What's going on with shipping costs?

JF-30

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It cost me $69 to mail the JF-30 and $12 of that was insurance.

I was charged $43 from Reverb as my fee for selling the guitar. I sold it for $1200.
 

adorshki

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It cost me $69 to mail the JF-30 and $12 of that was insurance.
To help put it in perspective, from VA to where?
Also, I assume that was rate for "regular ground" as in no expedited processing?
(It's true that stacks up the cost quickly as well)
 

Guildedagain

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If that was USPS Parcel Post, not Priority at that price?, that was the most wretched shipping experience last winter when they sent my F30 from Jersey.

The tracking did not work.

Nobody knew where it was.

The guitar showed up here after going through that polar vortex a hollow skeleton of it's former self and never quite recovered but sounds mighty fine anyway.

I think making sure that guitars are extra hydrated for the trip might be a pretty good idea.

My D25 also showed up with a crack just off the south end of the fingerboard that wasn't there when they took the pics.

Hydrate.

And DON'T ship USPS Parcel Select, unless you and your guitar are really looking for adventure...

When it finally showed up here, three different local mail people from the Postmistress on down said "hey your package is here", because they were all traumatized by this at the local PO.

I can quote the Postmistress as saying "I don't know why they use that service", because in most cases the cost is close enough to Priority to make the other option look a not very one.

Parcel Select is a service for things that eventually get there, but you don't really care. You could order some garden hoses now and they'd still get here in plenty of time ;)
 

jwsamuel

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If that was USPS Parcel Post, not Priority at that price?, that was the most wretched shipping experience last winter when they sent my F30 from Jersey.

I once had to get my congressman involved when a guitar someone sent to me got lost. USPS told me I would have to wait 30 days to file a claim. I called my congressman's office and they called USPS. A day later, someone "found" the box leaning against a wall in my local post office. The one advantage to USPS is that you can get help from your congress person's office.

Jim
 

dreadnut

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I "heard" that the reason UPS and FedEx are so much more expensive is because they contracted with Amazon for all that free shipping. Makes sense to me.

I've always preferred USPS for guitar shipping. We used to call UPS "OOPS." My local USPS office has always been very helpful with items I ship.

Realistically, USPS has competitive pricing because they are a Federal agency and have a bottomless barrel of money; they don't need to make a profit like normal companies.
 

adorshki

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I "heard" that the reason UPS and FedEx are so much more expensive is because they contracted with Amazon for all that free shipping. Makes sense to me.
Amazon actually picks up that freight and it's why they upped the Prime membership fee.
(Also prices on everything that qualifies for "Free Shipping for $25.00 minimum order" are way up in the last couple of years too, and it's not all due to tariff wars)
You don't think the carriers are doing it for free, do you?
Reduced rate for volume, sure, but they ain't taking a loss on it.
The real issue is still supply and demand and there is simply a shortage of capacity to handle the volume boom generated by internet-based sales that are delivered to customers.
THE golden rule of supply and demand still holds, and we all know what happens to price when supply shrinks due to increased demand.
US Post Office/UPS/FedEx actually all sub-contract with each other, too***, but Post Office rates are subject to federal oversight through the Postal Regulatory Commission so they're less volatile than the private common carriers.

Realistically, USPS has competitive pricing because they are a Federal agency and have a bottomless barrel of money; they don't need to make a profit like normal companies.
I'm gonna sound harsh but nothing could be farther from the truth, my friend.
You've forgotten Congress passed the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act for precisely that reason, lack of profitability.
They also hold a legal monopoly on the delivery of non-urgent first class mail as well as access to mailboxes and PO boxes.
From the usual source:

"The USPS is legally obligated to serve all Americans, regardless of geography, at uniform price and quality."
"Since the 2006 all-time peak mail volume,[7] after which Congress passed the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act[8] which mandated that $5.5 billion per year be paid to fully prefund employee retirement health benefits,[9] revenue dropped sharply due to recession-influenced[10] declining mail volume,[11] prompting the postal service to look to other sources of revenue while cutting costs to reduce its budget deficit."
"On October 15, 2008, the Postal Service submitted a report[87] to the PRC on its position related to the Universal Service Obligation (USO). It said no changes to the USO and restriction on mailbox access were necessary at this time, but increased regulatory flexibility was required to ensure affordable universal service in the future. In 2013, the Postal Service announced that starting August 2013, Saturday delivery would be discontinued.
"Obligations of the USO include uniform prices, quality of service, access to services, and six-day delivery to every part of the country. To assure financial support for these obligations, the postal monopoly provides the Postal Service the exclusive right to deliver letters and restricts mailbox access solely for mail."
FedEx and United Parcel Service (UPS) directly compete with USPS Express Mail and package delivery services, making nationwide deliveries of urgent letters and packages. Due to the postal monopoly, they are not allowed to deliver non-urgent letters and may not directly ship to U.S. Mail boxes at residential and commercial destinations. However, both companies have transit agreements with the USPS in which an item can be dropped off with either FedEx or UPS who will then provide shipment up to the destination post office serving the intended recipient where it will be transferred for delivery to the U.S. Mail destination, including Post Office Box destinations.[88][89] These services also deliver packages which are larger and heavier than USPS will accept. DHL Express was the third major competitor until February 2009, when it ceased domestic delivery operations in the United States.


*** Here's the precise nature of the relationship between the USPS and the common carriers in light of the Post Office's monopoly on mailbox access.
And why some stuff gets left on the porch instead of in your mailbox:

"A variety of other transportation companies in the United States move cargo around the country, but either have limited geographic scope for delivery points, or specialize in items too large to be mailed. Many of the thousands of courier companies focus on same-day delivery, for example, by bicycle messenger.

