I need Help choosing an alternative shipping method.

[mudshark61369]

Thanks to the USPS' new dimensional shipping weight rates, many of the items I could ship for a reasonable cost, will now cost much more.

  I sell many vintage items that come in 14" to 24" original boxes, but weigh less than a pound. I usually offered Priority Mail, with 1st Class, or  Parcel Select as alternatives.  With the new USPS rates I would have to charge much more because of the oversized boxes.

I have never been a big fan of either Fed-Ex or UPS, because of mis-delivery, and poor judgement about leaving packages out in bad weather. (not to mention the poor package handling)  I may have to start using one of those services, and am seeking advice on which would be the lesser of 2 evils.

[dtexley3]

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@mudshark61369 wrote:

Thanks to the USPS' new dimensional shipping weight rates, many of the items I could ship for a reasonable cost, will now cost much more.

  I sell many vintage items that come in 14" to 24" original boxes, but weigh less than a pound. I usually offered Priority Mail, with 1st Class, or  Parcel Select as alternatives.  With the new USPS rates I would have to charge much more because of the oversized boxes.

I have never been a big fan of either Fed-Ex or UPS, because of mis-delivery, and poor judgement about leaving packages out in bad weather. (not to mention the poor package handling)  I may have to start using one of those services, and am seeking advice on which would be the lesser of 2 evils.

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I use FedEx frequently for items the size you list and I've not encountered the issues in the last 4 years.  Most of these types of reports are anecdotal and seem to get inflated from a very few actual incidents to sounding like they happen every day.

I have two frequent buyers that live less than 10 miles apart.  One demands (and pays for) all deliveries via USPS because the other two carriers "always damage packages".  The other wants FedEx because USPS is "bad".  They're in the same general postal district and very likely the same regional distribution for FedEx, but both have opposing views of the service they get.

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@mudshark61369 wrote: ...  I sell many vintage items that come in 14" to 24" original boxes, but weigh less than a pound. I usually offered Priority Mail, with 1st Class, or  Parcel Select as alternatives.  With the new USPS rates I would have to charge much more because of the oversized boxes.....

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If they're not over a pound, then just ship via First Class; dimensional weight doesn't apply to First Class packages.  The threshold for size for FC packages is  "does not exceed 22 inches in length, or 18 inches in width, or 15 inches in thickness." 

Also, remember that package volume determines the dimensional weight; many packages with a length of 24 inches could be under the threshold of 1728 cubic inches.

[mudshark61369]

@dtexley3,

  "I use FedEx frequently for items the size you list and I've not encountered the issues in the last 4 years. Most of these types of reports are anecdotal and seem to get inflated from a very few actual incidents to sounding like they happen every day".

I wish my experiences were anecdotal, but they're not.  I can understand the occasional delivery of an item to a neighbor's house. However, leaving packages on the steps of a porch in heavy rain or snow, where there is a very visible sign saying place packages in the porch more than just a few times is carelessness.  I live on a lake, and do not have a door facing the street, so there is a sign with my address Deliveries and an arrow directing drivers to the side porch which has the delivery sign on it.  I've had UPS &

Fed-Ex drivers place packages in front of my tool shed 30 feet from the house. Small packages & envelopes placed on top of the manicured hedge next to the porch entrance. I'll admit that when I lived in a neighborhood there were only a few instances of things being left in the wrong place, because we had regular route drivers.  However, I haven't the time to google map every buyer's address to see if they too live in a semi-rural location which often have many different drivers delivering to their location.

[mudshark61369]

@nobody*s_perfect,

  "remember that package volume determines the dimensional weight; many packages with a length of 24 inches could be under the threshold of 1728 cubic inches".

I know the 1st class dimension limits, and understand the 1728 cubic inch threshold and measure.  The problem is that since having the original box can increase the value of vintage & collectible items, I have to pack in a larger box often to protect the original.  That adds size and weight.  I spend more time than I should box hunting at stores so I can find close fitting boxes for items I intend to ship that need outer boxing.  I even have learned to create my own boxes from larger ones to keep size and weight down. Unfortunately, many of the things I sell exceed the 1728 ci. threshold.

So far in 16 years of selling (knock on wood) I haven't had one item damaged or lost during delivery. A few were misdirected but tracked down.  I'd like to keep that record intact, and just don't have much faith in UPS or Fed-ex.  I probably should have posted this topic on the selling board, but was hoping to get references I guess, from other members who've had experience with those services.

[berserkerplanet]

I see you are not a fan of FedEx, but you might be able to use FedEx SmartPost by Ounce pricing that eBay happens to offer us

I haven't found a use for it yet, but it's pretty awesome on paper. No dimensional weight or balloon rating, although non-machinable surcharge kicks in for fairly large pkgs. And it's gets around the "FedEx delivering" issue as it's SmartPost and USPS delivers last mile.

https://community.ebay.com/t5/Shipping-Returns/eBay-2019-FedEx-Smartpost-By-Ounce-for-Under-16oz-and...

