Whats up with shipping charges???

I sent a detector out yesterday, weighed less than 6 pounds Took it to Fed Ex where I ship all my detectors via Fed Ex Ground and the cost was $35.95. I said, "Whoa! Wait a minute. That is pretty high. Why is the price so high?" The Fed Ex lady told me it was the residential delivery address that caused it to be so costly.

So I told her I wanted a second opinion and took the box to the Post Office. The Post Office would ship it Priority Mail for 42.75 with no insurance. I said no thanks and went back to Fed Ex and paided the 35.95.

Buy and Try is getting a little to expensive what with the depressed resale market and high shipping costs. I may have to start doubling my money (fold it in half and put it back in my pocket).

HH
Mike

It's all in the size box you use and whether or not the person behind the counter knows how to correctly input the box measurements. I just shipped a detector this morning USPS Priority with $400 insurance in a medium size box. Package weighed 7 pounds and it was $23.60. I ran into this once while shipping a bow (archery). Bows come shipped in a industry standard box. They are all the same size to escape oversized shipping costs. Normally, I can ship a bow anywhere in the US for around $27. One day the price was $40 something...nearly $50. It was a new clerk. I asked why the high cost and she said it was oversized box fee. I asked if that was a new thing for that size box, that I had just shipped one earlier that week for half that. Another clerk that knows me well, and has done numerous transactions with me on shipping bows and detectors heard the conversation and hopped over to check. She had the right numbers for the box...just had put them in the wrong spot on her screen. So instead of a long narrow box, she had it as a wide thick box or something similar. I don't know exactly what the screen looks like. But they swapped numbers around and boom...back to under $30.

Having shipped some detectors recently I too was shocked by the shipping game. I usually found USPS ground to be cheapest for detector sized boxes. But on some smaller packages USPS might quote $10.50 for 2 day and $10.20 for 5 day. Really strange. The shipping costs appear to be set by weight, distance, delivery time and something called volumetric weight and not just the size LxWxH. I guess that somehow alludes to some sort of a density cost.. I've also been burned on surcharges for delivery to remote addresses like a farmhouse 10 miles from town. The problem is you don't always know that ahead of time when trying to sell something with a shipping quote. Anyway I found it helps to go to a few online sites where you can get a comparison estimate between UPS, FedEx and USPS. I don't know if any site is more accurate than another. Your mileage may vary.

[shippingsidekick.com]
[onlineshippingcalculator.com]
[shipgooder.com]

It is like health care out of control...I run a business and the shipping I have to charge a customer scares me..

LowBoy

TAKE A LITTLE TIME KICKBACK AND WATCH SOME OF MY DETECTING VIDEO'S BELOW ON YouTube

[www.youtube.com]

If you don’t dig it, then how are you going to know what you’re missing!
How can you have your pudding if you don’t eat your meat!

Here, here's ten bucks - take this package across the continent at your risk, deliver it to god knows what sort of person - again - at your risk and... by the way, ...be quick about it.

Are you kidding me?

Pony Express rates were $1 per half ounce - in today's money $30 - more or less. That's 32x30 or $960 per pound - ah, the 'good old days".

Rick Kempf
Gold Canyon AZ- where there is no gold

I shipped a Nautilus package I sold with all 3 Coils with lower rods an such to New Mexico. Wound up costing 65.00 USPS Priority Mail with Insured amount. Yeah USPS is not that cheap anymore especially on Bigger Packages. Still Cheaper on smaller Boxes though as sell a lot on eBay.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/04/2017 08:06PM by Harold,ILL..

Yikes! I always use my bosses UPS account and pay him the shipping costs. Rates are way better than walking into a UPS store.

Now when I see "Free Shipping" on ebay items, it really counts for something nowadays.

HH
John

You can usually get ~15% off shipping paying and printing labels online.

detectingMO Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You can usually get ~15% off shipping paying and p
> rinting labels online.


Yeah I need to start doing that. But I do most My listings on a Smartphone as So much faster with built in Camera.

Your header say's it all Mike...There UP...

Plain and simple...

We need universal rods like Mars offers we keep the rod and just sell the coil and control box.....Of course under elbow battery design can can cause an issue

in the future I'm sure everything will be in the main controller batts and all...Heck we may be using a phone app and a coil by then..LOL..

Keith

“I don't care that they stole my idea . . I care that they don't have any of their own”
-Nikola Tesla

Keith Southern Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> in the future I'm sure everything will be in the m
> ain controller batts and all...Heck we may be usin
> g a phone app and a coil by then..LOL..
>
> Keith

And I will still be using my old outdated analog White's and Tesoros...lol



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/04/2017 10:08PM by Hombre.

I went on e bay last year to sell a few items and was horrified by how much it cost to ship stuff by Air with Tracking Number
which I wanted to do as a Seller so whoever bought my goods always knew where their purchase was at any time before reaching them.

