Home
Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
New posts
Latest activity
Members
Current visitors
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Home
Forums
Brown Cafe UPS Forum
UPS Discussions
New UPS Flat Rate Box
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="RustyPMcG" data-source="post: 776659" data-attributes="member: 30339"><p>Just so we know the USPS rates, here they are:</p><p> </p><p><span style="color: purple">Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope </span><span style="color: purple">$4.90</span></p><p><span style="color: purple">Priority Mail Small Flat Rate Box </span><span style="color: purple">$4.95 </span><span style="color: purple">8-5/8" x 5-3/8" x 1-5/8"</span></p><p><span style="color: purple">Priority Mail Medium Flat Rate Box (FRB1) </span><span style="color: purple">$10.70 </span><span style="color: purple">11" x 8-1/2" x 5-1/2"</span></p><p><span style="color: purple">Priority Mail Medium Flat Rate Box (FRB2) </span><span style="color: purple">$10.70 </span><span style="color: purple">13-5/8" x 11-7/8" x 3-3/8"</span></p><p><span style="color: purple">Priority Mail Large Flat Rate Box (Domestic Addresses) </span><span style="color: purple">$14.50 </span><span style="color: purple">12" x 12" x 5-1/2"</span></p><p><span style="color: purple">Priority Mail Large Flat Rate Box (APO/FPO Destinations) </span><span style="color: purple">$12.50 </span><span style="color: purple">12" x 12" x 5-1/2"</span></p><p> </p><p>Essentially the Priority Mail Medium (FRB2) is about the same size as a UPS small Express box. The Priority Mail Small box is barely bigger than a video tape, and is very, very thin.</p><p> </p><p>Delivery Confirmation is 70-cents extra (19-cents if done online), and insruance is $1.75 for up to $50, $2.25 for up to $100, and more as you go up.</p><p> </p><p>So a 12x12x5.5 box, the largest USPS Flat Rate box with Delivery Confirmation (the closest they come to tracking), and $100 of insurance (comperable to UPS's basic declared value coverage) is $17.45. (Note that the large USPS flat rate box does not meet minimum standards for a shipping box with any other carrier.) If they lose your box, you have to wait 30 days before they'll even entertain a claim, but if you didn't buy insurance, they're not going to pay a cent anyway.</p><p> </p><p>My opinion is that UPS should be marketing the reasons why shipping UPS is first rate, and let the people who think flat rate is a better deal go to the Post Office. Does a 4-star restaurant open a drive-thru, and offer a dollar menu? No, they don't. </p><p> </p><p>I'm all in favor of UPS offering Basic to their largest shippers to keep the volume, even if only part of it trickles down to the PC's. The buyers of Basic are buying based on logic. They're big companies with risk management departments, and cost anylists that are making sound business decisions. But USPS Flat Rate boxes are marketed to people who decide things less logically. They market those boxes by making emotional appeals to people who don't understand the risks compared to other options.</p><p> </p><p>Instead of spending money on a feel-good "We <heart> Logistics" campaign, they could have designed an ad that turns the advantages of UPS shipping into emotional touchstones much like USPS turns "no weigh" into an emotional touchstone for their flat rate boxes. Show someone upset because they don't know where USPS has taken their flat rate box, and compare them to a better someone who knows where his UPS package is, and what day it'll be delivered on. Show someone finding out that they can't file a claim because they didn't pay extra for insurance at USPS, while someone tells them they would have been covered at UPS. </p><p> </p><p>Show someone in Seattle who doesn't have to pay Boston prices to ship to Portland if they use UPS instead of USPS. Show someone being served quickly at a TUPSS, compared to someone waiting in line at the Post Office. Show someone getting their package on a second or third attempted delivery compared to trying to figure out how to get USPS to redeliver something. </p><p> </p><p>There are so many ways to show the value of UPS. Letting USPS set the rules, and turn it into a price war will just result in casualties in the end.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="RustyPMcG, post: 776659, member: 30339"] Just so we know the USPS rates, here they are: [COLOR=purple]Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope [/COLOR][COLOR=purple]$4.90[/COLOR] [COLOR=purple]Priority Mail Small Flat Rate Box [/COLOR][COLOR=purple]$4.95 [/COLOR][COLOR=purple]8-5/8" x 5-3/8" x 1-5/8"[/COLOR] [COLOR=purple]Priority Mail Medium Flat Rate Box (FRB1) [/COLOR][COLOR=purple]$10.70 [/COLOR][COLOR=purple]11" x 8-1/2" x 5-1/2"[/COLOR] [COLOR=purple]Priority Mail Medium Flat Rate Box (FRB2) [/COLOR][COLOR=purple]$10.70 [/COLOR][COLOR=purple]13-5/8" x 11-7/8" x 3-3/8"[/COLOR] [COLOR=purple]Priority Mail Large Flat Rate Box (Domestic Addresses) [/COLOR][COLOR=purple]$14.50 [/COLOR][COLOR=purple]12" x 12" x 5-1/2"[/COLOR] [COLOR=purple]Priority Mail Large Flat Rate Box (APO/FPO Destinations) [/COLOR][COLOR=purple]$12.50 [/COLOR][COLOR=purple]12" x 12" x 5-1/2"[/COLOR] Essentially the Priority Mail Medium (FRB2) is about the same size as a UPS small Express box. The Priority Mail Small box is barely bigger than a video tape, and is very, very thin. Delivery Confirmation is 70-cents extra (19-cents if done online), and insruance is $1.75 for up to $50, $2.25 for up to $100, and more as you go up. So a 12x12x5.5 box, the largest USPS Flat Rate box with Delivery Confirmation (the closest they come to tracking), and $100 of insurance (comperable to UPS's basic declared value coverage) is $17.45. (Note that the large USPS flat rate box does not meet minimum standards for a shipping box with any other carrier.) If they lose your box, you have to wait 30 days before they'll even entertain a claim, but if you didn't buy insurance, they're not going to pay a cent anyway. My opinion is that UPS should be marketing the reasons why shipping UPS is first rate, and let the people who think flat rate is a better deal go to the Post Office. Does a 4-star restaurant open a drive-thru, and offer a dollar menu? No, they don't. I'm all in favor of UPS offering Basic to their largest shippers to keep the volume, even if only part of it trickles down to the PC's. The buyers of Basic are buying based on logic. They're big companies with risk management departments, and cost anylists that are making sound business decisions. But USPS Flat Rate boxes are marketed to people who decide things less logically. They market those boxes by making emotional appeals to people who don't understand the risks compared to other options. Instead of spending money on a feel-good "We <heart> Logistics" campaign, they could have designed an ad that turns the advantages of UPS shipping into emotional touchstones much like USPS turns "no weigh" into an emotional touchstone for their flat rate boxes. Show someone upset because they don't know where USPS has taken their flat rate box, and compare them to a better someone who knows where his UPS package is, and what day it'll be delivered on. Show someone finding out that they can't file a claim because they didn't pay extra for insurance at USPS, while someone tells them they would have been covered at UPS. Show someone in Seattle who doesn't have to pay Boston prices to ship to Portland if they use UPS instead of USPS. Show someone being served quickly at a TUPSS, compared to someone waiting in line at the Post Office. Show someone getting their package on a second or third attempted delivery compared to trying to figure out how to get USPS to redeliver something. There are so many ways to show the value of UPS. Letting USPS set the rules, and turn it into a price war will just result in casualties in the end. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Home
Forums
Brown Cafe UPS Forum
UPS Discussions
New UPS Flat Rate Box
Top