shipping Best Shipping Service? USPS, UPS, Pony Express or FedEx?

salsalady

salsalady

eXtreme Business
We have things ready to go for the website, and I still can't decide on shipping options. We are planning on using PayPal for the shopping cart.

I've been using US Postal Service as it's convenient to my home, but if it's more than one 5 oz woozie, it's like $7 for shipping!

What shipping options work and are convenient? The UPS office is 20miles away and not a convenient option for daily use. I can get a UPS account. Or make it a 2 bottle minimum. What about a flat rate table like 1 bottle=$5, 2=$7,3-5=$10?

Do I need to get a UPS rate schedule and weigh every box? What about USPS flat rate?
What about printing shipping labels, with a Dymo printer or ???

Please let me know what works for you.
Thanks for your help.
 
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I can only speak for myself but I personally will never order from someone unless they give me the option of shipping from anyone other than the USPS - sorry, but they are horrible and have so-called "customer service" that is every bit as bad as their shipping - I will never again order anything shipped through them -

I would suggest UPS or FedEx
 
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I am sorry Mark feels this way about the USPS, since I work for them. What I would recommend is to setup your website with multiple options. This way people can see the different rates. Anyone buying 1- 5 oz woozy is looking to pay double the price because of the shipping. I would never buy that little unless I had no choice. Here is what the USPS offers that the other companies do not...
1- Discount shipping online
2- Free Delivery Confirmation
3- Discounted other online services like insurance
4- All shipping supplies the USPS offer are free and are completely "Green", environmently friendly. The only shipping company in the world that offers such a service. These supplies can be picked up or sent directly to your home/business.
5- Free pickup service for as many or as little as you have to ship.
6- You can do everything from your home. Package it, label, and postage, then call for pickup. You can even buy stamps or other things from our postal store to be delivered to you.
7- Flat Rate Priority Mail boxes- different size options. Weight limit 70 lbs.

When I buy from a company, I check on all the prices, and I will go with the cheapest, but the reality is with the offering of Flat rate priority mail boxes, you can get more for your money that way. You will have to figure out what can fit in each box, and put that info on your website. This might encourage people to spend more knowing the shipping will not go up if they buy 2 more bottles/jars.

I have had damages USPS, UPS and Fed-Ex boxes, so the problem is the handling and packaging. Any movement within the box with cause shipping in transit which increases the chance for damage. I think peanuts work best, but I have had loads of success with bubble wrap. Just make sure you fill the box up so nothing moves.
 
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sorry Buddah, not in any way dissing you but I have had major problems with USPS shipping - after they broke a collectable bottle I had ordered (the box had obvious severe damage) they told me that I should have purchased insurance and that even though they damaged my box it was just too bad - sorry but I have to pay extra to someone I am paying to ship something for me to make sure they pay for it when they damage my box?

but I thought that it could happen to anyone so I gave them another try - shipped 4 boxes from the ffs - 48 bottles

the first box arrived with obvious damage to the box - when I opened the box I was actually relieved to see only 1 bottle broken

2nd box arrived 4 days later - obviously the box had been damaged since it was in another box altogether from the one I had shipped - 5 bottles broken

3rd box arrived this past Monday - more obvious damage since it was also a different box than I had shipped - 2 bottles broken

the 4th box? I dunno - it has not arrived at all yet - 12 bottles I may never see again

So I am out the money I paid for shipping and the cost of the broken/missing bottles I had paid for - so the "cheapest" has not been that cheap for me

I got a call from customer service earlier today - I had complained via the USPS web site - I was told basically "we are sorry that we destroyed your stuff but we won't pay you anything because you didn't pay extra for insurance" - again, I have to pay extra to keep them from destroying my bottles?

I know you work for them but sorry bro, I will never myself ship anything USPS nor order anything that is shipped from them
 
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Mark, I hear your disappointment, and you have every right to be angry. Insurance is much like anything else, car, house, life, they are paid just in case something happens. If someone hits your car, the insurance is there as the protection against the damage. A lot of people would send broken items through the mail and then try to get free money out of the USPS if there wasn't insurance. The investment really isn't that much more to spend to protect the value. I understand, most people rather take the chance, but accidents happen that we can't always control. Like loading and unloading at airports, one box crushing another. A big thing during the holidays is people sending frozen things that end up leaking onto other packages. People don't think. Did you use bubble wrap or anything else to help cushion the bottles. Glass hitting glass is one of the biggest issues with damage. Shifting will cause the slightest of movement which will cause the bottles to hit each other. Whatever happened, I wish the system was full proof, but it isn't and accidents happen. I hope they can resolve some of your loss, and find the missing box.
 