[mudshark61369]

@berserkerplanet,

Thanks for that info. I'll look into it more carefully after awhile all of the shipping options/pricing begin to blur into one big jumble.  I think my biggest concern is the quality of handling.  Many of the items I sell come in flimsy boxes, but by adding cardboard stiffeners around the inside box tray or outside of the boxes, over wrapping with poly mailer material and shipping Parcel Select, so far I haven't had anything arrive damaged. 

I know there is not much I can do for something like a 50s Tonka extension ladder fire truck, which has a 36x12x12 box that weighs 9-lbs. It is things like a large vintage model kit that comes in a 20x14x4 box that weighs 2.4 lbs I'll be charged for a USPS DIM shipping weight of 7lbs. 

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@mudshark61369 wrote: ...  a large vintage model kit that comes in a 20x14x4 box that weighs 2.4 lbs I'll be charged for a USPS DIM shipping weight of 7lbs. 

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USPS only applies dimensional weight to packages over 1 cubic foot (1728 cubic inches).  Your 20x14x4 box has a volume of 1120 cubic inches, so USPS will not apply a dimensional rate to it.  The minimum USPS dimensional weight (for a package with a volume of 1729 cubic inches) would be 11 pounds.

[berserkerplanet]

>>I think my biggest concern is the quality of handling. Many of the items I sell come in flimsy boxes, but by adding
>>cardboard stiffeners around the inside box tray or outside of the boxes, over wrapping with poly mailer material and
>>shipping Parcel Select, so far I haven't had anything arrive damaged.

I personally have had no issues with FedEx Ground or SmartPost in terms of damage or late deliveries, but YMMV.

Roughly speaking, starting at around 5lb (actual or dimensional) weight, FedEx kicks USPS's butt. After about 10lbs, Smartpost becomes more expensive than FedEx Home Delivery, and only gets worse (SP base rates increase much faster than Ground as billable weight increases).


>>not much I can do for something like a 50s Tonka extension ladder fire truck, which has a 36x12x12 box that weighs 9-lbs.

Ships at a Dim weight of 32 lb. Zone 8 eBay rates: USPS PM = $78.38 while FedEx Home Delivery = $39.27

Since dim weight so much larger than actual weight, if you have a half inch to spare inside, you can double or triple wall the boxes to minimize crushability because actual weight is a non-issue.


>> vintage model kit that comes in a 20x14x4 box that weighs 2.4 lbs I'll be charged for a USPS DIM shipping weight of 7lbs.

Nah. Only has a dim weight of 7 lb for FedEx and UPS. You overlooked the 1728in³ USPS threshold there (I catch myself going down that path at times). That box has a volume of 1120 in³, is well under the threshold, and would ship via USPS services at the actual 3 lb weight.

[mudshark61369]

@berserkerplanet,

">>not much I can do for something like a 50s Tonka extension ladder fire truck, which has a 36x12x12 box that weighs 9-lbs.

Ships at a Dim weight of 32 lb. Zone 8 eBay rates: USPS PM = $78.38 while FedEx Home Delivery = $39.27

Since dim weight so much larger than actual weight, if you have a half inch to spare inside, you can double or triple wall the boxes to minimize crushability because actual weight is a non-issue".

The lb weight already includes my recreated inserts, and those old boxes are strong. At $39.27 shipping I feel it is going to hurt auction participation. If the original box were not so important to the value, I could ship the tractor truck and trailer separately at actual weight for much less.

  What is ridiculous is I have the boxes only for several vintage toys, That will break the 1728 threshold. They weigh on average around 1.5lbs empty because they used real corrugated cardboard back then.  I might get lucky and be able to remove the old huge staples without damaging some of the boxes and flatten them to beat the threshold. The ones that are glued though I might not be able to break down without damaging them.

I can't help but think that much of the rate increase is due to the low domestic shipping rate the chinese pay, once their items arrive in the U.S., thanks to the UPU, which has been costing the USPS for years.  Add one more dollar to the rate they pay per package on the millions sent each year, and the increase wouldn't be needed. 

[flo_mingo]

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@mudshark61369 wrote:

Thanks to the USPS' new dimensional shipping weight rates, many of the items I could ship for a reasonable cost, will now cost much more.

  I sell many vintage items that come in 14" to 24" original boxes, but weigh less than a pound. I usually offered Priority Mail, with 1st Class, or  Parcel Select as alternatives.  With the new USPS rates I would have to charge much more because of the oversized boxes.

I have never been a big fan of either Fed-Ex or UPS, because of mis-delivery, and poor judgement about leaving packages out in bad weather. (not to mention the poor package handling)  I may have to start using one of those services, and am seeking advice on which would be the lesser of 2 evils.

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I live in NW Colorado and I have had great success with Fed EX. Fed ex is not pricing less than USPS unless the package is larger and over 3 pounds. I have been dinged now a few times with larger packages even though I put dimensions in calculated in all my listings ebay has not charged my customers the new extortion rate.