How do you ship your products?

[amt7565]

I have a question on shipment. If you sell your product, then how do you ship them and what form of shipment do you use for cheapest cost?

I recently sold my Line6 Shortboard footpedal. It weighed 13 lbs. I checked on the UPS website and for this weight and size, shipping to Canada was $20.00.

When I took it to a local UPS franchise they wanted $35 instead. So I took it to USPS and it still cost me $28.00

What is the most cost effective way for me to ship?

Thanks.

[Echelon]

Canada is kind of expensive, so that doesn't surprise me. USPS is the cheapest to canada. Fedex is good for smaller items, DHL is good for bigger items. UPS is generally the most expensive, but sometimes you get lucky.

[frederic]

I use either FedEx Ground, or USPS. Anything going out of the US I tend to use the USPS, just because.

[Nutdotnet]

Originally Posted by frederic

I use either FedEx Ground, or USPS. Anything going out of the US I tend to use the USPS, just because.

Same here. FedEx Ground is good for large items, USPS is good for everything else.

I live in Alaska so shipping can and is a PITA.

[Hard2Hear]

I ship a LOT. A few tips.

Taking it to "UPS" can mean alot of things. You will get the cheapest rates taking stuff to the UPS Depot nearest you, where the trucks all are. Although the UPS Store and places like Office Depot say they have the same rates, THEY DO NOT. That all charge a hidden service fee. Taking it straight to the depot will always save you alot of money.

OR you can create the shipment online and attach your label and hand it to any driver. This is also straight UPS rates with no extra fees.

Shipping to Canada via UPS is cheaper for me here in KY than shipping to California. It just depends where you are...and again, not going through a middle man.

USPS is the best source for international shipping. Their rates are cheaper, but you have to be aware of size restrictions. Some things will just not fit and you have to use much more expensive means. Especialy watch out for Australia, they have smaller size restrictions than most other countries. Most acoustic guitars in a hard case with proper packaging will not fit, neither will most basses.

I hate FedEx ground or home delivery. It takes several days longer than UPS and they have lost or mishandled multiple things of mine before I quit using them.

DHL is a viable shipper for some places. They ship EVERYTHING through their central hub in wilmington Ohio. If you're shipping to the midwest, it will be pretty quick with DHL. I got a guitar from San Fran in 2 days via their regular service. If youre shipping to a coast, its not a good choise. Example, if youre in LA and ship to Seattle, instead of going up the coast it goes to Ohio then back to the coast.

H2H

[amt7565]

Thanks everyone!
I hope this page remains helpful for other shippers on a budget.

Hard2hear-
I agree with your points. I will take it to the depot next time. Since UPS is a franchise- most places will charge extra.

Thanks.
AMT-

[tenkas]

IMPORTANT :

Please check with who you are dealing with when you are shipping to Canada and check what you don't misfill any paperwork.

I live in Canada and just received a firepod from a guy here on the forum + a harddrive, and I had to pay 115$ of fees (canadian funds), which is totally uncool, considering this was a trade only.

This was with USPS, but has NEVER happened to me before with other sellers in the US, so just a tip to anyone who is shipping to Canada, be careful and be sure that the items you are shipping will not be taxed, etc.

USPS is definitively the way to go, and to ship from Canada to the US, Post Canada is THE BEST.

[AvoidTheClap]

Originally Posted by Hard2Hear

USPS is the best source for international shipping.

well, you're sure using 'best' as a relative term there, eh?
best in terms of differnet (& confusing..) service levels & cheapest pricing? maybe...
best in terms of tracking & insurance? god no.
best in terms of security? no...

you can't really compare a gov't agency to private one's in terms of price.

[AvoidTheClap]

Originally Posted by tenkas

USPS is definitively the way to go, and to ship from Canada to the US, Post Canada is THE BEST.

i don't think i agree. since canada is the only international shipment you don't hafta fly to, UPS canada standard can be cheaper than shipping some places domesticly, for northerners especially. & has tracking & insurance included.

shippers just have to make sure to keep the declared value of the shipment low, & say it's a gift, to avoid duties & taxes.

[AvoidTheClap]

Originally Posted by Hard2Hear

Although the UPS Store and places like Office Depot say they have the same rates, THEY DO NOT.

that is 100% false. the ups store franchise is owned by ups themselves, & IS the same prices. the only thing that can vary is the cost of insurance, as each store can be using different insurance companies than eachother & than ups.
as far as i know, staples is also the same price. office depot or others, i can't vouch for.
& since ups hub's don't do packaging, there should be no price difference there either.

don't take offense to this, but the reason you may think pricing is different is simply because you're pricing it wrong on the computer. it could be an oversized issue, or weight issue, or i don't know.

Originally Posted by Hard2Hear

OR you can create the shipment online and attach your label and hand it to any driver. This is also straight UPS rates with no extra fees.

correct. this is good. just make sure you know the exact weight & size (after its packed) to enter, & do everything right. if you accidently charge yourself for an undersized packge & it's really not, they can bill you later. plus keep in mind if you call for a pickup, they charge for that.

