posted on June 17, 2002 07:34:10 AM
I just send 2 packages to my friend in IL. I thought I would send one priority and one first class to test out which is quicker.
You guessed it the first class arrived in 2 BUSINESS DAYS, priority took 3.
In future shipping all small packages first class quicker and cheaper
posted on June 17, 2002 11:09:43 AM
I think USPS just dumps it all in one pile and it gets there when it gets there. Seriously, media mail, in general, does take longer but I've seen priority take longer. Priority Mail is just their way of getting more money.
posted on June 17, 2002 11:14:19 AM
It really depends on where you live & where you are shipping to. I live 150 miles north of LA, my brother lives in Lexington, KY. It takes up to 10 days for a first class letter to get from here to there. Priority Mail in 3 days. All of our Priority Mail is sent out of here via FedEx. They have 3 planes that leave here about 6:00PM into LAX & then to Memphis, all overnight.GOK how the first class goes. I know it leaves here by truck to Santa Clarita. From there who knows.
[ edited by sanmar on Jun 17, 2002 11:17 AM ]
posted on June 17, 2002 11:28:56 AM
I ship over 2,000 packages a year and a few months ago, I learned something about how packages are moved by the USPS.
The USPS does NOT move a package. The high percentage of packages are moved by outside contracted cargo companies. Delays are caused by weather, equipment breakdowns, labor issues, etc. If you send two packages, the same day, and to the same place, there is a high probability each will end up on seperate trucks or planes. The result: delays on one package while the other one passes it up.
I always advise my customers of this fact and to allow at LEAST 14 days for any package to be delivered (even if sent priorty) before they ask or complain.
Of course most of the time everything goes fine and no problems occur. But the occassional problem does pop up and the method of outside contracts is probabily the reason for it.
posted on June 17, 2002 11:41:42 AM
I got an email today from a buyer that won an item about 45 days and said his package had not yet arrived. The item was sent via Priority Mail w/ DC on May 2 from N. Calif to Oregon. When I entered the tracking # at the USPS site it said the item was delivered at Oregon on May 22. Twenty days for about a 400 miles trip and then they forgot to put a slip in his PO box telling him he had a package. A real impressive outing for the USPS.
posted on June 17, 2002 12:48:33 PM
My parents live about 160 miles from us. My mom sends a letter to us and it takes about 3 days. We send a letter to them it arrives the next day. Go figure.
posted on June 19, 2002 02:11:06 AM
I once had a package sent to me via Priority
Mail (sic) take 12 days to arrive. I also
once had a friend in California send a very
heavy package via Parcel Post. He mailed it
on a Monday afternoon (PST). I received it
on Wednesday morning (EST, in Ohio). The
strangest thing was that it was delivered
hours before the normal mail delivery in my
area. I was leaving to run errands that
morning and there it was on the porch.
Z
---
"Cannot say. Saying, I would know. Do not
know, so cannot say". -- Zathras (Babylon 5)
posted on June 19, 2002 08:03:03 AM
the reason i mention their boxes is that when i look around for a good box to ship,the usps large box is just the right size,if i have to buy them myself,it could have cost around 1.00 or more.
so the decison of shipping usps priority is sometimes determined not by how many days but the availability of that box
posted on June 19, 2002 08:18:48 AM
I don't offer priority if I can ship first class. First it is cheaper, it isn't handled any different and it gets their just as fast. I can mail 1st class on Saturday Morning and they have their package on Monday. I really don't see any advantage of Priority, well yes they supply the box but then in the price of priority you still are paying for the box. I understand that when the new postal rates take affect we will be able to use DC on 1st class packages if you type your label on their website and then it will cost you 13 cents extra to be charged by your local postoffice. With that increase I sill can mail 1st class cheaper.
posted on June 19, 2002 08:29:58 AM
Realize that your customers aren’t experienced shippers – with that in mind, we always ship Priority. Whether it is faster or not, isn’t really the issue, the customer believes it is, is happy to pay the few cents extra, and we can then offer “free DC,” which has saved us a goodly bit, when customers “claim,” they never received the package.
Like someone else mentioned, I tell our customers to please not report a “lost” package for at least 2 weeks for all the obvious reasons. Does my mentioning that do any good – NO! Being able to print out the free DC on line has done the most for our customers. It stops the liars who claim the “package didn’t arrive,” and it keeps the honest ones happy when they have an idea where the item is, in the transit process.
posted on June 19, 2002 10:20:02 AM
i think doing DC with priority shipping is an OVERKILL,but if customers spend enough,i will do usps priority with dc.
posted on June 19, 2002 05:55:56 PM
JWPC- If you imply to your customer that they will get the package within 2-3 days by Priority and it does take longer then you are a villain. If you tell them it will take approximately 7 days by First Class you will usually be a hero! Priority has been a ripoff for many years. It often takes 5-7 days. For a short time a few years ago it got a little better. Then it got worse again. stopwhining- The boxes are nice, but if you don't get what you are paying for in shipping time then you are really paying extra for the boxes.
posted on June 20, 2002 10:15:43 AM
I have had 3 payments come by mail this week. The quickest was 5 days, the slowest was 10 days. All from Eastern US to CA. If you are sending small things (under 13 oz.) then go 1st class & save $$. Unfortunately, all of my sales are over the limit, so I use Priority Mail.
posted on June 20, 2002 12:13:06 PM
In most caes buyers overcharge for shipping which ever way it's mailed, so what's it matter as long as they get it?...
posted on June 20, 2002 01:47:20 PM
figmente- The USPS DOES make the claim for priority that it averages 2-3 days. If there are many cases when it takes up to a week, it ticks people off when they pay for fast delivery and don't get it. It is usually wiser to ship first class and avoid such problems. It is very rare when someone really needs an item right away, and if they do they can pay for overnight or second day delivery knowing they will get it then with very few exceptions.
posted on June 20, 2002 02:02:02 PM
Hmm, this is verrry interesting!
I sell wands... like magic Wands. I take a large USPSPriority box, break it open, cut it into thirds, and get three triangular mailing tubes out of it, which I tape together with Priority tape. Each package costs me $5.00 to mail, including Ins. and DC. I charge 2 bucks for labor and standing-in-line time and generally people are pretty happy. If I had to buy mailing tubes, they would cost me about a buck apiece, so I feel justified. However, I have had three occasions where a package went some otherwhere for ten days or so... That's when I am glad i have the DC because I can send that number to my client.
IF I can add insurance to first class mail and IF i can find free boxes.. or cheap boxes... I could DROP a few bucks from my shipping charges and impress all my clients, huh!
"And All Shall be Well, and All Shall be Well, and All Manner of Things Shall be Well"
[ edited by Dragonmom on Jun 20, 2002 02:02 PM ]
