Better option then UPS?
November 7, 2005 6:03 PM Subscribe
Has anyone here looked into the best priced shipping options at their work? Our office seems to ship nearly 85% UPS and I was wondering if anyone has opted for another carrier that was as reliable and was cheaper?
The only issue I have with UPS is that their brokerage fees (US to Canada) are much higher than other couriers.
If a shop sells something like T-Shirts online and ships UPS, I usually can'd justify the doubling of the price UPS charges me for bringing the shirt across the border.
But I've heard from some shops that the paperwork for UPS is much simpler for exporting than with any other courier, so I understand why businesses use them.
posted by Crosius at 6:49 PM on November 7, 2005
If a shop sells something like T-Shirts online and ships UPS, I usually can'd justify the doubling of the price UPS charges me for bringing the shirt across the border.
But I've heard from some shops that the paperwork for UPS is much simpler for exporting than with any other courier, so I understand why businesses use them.
posted by Crosius at 6:49 PM on November 7, 2005
I like DHL, nicer customer service, cheaper than Fedex & UPS, and reliable tracking just like the others. Also DHL has good global presence.
posted by riffola at 7:05 PM on November 7, 2005
posted by riffola at 7:05 PM on November 7, 2005
California Overnight. They ship only in California and parts of Nevada and Arizona. I realize this doesn't help keep it tight in NC, but I'm including it for the left coast mefites with similar concerns)
• Cheap: under $11 for an overnight letter with 10:30 AM delivery.
• Late pickup times (like 9 PM) at their drop boxes.
• No extra charge to schedule pickups, even at private residences.
posted by letitrain at 7:13 PM on November 7, 2005
• Cheap: under $11 for an overnight letter with 10:30 AM delivery.
• Late pickup times (like 9 PM) at their drop boxes.
• No extra charge to schedule pickups, even at private residences.
posted by letitrain at 7:13 PM on November 7, 2005
We're a very small business and ship everything US Priority Mail. All the boxes & envelopes are free, and in spite of the post office's rap, it's rare that an order gets lost.
We looked briefly into a UPS account with scheduled pickup service, but they sent us a half-ass application kit with photocopied forms. We also saw that our average shipping cost would have went up from $4.50 to $6.50 and delivery times would have slowed by 1-2 days.
We use FedEx as a standby for express packages or if insurance is required (I've heard the US Post Office is really bad about honoring insurance claims).
posted by rolypolyman at 7:16 PM on November 7, 2005
We looked briefly into a UPS account with scheduled pickup service, but they sent us a half-ass application kit with photocopied forms. We also saw that our average shipping cost would have went up from $4.50 to $6.50 and delivery times would have slowed by 1-2 days.
We use FedEx as a standby for express packages or if insurance is required (I've heard the US Post Office is really bad about honoring insurance claims).
posted by rolypolyman at 7:16 PM on November 7, 2005
We use Fedex for mission-critical stuff and DHL for internal/non-critical. DHL made us (medium-sized company) a much better deal, but they seem to mess things up occasionally, whereas Fedex has been quite reliable. We ship almost everything through the air, mostly express envelopes and the like.
For ground shipping I usually go with UPS... I've had some bad experiences with Fedex Ground up here in the frozen north. Fedex Ground and Air are completely different operations... not sure if that's true of the other two.
posted by selfnoise at 8:04 PM on November 7, 2005
For ground shipping I usually go with UPS... I've had some bad experiences with Fedex Ground up here in the frozen north. Fedex Ground and Air are completely different operations... not sure if that's true of the other two.
posted by selfnoise at 8:04 PM on November 7, 2005
Oh, and I use USPS priority mail when I ebay stuff. Never had a problem.
posted by selfnoise at 8:04 PM on November 7, 2005
posted by selfnoise at 8:04 PM on November 7, 2005
FedEX ground is what used to be RPS, possibly one of the most half-assed and mis-managed shipping companies out there. They might have cleaned up their act somewhat but I'll never know - there are better and less risky ways to save money.
posted by phearlez at 5:57 AM on November 8, 2005
posted by phearlez at 5:57 AM on November 8, 2005
I would not advise eBay seller biz's to only allow USPS Priority -- if the customer is willing to wait and is cheap (like me) allow Media Mail for videos, games and music. Low shipping charges are incredibly attractive, and even if the bid price is right, I won't bid if the shipping is too high, even for the same price averaged out. I am vehemently opposed to absurdly high shipping charges, and will write you a contact-message explaining how much you suck for trying that.
As a patron of other online businesses, I am highly attracted to the free UPS ground I often see for things like tech parts. I'm not sure how that works, but that's quite nearly a guarantee I will check your site again if I need something else you sell -- and remember your site later.
posted by vanoakenfold at 9:53 AM on November 8, 2005
As a patron of other online businesses, I am highly attracted to the free UPS ground I often see for things like tech parts. I'm not sure how that works, but that's quite nearly a guarantee I will check your site again if I need something else you sell -- and remember your site later.
posted by vanoakenfold at 9:53 AM on November 8, 2005
For some reason I like posting late on threads. If you check this, vanoakenfold: Paradoxically, First Class Mail is usually cheaper than Media Mail for light items like a single CD or DVD. It's just about as fast as Priority. Win! On eBay auctions for items like these I always use First Class when selling.
posted by zsazsa at 6:27 AM on November 9, 2005
posted by zsazsa at 6:27 AM on November 9, 2005
I usually charge for media mail, but if the total comes up cheaper than what they paid, opt to send it 1st class and refund the difference :-D
posted by vanoakenfold at 9:25 AM on November 9, 2005
posted by vanoakenfold at 9:25 AM on November 9, 2005
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by zsazsa at 6:09 PM on November 7, 2005