Shipping ??

[turtleglass]

Ive been shipping glass a lot and wanted to ask yall what service you use for shipping. Also Should I set up a business account with someone? Whats the cheapest option you have found for shipping with tracking and insurance. Thanks for your time :) :turtle:

[RedToroBoro]

Whats the cheapest option you have found for shipping with tracking and insurance. Thanks for your time :) :turtle:[/QUOTE]


UPS. because of the insurance.

[kudabeck]

I use usps, if they want t# and nsurance add a few bucks to the order . yeah I like usps because its cheap and havnt had a prob yet ....peace ....JWK

[Adapt]

don't ship a lot, but have only used usps. flat rate is pretty good. I've shipped around 40 i/o pieces with some bubble wrap around each piece with insurance for under $15.

[hotglassman]

depends what your shipping i guess. Small stuff I would go usps but not to high value. Hard to get refund from usps.(long process) Anything that wont fit in flat rate box i use ups. As long as you pack to there specs. they will do good on insurance if somthing happens. And by all means open an account you will get an automatic (I think) 28% off there regular prices. And if you use them alot you can get better discounts based on weekly use.

[n3rd]

USPS priority 100% of the time. why pay more for slower?

print the label from home + carrier pickup is the way to go.

[n3rd]

flat rate boxes are often not a great deal for glass, they're only a good deal if you're shipping something small and heavy. priority where you weigh the box is often much cheaper, most smaller boxes i ship cost $6-8 and take 2 days.

[Lyle Lanley]

it depends on what your shipping i use usps first class mail in a padded envelop for pendants, small spoon and hitters. anything one piece. i also bubble wrap the item as well. i used this method for etsy sales. you can get the padded envelopes at a dollar store usually 2 for a dollar. i charge 4.50 and i add delivery confirmation.. It's almost always less than 4.50 this way you can make a little money on the shipping (save it for gas and time packing)

first class is great to because it gets to people usually just as fast a priority. add the confirmation so there no argument if it arrived or not


larger items or wholesale order i would suggest to look up each carrier some time fedex is cheaper than ups. N3rd is right flat rate is good as well!

if you are sending a two piece pipe(hammer, sherly, ets)package usps try to use a box smaller than 12 inches( or maximum of 12 inches ) in any dimension if possible you will save a lot of money and usually it still can go first class is not priority
items like these i charge about 8 dollars and if packed correctly you still can make a little money for gas and time spent packing the order

good luck shipping order can get confusing and you can end up losing money check rates until you find a system that works for you

[rockstar glassworks]

UPS and USPS.

Some vendors have no problem with USPS which I prefer and generally use priority mail.

If my box is too big to fit into the automatic postal machine slot....or the vendor doesn't like the mail...

UPS.

I haven't had a problem yet with either. Plus I pack my stuff really well.

[jedi glassworks]

I love UPS. They have always been great to me. If you get an account with them and mail $50 or more worth of packages for 4 consecutive weeks, they lower your rates by %28! and they come to my house in the boonies to pick up my packages if I want!

Bryan

[wfsupply]

UPS, and FedEx offer you free shipping supplies for everything except 3 day select and "5 day max" ground shipping.

US Postal Service gives you free shipping supplies for everything Priority Mail (2-3 days) and Express Mail (1-2 days), but nothing for parcel post.

So here's what I do.....

I get all the free supplies (usps.com, fedex.com, ups.com). Then, I get a roll of brown paper. Its a few dollars, and basically just really thin cardboard paper. Wrap each piece in whatever boxes I need, then wrap it in brown paper.

When its wrapped in brown paper, you qualify for *ANY* shipping service, and have a free box!

US Post Office's Parcel Post seems to be about $2-$2.50 for every spoon/hammer/shirlock and about $3.50 for a bubbler to mail.






Discounts...... UPS and FedEx will both offer discounts to account holders with frequency. USPS has no rate discounts UNLESS you ship via PayPal. THat generally rules all of us out since PayPal isnt helpful to pipe makers.

Hope this helps

[sleepingpeople]

USPS and i have never used another service. I always ship with a DC number and padded with bubble wrap, usually in one of the padded envelopes available to me at the postal store i ship from.

