Shortages on small flat rate boxes

[sheepdog]

My Post office is always out. Its causing my outbound shipments to stack up. Anyone else see this in their area?

[Idaho_Elk_Huntr]

Go online and order and they will ship them right to you door for free. I get 250 at a time with no problems

[Idaho_Elk_Huntr]

https://shop.usps.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=10052&categoryId=10000036&langId=-1&parent_category_rn=10000002&top_category=10000002&WT.ac=10000036

[44fanatic]

I just picked up a couple today. Didnt have any on the normal display, these were stuck in the corner. Last week at another post office, they didnt have any.

[mike in co]

what they said......and do the postage on line...drop off at po or arrange a pickup at your house...
and its cheaper( free del conf)


mike in co

[dbldblu]

You don't have to use the post office's boxes for priority mail. In fact, a similarly sized box that you supply will be a little cheaper.

[mooman76]

I just ordered and got them for where I work. It takes a couple weeks but they are free.

dbldblu We are talking about small flat rate boxes. They are one price any weight so they are cheaper if you have a pound or more.

[DLCTEX]

Our PO was out of them the last time I needed one, about a month ago.

[bohokii]

You don't have to use the post office's boxes for priority mail. In fact, a similarly sized box that you supply will be a little cheaper.

you must not understand the purpose of "flat rate"

[Buckshot]

You don't have to use the post office's boxes for priority mail. In fact, a similarly sized box that you supply will be a little cheaper.

.............A 13oz item that fits in a Small FLAT RATE Priority Mail box ships to all 50 states with online postage for $4.80 + free del confirmation. A regular Priority mail box costs like $10.45.

..............Buckshot

[mike in co]

You don't have to use the post office's boxes for priority mail. In fact, a similarly sized box that you supply will be a little cheaper.


but you pay for the box and will be limited on where you can ship for less...then it cost more.

flat rate baxes are free from the po ...they deliver them ans will pickup at no cost.

paying on line is cheaper than at the po.


so i just dont see your point.

[dbldblu]

My point is . . .
the post office being out of flat rate boxes would not be a problem for me. I would use my own box, use priority mail and I would expect it to be 20 maybe 30 cents cheaper than if I used one of the USPS boxes. They charge according to the dimensions of the box, not the weight. I am not limited on where I can ship. There is nothing special about the USPS boxes. At least that has been my experience at my post office.

[mike in co]

My point is . . .
the post office being out of flat rate boxes would not be a problem for me. I would use my own box, use priority mail and I would expect it to be 20 maybe 30 cents cheaper than if I used one of the USPS boxes. They charge according to the dimensions of the box, not the weight. I am not limited on where I can ship. There is nothing special about the USPS boxes. At least that has been my experience at my post office.

where have you been sleeping???

read our lips...you have been told several times

USPS FLAT RATE BOXES
FREE, DELIVERED TO YOUR HOUSE FOR FREE
PICKUP AT YOUR HOUSE FREE( if you do postage online...which is cheaper still)
and the fee to ship A FLATE RATE BOX IS CHEAPER THAN COUNTER RATES.

no, all is done by weight and zip...unless very large...which we are not talking about.


so you pay for the box, you do not get flate rate pricing, and you think it will be cheaper ??

wake up...

[BCall]

Sorry, a flat rate box is not necessarily cheaper than regular pricing. It really depends on what you are shipping. If an item is bulky, but light, then not using a flat rate box is cheaper.

As an example, I shipped 2 items today. If I had used a medium flat rate box, it would have cost me about $10.50 to ship each of them. I recycled boxes that I saved when something was shipped to me. Neither would fit in a small flat rate box. First item was right at a pound, shipped to east coast, cost- $5.24.

Second box weighed 1 lb 8 oz, shipped to California from MO. Cost- about $7. By using recycled boxes, I saved at least $8 in shipping. The box was free by recycling boxes I had received. I could have used flat rate boxes, but that would have required the buyers to pay the extra in shipping. This was cheaper and is still priority, so it still gets there in 2-3 days.

Don't assume that the flat rate box is the cheapest. Yes. if you are shipping a heavy item, or shipping it across several time zones, or to Alaska or Hawaii, a flat rate box is usually cheaper. But for a bulky lightweight item, flat rate boxes are often not the cheapest rate for priority. If you go to usps.com, you can calculate shipping costs on any box. Put in size and weight, from what zip code to what zip code, and it will tell you what all of the rates are.

As an aside, you can order priority mail boxes from usps.com that are NOT flat rate boxes, but they are still FREE. They have several more sizes than the flat rate boxes. I often use the 6x6x7 size box. I recently shipped a powder measure in one that was about 2 pounds(an older Bonanza measure), cost-about $7, still saved $3+ over flat rate. These are still free priority mail boxes, you just pay by weight instead of a flat rate.

