Shipping PSA

[Pinned]

Just figured I'd throw this out there for anyone buying / selling - the rates on FedEx, UPS, or USPS websites are really expensive and have gone up significantly in the last year. If you go into the UPS store it's even worse.

Use a consolidator like PirateShip (UPS and USPS) or ShipNEX (FedEx) - they have bulk rates and will let you ship using them. Similar to BikeFlights - you could probably even use BikeFlights for this.

Example rates using a mid-180s ski w/ bindings mounted, packaged in a normal telescoping ski box:
California to Massachusetts: $51.08
California to Vancouver, BC: $59.12
Seattle to Salt Lake City: $33.98

Also good for boots, packs, or anything else bulky.

[SumJongGuy]

Fact, and going up more. Fuel prices are insane.. and shortages, labor issues, clogged hubs.

I walked in to UPS last November with a pair of poles in a golf club box and they charged me $50+ to send that lightweight smaller than skis box from central NC to Tahoe area. That was their absolute cheapest option too. Shops and folks with commercial accounts, eBay, etc gets better rates than walk in, or than online link click and print folks get

[Brasso]

I've used Lugless with great success, I'd plug them too. I was able to ship massive 203cm skis and bindings from Seattle to CO for $37 insured. USPS wanted way over $100.

Sent from my SM-G965U1 using Tapatalk

[iriponsnow]

Several times this fall I’ve tried to hook a maggot up, only to be burned on the shipping- in each case the poster has ghosted me on the conversation.

So, if you reside in Fuq-wad-ville aka that empty space on the third party shipper map, it’s time to step up and inform your seller/gifter that they are about to get violated on the shipping charges.

Else, you kill the stoke here.

This is all.

[singlecross]

For data point, I just shipped two pair:

180cm with bindings on Maine to Vermont for $34 USPS
185cm with bindings on Maine to Idaho for $90 USPS

Hard to sell with nearly $100 shipping.

[BC.]

^^^^This…I get killed on shipping every time….

[MakersTeleMark]

Several times this fall I’ve tried to hook a maggot up, only to be burned on the shipping- in each case the poster has ghosted me on the conversation.

So, if you reside in Fuq-wad-ville aka that empty space on the third party shipper map, it’s time to step up and inform your seller/gifted that they are about to get violated on the shipping charges.

Else, you kill the stoke here.

This is all.

I tried to gift a meat grinder to a mag in Maine. Couldn't ship it for less than $60. Fuck that. I kept it in my car for 6 months till I found a local home for it.

[Pinned]

Several times this fall I’ve tried to hook a maggot up, only to be burned on the shipping- in each case the poster has ghosted me on the conversation.

So, if you reside in Fuq-wad-ville aka that empty space on the third party shipper map, it’s time to step up and inform your seller/gifted that they are about to get violated on the shipping charges.

Else, you kill the stoke here.

This is all.

Your UPS receipt posted in another thread actually prompted me to post this. I always sell things with shipping included, and a few times I've burned myself which is how I ended up finding Pirateship while searching for better rates.

[waveshello]

I just shipped a pair of boots to RI from WA state, USPS charged almost $80. I had offered them for a fixed price including shipping so I sucked it up and paid, but probably time to start asking for actual shipping cost.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

[iriponsnow]

Your UPS receipt posted in another thread actually prompted me to post this. I always sell things with shipping included, and a few times I've burned myself which is how I ended up finding Pirateship while searching for better rates.

Yup

[iriponsnow]

I’ve been selling more on SidelineSwap as they have the buyer pay shipping. Only downside is that they shop best carrier, so you may not get one convenient to your location.

[MakersTeleMark]

But they are so efficient, it's worth the cost:

Departed USPS Regional Facility
DENVER CO NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER
Your item departed our USPS facility in DENVER CO NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER on October 9, 2021 at 4:23 pm. The item is currently in transit to the destination.

October 9, 2021, 1:26 pm
Arrived at USPS Regional Destination Facility
DENVER CO NETWORK DISTRIBUTION CENTER

October 9, 2021, 12:11 pm
Accepted at USPS Regional Destination Facility
GRAND JUNCTION CO DISTRIBUTION CENTER

October 9, 2021, 11:55 am
Departed Shipping Partner Facility, USPS Awaiting Item
DENVER, CO 80239
Shipping Partner: UPS MAIL INNOVATIONS

[prsboogie]

All shippers increase their rates in person, not just UPS and FedEX. Its definitely getting to where it just doesn't make sense to sell online anymore. You do need to minimize your picking boxes though. Needs to be as tight a fit as possible. When I ship skis with bindings I pack them with the bases out and tip to tail, pulling the brake arms up with zip ties or elastics and I cut the box down if need be so there is enough to cover the end without any extra. I have shipped flat skis with a layer of bubble wrap the shrink wrapped tight - I cover the tips and tails with cardboard caps before the wrap. Anything to save space and weight.

Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk

[1000-oaks]

USPS is truly awful these days, avoid them for anything that can't fit in a flat rate box.

[Brasso]

USPS is truly awful these days, avoid them for anything that can't fit in a flat rate box.

And USPS is only getting worse, sadly: https://www.washingtonpost.com/busin...wn-prices-faq/

I really liked USPS for things that weren't skis, but I fear that they've been castrated by DeJoy.

Sent from my SM-G965U1 using Tapatalk

[BC.]

