Parcel select ground vs priority over 16oz? Would love some advice from experienced sellers please

[beyondretroutah]

Hey ya'll, I was reading through the forum and I noticed that some people mentioned there's only about a $1 difference between regular Priority Mail & Parcel Select Ground, however, each time I go to print a shipping label, I keep noticing the difference being $3 to $4 cheaper with Parcel Select Ground.

I keep getting messages that shipping is too high, I measure & weight everything, I passed on my eBay shipping discounts to buyers & I do not charge handling fee, so I am considering changing all my listings over 16oz from regular priority to Parcel Select Ground.

Those of you who have been doing this along time, would you mind sharing your opinion/tips on this please?

Is either one of these two services cheaper over/under a certain weight? I use calculated shipping but without knowing the zip code of whoever will end up buying the item, how can this be accurate unless is flat rate?

Is there another USPS service that works better for items that are over 16oz?

I sell mainly clothing & shoes, anything that is over 16oz, is usually between 1 & 2lbs max.

Everyone said to ship through Pirate Ship, however, I always compare prices, and they seem to be exactly the same prices I get on eBay. 

Eventually, once I understand shipping better, I will offer free shipping on some listings, but until then, I'd like to figure out the best way to ship items over 16oz with USPS

I cannot use UPS or Fedex at the moment, I live in the middle of the mountains and the free USPS pick up service is life saving at the moment. 

Thanks in advance

Best 

M 

[wastingtime101]

Prior to January 2022 there wasn't a significant price difference between Parcel Select and Priority Mail. With the January price changes, that changed.

There can now be a significant price difference and cost savings using Parcel Select.

Having said that, you should consider these factors before deciding which service is best:

- Parcel Select is uninsured, Priority Mail includes $50-$100 insurance depending on where you purchase the label.

- Parcel Select takes much longer to arrive, longer transit which can also mean more/rougher handling.

When the bulk of your packages are 2 lb or less, you won't see cost savings through PirateShip.

What may help for some clothing items that will fit is using Priority Padded Flat Rate Envelopes. Regional Rate A boxes are a good option for items that will fit and weigh 3+ lbs.

Anything between 1-2 lb you can offer a choice of Priority or Parcel on the listing and let buyers choose which method they prefer. You may want to set a dollar limit on which items offer Parcel Select. If a package is lost and uninsured, you'll still be responsible for refunding the buyer.

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@beyondretroutah wrote: ...  I am considering changing all my listings over 16oz from regular priority to Parcel Select Ground.

Those of you who have been doing this along time, would you mind sharing your opinion/tips on this please?

Is either one of these two services cheaper over/under a certain weight? ...

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Parcel Select Ground will always be cheaper than the equivalent Priority Mail rate (based on weight, zone, and dimensions). The only time Priority might be cheaper is when you can use flat rate or Regional rate packaging.

As noted in the other post, the new rates that went into effect in January put the lie to the old statements about the prices being close. As you've seen, the savings via Parcel Select can be significant, especially for higher weights and/or farther Zones.

So why not just offer both, and let the buyers choose whether they want their delivery to be fast or cheap?

The only time that Pirate Ship would be cheaper is when you can use the special Priority Mail rate known as "Cubic," which is offered by Pirateship but not by eBay.

[a_c_green]

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@nobody*s_perfect wrote:
So why not just offer both, and let the buyers choose whether they want their delivery to be fast or cheap?

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You ain't kiddin'. I made a purchase in my buying account that was sent to Chicago from Anchorage, AK back on April 2 via Parcel Select. Tracking followed it locally through Anchorage as far as the sort facility later that day, then nothing. Parcel Select doesn't go by air, but from Alaska it wasn't clear whether it was going by truck through Canada (in which case it must have skidded into a ravine, as seen on "Highway Thru Hell"), or by boat to Seattle or someplace (in which case the boat sank).

After three full weeks of dead silence from the tracking, the seller sent a replacement by Priority Mail, and that reached me in two days: mailed on Saturday, arrived on Monday.

[dhaga]

I sell a few different items using standard box sizes I buy in bulk. A few days worth of playing with the shipping calculator to compare all options is an exercise I highly recommend for those that hope to sell regularly.

It takes a while but to give one example I was ordering 8x8x10 boxes for one item I sell but when playing with the calculator I found there is no price difference in shipping that size box vs 8x8x12. The 8x8x12 boxes are cheaper since they are a much more popular size. I can also use the bigger box to sell more items. I also use 8x8x24 boxes but when the $4 dollar surcharge started I started to cut them down to 22" long (fits my items fine but was not a standard size I could order). The point I am trying to make is find the largest box size you can before the rates bump up to the next tier and use those boxes. 

I live on the west coast so I did all my comparisons using an east coast zip to get accurate apples to apples comparisons. It is eye opening to see FedEx using ebay discounts is often much more cost effective for larger heavier parcels than UPS or USPS.  

Some work up front will help you dial in best boxes to use as well as which shipping options to use. Also do not forget some shipping options have baked in insurance while other will require you pay extra for insurance (I recently had some questions on that here). 