Originally Posted by Hard2Hear

I hate FedEx ground or home delivery. It takes several days longer than UPS and they have lost or mishandled multiple things of mine before I quit using them.

yeah. they're actually the company formerly known as RPS. fedex bought them probably almost 4 years ago now. its kinda touchy. the drivers are all contract workes who buy the route's, not actual employee's. i've had ok luck with them, but i'd rather deal with someone who has been in business longer. UPS has been around approaching 100 years, fedex like 25, only 4 of those doing ground.

Originally Posted by Hard2Hear

DHL is a viable shipper for some places. They ship EVERYTHING through their central hub in wilmington Ohio. If you're shipping to the midwest, it will be pretty quick with DHL. I got a guitar from San Fran in 2 days via their regular service. If youre shipping to a coast, its not a good choise. Example, if youre in LA and ship to Seattle, instead of going up the coast it goes to Ohio then back to the coast.

i'm not sure what i think about DHL. a lot of them do things through central hub's btw, depending where it's going. kentucky & nashville are biggies for fedex/ups. people wonder why around the holidays packages get weather delays when they're going locally, yet there's snow in kentucky & it had to go through there. really not efficient, but whatever.
DHL is best known for international, that's all i'd really care to use them for. they were/maybe are? offering some CHEAP pricing for domestic ground, but i never tried it. DHL & airborn express merged similar to how fedex bought rps.


i'll end my ramble there

[amt7565]

//Originally Posted by Hard2Hear
Although the UPS Store and places like Office Depot say they have the same rates, THEY DO NOT. //


This is true. This was the purpose for me starting this topic. I took it to a UPS franchise store. The salesperson told me that this particular store was known as "Mail Boxes etc". The price she offered was 45% more than the online price offered by the UPS website.

I walked off the store and took it to USPS.

[Hard2Hear]

Originally Posted by AvoidTheClap

that is 100% false. the ups store franchise is owned by ups themselves, & IS the same prices. the only thing that can vary is the cost of insurance, as each store can be using different insurance companies than eachother & than ups.
as far as i know, staples is also the same price. office depot or others, i can't vouch for.
& since ups hub's don't do packaging, there should be no price difference there either.

No, thats just misinformation. Ive shipped over 50 guitars this year alone. Ive directly taken the same package by hand to a UPS Store, Office Depot, and the UPS hub and got 3 completely different price quotes, the hub being cheapest. Staples falls into the same thing as Office Depot. In fact, a guitar that cost about $20 at the hub to ship, was closer to $35 at Office Depot or the UPS Store.

H2H

[AvoidTheClap]

Originally Posted by amt7565

//Originally Posted by Hard2Hear
Although the UPS Store and places like Office Depot say they have the same rates, THEY DO NOT. //


This is true. This was the purpose for me starting this topic. I took it to a UPS franchise store. The salesperson told me that this particular store was known as "Mail Boxes etc". The price she offered was 45% more than the online price offered by the UPS website.

I walked off the store and took it to USPS.

mailboxes etc & the ups store aren't the same.
mailboxes etc's DO have a markup. ups stores don't, as they wear the ups name. it can be 20-50% more at a mailboxes etc, depending on several factors i won't bore anyone with.

[AvoidTheClap]

Originally Posted by Hard2Hear

No, thats just misinformation. Ive shipped over 50 guitars this year alone. Ive directly taken the same package by hand to a UPS Store, Office Depot, and the UPS hub and got 3 completely different price quotes, the hub being cheapest. Staples falls into the same thing as Office Depot. In fact, a guitar that cost about $20 at the hub to ship, was closer to $35 at Office Depot or the UPS Store.

H2H

then you're getting ripped off
go on ups's website & price a package. select ups counter has one option, & then the same thing with 'retail location', aka the ups store, as another. its the same thing. unless either the hub employee's don't care & aren't properly measuring & weighing, or the ups store you have gone to ripped you off.

as i said, office depot is going to have its own pricing, as they wouldn't make money if they didn't.

i'm going to assume the reason behind your price discrepancy is a size issue.
the standard sized 'large guitar box' measures 48x20x10. these are the inner dimensions. & those measurements come to exactly 108" in length & girth, which is the cuttoff for not being considered double oversized, meaning you pay for 70lbs.
the ups counter is probably giving you the benefit of that inch. however, the outer dimensions are usually 21" in width of the box, meaning you pay for that 70lbs, & why you'd be paying more. the ups store probably care's more, since its their pockets, & is doing technicly the right thing.

i've shipped on average 15,000 packages a year, for the last 8 years. please take my word for it & don't spread rumours about the ups store being differnet. i'm sure its just a case of mismeasuring a package causing the price difference.

[Hard2Hear]

If you ship that much, I have to assume you have a UPS account, and its the same price no matter where you drop it off. You are creating your own labels and charging it to an account. In fact, when shipping that much I'd guess you have daily pickup and delivery anyways.

The package I tried this out with locally was a Trace Elliot solid state amp head, not big and fairly light weight. I have taken guitars in a pinch to the store, but find the difference in price I stated above.

If you go, as an individual cash customer, you will find a different price at the UPS Store. It is a FACT.

