves don't get notified to pick-up the goods.

That was 3-4 years ago, so I do not know if the P.O. in general, or my P.O. in particular, have rectified their processes. That was another nail in the coffin for me in reference to home pick-up.

[revat]

basically, if you're buying non-USPS packaging AT the post office, then buying shipping on the spot without any amount of pre-research, you will pay more than you hoped or expected.

[lostboys]

I use media mail to ship comics. Ive shipped 50 comics, double boxed and with plenty of bubble wrap for like $8

Yeah, I know, I know BUT ive never had an issue and until ebay removes media mail as an option for shipping comics, I will use it.

The post office doesnt mess with boxes that have official Ebay mailing labels. 

They can toss it around and smash in all four corners and the damage still wont reach the books inside.

Edited February 11, 2022 by lostboys
mispelling

[sckao]

Speaking of the USPS.... Sent a Priority package from California to Texas on Feb 2. It JUST hit their regional facility today on the 11th. Not even delivered yet.