[charlleines]

Parcel select is a more economic option when shipping heavier items for longer distance. Those packages take minimum 7 business days, never less in my experience. It can sit in a sorting facility for days. Always marked delivered in/at mailbox, which doesn't make sense considering size sometimes, so I have a feeling they leave the package around the mailbox instead of doorstep. 

I look at the address I'm shipping to and if it's an apt/condo or townhouse or a city address I upgrade them to priority and eat the difference vs having to refund for lost package. 

Customers like the price but it just isn't great. I'd say use flat rate priority packaging and put half the cost in shipping and the other half add it to item price if you can. Otherwise it's a gamble

[wastingtime101]

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@dhaga wrote:

The point I am trying to make is find the largest box size you can before the rates bump up to the next tier and use those boxes. 

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Offering another viewpoint:

Bumping up box size means using more packing fill and adding weight. USPS decreased many of their box sizes last year and some service providers offer cubic pricing to reward smaller box sizes. I personally think it's a good idea to use smaller boxes for a smaller footprint. Better for shipping rates in the long run, better to fit more packages on each transport vehicle, and better for the environment.

I wouldn't use a smaller box size and compromise the safety of an item arriving undamaged, but given the choice between a larger and smaller box even without going into the next price tier, I would choose the smaller box.

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@charlleines wrote: ... if it's an apt/condo or townhouse or a city address I upgrade them to priority and eat the difference vs having to refund for lost package. ...

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If the package gets a delivery scan, then you are protected against a claim for "Item not received" even if the buyer claims that it was stolen from their premises  after delivery.

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@dhaga wrote:

I sell a few different items using standard box sizes I buy in bulk. A few days worth of playing with the shipping calculator to compare all options is an exercise I highly recommend for those that hope to sell regularly.

It takes a while but to give one example I was ordering 8x8x10 boxes for one item I sell but when playing with the calculator I found there is no price difference in shipping that size box vs 8x8x12. The threshold for "dimensional weight" is one cubic foot, i.e., 1728 cubic inches. So there will be no dimensional weight for a box that's 12x12x12, or 10x10x17 or 20x10x8, etc. The 8x8x12 boxes are cheaper since they are a much more popular size. I can also use the bigger box to sell more items. I also use 8x8x24 boxes but when the $4 dollar surcharge started I started to cut them down to 22" long (fits my items fine but was not a standard size I could order). In addition to the new $4 surcharge for package with a length over 22 inches, there is a surcharge of $15 for packages with a length over 30 inches or a volume over 2 cubic feet. The point I am trying to make is find the largest box size you can before the rates bump up to the next tier and use those boxes. Why use the largest box rather than one that's a good fit, which might weigh less?

I live on the west coast so I did all my comparisons using an east coast zip to get accurate apples to apples comparisons. It is eye opening to see FedEx using ebay discounts is often much more cost effective for larger heavier parcels than UPS or USPS.  

Some work up front will help you dial in best boxes to use as well as which shipping options to use. Also do not forget some shipping options have baked in insurance while other will require you pay extra for insurance (I recently had some questions on that here).  Priority Mail includes $50 of insurance coverage ($100 if you're a Top Rated Seller). Other USPS services don't include insurance.

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[charlleines]

In theory yes. It hasn't happened to me but that ebay protection doesn't extend if there's a charge back. It's also a customer satisfier so win win

[jedstewart77070]

I had no idea you could offer a choice of shipping to the customer. I started pushing some buttons and Low and behold there it is! I feel so behind. Thank you!

[Anonymous]

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@beyondretroutah wrote:

Everyone said to ship through Pirate Ship, however, I always compare prices, and they seem to be exactly the same prices I get on eBay. 

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That is a little hard to swallow since PirateShip offers Parcel Select & Priority Mail Cubic rates

Cubic rates are often cheaper than regular rates and flat rates. They've were cheaper than the now discontinued Regional boxes for some time.

Cubic rates are based upon rounding down to the nearest quarter inch, but encase your package does not qualify or regular rates are cheaper don't enter the rounded values for your package. Enter the decimal dimensions of your package and PirateShip determine which service is cheaper. Print off a reference sheet of decimal values to keep near your computer for entering into PirateShip.

Hopefully you are also charging customers the retail rate while paying the commercial rate for USPS, with the difference paying for the FVF on shipping. If not you are either losing money on shipping or having to constantly compute the maximum possible FVF on shipping and adding it to the price of the item.

1/8	0.125
1/4	0.250
3/8	0.375
1/2	0.500
5/8	0.625
3/4	0.750
7/8	0.875

[deserdog]

I offer both parcel select ground and priority, most often the buyers choose parcel select ground. Insurance is not an issue, I have only lost 1 item in the US since 1999. Many times, especially if the box qualifies for cubic rates, I will upgrade to priority. And I think it was in August of last year that USPS upgraded the delivery time of parcel, to 2 to 5 days. Many times  I have parcel select ground delivered to zone 7 or 8 in 2 days, so obviously it is going by air. 

[kh-laura]

Hi everyone,

Due to the age of this thread, it has been closed to further replies. Please feel free to start a new thread if you wish to continue to discuss this topic.

Thank you for understanding.