General shipping questions, tips and answers

[Jimking23]

I’m shipping from Massachusetts and always offer free shipping. After all these years, I have a good idea what shipping is going to cost. The  bigger heavier sets I ship FedEx Smart Post which has always been significantly cheaper than USPS when shipping to the west coast. Any unexpected shipping cost is usually offset by a east coast buyer. Smart Post is slow but, I have yet to receive a complaint. I always sell BIN with a “best offer” not far below my asking price, this allows me to decline any offers with higher shipping costs. What buyer doesn’t like free shipping?

[BrickLegacy]

2 hours ago, Jimking23 said:

I’m shipping from Massachusetts and always offer free shipping. After all these years, I have a good idea what shipping is going to cost. The  bigger heavier sets I ship FedEx Smart Post which has always been significantly cheaper than USPS when shipping to the west coast. Any unexpected shipping cost is usually offset by a east coast buyer. Smart Post is slow but, I have yet to receive a complaint. I always sell BIN with a “best offer” not far below my asking price, this allows me to decline any offers with higher shipping costs. What buyer doesn’t like free shipping?

Did the SmartPost prices come back to Earth? I stopped using the service last year when it more or less doubled shipping from the MidWest to West Coast.

[Darth_Raichu]

26 minutes ago, BrickLegacy said:

Did the SmartPost prices come back to Earth? I stopped using the service last year when it more or less doubled shipping from the MidWest to West Coast.

Just did a quick check.  Dang it, I could have saved $2  

It looks like it is cheaper than last year but still not as cheap as before.  As in now it is comparable to Fedex Ground but before it was by far the cheapest postage you could buy

[mizeur]

1 hour ago, Darth_Raichu said:

Just did a quick check.  Dang it, I could have saved $2  

It looks like it is cheaper than last year but still not as cheap as before.  As in now it is comparable to Fedex Ground but before it was by far the cheapest postage you could buy

It's probably ongoing fallout from having misclassified their drivers as independent contractors.

[Jimking23]

I ship either USPS or FedEx. I’ve found with heavy sets or distance there is a significant difference in price. I almost always ship medium to small sets USPS. I know that complaining about the mail is kind of a cottage industry but, I have been very happy with their service. 

[squeakdigital00]

Any chance you can tell me if the difference will be substantial between the two?

I need to ship 5 modulars coast to coast 40 lbs. I'm gathering from $80-95 on the site calculators. Help me lol

Sent from my SM-G955U using Brickpicker Forum mobile app

[Jimking23]

I use the old version of EBay shipping. After inputting the size and weight of your package, it’s easy to switch between FedEx Smart Post and USPS Parcel Select to see which is the better option.

[stackables]

Wondering how picky usps is with box size.  I noticed if I change the width of my package to 12.5, the cost of shipping doubles.  My package width is right at 12ish.  Maybe a couple mm over 12. Should I be safe? Would they actually pull the box and measure it to the nearest mm?

[Grynn]

57 minutes ago, stackables said:

Wondering how picky usps is with box size.  I noticed if I change the width of my package to 12.5, the cost of shipping doubles.  My package width is right at 12ish.  Maybe a couple mm over 12. Should I be safe? Would they actually pull the box and measure it to the nearest mm?

It's a roll of the dice with favorable odds... 

Over time you can get to know the clerks, who is anal and who doesn't care, then target the latter whenever possible. If it makes it past the scan, you're good assuming no flagrant attempts to abuse the system. Same with flat rate boxes, tenths of an ounce over weight, etc.

[stackables]

3 minutes ago, Grynn said:

It's a roll of the dice with favorable odds... 

Over time you can get to know the clerks, who is anal and who doesn't care, then target the latter whenever possible. If it makes it past the scan, you're good assuming no flagrant attempts to abuse the system. Same with flat rate boxes, tenths of an ounce over weight, etc.

My label was printed online so no interaction with clerks other than dropping it off.  All the do is weigh it and give me my receipt.

[Grynn]

7 minutes ago, stackables said:

My label was printed online so no interaction with clerks other than dropping it off.  All the do is weigh it and give me my receipt.

Exactly. Some will measure and examine, some will just go with it if your label seems about right.

[locidm]

Do you guys always get receipts from USPS during drop off of labeled packages? I usually just drop it off, say thank you and leave. Never had a problem. I always round up my dimensions and weight too just to be safe.

[stackables]

4 hours ago, locidm said:

Do you guys always get receipts from USPS during drop off of labeled packages? I usually just drop it off, say thank you and leave. Never had a problem. I always round up my dimensions and weight too just to be safe.

I always have them scan it and get a receipt.

[iahawks550]

4 hours ago, locidm said:

Do you guys always get receipts from USPS during drop off of labeled packages? I usually just drop it off, say thank you and leave. Never had a problem. I always round up my dimensions and weight too just to be safe.

I don't ask for a receipt unless it's a $200+ item. But, I've never had a problem. If I dropped off at the larger ones in the city, I probably would get a receipt.

[Grynn]

As long as I can afford to wait, yes... Ever since being burned a couple times with first class not getting scanned out of the drop box.

In theory the scan is enough without the receipt but since it takes only 5 seconds more I collect proof and hold it at least 90 days. Especially when buyers message me wanting it ASAP.

[Huskers1236]

9 hours ago, stackables said:

Wondering how picky usps is with box size.  I noticed if I change the width of my package to 12.5, the cost of shipping doubles.  My package width is right at 12ish.  Maybe a couple mm over 12. Should I be safe? Would they actually pull the box and measure it to the nearest mm?