I DID HAVE ONE THING GET LOST GOING TO CANADA
but i cant confirm that it was last, or that the address wasnt incorrect or something, Thats in my prob 30 packages sent since january.

I also never put fragile, thanks

[turtleglass]

Great info yall :turtle:

[jac1961]

As a receiver rather than a shipper, I'd say that 95% of the glass that I've got has come USPS and I've never had a piece show up broken. I've had some boxes that looked like the contents should be crushed, but thanks to good packaging, all has been OK.

[dustyg]

USPS - it's the cheapest and easiest and has never lost or broken an item.

I only ship small stuff, usually solid, and I package it well, fwiw.

[hashmasta-kut]

fed ex is better international than UPS for price. just as fast typically. USPS is cheaper but a bit slower.

[EmergentGlass]

i use usps first class. it's cheap as hell to print a label with paypal and first class is actually faster than priority. plus, my stuff is small enough to fit in a mailbox. UPS has to leave it on the porch..

[PhilosophicalPete]

I'm also a USPS fan... you don't catch our government postal workers chucking boxes at our doors. They also make packing tape that is red and white; and reads, ''glass handle with care''. I'm also a huge fan of bubble wrap though. Packing can become an art itself, hahaha.

[ROGUE]

I have a super long story about USPS that I'm about to post up. The ordeal isn't over yet so that's why I haven't. However, let me tell you this. If you use USPS use at your own risk.

I currently have a CC that had been floating around in limbo somewhere for over a month. The mail man delivered it to the wrong address, got some chics name signed on it and left it. She opened it up, don't know what she did to it, but when she put it back in the box she didn't wrap it right. Just yesterday it was returned to the shipper after leaving on the 13th of December and it is completely damaged.

As far as the postal service? They accused me of trying to scam them at first saying I did sign for it and I am just trying to get the insurance money. Well, when I told them I have a survellence camera at my house and the mail man never left his truck on the day he said he delivered it and got a signature they changed their story. Now they say the address wasn't written correctly and it wasn't their fault it was delivered to the wrong address and they would not cover insurance claims for that reason. So the receiver got the box back yesterday(address right).

I also told them that I was accusing their mail man of stealing my package after they kept telling me I signed for it. They said "you can accuse us of anything you want it is your word versus ours" EXACT WORDS! I said I want to see the signature slip that I supposedly signed. They said they can't and won't. So I called the postal inspector and told them what was happening.

Two days later I receieved the signature slip signed very legibly by a woman.

To make an extremely long story short, to this day they are still claiming my fault and they will not cover anything even though it is insured for $800.

[daveabr]

This is why we always tell people shipping with them is at their own risk. Their insurance means nothing. What's worse, is that they have to answer to no one. Not even BBB. They basically have a license to screw you over. We try to avoid them, but lots of people still insist on them, to save a few bucks.

[H1JACK3R]

I really prefer FedEx, mainly for timelines.

[LTD]

Fedex, ups and usps all have belt systems that regularly drop every package on the line up to 18 inches. Pack your glass accordingly. That said, fedex has lost and broken my shit, so has ups, usps gets it there safe everytime.

[daveabr]

Most of the time USPS does arrive safely. The problem is, when it doesn't, you basically have no recourse whatsoever.

UPS and Fed Ex definitely do damage things, and the belt drop is a fact for sure. However, when they do screw up, they pay their insurance claims. USPS rarely does anything but piss you off more when you have an issue. Just wait until that one instance USPS breaks your stuff, and they do nothing for you. That's why so many people get sour on them.



We switched to Fed Ex a few years ago, and they have been far superior to UPS for a lot of reasons. Our rep is a local guy, who grew up here. Most UPS guys seem to be shipped in from somewhere else. Much more personable relationship with Fed Ex

[byron3]

Hey Dave;

Have you ever witnessed any actions from BBB other than posting online??
I hear people bring that agency up, but from personal experience that is a "toothless dog" agency..................
They can sure post some stuff up about you, but that is about it. Most of the folks never look online about these things until past tense.

Not to thread jack, just curious about that statement.

[faded]

I have a super long story about USPS that I'm about to post up. The ordeal isn't over yet so that's why I haven't. However, let me tell you this. If you use USPS use at your own risk.