Taking a little time and calculating shipping costs can save quite a few dollars that can add up. JMHO, Billy

Oh yeah, you can still print shipping on line, schedule a FREE pickup, and get free delivery confirmation by printing your postage on line. Those services are not limited to flat rate boxes. If you don't believe me, check it out at usps.com.

[smokemjoe]

I have taken the flat rate $4 .95 box, added more to make the sides stronger on the inside and filled them full of cast bullets, Like 200- 330 gr. bullets, If you go overseas you
had better stay under the wt. as stated, and mailed for $4.95 ,

[HangFireW8]

Sorry, a flat rate box is not necessarily cheaper than regular pricing. It really depends on what you are shipping. If an item is bulky, but light, then not using a flat rate box is cheaper.

I use this fact when selling on eBay. I charge "flat rate/Priority" to the buyer, and then send Priority by weight. The savings go towards gas to the P.O., packing paper, and my retirement. I have zero guilt due to a.) it's all up front and b.) I'm not selling a 99 cent item worth nothing with a $25 shipping fee like the Power Sellers.

The fact is, though, most people on this board are fans of Flat Rate because it is the cheapest way to ship Lead (the element), and it gets there in 2-3 days (most times).

-HF

[BCall]

The fact is, though, most people on this board are fans of Flat Rate because it is the cheapest way to ship Lead (the element), and it gets there in 2-3 days (most times).

-HF

I'd have to agree. Not only is it the cheapest way to ship lead, large lots of brass are shipped cheapest this way usually. Thanks, Billy

[mike in co]

yes...there is other processes than flat rate.
yes it works......
but
i have had no issues when shipping with priority mail, flate rate and delivery confirmation.

but i have heard horror stories from people using those other methods...


and ues i typically am shipping brass, gun stuff.

and the buyer always knows what his shipping costs.....no need to calulate and hope for the best that the package does not go over weight/size.


i dont whip a ton anymore.....

mike in co

[mike in co]

My point is . . .
the post office being out of flat rate boxes would not be a problem for me. I would use my own box, use priority mail and I would expect it to be 20 maybe 30 cents cheaper than if I used one of the USPS boxes. They charge according to the dimensions of the box, not the weight. I am not limited on where I can ship. There is nothing special about the USPS boxes. At least that has been my experience at my post office.


ok ...the problem with your assumtion is you do not know what he was shipping, where it was going, so it impossible for you to claim it would be cheaper.

i print my postage and shipping label at home, the usps delivered my supplies for free, they pick up my packages at my house.
time invested standing in line at the post office..ZERO.
MY TIME IS VALUABLE, how much is yours worth ??

what does the " I am not limited on where I can ship" have do do with this subject?

no different rules for priority mail with or without a priority box .


yes the boxes are special..they are free....

[lawboy]

If your item is over 2lbs, flat rate is nearly always cheaper.

[BCall]

yes...there is other processes than flat rate.
yes it works......
but
i have had no issues when shipping with priority mail, flate rate and delivery confirmation.
[COLOR="Blue"]What is the difference between priority mail with del conf, and priority mail flat rate with delivery confirmation? Both ship by the same methods wether you use the usps box or not.I have had zero issues when shipping priority mail with delivery confirmation, flat rate or not.

but i have heard horror stories from people using those other methods...


and ues i typically am shipping brass, gun stuff.

and the buyer always knows what his shipping costs.....no need to calulate and hope for the best that the package does not go over weight/size.
Simple matter of taking a little time beforehand. Weigh the item in a box, if it is more than 2-3 pounds, yes the flat rate box is usually cheaper.

i dont whip a ton anymore.....

mike in co


ok ...the problem with your assumtion is you do not know what he was shipping, where it was going, so it impossible for you to claim it would be cheaper.
And yet you make the same assumption, that your method is cheaper, which it may not be.
i print my postage and shipping label at home, the usps delivered my supplies for free, they pick up my packages at my house.
time invested standing in line at the post office..ZERO.
MY TIME IS VALUABLE, how much is yours worth ??
Same as yours, but I can do all of what you are doing, and it is not required that I use a flat rate box to get the same service.
what does the " I am not limited on where I can ship" have do do with this subject?

no different rules for priority mail with or without a priority box .


yes the boxes are special..they are free....
I already told you that you can order other priority mail boxes for free, not just the flat rate ones. I believe there are at least 6 different sizes of priority mail boxes that are not flat rate, plus a 38" and a 25" triangular tube, all free for the asking. The 6x7x7 box is not flat rate, but has been very useful to me, and I get the same service with it cheaper, it is ALL priority mail, flat rate or not. If you can save a few dollars in shipping, why not?