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Hey Buddah I feel like the USPS is scamming in this regard. They used to give you free priority packaging, now, they give you free Priority Flat Rate packaging. And when you look up on the price board you see Flat Rate only. So, I thought they did away with regular priority, but no! You just have to use your own packaging and request Priority. Man I was using those Flat Rate boxes and shipping stuff for like $11 that could have been $5 because it wasn't heavy. Buddah, can you chime in on this, because I'm curious if it's just my post office that does this.
 
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No scamming at all. A survey was conducted with the customers a few years back, and they were asked about what they wanted. What they asked for was set pricing so we came up with the flat rate boxes, but we still have the regular boxes, but people don't want them. They just take up space. If someone wants to ship a package that is light they can ask for those boxes or use one of their own, go to usps.com and send it out that way. A label gets printed out that says Priority on it, comes with Free Del. Confirmation service and a discount for doing it online as well. The flat rate boxes are popular because people can send out heavier things across the country and save a lot of money doing it. Load up one of those boxes one day, check the rate to California and see both the flat rate rate and the regular priority rate and see the difference.

The USPS has many things wrong with it, but I do not think there is intention to scam you. I have been pushing the postal service to attend these shows, and let this community get educated on shipping. We offer a lot of services that can help with websites or address correction. Most new businesses such as the Salsalady here are uninformed and need someone to bounce off ideas to. There is a place on the USPS site to ask questions. There are local business help centers throughout the country that can aid in helping new businesses get through growing pains. I truly think the USPS is taking extra steps to connect with people now more than ever. All you have to do is ask your local carrier about the Customer Connect program which was setup through management and the carrier union to help business with what we can offer them as compared to our competition. I am a clerk, but I have been in contact with my local representative and exchanged all dates of the shows with them, and I am hoping to see a USPS presence at future shows.
 
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Thanks. I like USPS. I mean you can have someone take a letter all the way across the country for 44 cents. I still think stamps are too cheap, and they should just raise them to like 75 cents, and stop talking about closing post offices and getting rid of Saturday delivery, and raising other services.

Thanks for the info. My post office has the flat rate boxes on display, and on the price chart. I still think they should have both. I think a lot of people use the flat rate box for everything not knowing they can request the regular ones.
 
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Technology is causing the USPS to lose a lot of money. .75 per letter won't help because most people do not have to mail anything when the alternative is email, faxes, texting, conference calling, and other methods of communication. My office in Virginia was the first selected to go through the new flat sorting machine. While we are still experiencing problems with it after 2 years, it has eliminated about 17 positions in my office alone. We went from 41 routes to 33, plus 3 of those jobs are not full time positions anymore. 2 clerk jobs were lost as well out of the 17. A lot of offices bring not enough business to warrant their existence even if some people need them to be open. Like any business that isn't bringing in money, they close. Hard facts, but we are losing a lot of money right now, and we have to severely make cuts. If we cut Saturday delivery out, but keep window service open to the public, we can still provide service to those that have to send mail out, and save billions of dollars. Raising the rate wouldn't solve the long term problem because people just don't send out letters anymore.
 
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Hey Guys, I'm still around here. Thanks for everyone's inputs.

I've had pretty good luck with packages arriving via USPS, but did have a box that got frozen and the bottles broke this last winter. I'm hoping to hear some more about UPS.

mvinson- in trying to keep the website simple, how would you feel if I had some UPS rates quoted for the furthest distance possible (since I don't know how to get a regular shipping calculator into the paypal stuff) and then if the shipping was less, it would be deducted from the actual bill to the customer?

THP- last summer I went online and ordered a bunch of Priority boxes. They were delivered to my house (I have a PO Box, no house delivery) for free. Don't know for sure if it's still available, but I think so.
 
