Looking for online shipping services

[Mohrenberg]

Those of you that do a lot of shipping are probably aware that Paypal and USPS.com don't give you the option of purchasing and printing labels for first class international packages.

They recently made from changes at the USPS where the desk clerk has to enter all the information from the label into the computer. This takes FOREVER. I often show up with 5-10 first class international packages at a time so I really don't want to stand at the desk for an hour while they type everything into the computer.

The only services I know of right now is Stamps.com & they charge $15.99/month just to use the service on top of the shipping costs.


Anybody know of other options? I'd say 30-40% of the packages I mail are international, so this is a huge problem for me.

 

[lasersbee]

Man... 95% of my shipping is international and I only ship
through the PayPal Shipping Label services.
I sure hope that Canada Post don't change their policies
with PayPal like the USPS...

If you have enough volume the $15.99/month could still
be an option. On 100 parcels it only comes to $0.16...
And if it's only 10 parcels per month that's only $1.60 ea.
I'm sure your sales won;t suffer adding $1.60 to each
package...


Jerry

You can contact us at any time on our Website: J.BAUER Electronics

 

[Mohrenberg]

I think I found a solution.

On the USPS website, you can print the custom's form which is also a shipping label, but you still have to bring it to the post office and pay the postage.

You still have to stand in line, but at least all they have to do is scan it and have you pay instead of typing everything into the computer.

 

[InfinitusEquitas]

Just spent 45 minutes at the post office trying to ship out a package to switzerland.

I say trying because after about 40 minutes the clerk gave up, took the package, had me pay, and said they will ship it out tomorrow.

As of today they are implementing a new more efficient means crackup of entering package information. As you wrote they have to enter EVERYTHING by hand, and today at least the system was not working. The screen would literally freeze up...

My advice would be to wait for a few days before shipping anything over borders, tomorrow is likely to also be a complete mess.

Next time I'll try printing out the form ahead of time... have you tried that already?

 

[Mohrenberg]

Yeah, you can enter all teh customs info on their website if you have an account, and it prints the shipping label. You just go in to the office, they scan it and you pay the postage.

 

[InfinitusEquitas]

Guess I need to create an online shipping account with USPS. That and get off my a$$ to actually install the printer I bought over black friday

 

[Mohrenberg]

I just set up a second printer. I got tired of swapping the paper from regular paper, to adhesive labels. So now i can have one for each.

 

[InfinitusEquitas]

Lol, you must ship a lot. I'm at the post office, usually 1-3 times a month MAX, and one of those time is to send out the lease payment. I think I might just grab a few of those tape on plastic sleeves though, the ones where you can just stick a regular folded piece of paper inside.

 

[Mohrenberg]

I normally go to the post office every day, when i'm up and running like normal...
I go through 500 padded envelopes every couple of months...

I buy them in bulk though so they only cost me $0.07/pc

 

[Bionic-Badger]

Yeah, USPS doesn't allow online shipping for first-class mail. You have to use Priority Mail. Maybe it was cutting into their margins too much.

Other stuff to remember: you can't get delivery confirmation unless your package is at least 3/4" thick, or rigid. Yeah, that's right, it needs to be a minimum thickness. So stick some candy or something in the package to make it thicker.

 

[DJNY]

Using the USPS online service, you get around 10% on every package you want to ship.

 

[Bionic-Badger]

Yeah, it's not bad, but unfortunately, they've stopped offering first class packages for the online service. So the only option is to use Priority Mail or other shipping services they offer.

 

[lasersbee]

I just set up a second printer. I got tired of swapping the paper from regular paper, to adhesive labels. So now i can have one for each.

We print our Shipping Labels on a Laser printer in Black only
on standard paper.
Then we stick the printed label onto the package with 2"
clear packing tape. Saves the adhesive paper purchases.


Jerry

You can contact us at any time on our Website: J.BAUER Electronics

 

[DJNY]

10pcs labels cost $5 at my local post office. Paid $8 for 400pcs at another store.

Always write them by hand. People like that "personal touch".

But I may have about 2% max. of LaserBee´s business :beer:

 

[DTR]

Yep stamps.com is really the only option I know of. I use it on every international package I send. I could never keep up if I had to go to the post office.

 

[Mohrenberg]

But I hate the idea of paying another $15/month for stamps.com

I already pay $10/month at outright.com to keep track of my sales, expenses and to make quarterly IRS payments.

I deliver all my packages to the post office anyways so it's really no change for me to just do it through USPS.com