Makes no difference to me if you can see the logic in saving a few dollars in shipping, but others might care. Billy

[evan price]

The delivery charge goes up the farther it goes.
If you are shipping a pound or less in the same time zone it is cheaper to just ship it parcel post.

If you have 40 pounds of .45 brass to ship across country, a $14.50 large flat rate box is the way to go. The last batch I shipped they said would cost $36 if it went parcel.

[armyrat1970]

I've shipped as many as 500 155gr. to 196-198gr. 8MM boolits, cross country, in a flat rate box. for $4.95. That'a a good bit of weight and very cheap.
As to the original question, my closest PO seems to always be out of the small flat rate boxes. No matter, I have another just a couple of miles further away that always seems to have them. Picked up a half dozen a couple of weeks ago as I had to ship some cast boolits to a couple of friends. They always have arrived intact within two or three days.

[prs]

BCall;

We are more than a llittle confused by your earlier answers becasue this is THE CAST BOOLIT fourm and we are shipping lead. Now that you clarify that you are using your own boxes for 2# and less articles, your posts make a little sense. But, take that smallest Flat Rate box and stuff it with 69# of lead ingot and compare your costs to using weighed regualr parcel shipping. I recently recieved two such packages and got them the day after ordering.

prs

[mike in co]

becall

the problem with your reply is that there is no way for me to reply..it will not cut and paste and it will not "reply"....

you are one person, i am one person...just two users....now i used to ship a ton this way....me thinks i have more experience, but the bottom line is i have heard more lost packages and other horror stories. the stories all seem to go away when one adds del confirmation. since that is FREE with online postage..i use it always.


time is expensive to me....so your reply to 'TAKE A LITTLE TIME" is a no go for me. my shipping costs are always posted clearly.

no.....he claimied his method would save money...i did not say mine would . i said since he had no idea what or where somthing was being shipped...his cliam was invalid....again i did not do, as you claim, that i was cheaper....

your CLAIM of saving a few dollars is still based on using MY TIME to save someone elss the supposed couple of bucks...
so no it is not worth it to me

[dbldblu]

One last post and then I am done with this topic. I recently shipped a Lee mould to a guy at least 2000 miles from me. I wrapped brown paper around the Lee mould box and sent it priority mail. It cost me $5 and some odd cents. The only flat rate box I could have used would have cost me $12.95, I believe.

So this is my experience. Some are trying to tell me that I am wrong. The way some are trying to tell me that I am wrong borders on being rude. Good luck to you all.

[BCall]

BCall;

We are more than a llittle confused by your earlier answers becasue this is THE CAST BOOLIT fourm and we are shipping lead. Now that you clarify that you are using your own boxes for 2# and less articles, your posts make a little sense. But, take that smallest Flat Rate box and stuff it with 69# of lead ingot and compare your costs to using weighed regualr parcel shipping. I recently recieved two such packages and got them the day after ordering.

prs

I understand shipping lead, but that is not all that everyone ships. I am not talking about parcel post shipping. I am talking about shipping lighter packages without using a MEDIUM flat rate box. If the post office is out of small flat rate boxes, and you have to ship a mold, if the package is less than a pound, you do not need that small flat rate box. As per my example, I shipped a powder measure-something most cast shooters use regularly- for $7. I could have shipped it flat rate, but was able to save a few dollars using a free priority mail box and using weighed priority mail shipping charges.

I know if you are shipping a box full of lead or brass that the flat rate option is the absolutely the BEST, but that is not the only thing that is shipped here. A mold that weighs less than a pound can ship for under $5 with free delivery confirmation if you print your shipping online. You do not need the flat rate box to get this service. That is my point. If they are out of flat rate boxes, order some or see if they have some different non flat rate ones. Often times the shipping will be the same, you have already made the trip to the PO if you are asking them.

As for using my own boxes, yes I do that on occassion, these were what I quoted. But I also quoted using the 7x7x6 box that is available FREE from the post office. On lighter items these are often cheaper than flat rate. If you have a scale, you can weigh these boxes at home and ship them just like the flat rate boxes, no need to go to the post office. If you don't have a scale, flat rate might be a better option, but not always. That is what I am saying.
Buckshot mentioned that a small flat rate was $4.80 and get free delivery confirmation for a 13 oz package. Regular priority mail will be the same price to MOST destinations, no need for the flat rate box, and you still get free delivery confirmation. Of course, that price has increased, it is now $4.85 when printing on-line.