For a $200.00 item postage & packing could run to between $20 - $34.00 dollars

Get used to it. I had to. Living in Canada
Shipping any detector up here is an average of $35 to 45.00US.
Shipping one back to anywhere in the US is about $23-30US.
And you don't want to know shipping costs from the east coast to the west coast of Canada.
I can ship to Russia cheaper and that's overseas.
In Canada I avoid FedEx, UPS and Purolator, rip-off.
Living in Canada and having an alternative US shipping address has its advantages. Especially when sellers will not ship to Canada.

DeepTech Vista X with 3 search coils.
Works for me

I just shipped a Lesche 36" shovel and a hand digger the box measured 38" ×7"×7" the weight was 6 pounds 9 ounces I rounded it up to 7 pounds. From Georgia to Ohio it costed me $13.10 I thought that was very cheap and yes I did usps priority 2 day. I printed the shipping label off USPS click & ship on line.

My shipping charges from here in the north east to the mid west on detectors is normally between $18.00-$25.00 further west cost a bit more.

For one of my hobbies I sell antique art glass on fleabay, and yes the shipping charges are getting up there. Anytime your box goes over 12" in size, they charge a premium. FedEx and UPS will actually charge your an oversize charge, and they automatically charge a higher weight charge, so even if the package weights 5lbs, you get charged for 20 (or something like that).

For packages over 12" in size, the best value is USPS Parcel Post. Almost as fast, and a fraction of the cost of USPS Priority Mail. I don't use FedEx or UPS, as I've found them to be unreliable, and not cost effective.

Oh and I'm done doing free shipping when I sell a detector on The Depot, because almost every single time it goes back east, and from CA to the east coast cost a grip!

Harold,ILL. Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> detectingMO Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > You can usually get ~15% off shipping paying and
> p
> > rinting labels online.
>
>
> Yeah I need to start doing that. But I do most My
> listings on a Smartphone as So much faster with bu
> ilt in Camera.

Yeah I do as well. I send hundreds of packages a year though so i would probably do the same as you otherwise. I have a label printer that is the single best investment i have ever made.

Well besides a Sampson and Pro Pointer lol



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/05/2017 12:51AM by detectingMO.

Mike Hillis Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I sent a detector out yesterday, weighed less than
> 6 pounds Took it to Fed Ex where I ship all my de
> tectors via Fed Ex Ground and the cost was $35.95.
> I said, "Whoa! Wait a minute. That is pretty hig
> h. Why is the price so high?" The Fed Ex lady t
> old me it was the residential delivery address tha
> t caused it to be so costly.
>
> So I told her I wanted a second opinion and took t
> he box to the Post Office. The Post Office would
> ship it Priority Mail for 42.75 with no insurance.
> I said no thanks and went back to Fed Ex and paide
> d the 35.95.
>
> Buy and Try is getting a little to expensive what
> with the depressed resale market and high shipping
> costs. I may have to start doubling my money (fo
> ld it in half and put it back in my pocket).
>
> HH
> Mike

Hey Mike
Yea the golden sabre 2 I sent you was $23.00 for a $90.00 detector,so by and try is getting too expensive.
I hope the project works out.
Pantera?

------------"Cz's still bad to the bone".------------
Living on a big ass Astroid.
The woman that got my rib,I want it back.

lytle78 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Here, here's ten bucks - take this package across
> the continent at your risk, deliver it to god know
> s what sort of person - again - at your risk and..
> . by the way, ...be quick about it.
>
> Are you kidding me?
>
> Pony Express rates were $1 per half ounce - in tod
> ay's money $30 - more or less. That's 32x30 or $9
> 60 per pound - ah, the 'good old days".


But the Pony Express didn't even last two years, done in by the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad. Then that $1 dropped to 1 cent.

YOu guys got off light. Im in Fl and a guy wanted a machine with two straight shafts...... so i had to do two boxes. It was $165 to his door with UPS. Never again. Ill check shipping from now on BEFORE i say yes or we split the cost.

Quote

Yea the golden sabre 2 I sent you was $23.00 for a $90.00 detector,so by and try is getting too expensive.I hope the project works out. Pantera?

Pantera II

HH
Mike

Mike just get You another Golden uMax and Be done with it. Lol.

If it's not the increasing Shipping cost, it's the Ebay Fee's, then the The Pay Pal fee's..... #1 thing to reduce shipping cost is keeping the size of The box as small as possible. Just a couple of extra box inch's can add $12 bucks.

I just bought a Gold Pan kit from my distributor that was sent UPS ground. The shipping was $19.95 for 6 pounds. I then shipped it to my friend in Colorado USPS priority for under $10. Also a friend of mine at the post office told me that USPS 1st class mail takes the same time as Priority mail and is way cheaper. The limit now is 1 pound. He said to save money they ship 1st class on the same trucks and planes and they get there the same as if you paid for Priority. I have proved this over 1000 times shipping Gizmo's that I used to ship priority. I ship direct using paypal's shipping. Type this into your bar - www.paypal/shipnow.com to easily access cheap and fast postage.

