Overnight shipping help needed

[faithandbutterflies]

I've never shipped anything over night. I ship from home because I don't drive. I just put things in my mailbox and our mail person takes them off for me. I rarely have big items but if I do my husband drops them off. I never have any issues and this has worked well for many years. 

I have a buyer who wants to buy a poster and needs it by Tuesday. My first issue I can't guarantee that even if they do pay for overnight shipping but the buyer still wants it. So my question is what is the best shipping option for this person? I've looked at cost of over night shipping and it seems to cost an arm and a leg for sure. As much as $50 for a poster that weighs around 3oz packaged up. I don't have any over night shipping priority mail envelopes or anything like that. My husband's work can take UPS labels if I print one out here. I don't even know if I can do that. I'm feeling over whelmed looking at shipping options as I've never done this before. What are your suggestions? The buyer lives in NJ if that helps and I'm shipping from GA. Thanks in advance. 

[richard1rst]

Basically there are only 3 options:

Priority Mail Express, FedEx Overnight and UPS has an overnight too but I have never used it so I am not familiar with it or what it is called.

As a general rule I have found that PM Express has been less expensive for lighter packages. Depending on whether the package hits an oversized charge I have found them to be in the $30-$35 range for lighter packages.

IN EVERY CASE DOUBLE CHECK THE ZIP CODE WITH THE SHIPPER BEFORE YOU COMMIT.

Sorry for shouting but that is extremely important. If the buyer is in a somewhat rural area then the overnight may not be available. Check the post office ads - way down at the bottom in small print it says that not all ZIP codes are available.

Check with the post office for a cut off time. I am in Nevada and I brought in an express package going to NY at around 4PM. They immediately changed it to 2 day delivery explaining that for shipment from Nevada to the east coast the cut off time is noon. Since you and the buyer are both on the east coast that might not be an issue. But it doesn’t hurt to ask.

FedEx on the other hand says I can bring it in as late as 5PM regardless of where it is going (well, in the lower 48 anyways).

FedEx offers several overnight services depending on cost. There is overnight morning delivery, overnight midday delivery, and overnight by early evening delivery.

Additionally, I always strongly emphasize to my buyer that if the package is late their argument is with the post office or FedEx not with me. Once we turn a package over to them what happens to it is completely beyond our control. They are generally very good, but surely you know about Murphy’s Law.

All of that having been said, my experience is that only about one in a dozen or so buyers who ask about Express actually follow through. They are usually stopped cold by the cost.

Hope this helps. 

[faithandbutterflies]

thank you, richard. This is very helpful. I was leaning towards those three but wasn't sure. I will copy paste some of what you said to the buyer and see what they think. I have said more than once I can't guarantee delivery on time no matter what they pay. I will add the three options in so they can enter in the their zip code and leave it up to them. 

[lja440]

First off (I'm a mail carrier) call your local PO early this morning. They will answer even before the windows open. It's 4:50 am now and I bet that my Postmaster is already up and heading there. 

Give them your address and the address that it would be going to. They can tell you if it is possible to have it picked u from your mailbox like usual today and delivered tomorrow. 

Like the other posters have said, a lot depends on logistics, where you are (urban, rural) and same with the buyer. Large busy urban offices may have several dispatches a day but the normal for rural areas and small towns is one dispatch at days end. Same with deliverys, a urban area will have package carriers who will move and deliver packages droped off after the carriers have left for their routes but most offices if it comes in after the carriers leave they will be delivered with the following days mail.

UPS and FedEx run just about the same.

[myboardid]

You realize that if it arrives too late, your buyer can claim Not As Described (a lie), and you will have to pay for return shipping at the same cost as the original overnight shipping, and you will have to refund every penny that they paid in the first place?  Personally I would NOT accept that request from the buyer. 

[lja440]

True.