11 sure-fire ways to save on shipping
Posted
Nov 18 2008, 09:04 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
This post comes from partner blog Blueprint for Financial Prosperity.
Back in college, I used to sell all sorts of products on eBay and thus developed keen understanding of how the U.S. Postal Service worked. I didn't do a tremendous amount of selling, but as a lazy and poor college student, I did my best to make my shipping as efficient as possible.
Many of the tips below come from that experience and are very USPS-centric because my packages were often very light. But many apply to any shipping service.
Ship as soon as possible so you can use the slowest shipping speed. Christmas is Dec. 25, it's always Dec. 25, and it will never change from Dec. 25. So why, inevitably, will there be tons of people shipping packages via next-day or overnight shipping on the 24th? A 2-pound package from New York to California costs $8.25 via Priority Mail (with an estimated two-day shipping time) and a whopping $25.65 via Express Mail (next day by noon). Ship early, ship for less.
I understand that sometimes circumstances beyond your control necessitate shipping at the last minute, but for every other situation, you're paying out the nose for your forgetfulness/laziness/whatever.
Don't pick next-day delivery if you don't need to. Don't ship it any faster than it needs to go. Is it crucial that your gift gets there on Dec. 25? For some people it is. For others, anytime before New Year's Day will be fine. I'd rather you save $18 by not shipping it via Express and treat yourself to a good meal instead.
In other situations, you may think it needs to be there the next day, but it really doesn't. For instance, many people believe that the deadline for your tax return is April 15 -- that it needs to be at the IRS on that day. That's not correct. It just needs to have a postmark of April 15.
Save time and money by printing postage online. Several years ago, you had to buy a subscription from a place like Stamps.com and use special software to print your own labels. Now, you can print Priority Mail (or higher) labels from the USPS online postage system absolutely free. In fact, not only is the service free but you get:
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Free delivery confirmation, saving you 60 cents.
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Discounts on postage. Shipping in a large Priority Mail flat-rate box is $12.95 in the post office but only $12.50 if you print it online.
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You save time. By printing it yourself, you don't have to wait in line at the post office.
Use the free packaging. If you ship via USPS Priority Mail or Express Mail, take advantage of the free envelopes, boxes, tape and labels. Visit the USPS Postal Shop to find the packaging you need. There are categories for flat rate, Express Mail, Priority Mail and international mail. Each has boxes and envelopes you can use for free.
Please don't order or take any boxes if you don't intend to use them. You'll only increase the cost to other customers. Don't think about taking the boxes and turning them inside out; they're marked on the inside as well.
Understand the different shipping products. Priority Mail is not guaranteed to be delivered in two to three days. It's simply first-class mail for packages greater than a pound. Media Mail is a shipping class that's very cheap but available only if you're shipping books or other media. That same 2-pound package from New York to California costs only $2.58 by Media Mail but will take seven days.
Save and reuse shipping packaging. I get bubble mailers (plastic envelopes lined with bubbles) from book publishers and public relations firms, and I try to save all of them for reuse. Part of the reason is there's no suitable way to recycle them. The other reason is so I don't have to spend a couple dollars buying brand-new bubble mailers when I have perfectly good ones for free.
I don't keep boxes (unless I know I plan on doing a lot of shipping, such as now during the holidays), but it wouldn't take much to flatten and store them behind a couch.
Compare shipping rates with a rate comparer. The USPS beat out UPS and FedEx in Consumer Reports' recent overnight-shipping battle, but it always pays to use a rate comparer to see which shipping method is cheapest. One good choice is ShipGooder, though they didn't list anything for USPS' Media Mail so you still need to be aware of the different shipping classes.
Save time by going to the post office during off-peak periods. This is based on my experience, but opening, closing and lunchtime are the usual times that the post office is packed. If you find the sweet spots between those, your packages are often processed pretty quickly. I'd also avoid high-volume days like those near April 15 and Christmas.
Save time by dropping it in a mailbox or requesting pickup. Avoid the lines in the first place if your package is under 16 ounces. You can print your own postage online and then drop it off in a USPS blue mailbox. Or, if you have many packages, you can request that the USPS come pick up the packages from you. (Pickup is free as long as it's done during regular mail delivery.)
Use Priority Mail flat-rate boxes if it makes sense. The USPS introduced two flat-rate boxes a few years ago, a large box and a smaller box. To ship the large box, it costs a flat $12.95. To ship the smaller box, it's a flat $9.80.
Use light packing material. I reuse Styrofoam peanuts whenever I get them, but I've known people to use all sorts of wacky packing material, including oyster crackers. This is sort of a head-smacking tip, but be sure to use the lightest packing material you can so you aren't paying to ship that. (In defense of the oyster crackers, it was for the novelty of it as a packing material.)
If you have any good shipping savings tips, please share in the comments.
Other articles of interest at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity:
Holiday photo deals
0% credit cards: No-interest purchases and balance-transfer offers
5 infallible ways to lower your income taxes
