Forum Moderators: buckworks
I am from overseas and was just wondering what people pay to get stuff shipped from say LA to NY or vice versa.
Say just a small parcel say the size of a paper back book ?
Medium size box 11" X 8.5" X 5.5" $9.85 regardless of weight
The services available, and what it costs, vary with size, weight and distance (sorry to overstate the obvious.)
Domestic Rates Calculator [postcalc.usps.gov]
If you're just saying "NY to CA" and don't have zip codes, use the Zip Code Lookup [zip4.usps.com] to pick a sample.
Can't use the USPS online service to pay or print media mail, parcel post, or first class online - and just drop off ship ready packages. Mail services that partner do offer this feature. (Go figure.) USPS software is okay when it works - which it usually doesn't after an 'upgrade"; like the recent label and delivery confirmation number upgrade fiasco.
USPS used to have their own 'business shipper' software program that you downloaded and batch shipped. Don't know if it still exists or not. It was awful. Professional USPS 'service partners' are much more sophisticated than USPS anyway. Go figure. The USPS 'affiliated' shippers offer an additional discount if you are doing enough volume. They are also universally used by shippers for 'stealth shipping' feature, where the actual cost of shipping is not displayed. This makes ripping off customers with big fees a lot easier. More than a few people here make no money on product - it's all about lowball pricing and making the profit on shipping or 'processing' fees.
All that said, we order various flat rate boxes and flat rate envelopes hundreds at a time. Good value, fast service. Rarely, a package will get lost. Those are just write-offs. USPS has no interest in customer service.
UPS WorldShip software is excellent, tracking is excellent- far superior to USPS. Not a great value on small packages unless doing enough dollar volume to get your own rep. Then you can make a deal to get better rates on packages 3 pounds and less (also a discount rate on all shipments if doing enough dollar volume); and if you get a good rep, problems (rare) are handled immediately and correctly. Slower than USPS by a couple of days, depending upon distance. But USPS flat rate boxes are a great deal.
So - several choices, and reasons for and against each.
We ship a lot of USPS and UPS. At USPS we know more about what can and can't be done, and how to do it than most of the people there. I understand with a new employee, or if an out of the ordinary package that requires keying in the package in a way that they don't do all the time.
The "Scan Form" is the most useless pretense that I have ever seen at suggesting a package will get tracking. We require every package get an origin scan on drop-off. This is the only way to truly lock in acceptance of the package and begin the 'tracking'. Otherwise, from local offices, origin scans don't show up until they arrive at first sorting center (Charlotte and Asheville for us.) They used to have to do every one with a hand scanner. Only recently have they upgraded counter terminals. Now we get the origin scan for each package and a receipt with each package on it. They remain so far behind UPS in tracking capability it's not funny. On the plus side, delivery service is generally excellent. The quality of the product (delivery) is great. Quality of service (software and employee knowledge of job) and customer service (problems) are as pitiful as ever.
The good employees are great to work with. We bang out packages - bang, bang, bang. As soon as they scan and flip to bin, we've got the next in place ready to go.....
The employees that need to be fired immediately can't be helped. They will find a way to screw it up or make the drop off unnecessarily difficult.
It is a systemic 'pass the buck' operation. If the slightest bit inconvenient, or requiring a decision of any kind, nobody (with a few exceptions) knows anything about anything, or wants to know. Most of these people probably couldn't find the USPS website, much less tell anyone what options were available.
True on the comment regarding USPS and international shipments. Would be impossible to accept international orders without them. Up until a couple of years ago, delivery was still very dicey; until they actually made an upgrade in their international shipments that was a true upgrade. The number of packages that 'fell off the truck' dropped like a rock. Customs remains the big problem. The delivery times are, IMO, a total lie - and we say so (not exactly that way) on every website. We still see Priority Mail International shipments taking 1 - 2 months on a regular basis. Most customers are pretty understanding. They seem inured to the fact that that is going to happen pretty often. (Maybe UPS can zip a package through customs, but the cost!)
The best thing that could happen to USPS is privatization, but will not happen in my lifetime.
I agree with all of that DB... The thorn in my side over the years has been the handling of packages that are of odd size or near the "balloon" rate. I sent a letter to USPS in DC explaining the problems between the site and actual offices, because the two do NOT match... I told them I don't care what it is, just as long as it matches. I send out mainly long boxes. Bottom line, they hate long boxes. I have no idea why. I give thousands to them each year, but when I walk into my office to drop the boxes, I get treated like I'm a big pain in the a$$, and usually get some sort of sigh by the nearest counter person, or eyes rolling, or some sort of negative attitude. What the big deal is, I have no idea. They don't even have to do anything except throw them in the back. The problems start when the system won't take an address. Then I have to walk it in. This is when they basically just start trying to fudge the dimensions until it gives the price they seem to personally think it should be. They measure boxes as if they're using a special USPS tape measure that has some sort of different scale of measurement than any other tape measure normal people use. Inches conveniently get added on... Non rectangular shapes get turned into rectangular... The last one was a triangle box 62 long, and the box sides are 6 x 5 x 5. This comes out to an actual rectangle size of 62 x 4.25 x 6, with circular girth of 17". This is NOT over the balloon rate, and the site agrees... $14+ coast to coast. I bring it in to the counter and the lady says it is a rectangle at 62 x 6 x 6. Here we go again... I ask her where that extra inch is coming from and she says it has to go to the nearest largest inch. I say, OK... That means it's 5", because the height is technically 4 1/4". Finally she gives up and just keeps saying the comp is telling her $35 for priority, which is ridiculous... Even with the balloon it would be about 24. I give up and walk out, go to UPS the next day. This scenario has played out dozens of times over the years. Considering I walk in multiple times a week and give them thousands a year... I don't expect to get treated like royalty, but not getting treated like a criminal would be nice.
The thorn in my side over the years has been the handling of packages that are of odd size or near the "balloon" rate.
We had this issue with UPS. They certified a carton just under the "oversize" dimensions, but occasionally it would get the up charge. You need someone that will work with you. The UPS rep took care of all the up charges, but I don't think you will find that type of help at the post office.
I wouldn't subject a customer to media mail - or parcel post.
I suppose being in Ecommerce we can extract that this is for a customer, but the question was an open "how much does it cost." Parcel Post and media mail are offered from the API and customers select it all the time. So they subject themselves to it because they don't want to spend the extra buck or two (in some cases, less than a buck) to go priority.
The longest one of our parcel packages went missing from west coast to east was two weeks, and that's unverified. On investigation, the recipient's apartment manager held it hostage at the front desk for who knows how long. It says "7-14 days" but on the average, just over a week.
Can't use the USPS online service to pay or print media mail, parcel post, or first class online
I know little about the web interface outside of checking against my programming values, but can guarantee we do this through the API for all three. For definition, the API is the programming interface; we pass the package(es) parameters, they return all available options for the given destination, then the customer chooses. For most items, that's Parcel, Priority, Express, sometimes media mail or first class if eligible. Our Canadian customers love the changes a few years back in International Priority Mail. :-)
Why not to use UPS: I'll set my nightmares aside - the one reason? The smallest weight UPS ships is one U.S. pound. Used to be $7.50. If many of your items range less than that, it's far more cost effective to use USPS.