Although USPS and FedEx are direct competitors, USPS contracts with FedEx for air transport of 2–3 Day Priority Mail [90] and Priority Mail Express (typically delivered overnight).
 
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Default

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We've paid our own way since the Post Office Department became the United States Postal Service. There is no bottomless pot of money. And the above explanation states our situation pretty succinctly. Anything I could add would fall into the realm of politics, therefore,
What strings should I buy for my G&L Will Ray Tribute?
 

bobouz

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A couple of comments - No sales tax in Oregon, so no taxes to pay on internet purchases. Also, I’ve had great service from USPS & now prefer them over other carriers. A big bonus is that we have a PO Box, so everything stays at the local PO until I pick it up at my convenience. No waiting for the brown truck & no packages left at the door.
 

Bonneville88

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Interesting to read of others experiences - some strange ones out there, for sure.
At this point, for guitars I use UPS and Fedex only - mostly Fedex Ground.
Anything smaller than about 24" x 18" x 12", tend to favor USPS Priority Mail, otherwise Fedex Ground.
Over the past decade, have shipped hundreds - perhaps well over a thousand - small packages
all over the planet using USPS First Class International and USPS Priority Mail International - never
lost a single one, although probably will jinx myself now for saying so :black_eyed:
 
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JF-30

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VA to Kansas City, MO.

It was insured for the full amount and a signature was required and it went as cheap as possible. It could have got there in 2 days for $125. I said NOPE.
 

adorshki

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Of course not; what did I say that would make you think that?
It was rhetorical but I may have missed an implication in "All that free freight" meaning that they had less capacity due to that and therefore upped their rates..
:friendly_wink:

VA to Kansas City, MO.

It was insured for the full amount and a signature was required and it went as cheap as possible. It could have got there in 2 days for $125. I said NOPE.

I wouldn't have either, but it did make me wonder if would have been any "safer" by simply being in the system a shorter time?
Probably not, I guess, going by Bonneville88's comment.
 
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Guildedagain

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Interesting to read of others experiences - some strange ones out there, for sure.
At this point, for guitars I use UPS and Fedex only - mostly Fedex Ground.
Anything smaller than about 24" x 18" x 12", tend to favor USPS Priority Mail, otherwise Fedex Ground.
Over the past decade, have shipped hundreds - perhaps well over a thousand - small packages
all over the planet using USPS First Class International and USPS Priority Mail International - never
lost a single one, although probably will jinx myself now for saying so :black_eyed:

Ditto except for a BOSS Metal Zone pedal I sent to Mexico City way back when and when the buyer filed a successful claim for his $35 back, I cried to eBay/Paypal and they promptly refunded me to keep me happy.

FedEx has always been my choice for guitars and amps, never a flawed delivery.

I love the postal service, for we live way out in the boonies, and they bring your packages, every day. Floods, snowstorms, doesn't matter, they deliver.

They also pickup, within reason, but if you time it right our mail gal will stick a guitar in her Subaru and off she goes. 170 miles a day, 2 or 3 sets of tires a year...

I just had to wait a week plus weekend for UPS to deliver a pedal here, and it was a miracle they did, for the roads are covered in snow and ice, and then there's the fog.

What effin sense does it make in this day and age of a planet on fire to send a Big Brown Truck for a 1lb package, that has to make a special trip even though the mailperson's coming by anyway?

I'd like to mandate that into the system. But also, I don't want to wait 10 days for a pedal either, that totally sucked, when Priority would have had it here in two or three days.

Don't assume just because you paid $10 to get a pedal shipped on Reverb that the money will be wisely spent, you have to ask. Also, Reverb doesn't make shipping clickable, I've gone over it with "customer service", you have to contact each person and have to wait back to find out how they're shipping. Reverb doesn't want it any better than that, "it's about freedom" they say.
 
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JF-30

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A lot of times if I mail a guitar cheap as possible it gets there sooner that the PO estimates.
 

GAD

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Shipping discussions always crack me up.

I ship and receive more than most and my shipping guy (yes, I have a shipping guy) ships UPS and Fedex so I use both regularly depending on which is cheaper (It’s almost always UPS). I have never lost a package and the only time anything has arrived broken was due to poor packaging.

USPS is a fine choice too. My Slash doubleneck went cost to coast in three days. Priority mail rocks.

The only time I’ve had issues with USPS was Parcel Post which is now called something else and the issue was that it was slow, which is by design.

Tips:

* Don’t use UPS stores
* If you’re near a distribution center you can ship there. Extra tip they will ship stuff that stores wont!
* Learn how to pack well
* Always insure
* if you ship or receive a lot find a trusted shipper. There are stores out there like Packaging Plus that will ship using any big player.
 

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Media mail. For printed materials and data, but not retail games and movies. It's for people who would rather save pennies over priority.
 

GAD

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Priority is the beat deal in shipping ever. Flat rate boxes that they give away for free! Sadly I see people abuse that all the time and use the unused flat rate boxes for packing material.
 

dreadnut

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Just for reference, the USPS lost $4 Billion last year, and they're on track to lose another $7 Billion this year. I guess it all depends on how you define the term "lose."

But hey, as long as they provide me with the best pricing and don't screw up my packages, I'll keep using them.
 

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Dread, that is due to the prefunding of the pensions up to 2075. That is why we have been bleeding money since 2009. You can look up why that is the case, but it's political in nature, therefore I will explain no further.
 
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