MrConsumer recently had to ship a package from Boston to California and was shocked at how much it would cost.
He had gotten what he was told was a Priority Mail flat-rate envelope from a local post office branch and stuffed it full believing it would cost about $10 to ship. When he went to mail it, he was told that was not a flat-rate envelope and it would cost about $23 to send the package. Yikes! The clerk pointed out some medium flat-rate boxes that I should try (they’re free), but the postage would run $17.10. Still yikes, but he took one of them anyway.
MrConsumer poked around online looking for discount shipping services and came across one called “Pirate Ship.” There, you enter the box size, weight, mailing location and destination, and it gives you a variety of prices for different shipping companies and services. You are not charged a membership fee or a label fee — the service is free. Just pay for the postage and print a prepaid label for the box.
They would charge $14.75 to ship the package via USPS Priority Mail in the flat rate box. That is the same price that the PayPal shipping label printing service charges, and even the same as what the post office charges online if using their Enhanced Click ‘n Ship service.
While that is a good savings for many people, it was still too high for MrConsumer. He adjusted the parameters at Pirate Ship to plain packaging in a box using the same Priority Mail box by simply wrapping it in brown paper. (As it turns out, any similar box whose contents weighed less than five pounds could have been used.) Now when checking on rates, he got the cheapest price from UPS.
*MOUSE PRINT:
Sold at $12.08 – a $5 savings — nearly 30% off the original post office price. Of course, the package won’t arrive in three days like the Priority Mail package would, but I was in no rush. Incidentally, the USPS had a rate only five cents higher called Ground Advantage Cubic.
The rate was also lower because UPS takes the package only part of the way then hands it off to the post office for final delivery. As it turns out, the package arrived early — three days after mailing — and UPS decided to take it all the way to its destination.
So as you plan to ship your holiday gifts, Google the term “discount shipping” to find any number of services that will charge less by comparing special rates offered by the post office, UPS, or FedEx. Just read the details so you know in advance if there are any extra fees involved.
if your brown paper tears during shipping (the post office will never intentionally tear it) and they discover you are using their flat rate box, the difference in what you paid and the cost of flat rate will be charged. Makes sense because the post office supplies their boxes for their shipping. You should rebox, not just cover up the use of a postal supplied box.
It is illegal to use a Priority Mail box of any size to ship anything other than Priority Mail. You are fortunate that you did not get caught; USPS is aware that the boxes are misused, they know what their sizes are, and sometimes they open them to check.
The prior two commenters raised an issue I simply was not aware of. Thank you both for pointing that out and educating all of us about that restriction.
But please don’t let this issue blur the point of the story: You can comparison shop for shipping services and don’t have to pay regular retail prices to send packages.
When they first came out, people were turning the boxes inside out. Then they started printing USPS on the inside! There were also (4 sizes) some boxes marked regional rate box A & B. The shipping price was cheaper than priority if it was a state or 2 away. Don’;t know if they still offer those. Those boxes were also free but were not stocked at the post office, you were sent them to your house for free. All the priority boxes and envelopes could be sent to your house for free, 100 at a time i think. And of course all the boxes have shrunk since they were introduced. I can remember $3.85 for a small box.
USPS Priority almost never arrives in 3 days. It’s their ‘best case’ promise. Last year the ‘Christmas’ cookies my mom sent Priority Mail for $23 in postage arrived after 4 weeks. There was no issue with the address or anything, just USPS being USPS.
This is something I had never considered in the past. Very interesting. I think it says a lot that someone as aware of consumer practices as you are can still be confused by the USPS flat-rate shipping system which, despite their claims, looks like it was designed to be confusing.
The biggest take-away here for me is: never just go to UPS and drop your box off to be shipped by them. I paid well over $20 for a comparable sized box a few years ago.
Mr. Consumer writes: “Of course, the package won’t arrive in three days like the [USPS] Priority Mail package would . . . .”