The value of priority mail is really in printing on-line postage. You get free delivery confirmation that way, that is Mike pointed out, pretty much eliminates the lost packages that most everyone has experienced. The flat rate boxes are often cheaper, but not always. In these harder times when money is more scarce, I would think that people would see the advantage of saving a few dollars where ever possible.

Again, I KNOW that when shipping heavier items that the flat rate box is the BEST and CHEAPEST option. But if you are shipping a lighter item(even though this is a cast boolit forum, most everyone still gets smaller, lighter items), it might be better to save a few dollars when ever possible.

Last time- My whole point was that while the flat rate box is still a great deal, they are not the only free boxes that the post office provides. Many times one of the other boxes can provide better rates, like I described when shipping smaller lighter items that won't fit in a small flat rate box. I am not talking about parcel post, priority mail is not limited to the flat rate boxes, you can ship ANYTHING by priority mail. It does not have to be in a flat rate box to ship priority. And if you can save yourself a few dollars, still get priority mail service, free delivery confirmation, and a free box- why wouldn't you do it? Blanket statements that say the flat rate box is the only best option are untrue. Bought and sold items on this forum are not limited to lead. Hopefully I have clarified my views. Thanks, Billy

[RodneyUSAF]

Well, some folks have been doing their research! I can only speak of my experiences. I have an APO address here in England. For those of you not familiar with the this, it is an American Post Office of foreign soil. It's a courtesy to service members and their families. The USPS hands off the mail in NY to the military, and it is then flown to where it needs to go. That being said, flat rate boxes arrive twice as fast as regular priority mail. I think it has to do with stacking capability on the airplanes.

I recently mailed 2k 230gr 45's to my folks TN. I put 400 in each of 5 small flat rate boxes. I then put these into a medium flat rate (the more square one) and with one empty filler small flat rate box, they fit perfectly. No give in any direction. It came out to 68lbs. I saw 2 tricks played on other employees while I was there. One would say to the other, "hey hand me that box" The guy would go over, grab it, and watch as it slipped through his grip.

[armyrat1970]

BCall;

We are more than a llittle confused by your earlier answers becasue this is THE CAST BOOLIT fourm and we are shipping lead. Now that you clarify that you are using your own boxes for 2# and less articles, your posts make a little sense. But, take that smallest Flat Rate box and stuff it with 69# of lead ingot and compare your costs to using weighed regualr parcel shipping. I recently recieved two such packages and got them the day after ordering.

prs

Ahh. PRS. There is no way in the world you can ship 69# of lead ingots in a small flat rate box. You're gonna be over by about 55 or so pounds. Unless you have the same type of machine that was used in the movie "Honey I Shrunk The Kids". You might be able to ship 2, 7# ingots of #2 alloy, pure lead, hardball or linotype. And that would be pushing the box to the extreme max. Depending on the dimensions of the ingots. Not even powdered, pure lead of 69lbs would fit in the box. The small Flate Rate box from USPS measures at, 1 3/4" deep. 8 3/4" long by 5 1/2" wide. Tell me how you can fit 69# of ingots into that.
Seems many have a misunderstanding of what the USPS small FlateRate box actually is.

[mike in co]

Ahh. PRS. There is no way in the world you can ship 69# of lead ingots in a small flat rate box. You're gonna be over by about 55 or so pounds. Unless you have the same type of machine that was used in the movie "Honey I Shrunk The Kids". You might be able to ship 2, 7# ingots of #2 alloy, pure lead, hardball or linotype. And that would be pushing the box to the extreme max. Depending on the dimensions of the ingots. Not even powdered, pure lead of 69lbs would fit in the box. The small Flate Rate box from USPS measures at, 1 3/4" deep. 8 3/4" long by 5 1/2" wide. Tell me how you can fit 69# of ingots into that.
Seems many have a misunderstanding of what the USPS small FlateRate box actually is.

yes i let that one go...my guess is he does not know how small the SMALL FRB is, and only knows of the MEDIOUM and LARGE, and was calling the mediom a small.


mike in co

[prs]

My bad. Sort of like Jumbo shrimp.

prs

[armyrat1970]

My bad. Sort of like Jumbo shrimp.

prs

Now Jumbo Shrimp I have an understanding of.

[Lloyd Smale]

dont tell the post office. If they know theres a shortage they may follow suit with the primer companys and triple there prices.

[mike in co]

dont tell the post office. If they know theres a shortage they may follow suit with the primer companys and triple there prices.
lloyd,

that was humor ??


the primer companies did not raise thier prices. wolf raised thiers 25%, no one else has raised thiers that i know of. DISTRIBUTORS on the other hand have hit me pretty good.


and if i triple free, we still ahve free, right ???

ok i missed it....

mike in co