Least expensive shipping

[eatatmidnight]

I'm sending a care package to a college student about 1000 miles away. What is the least expensive carrier to use if I'd like it to be there in 3-4 days?

 

[Ranger111]

You can go on each of the various shippers Web sites and get an estimate yourself, which would be the most accurate way to find out.

Rates are not based JUST ON DISTANCE.

Generally, however, but not always USPS, for smaller packs.

 

[tvguy]

We had great luck with the "if it fits, it ships" packaging from the USPS.

And months after DD returned from a year of going to college in England, we discovered they also have an international "if it fits, it ships" packaging that costs about half what we paid for all our care packages.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

We had great luck with the "if it fits, it ships" packaging from the USPS.

And months after DD returned from a year of going to college in England, we discovered they also have an international "if it fits, it ships" packaging that costs about half what we paid for all our care packages.

You are talking about flat rate shipping. You can get a number of different sized flat rate boxes at the post office, or order them on usps.com. They can be used for domestic or international mailings.

 

[Ranger111]

With flat rate, the lighter the weight and the shorter the distance, the greater the chance that you're paying extra to avoid having to stand in line.

Again, go to the various shipper Web sites and figure it out rather than guessing here.

 

[pesto78749]

I agree! the it fits are a great idea. I just sent my college student a ton of items and it all fit in one 17.50 box and got there in 2 days. Priority shipping us post office. easy!

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

With flat rate, the lighter the weight and the shorter the distance, the greater the chance that you're paying extra to avoid having to stand in line.

Again, go to the various shipper Web sites and figure it out rather than guessing here.

The OP is shipping over 1,000 miles away.

You can print labels online for regular priority mail as well as flat rate.

 

[Ranger111]

The OP is shipping over 1,000 miles away.

You can print labels online for regular priority mail as well as flat rate.

Sorry missing your point...so what am I missing?

The fact is that most of the time, shipping via plain priority mail is cheaper, unless you are shipping heavy items....you think USPS is "giving away $$$?"

There are times flat rate is a wonderful bargain, if you are shipping heavy items. But, for the most part they came out with flat rate as a "no brainer" option for people who do not want to "hassle with it."

I ship several packages a week, mainly via USPS and it is rare that flat rate would be cheaper for my particular package. If I want peace of mind, I go UPS because they are much more reliable, although usually a couple of bucks more.

Unless I go overnight, FedEx is my last choice because I find their ground service for my particular packs to be less reliable, although they get there eventually.

And, again, I will point out that this is mostly pointless, because the OP can easily figure out the best option for his/her particular package by going to the USPS, UPS, FedEx Web sites and entering in the exact data and finding out pretty much to the penny how much it will cost.

 

[tvguy]

Sorry missing your point...so what am I missing?

The fact is that most of the time, shipping via plain priority mail is cheaper, unless you are shipping heavy items....you think USPS is "giving away $$$?"

There are times flat rate is a wonderful bargain, if you are shipping heavy items. But, for the most part they came out with flat rate as a "no brainer" option for people who do not want to "hassle with it."

I ship several packages a week, mainly via USPS and it is rare that flat rate would be cheaper for my particular package. If I want peace of mind, I go UPS because they are much more reliable, although usually a couple of bucks more.

Unless I go overnight, FedEx is my last choice because I find their ground service for my particular packs to be less reliable, although they get there eventually.

And, again, I will point out that this is mostly pointless, because the OP can easily figure out the best option for his/her particular package by going to the USPS, UPS, FedEx Web sites and entering in the exact data and finding out pretty much to the penny how much it will cost.

You certainly should price shop. We found in every instance flat rate was half what priority mail was.

 

[sunshinehighway]

Sorry missing your point...so what am I missing?

The fact is that most of the time, shipping via plain priority mail is cheaper, unless you are shipping heavy items....you think USPS is "giving away $$$?"

There are times flat rate is a wonderful bargain, if you are shipping heavy items. But, for the most part they came out with flat rate as a "no brainer" option for people who do not want to "hassle with it."

I ship several packages a week, mainly via USPS and it is rare that flat rate would be cheaper for my particular package. If I want peace of mind, I go UPS because they are much more reliable, although usually a couple of bucks more.

Unless I go overnight, FedEx is my last choice because I find their ground service for my particular packs to be less reliable, although they get there eventually.

And, again, I will point out that this is mostly pointless, because the OP can easily figure out the best option for his/her particular package by going to the USPS, UPS, FedEx Web sites and entering in the exact data and finding out pretty much to the penny how much it will cost.

I agree with you. Unless shipping items which are heavy for their size, I find it cheaper to not use flat rate boxes.

 

[kymom99]

My son got back from a school trip to DC yesterday. Today we discovered he left behind his heavy jacket that he wears over his hoodie. It is fairly warm, but small enough to fold up and fit in his locker. (It is tough to get a high school kid to wear an actual coat to school because they have no where to keep them during the day. So this jacket is not easy to replace.)

I called the hotel, and someone is going to look in lost and found and call me back. He is pretty sure he hung it in the closet. My question is, how much do you think it would cost me to have it mailed to us? I am wondering if it will be worth the cost.

Well, I meant to start a new thread, but I guess this sort of fits.

 

[kuhltiffany]

Often Greyhound is quite reasonable, you just have to drop it off at the bus depot

 

[eatatmidnight]

That is a lot of options. I'll try to get the weight and compare prices.

 

[eatatmidnight]

Thanks for all of your suggestions. USPS Regional Rate Box was the least expensive.

 

[SMD]

FYI, FedEx and UPS changed their fee structure earlier this month. If anyone has been shipping things a certain way because it's cheaper, you may want to reprice your options.