USPS Regional Rate Boxes

[rondog]

Does anybody here have any experience using USPS Regional Rate Boxes? They're Priority Mail boxes, but they're NOT Flat Rate Boxes. Just a little bit smaller.

The pricing on them is cheaper, not a flat price, based on shipped from/shipped to, and they're weight limited to 15 pounds, not 70. At least the "A" boxes are.

What I DON'T know, and the counter guys don't seem to know either, is if regular folks can use these - or if you have to have a commercial account of some kind.

Does anybody here know about these things? They sure don't hesitate to send you a bundle if you ask for them.

[cwtebay]

I use them quite a bit. Yes, they're available for everyone, but savings are best if you have a Shipping Easy account. I think it's 20# or less only.

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[Skunk1]

I think they are for online postage only. I believe you can only use the USPS web site to print postage. I don’t think the brick and mortar post office can do it.

[tomme boy]

No they are not for online postage only. Anyone can use them and you can pay the postage at the counter. They used to be a really good deal. About 4 years ago they went and changed all the zones and made them so that about 1/2 way between a Small flat rate and a Medium Flat rate. Unless they are going in side your own state.

I use the padded Flat rate envelope for most things now. I use their tyvek envelope to put whatever I am shipping into. Then put that into the padded flat rate envelope. It is the same as a small rate box for cost.

[Skunk1]

https://www.stamps.com/usps/priority...onal-rate-box/

Your right. Purchasing postage at the retail counter should add to the amount according to this.

[higgins]

Post offices will accept them, but if you read the fine print you will see that there is an additional 2.30 (?) charge if you present them over the counter. The charge does not apply if you have an account and print your own labels. They're cheaper than a flat rate box if you're sending something that would fit in an "A" Regional Rate box (size between a small FRB and a medium FRB) to a nearby rate zone.

https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/Notice123.htm#_c031

[JWFilips]

If you have an online USPS account You can do well with these ( Have to buy supplies on line) You can give your close customers a good deal with shipping or at times when you think you will eat the shipping ....it can be less of a meal! I use them all of the time I'm in the northeast so as long as the address is on the east side of the Mississippi It is a great deal for me or the person I'm shipping to

& No you can't ship "lead" this way !

[rondog]

I've yet to find any definition/maps for the "zones". As in, the box is going to X destination - what's the zone and charge?

And I'm not interested in buying a special printer and label stock just to ship a few boxes of brass.

[tomme boy]

You have to bounce back and forth between these two charts to get the price. It used to be about $0.55 difference in price between retail and online price. I have not used them in a couple of years because they went up so much. That $2.30 charge must be what I seen.

https://postcalc.usps.com/DomesticZoneChart

https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/Notice123.htm#1131658

[JWFilips]

Here is the Local rate chart
You just need to know the zone based on zipcode
If the buyer is with in 3 zones from you It is a good deal

[frkelly74]

I have found them to be cheaper, often, though not always., B size regional is comparable to the Medium size flat rate box. Example.. Michigan to Florida , B regional was $10.20 Med flat rate was $14 something. On the other hand B regional to San Francisco was over $20 when Medium FRB was $14 something. A B regional inside Michigan was $8.10 last week as opposed to medium FRB at what ever they have risen to. I order the A and B boxes from the USPS in bundles of 10 , they are free until you buy the postage to go on them. Weight limit is 20 lbs rather than the famous 70 lbs of flat rate. It has paid to have some on hand as when I have asked for them at the Post offices here they have just kind of stared at me. But the computer scanner knows what they are when I take them in. I do use Clik-N-Ship.




/\ /\ /\ That is a handy little table there JWFillips,I had to enlarge it to read it but it bears out my experience /\ /\ /\

[tomme boy]

Here is the Local rate chart
You just need to know the zone based on zipcode
If the buyer is with in 3 zones from you It is a good deal

That is the old chart before the price increase. The correct chart is in the second link I posted about 1/4 of the way down under Regional, PMOD, Cubic

[ioon44]

I just shipped 5 lbs of rifle brass in a regional box A for $11.20, a lot cheaper than the MFRB.

[rondog]

Well, I just took two RRB "A"'s to the Post Office, and both were nearly $25 from my town to Georgia. Put them inside MFRB's, dropped to $15.05 each.

So much for that idea, I'll just use MFRB's from now on. I'll use up the Regional A boxes as extra packing inside them, since the USPS is notorious for damaging my brass shipments. Buggers......

[fatelk]

I think your local post office didn't know what they were doing. Either that or they've changed things, because I've shipped regional boxes over the counter a time or two in the past.

You don't need any kind of special printer or labels to use regional boxes. I have a Click-and-ship account (free and easy to set up) and have used them a number of times. I've also used them for eBay. It's simple to buy and print labels from your regular printer, and just tape them to your box. I did buy a scale, something like $18 on Amazon. It's accurate up to 70lbs and works great.

[rondog]

I think your local post office didn't know what they were doing. Either that or they've changed things, because I've shipped regional boxes over the counter a time or two in the past.

You don't need any kind of special printer or labels to use regional boxes. I have a Click-and-ship account (free and easy to set up) and have used them a number of times. I've also used them for eBay. It's simple to buy and print labels from your regular printer, and just tape them to your box. I did buy a scale, something like $18 on Amazon. It's accurate up to 70lbs and works great.

I was using a self-service kiosk, with a USPS guy showing me. Scanned the bar code on the box, weighed it, boom - $24.95 or so. Nope.

[frkelly74]

Something went wrong there. It should have been substantially less for the Regional A box. Was it more than 15 lbs? That is the limit for The A size box.

[rondog]

Something went wrong there. It should have been substantially less for the Regional A box. Was it more than 15 lbs? That is the limit for The A size box.

No, neither box was more than 6lbs. I had two going to GA, tried each several times, came up with the same prices every time.

Maybe it's because I'm just a Joe off the street and not a commercial customer?

[fatelk]

That stinks. I know I've done it before, a couple times at least, but I wonder if they've changed something now. I looked at the USPS Postage Calculator, and it now shows the regional boxes as on-line postage only, and an over the counter price as "not available". I wonder what the rationale is for changes like this?

[frkelly74]

To collect more moola from the unsuspecting public? People like my wife will just pay it and not question the difference. I am more and more trying to push back on stuff like that. But that does perhaps explain the difference. Things just can not stay the same for long, someone has to change the system just to keep things confused.