I currently have a CC that had been floating around in limbo somewhere for over a month. The mail man delivered it to the wrong address, got some chics name signed on it and left it. She opened it up, don't know what she did to it, but when she put it back in the box she didn't wrap it right. Just yesterday it was returned to the shipper after leaving on the 13th of December and it is completely damaged.

As far as the postal service? They accused me of trying to scam them at first saying I did sign for it and I am just trying to get the insurance money. Well, when I told them I have a survellence camera at my house and the mail man never left his truck on the day he said he delivered it and got a signature they changed their story. Now they say the address wasn't written correctly and it wasn't their fault it was delivered to the wrong address and they would not cover insurance claims for that reason. So the receiver got the box back yesterday(address right).

I also told them that I was accusing their mail man of stealing my package after they kept telling me I signed for it. They said "you can accuse us of anything you want it is your word versus ours" EXACT WORDS! I said I want to see the signature slip that I supposedly signed. They said they can't and won't. So I called the postal inspector and told them what was happening.

Two days later I receieved the signature slip signed very legibly by a woman.

To make an extremely long story short, to this day they are still claiming my fault and they will not cover anything even though it is insured for $800.


sounds to me like it is the "girls" fault.

[ROGUE]

I don't care whose fault it is. My package that I paid for that was shipped the correct way and insured was lost for a month and is now broken and USPS will not do anything. I talked to them again today and they said I cannot even make an insurance claim. The guy that sent it to me does and they keep the torch!? WTF!!! I am REALLY FUCKING PISSED!!!

[daveabr]

It's true. BBB is pretty much a powerless company, except that they can basically legally slander you.


I was just making a point that there is no one that they answer to, they are owned by the government. Their policies are basically not even real. BBB wasn't the best example. What I meant was, their is no legal action possible against them. The are protected under all kinds of insane fine print.

My favorite quote from them ever was this. "Yes, priority mail is a 2-3 day service, but we're not bound to guarantee it." This was after a customer's box was sent priority mail, and it took 10 days to deliver from Indiana to North Carolina.

HAHAHA. Can you say false advertising?

[daveabr]

A Better Business Bureau Cannot…

A Bureau assists consumers and businesses through voluntary means. It does not have police powers, cannot force a business to do what the consumer wants, does not give legal advice, and cannot help either party break a legal contract, although it will try to assist if misrepresentation or fraud was involved.

Also, a BBB does not make collections or provide credit information. It does not act as a reference, or make recommendations or endorsements. It does not appraise articles or pass judgement on the price charged for merchandise, the quality of services or workmanship, the operating efficiency of devices, or the length of time merchandise should wear or last.

[sunray]

When I went to the top at USPS I once collected $1800 for a torch that got crashed, but it
took a lot of time and I didn't settle for nothing..

[Wilbur]

It's true. BBB is pretty much a powerless company, except that they can basically legally slander you.


I was just making a point that there is no one that they answer to, they are owned by the government. Their policies are basically not even real. BBB wasn't the best example. What I meant was, their is no legal action possible against them. The are protected under all kinds of insane fine print.

My favorite quote from them ever was this. "Yes, priority mail is a 2-3 day service, but we're not bound to guarantee it." This was after a customer's box was sent priority mail, and it took 10 days to deliver from Indiana to North Carolina.

HAHAHA. Can you say false advertising?

usps is going down the crapper. quick.

my buddys mom a post master in small town southern oregon, and the organization as a whole is having serious budget shortfalls, logistical issues, and seem to have taken on a 'fuck it' attitude when it comes to resolving peoples issues.

fed ex has always done me right.

[byron3]

It is a government agency, SOP ......... have they ever done anything and gotten it right??

Not to worry though you are stuck with it, just as Erick(Our Gun Toteing Vet) told me, NO ONE ELSE wants the business.
Who else for 44 cents would take a letter to the ends of the earth??

[daveabr]

Well done Phyliss! I've got a couple over 10 years paid, but have so many more that did not.





Who else for 44 cents would take a letter to the ends of the earth??


This is the kicker. No one else will do it. Definitely stuck with it

[ROGUE]

Who else for 44 cents would take a letter to the ends of the earth??

Email and FAX machines, much better customer service too.