I had a package that I ran through my scale as First Class as it was just under a pound on my scale.  I get to the post office and they weigh it to scan and it came up at 16.1 ounces.  She says it should be Priority but that she would let it through and I could take my chances with the other postal employees not flagging it and charging my account.  It made it through fine.  I know most of the employees at the station I frequent and they have never questioned or measured one of my boxes.  That said, I don't try to work the system and falsify my labels, either.  

With your situation, you're never going to get dinged for half an inch on one side of a box.  

[Grynn]

Well, I just had an incredible conversation with the nicest USPS employee ever at the phone dispute center.

(Quick backstory, I dropped a batch of packages at a new location a couple days ago and 4 came up as underpaid for 3 different reasons. This never happens to me... 3 definitely not legit and one a box type issue).

 

Caitlyn (sp) informed me that they are very aware how inconsistent the employees are in enforcing and/or making their own rules. But since August 2017 an automated system has been in place at the sorting centers where packages are measured and weighed and scanned and imaged then that info is compared to the label info.

Employees are supposed to let that system do all the work but some still take it upon themselves to "correct" customers and/or provide work-arounds, such as covering the words and barcode printed on a flat rate box so as not to pay the flat rate when they are out of other box types, etc.

I also asked about this latter situation since official policy seems to be non-existent and she said we are supposed to pay the flat rate for a flat rate box regardless of weight but it's completely stupid and she offered to dispute that one adjustment for me as well, saying if the photos don't show it clearly or definitive proof isn't there, I will be refunded.

 

Above info not withstanding, I have definitely sent a dozen or two out of a few hundred packages since that time which were slightly over one claimed dimension (1/4" or less) when near the threshold for a higher rate and another dimension is slightly less than claimed... with ZERO push back other than one or two anal / OCD clerks (To which my solution is walk back out with the package and go to a nearby location or come back after shift change).

 

In the situation asked about yesterday I would send it with 90% confidence of no problems, but not quite the 99% I had in mind before this phone call.

[Darth_Raichu]

6 hours ago, Grynn said:

I also asked about this latter situation since official policy seems to be non-existent and she said we are supposed to pay the flat rate for a flat rate box regardless of weight but it's completely stupid and she offered to dispute that one adjustment for me as well, saying if the photos don't show it clearly or definitive proof isn't there, I will be refunded.

So did your post office give you problem when you mailed things in flat rate box and paying with flat rate postage for that box type?

[stackables]

I have never seen my local post office employees measure a box.  I do have them weigh and give me a receipt. I just like the extra proof if something goes wrong and it get the package into the system faster.  I also print my own labels with a several ounce lead-way just in case my scale is off.

[exciter1]

9 minutes ago, stackables said:

I have never seen my local post office employees measure a box.  I do have them weigh and give me a receipt. I just like the extra proof if something goes wrong and it get the package into the system faster.  I also print my own labels with a several ounce lead-way just in case my scale is off.

5 years isn't enough time to figure out if your scale is off?

[jbacunn]

I just drop my packages off at the post office close to my work. I think it depends on your post office and how comfortable you are with the staff. I’ve never had a problem and it’s saved me literally hours of waiting in lines over the years. At the post office closest to my house that I would use occasionally, there was a real jerk that would not let me drop packages off. He would weigh and measure every one and basically treated me like I was the Unabomber. He never found any problems. Thankfully he left and now they don’t care if I drop off. 

[stackables]

10 minutes ago, exciter1 said:

5 years isn't enough time to figure out if your scale is off?

I weigh the package before adding tape and the label.  I have had that increase the package weight by an ounce or 2.

[$20 on joe vs dan]

Some info I just discovered during a recent transaction packing/shipping:

Typical Modulars weigh about 5 lbs and without their boxes, fit nicely into a flat rate large priority mail box.

I tried my own box (using ebay pricer) and the price was $23+ ea (coast to coast)...when compared to the flat rate it was a no brainer.

And since weight is not an issue, I used a 2nd priority mail box to reinforce all sides of the box (took box cutter and 20 seconds for ea box)...sets still fit with heavy duty bubble wrap on all sides. 

[Huskers1236]

15 hours ago, jbacunn said:

I just drop my packages off at the post office close to my work. I think it depends on your post office and how comfortable you are with the staff. I’ve never had a problem and it’s saved me literally hours of waiting in lines over the years. At the post office closest to my house that I would use occasionally, there was a real jerk that would not let me drop packages off. He would weigh and measure every one and basically treated me like I was the Unabomber. He never found any problems. Thankfully he left and now they don’t care if I drop off. 

There was an employee at one of my stations that would always ask me what the contents were.  I relented at first but then eventually got to the point I had had enough and told him it was none of his damn business as long as I had agreed I wasn't sending anything illegal.  He didn't like that response but really couldn't do anything about it.  Fortunately it's an out of the way station and don't go there often.

15 hours ago, stackables said:

I weigh the package before adding tape and the label.  I have had that increase the package weight by an ounce or 2.

This was the response I got from the employee from my situation.  That the packing materials had added a couple ounces and that I should factor that in every time.  Problem with this theory is that many of my very small orders weigh in at less than an ounce, so I know that the couple strips of tape and piece of paper don't weigh multiple ounces.  

[iahawks550]

So, when the weight is off, how is USPS passing on the cost? Is it showing up on your Paypal account? Ebay account? Are you notified? Maybe I need to look a little closer.