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Buddah, yeah I know. Faxes injured the stamp in the 90s, and the Internet just killed it! Really there's nothing that can be done, they've tried it all. It's a gov't service that must continue and will continue to lose money. They need to go back to the drawing board and somehow catch up with the information age to make money. Can you figure out how to beam letters? :lol:
 
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My idea is this...close the USPS over a 10 year period. Have every community be supported by a mail center where people go to retrieve their own mail. A Fax machine is setup with individual access codes and perhaps a key as well for security. After you enter the code, your mail is listed like email. You choose what you want printed or saved for future viewing much like an email box. You can even print out the usual junk mail you receive or chose an opt out choice on future mailings. So if you want to get the Sears circular or Victoria Secret catalog, well it will be printed out for you. The paper is paid for through the old USPS budget, as well as the maintenance of the mailing center. Limits would have to be made for each account so paper isn't abused. One can transfer their mail center account to their personal computer. The mail center basically covers those that can not afford a computer/printer.

This is a cheap alternative, and people can get all their mail electronically, which many people do anyway.
 
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salsalady said:
mvinson- in trying to keep the website simple, how would you feel if I had some UPS rates quoted for the furthest distance possible (since I don't know how to get a regular shipping calculator into the paypal stuff) and then if the shipping was less, it would be deducted from the actual bill to the customer?
Click to expand...

I guess that would depend on what the rates were? If I lived close to you and the shipping was listed as $25.00 for a $25.00 order I might not be inclined to order - I have no idea how to get the calculator onto your site either - there are those here who are pretty knowledgeable on things like this, maybe they will see this and offer a suggestion or two - failing that maybe try and contact UPS - tell them you would like to ship with them but obviously you can't if you can't get the calculator on your site and that you will have to use someone else and see if they might offer a bit of help?
 
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Interesting concept about the mail center, Buddah. I wonder if people would still get bulk mailings addressed to "box holder" ??? One instance I'm thinking of is for local non-profits or community groups.

In doing some comparisons between UPS and USPS for a 5# package from WA to FL-

UPS to commercial address $12.74
UPS to residential address $15.11
PLUS $10 weekly fee for On Call Pick Up service for either of the above ($40 a month that I have to pay whether or not I even make a sale?!?)

USPS-
Medium box Flat Rate $10.70
Insurance for
 
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UPS is who I use SL, no real complaints, however this is a little weird, I ship a 5 lb bucket from Baltimore to Annapolis 10 bucs, I shipped a 27 lb box to Fredericksburg VA 10 bucs. don't understand that. Go UPS
 
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I am working on setting up our UPS for larger stuff and have been using flat rate and USPS for several items. I will say that I have been sending out 3 set sauces in the small flat rate and have had no problems as of yet.
 
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Sorry everyone, I am just going to jump in without reading everything.
I use mainly USPS for my shipping on Ebay. You can order all sorts of free priority boxes here:
https://shop.usps.com/webapp/wcs/st...10000002&top_category=10000002&WT.ac=10000033

With USPS if you ship anything priority, you can go on their website and schedule for them to pick it up at your door, no trips to the post office, no extra fees.

I use bubble wrap, foam wrap and leftover card board and newspaper. Shipped a lot of stuff, only ever had one damaged item. The key to it is making sure nothing moves inside the box, and make sure it is padded on all sides.

I just use paypal for printing labels on plain paper and tape it to the box, cheap and effective.

Parcel post is another option for heavier items with USPS, I shipped and item weighing 65lbs using parcel post. I think it was like $60. but light items are very expensive using parcel post.
 
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thanks, everyone-

the website is getting close, so I'd better get this stuff together pronto. I can't use the small flat rate boxes cuz some of the bottles are 10 oz size. And we don't have USPS route pick up, have to go to P.O. What a hassle~
 
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95% of our customers use Fedex Ground. We've had virtually no problems in the last few years with them. UPS pretty much sucks, and Priority Mail costs too much. We give an option on our site, so people can choose which shipping company they want to use, and compare prices, and Fedex Ground pretty much beats everyone out nearly every time, and it only take 1-2 days for delivery anywhere in the Northeast, and only 3-4 days US-wide. Fedex also give you better discounts as you ship more with them, unlike UPS who resets your shipping volume every friggin' week or two.
 
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