UPS Dimensional Weight Pricing

[Bert Kemp]

Nope not priority mail just standard and it took 7 days

Huh? That sounds like Priority Mail pricing. I had a 1.5lb 12x14x3 package (standard USPS box size) go out mid-December for $10.15, but that included insurance...got to Montana in two days. (Not to mention that the boxes are free.)

[Bert Kemp]

Thats the biggest problem they just say poor packing and you have no recourse its total -- they take no responsibility for their employees poor handling of packages. You pay extra to insure they keep your money and deny your claim what a scam.

I thought UPS already did this? I know if you have a package over a certain dimension and weight they won't take it even if it fits within their maximum dimensions and weight.

The corporate line about doing this to reduce over packing is a bunch of --. It is to improve the UPS bottom line plain and simple. All of the shipping companies treat packages so poorly they have to have lots of packing material to survive the trip. If you buy insurance and UPS claims you didn't pack it well enough they just deny any damage claims. Of course, how is one to know if your packing meets their specs?

[Sean Troy]

This may all end up being a good thing for some such as, more people buying locally instead of ordering online. Not good for those who still need to ship.

[Bert Kemp]

It got me to buy locally I needed a small box hasp and lock it was 9 bucks at rocklers but 4 dollars online, but $8 dollars to ship it to me, so I saved 3 bucks at rocklers.

This may all end up being a good thing for some such as, more people buying locally instead of ordering online. Not good for those who still need to ship.

[Brian Elfert]

When gas prices shot through the roof, UPS charged a fuel surcharge.

If you have noticed, diesel prices haven't come down much. Diesel is still over $3 in most areas. The fuel surcharge rate set by the government is based on something like $1.60 per gallon. Companies that use the government fuel surcharge will be adding a fuel surcharge for a long time to come.

[Pat Barry]

Thats the biggest problem they just say poor packing and you have no recourse its total -- they take no responsibility for their employees poor handling of packages. You pay extra to insure they keep your money and deny your claim what a scam.

Yes, for sure you need to take responsibility for the packaging. Lousy packaging is directly proportional to potential for damage. That isn't rocket science. With regards to cost, somebody has to pay, right? Costs are not going down and there is way more being shipped these days.

[Brian Elfert]

Yes, for sure you need to take responsibility for the packaging. Lousy packaging is directly proportional to potential for damage. That isn't rocket science. With regards to cost, somebody has to pay, right? Costs are not going down and there is way more being shipped these days.

The problem is that shipping companies always blame the customer's packaging when packages are damaged regardless if it was properly packaged or not. If their truck ran a wheel over it they would still blame the customer even though no packaging could survive that.

[Robert McGowen]

The problem is that shipping companies always blame the customer's packaging when packages are damaged regardless if it was properly packaged or not. If their truck ran a wheel over it they would still blame the customer even though no packaging could survive that.

When you say ALWAYS, it just shows that you are upset at UPS for some reason and not making statements of fact.

I have made 8-10 claims for damaged or completely lost shipments and have never had one denied for any reason.
On top of that, I have never had UPS even pick up the damaged property, which you would think that they would do since it does belong to them once they pay the claim. I don't mind them damaging anything at all, because I get two sales out of it instead of one since UPS pays for the damaged one and the customer pays for the replacement.

I ship daily with UPS, but other than that, I have no affiliation with them.

[Brian Elfert]

When you say ALWAYS, it just shows that you are upset at UPS for some reason and not making statements of fact.

You'll notice I didn't specifically mention UPS. I've never personally had to make a damage claim myself. I know plenty of folks who have had issues with trying to get damage claims paid by all of the shipping companies. I made a stolen item claim for $50 with the post office a few years back and I was able to make the claim online with uploaded photos and it was paid in under 10 days. (Someone had opened the padded envelope, removed the item, and put new tape on it.)

An employee of mine years ago had something shipped to our office and it was damaged. UPS probably spent more money to deny the claim than it would have cost to just pay it. They sent two or three guys in suits to look at the package and the item.

[Pat Barry]

Where I work, our products need to be packaged to meet ASTM standards for shipping including 4 and 8 foot drop, shock, random vibration, over the road simulation, etc. Granted, these are expensive products and we ship a lot of them. For other shipments we use best available method be it UPS, FedEX, other and our shipments go to Europe. I have never seen anything damaged except right in our own parking lot where the driver too off with the door open on his trailer and we ended up scrapping lots of product because that was above and beyond our tested conditions. A little bubble wrap goes a long way for most shipments.

[Phil Thien]

When you say ALWAYS, it just shows that you are upset at UPS for some reason and not making statements of fact.

I have made 8-10 claims for damaged or completely lost shipments and have never had one denied for any reason.
On top of that, I have never had UPS even pick up the damaged property, which you would think that they would do since it does belong to them once they pay the claim. I don't mind them damaging anything at all, because I get two sales out of it instead of one since UPS pays for the damaged one and the customer pays for the replacement.

I ship daily with UPS, but other than that, I have no affiliation with them.

Oh boy that hasn't been my experience at all. They've dragged feet on claims, they've (UPS) been a giant PITA. All of them have, but UPS has been no exception. And they've always taken whatever they're paying on.

[Mike Chance in Iowa]

Paying at the local Post Office is more expensive then using USPS.com, but you do have several more shipping options available to you at the counter. (Such as Parcel Select Post.)

For years I was reluctant to use stamps.com but once I switched to them, I have saved so much time and money otherwise spent in lines at the automated machine or to speak to a teller, as well as saved quite a bit in postage fees. When you use stamps.com (or others like endicia.com) you can track even your First Class postage for free.

The negatives about using stamps.com is ordering supplies. If you order free USPS supplies thru Stamps.com, they will ship in 5-10 days. If you order free USPS supplies through USPS.com, they will ship in 1-2 days. Stamps.com will also force you to click thru about 4 pages of extra "stamps.com stuff" they would like you to purchase before you can submit the order. I have found the shipping labels to be quite expensive thru Stamps.com. They are MUCH cheaper at this site http://www.buyrightlabels.com/Products/BRL503 I have ordered supplies from them several times and I'm very pleased with their fast order processing and good customer service.

[Brian Elfert]

The one time I ordered Priority Mail boxes through usps.com it took at least three weeks for them to arrive. The USPS shipped them parcel post and it was about three weeks before Christmas so I shouldn't have been surprised it took longer. I figured it might take a few extra days, but not a few extra weeks. My friend I was shipping to happened to come into town unexpectedly while I waited for the boxes so I just handed him the items instead of shipping them.

Really, I have really good luck with all of the shipping companies both sending and receiving packages, but mostly receiving. I guess Fedex might be getting more of my shipping business due to the dimensional weight thing with UPS. The Post Office seems to be most competitive for smaller items or items that are really heavy that fit in a flat rate box.

[Dave Lehnert]

I had a job the last two years working in shipping and I always had to weigh and give measurements for UPS packages. Always told it was so they could plan trucking. Only so many packages can fit on a truck. Weight does not give them an idea of size. A 10 lb box of bricks would be much smaller than a 10 lb box of packing peanuts.

[Viking Mountain Tool Works]

Dont you figure shipping in as part of your price, or charge extra for it?