I think Mr. Consumer is being overly optimistic about the three-day delivery time from the post office. It has been my experience that they literally deliver my packages late about half the time. And when I complain, they say it’s not a guarantee.
Please note: Don’t use flat rate Priority Mail boxes unless the package is being being sent to a destination thousands of miles away. USPS is only too glad to give you this free box, knowing they’ll recoup the box cost many times over with the higher postage revenue.
Priority Mail is intentionally marketed in a confusing manner, to get customers to use the free boxes, which aren’t really free , as your costs increase. If USPS were not a quasi-government entity, they’d be looking at charges of consumer fraud.
I sent six packages for Christmas this year by the USPS. All but one was cheaper to send by flat rate Priority Mail and only one was “a destination thousands of miles away.”
I think it really depends not just on distance, but on weight.
Absolutely, Jon. Priority Mail flat rate works best with HEAVY stuff, but you can get it cheaper not walking into the post office by buying the postage elsewhere.
Uh, we aren’t forgetting the upcoming January increase in postal rates, are we? That should make the alternative services even more attractive. I’ve been using one for years.
And regarding Priority Mail delivery times, I regularly get PM from Michigan to here, Florida. It has NEVER taken only 3 days. A few months ago it was 9 days in transit.
SW Florida can be tough to send or receive USPS parcels from or to.
More than once, I’ve taken them up on their refund guarantee when an item wasn’t delivered the next day as paid for.
So, I really want to thank you for this article. I have always been frustrated by the difference between the postage rates I paid through paypal when someone purchased something from me online, vs what I paid retail and couldn’t understand why I didn’t have the option to ship packages to family with the same rates. I just used pirateship (that I had never heard of) for the first time to ship a 2 pound package from Colorado to California that would have cost me $17 regularly, and now was just under $8.00. Very slick interface as well. As long as the box makes it by Christmas, they will have a new lifelong customer!
As a license plate collector, I ship out packages of tags to fellow collectors. I’ve been using Pirate Ship for shipping for a long time and the savings are substantial with what the USPS (or UPS) charges. Plus you do create your own label which is very convenient. As mentioned in the text, I just go to the PO and hand the package to the clerk – no questions asked.
I also use Pirate Ship for my Etsy shop. The rates they charge are commercial and the lowest available.
Depending on the destination, either UPS or USPS can be the cheaper. Sometimes FEDEX, but not often. Setting up an online account with UPS will occasionally get you discount codes via email – though I haven’t seen any in a while.
Going to look up Pirate Ship also. Thanks, MrConsumer.
Thank you. It really works. I saved $10 shipping via UPS using Pirate Ship compared to UPS directly. I will always use Pirate Ship in the future.
You can still use the A and B boxes (order them on the USPS website, groups of 10). The weight of your package determines which one to use. I’ve used them to send boxes from Chicago to Rhode Island, Florida, South Carolina, Kansas, California….basically all over domestically. And they arrived in the same number of days as priority mail.
Years ago, the counter person at our local post office branch gave me his “inside info” on the flat mail boxes. Only use them if you are shipping something heavy, otherwise one of the other services will be cheaper. This was when there was air mail; first, second, third class; parcel post, etc. Since the rates have been compressed —-and become more expensive— it may not be as much of an advantage, but I still follow it and use the regional A and B boxes as an alternative.
I have been using PirateShip for international shipping for my business for years. There is one hoop to jump thru but the prices are easily the cheapest I’ve found. Once you sign up you have go into the chat window and ask for ‘simple export rate’. Why they have you do this instead of giving it to you automatically, I do not know. If anyone finds better rates than they have let everyone know, but right now I doubt it.
I hate USPS deliveries because my local post office leaves my boxes near where the street meets the driveway, or puts the package near a car wheel. Like either of these two methods will prevent theft from people passing by in the crowded suburb in which I live. I’ve complained to online retailers who say the package is coming by, say UPS, and it ends up being delivered by USPS. Basically, I’ve learned the hard way and have stopped ordering from those retailers who offer “bait and switch” delivery methods. It’s just not worth the hassle.