New thing I learned about USPS services today...
06-02-22, 10:33 AM
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New thing I learned about USPS services today...
I had to box up some old tubulars to ship to rancho66 today. I've been using Pirate Ship for a while now (USPS and UPS) for a couple reasons. In addition to Priority Mail/Express service, they quote First Class and Parcel Select, making comparison shopping a bit easier and saving a trip to the post office.
I entered the package dimensions and weight and lo and behold, a new Priority Mail service popped up, Priority Mail Cubic. I'd never heard of it before. I wasn't sure what USPS boxes I could use, so I asked. I could use my own box or any USPS packaging not marked flat rate or regional rate. I had already boxed up the tires in a Regional Rate A box, so I just went with that option.
The person I was chatting with said Priority Mail Cubic isn't a new service, but it's reserved for shippers who send at least 50,000 packages per year. Pirate Ship qualifies, so they decided to make it available to their customers. They have an explainer on their website: https://support.pirateship.com/en/ar...ity-mail-cubic
I entered the package dimensions and weight and lo and behold, a new Priority Mail service popped up, Priority Mail Cubic. I'd never heard of it before. I wasn't sure what USPS boxes I could use, so I asked. I could use my own box or any USPS packaging not marked flat rate or regional rate. I had already boxed up the tires in a Regional Rate A box, so I just went with that option.
The person I was chatting with said Priority Mail Cubic isn't a new service, but it's reserved for shippers who send at least 50,000 packages per year. Pirate Ship qualifies, so they decided to make it available to their customers. They have an explainer on their website: https://support.pirateship.com/en/ar...ity-mail-cubic
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06-02-22, 11:47 AM
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That is genius.
06-02-22, 12:23 PM
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06-06-22, 08:04 AM
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Part of the challenge could be, since the pricing is based on volume rather than weight, what's the heaviest Bo'C you could pack within X volume. (And no, using depleted uranium as a packing material would not count.....)
06-06-22, 08:22 AM
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a while back, I shipped chains in a small flat rate box. That was pretty close to being a solid block of steel, and an effective use of postage.
I'm not sure what would be more dense or have less air space?
Loose ball bearings?
freewheel cogs?
BB axles?
Steve in Peoria
06-06-22, 10:44 AM
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While the price doesn't change with weight, there is a 20 pound weight limit. That's not nothin', but for comparison, the BoC generally runs between 28 and 32 pounds.
09-03-22, 11:40 AM
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I finally tried out Pirate Ship too and their shipping service was cheaper than BikeFlights (shipped a rim for about half of what BF would charge). If you don't know what you're doing, BF might be the better route, but if you are a regular shipper, PS may be the best. I haven't tried it on a full bike yet...
The cubic rate also just saved me some dough on shipping a bunch of jerseys that were just over 16 oz. (that's the break point for cheap first class mail).
The cubic rate also just saved me some dough on shipping a bunch of jerseys that were just over 16 oz. (that's the break point for cheap first class mail).
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09-03-22, 12:00 PM
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I just shipped a bike to my son (Evanston IL to Burlington VT). Bikeflights was significantly cheaper ($58 v $85 for a 32lb cardboard bike box, both shipping via UPS), but the projected travel time was longer. I was mildly surprised that Pirateship didn't have a slower option. I went with BF.
09-03-22, 12:47 PM
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I would be receptive to a priority cubic box stuffed with gold. Even half full would be OK.
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09-03-22, 02:42 PM
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09-03-22, 03:15 PM
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Cheaper to use padded envelope for that.
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