Something I guess you need to read up on:
http://www.theupsstore.com/franchise/fraopp.html

H2H

[AvoidTheClap]

Originally Posted by Hard2Hear

If you ship that much, I have to assume you have a UPS account, and its the same price no matter where you drop it off. You are creating your own labels and charging it to an account. In fact, when shipping that much I'd guess you have daily pickup and delivery anyways.

The package I tried this out with locally was a Trace Elliot solid state amp head, not big and fairly light weight. I have taken guitars in a pinch to the store, but find the difference in price I stated above.

If you go, as an individual cash customer, you will find a different price at the UPS Store. It is a FACT.

Something I guess you need to read up on:
http://www.theupsstore.com/franchise/fraopp.html

no, i ship that much because i've had a ups store since 97
there was a markup when it was still called mailboxes etc, when it switched to the ups store in april 2003, there was a 5% markup, & at the end of that year, the beginning of 2003, there was no longer any markup. & that's the way it stands.

so, i'm sorry to disprove your facts. but thats not the way it is. go price it on the ups website. as i told you. if a store is charging you too much, either they're doing something they shouldn't be, or there's some problem as i said earlier. the ups store pricing is given by the computer which ups sets, & its the same as their own computers. end of story.

[Hard2Hear]

You take 57 packages a day, by hand, since you were 15, to the UPS Store? And you're paying normal shipping rates without a UPS account? Do you realize that easily qualifies for daily pickup at your business? and you should be getting a bulk discount?

Or do you run a UPS store?

[AvoidTheClap]

Originally Posted by Hard2Hear

You take 57 packages a day, by hand, since you were 15, to the UPS Store? And you're paying normal shipping rates without a UPS account? Do you realize that easily qualifies for daily pickup at your business? and you should be getting a bulk discount?

Or do you run a UPS store?

run a ups store. my father was the origional owner. decided he wanted to get out a few years ago. i've been there since it opened in 97 though.

[Hard2Hear]

well there it is.

[AvoidTheClap]

Originally Posted by Hard2Hear

well there it is.

yes. no markup in an actual ups store. mailboxes etc's who didn't switch their name to the ups store still have their markup. as does every office supply type store that does ups services.

[tubejay]

I go FedEx ground with everything but media type stuff, like CD's and DVD's, which go with USPS media mail...which is DIRT CHEAP.

FedEx ground is highly reliable, the cheapest for just about everything, and super easy to use. You print out your labels from their website and drop them off at fedex or Kinkos. You don't even really need to interact with anyone at the fedex office. You just set in on the counter and leave. Nice, easy, and convenient.

For USPS media mail, it's like 1.40 to ship a CD anywhere in the US...or cheaper.

[AvoidTheClap]

Originally Posted by tubejay

I go FedEx ground with everything but media type stuff, like CD's and DVD's, which go with USPS media mail...which is DIRT CHEAP.

FedEx ground is highly reliable, the cheapest for just about everything, and super easy to use. You print out your labels from their website and drop them off at fedex or Kinkos. You don't even really need to interact with anyone at the fedex office. You just set in on the counter and leave. Nice, easy, and convenient.

For USPS media mail, it's like 1.40 to ship a CD anywhere in the US...or cheaper.

wouldn't just regular usps first class be cheaper for a cd? i can't immagine it needing more than 0.83 postage.

& just fyi, ups is the same deal, with printing labels online & dropping it at a ups store (many more of those around than fedex/kinkos

[amt7565]

I shipped out my Line6 HD147 amp today. With good packing it came to 40Lbs. On the FEDEX website, I got a rate of about $55.00 for ground shipping to Canada. I took it to the Fedex Store(original fedex store- not Kinkos etc). This woman told me that they do only airmail service and gave me a quote for $210.00. I showed her the online printout quote I had with me and she said something about calling a 800 number. I walked off the store. The woman was not even too courteous. What a bunch of losers!

I lugged the luggage to USPS and the rate was $55 for for a 4-10 day delivery. With insurance it came to only $65.00.

[AvoidTheClap]

Originally Posted by amt7565

I shipped out my Line6 HD147 amp today. With good packing it came to 40Lbs. On the FEDEX website, I got a rate of about $55.00 for ground shipping to Canada. I took it to the Fedex Store(original fedex store- not Kinkos etc). This woman told me that they do only airmail service and gave me a quote for $210.00. I showed her the online printout quote I had with me and she said something about calling a 800 number. I walked off the store. The woman was not even too courteous. What a bunch of losers!

I lugged the luggage to USPS and the rate was $55 for for a 4-10 day delivery. With insurance it came to only $65.00.

thats because fedex & fedex ground are 2 seperate companies. you need to contact fedex ground if you want fedex ground

[tubejay]

Originally Posted by AvoidTheClap

wouldn't just regular usps first class be cheaper for a cd? i can't immagine it needing more than 0.83 postage.

& just fyi, ups is the same deal, with printing labels online & dropping it at a ups store (many more of those around than fedex/kinkos

Yeah, sometimes it is...but usually only if going to a major city. In that case they always give me the lower price. But it really helps if you're shipping a lot of CD's, or text books or something like that.