Box saving/hunting is so annoying....so I started doing the USPS Priority Flat Rate boxes...then they jacked the prices up on those...and is going even higher.......I always have a shit ton of gear to sell....I’ve gotta find a method that works for me.

I’ve started trying to sell stuff on FB Marketplace for local pickups but that’s not working as planned.......and I really didn’t want to have to start a FB profile to do it.

I tried Craigslist....but that just led to a bunch of spam/fraud bullshit stories.....

[jhyatt]

Time for an old fashioned in person ski swap!

[bamboocoreONLY]

Walking into the Fedex/UPS stores for a label is asking to be gouged as they know you're standing there with your dick in your hand. Just make a simple online account and it's much cheaper. I'm still shipping full mounted skis at my shop even to the east coast for $30-$40 bucks, also just have to make sure the box size is as tight as can be.

Also, for anything under 1 pound ship it USPS first class, it's always $6 and under.

[Ørion]

USPS is truly awful these days, avoid them for anything that can't fit in a flat rate box.

Unless you're shipping lead weights, their flat rate boxes are rarely the least expensive option. Those only really are cheaper for really dense objects, otherwise sourcing your own shipping materials and buying labels through pirateship (if you're a low volume shipper) or paying the nominal subscription for a service like Shipstation if you're a high volume shipper.

[1000-oaks]

And USPS is only getting worse, sadly:

My mother worked for USPS for decades up until around 2010, and in her opinion USPS's "barely has enough profit to function" claim is actually due to extremely-lucrative pensions bleeding the organization dry. She said it doesn't matter how much more efficient they make operations because any cost savings will be used to further fatten pensions, and they'll always claim to be "on the edge of being insolvent".

[lucknau]

Accessing USPS and UPS via PayPal shipping (I guess it’s called ShipStation, as of 6/2021) has been treating me pretty well. Rates have been surprisingly low at times, although I haven’t shipped any skies since Spring. Once, though, their system under-billed the rate and the person at the other end had to pay a few bucks at the counter. I haven’t tried the services mentioned in the OP, but definitely will.

https://www.paypal.com/shiplabel/create/

[gregorys]

Accessing USPS and UPS via PayPal shipping (I guess it’s called ShipStation, as of 6/2021) has been treating me pretty well. Rates have been surprisingly low at times, although I haven’t shipped any skies since Spring. Once, though, their system under-billed the rate and the person at the other end had to pay a few bucks at the counter. I haven’t tried the services mentioned in the OP, but definitely will.

https://www.paypal.com/shiplabel/create/

This.
Recently I've purchased skis and handled the shipping for the seller. (I essentially got them to box/wrap the skis up and I bought the label. USPS using Paypal's multi-order ship tool gave me pretty good pricing.)

And I think putting skis in a *BOX* is a lousy decision. It's probably easier to put them in a box, if you already have one, I suppose.
But if you've got more than a few larger boxes around, simply put some cardboard between the ski bases (provided they're mounted with bindings) and wrap them with cardboard. Liberal use of packing tape or shrink-wrap buttons things up nicely. And in the few cases I have been involved, I think it cut down the shipping cost substantially.

--
@Brasso - I've thought about lugless. It worked out well for you it seems? Any deets to share?

[lucknau]

But if you've got more than a few larger boxes around, simply put some cardboard

This is pro tip numero uno. Reducing the girth of your package is the best way to save money on USPS. Especially for skis shipped flat. Just run the rate calc on a 7x7x75 inch package vs a 6x3x75 inch package. It’s significant. It also makes trashed ski boxes relevant again.

[jackattack]

My mother worked for USPS for decades up until around 2010, and in her opinion USPS's "barely has enough profit to function" claim is actually due to extremely-lucrative pensions bleeding the organization dry. She said it doesn't matter how much more efficient they make operations because any cost savings will be used to further fatten pensions, and they'll always claim to be "on the edge of being insolvent".

Not true

It’s because the Bush administration crippled the USPS with the “Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act.”

PAEA was the first major overhaul of the United States Postal Service (USPS) since 1970.[5] It reorganized the Postal Rate Commission, compelled the USPS to pay in advance for the health and retirement benefits of all of its employees for at least 50 years,[4] and stipulated that the price of postage could not increase faster than the rate of inflation.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post...nhancement_Act

Any perceived insolvency is just a result of the above legislation. Just imagine running a profitable organization that provided great benefits to its employees and then the government comes along and forces you to redirect all revenue into funding those benefits 50 years in advance. It’s amazing the USPS has managed as well as it has with so little control over its prices. Also included in the legislation controlling the post office is that they must deliver to all addresses, as a result they heavily subsidize private industry in many rural areas by covering the “last mile” UPS and fedex won’t.

I imagine fedex and ups lobbied hard for the bill.

As a result of this, I ship with the USPS as much as I possibly can. Usually flat rate but flat packed skis have rarely been significantly more to ship via USPS using the online portal, though that may have changed.

[1000-oaks]

It’s because the Bush administration crippled the USPS with the “Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act.” Any perceived insolvency is just a result of the above legislation. Just imagine running a profitable organization that provided great benefits to its employees and then the government comes along and forces you to redirect all revenue into funding those benefits 50 years in advance.

Lol, objectively think about what "funding those benefits 50 years in advance" means, who stands to gain from the Act, and who would have lobbied hard for it. Just follow the money. To suggest that "the Bush administration crippled the USPS with the “Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act" is like saying "America didn't have any racism until Obama became president". Correlation is not causation.