Kenny
[www.youtube.com]

Wages go up gas goes up and gone are the days of less than 20 bucks to ship a unit days are gone....indeed using first class USPS cuts down costs but expect a while before it arrives...FedEx indeed is expensive but always a smooth transaction....and works for me....

A response would be welcome. I understand insuring a package is virtually worthless to protect against damage. Only if the carrier packed the parcel will they believe it was wrapped properly so if its damaged its your fault for not doing a better job.
Comments?

Past(or)Tom
Using a Legend, a Deus 2, an Equinox 800, a Tarsacci MDT 8000, & a few others...
with my beloved, fading Corgi, Sadie

Quote
Pasttom
A response would be welcome. I understand insuring a package is virtually worthless to protect against damage. Only if the carrier packed the parcel will they believe it was wrapped properly so if its damaged its your fault for not doing a better job.
Comments?

Well, for the most part you are correct.
You have to over pack to the extreme to avoid them saying that the packaging was not up to the trip.
I've had them pull that one once when I used the factory packaging that the unit arrived in unharmed.
One of the rare times they paid.

Brother, I have had "Nightmares" with shipping!
The post office and UPS.


And the cost!

Do you all remember Parcel Post?
I did a lot of shipping by Parcel Post.
Then, one day when I had a lot of items on ebay all finishing on the same day.......
During my listings the Post Office discontinued Parcel Post. I kept looking at the shipping options, and looking....
The option of Parcel Post just wasn't there anymore. My listings were made while Parcel Post was up and running.
So the bidders were seeing on their page a reasonable shipping cost.
When I went to ship all those items I had to pay for Priority shipping because Priority and Express were the only options.

After some months the replacement for Parcel Post came about. In these parts it was called Standard Mail.
Not as good a deal, all the rest was the same as the former Parcel Post.

Here is where I have to hold my temper.

The "Click and Ship" website provided by the Post Office did not have Parcel Post as an option, same for today's Standard Mail.
This website boast "ship from your desk", "Avoid a trip to the Post Office".
"Baloney"
I was spoiled and didn't know it.
PayPal cut a deal with the Post Office, the Post Office allowed for an option of Parcel Post when shipping through PayPal.
Only Priority and Express are offered on the Post Office website.
So I can only "avoid a trip to the Post Office" if I pay for Priority or Express.
I know guys in Canada and England. I have to ship those packages in person.

So, you guys want to be able to go into PayPal and use their shipping console?
It used to be that you had to have a degree in computer science to get to the PayPal shipping console for other than ebay shipping.
Recently I had to ship some coils. I haven't done much shipping in the last year so right away I saw the cost increase.
Started wondering about shipping through PayPal. Lower cost, avoid a trip to the Post Office.
It was around 2010 when a girl at PayPal tried to walk me through the maze to get to the shipping console from the account page.
Complete failure. The girl was very sweet, but her screen just didn't show what my screen was showing.
I figure it's 2017 I'll ask again. So I call, the girl says, "there isn't any button to click on to get you there".
"But I can give you a link"
I thank her up and down, tell her she is wonderful.
I follow the link, sign in, there is the ever familiar console........
I input all the info, select Standard Mail, and....... the price isn't that different.
Checked back and forth, back and forth.....
Where there used to be a wholesome savings using Parcel Post, now there was only a small savings.

From my memory.......

Coil
weight 1 lb 2 ounces
Carolina & Virginia

Priority $11.80 (about)
Standard Mail $11.40 (about)

After all that I saved around 40 cents.


They have us over a barrel.
Push anyone on this forum hard enough and they will say, "to heck with it, I'll make it myself".

Grow our own food, make fuel, what ever we have to do.

But here with this,.......they have us over a barrel.

Past pastor Tom,
That is why I ship detectors via Fed Ex. The few times I have had an issue with shipping damage Fed Ex took care of everything. From the time I filed the claim to reinbursement was under three weeks. I had sold a Golden Sabre II to a fella once and when he got it the case was cracked. After we discussed our options he decided on the new case. I called Tesoro and had them ship him a new case, and bill me. I filed a claim with Fed Ex for the case, shipping and all and had no trouble from them honoring the claim.

One thing you have to watch for nowadays that they have done away with the paper form....make sure they select 'Direct Signature' required. That adds to the cost of residential deliveries but it will cover you if the delivery driver drops it off on the porch and it gets stolen.

What turned me on to Fed Ex was that I had bought a big a$$ water heater of a telescope for deep space viewing back in 2005 and it was shipped to me via Fed Ex. It arrived in perfect condition.

HH
Mike

Actually it was telegraph that killed the Pony Express, trains came later.



marcomo Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> lytle78 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Here, here's ten bucks - take this package acros
> s
> > the continent at your risk, deliver it to god kn
> ow
> > s what sort of person - again - at your risk and
> ..
> > . by the way, ...be quick about it.
> >
> > Are you kidding me?
> >
> > Pony Express rates were $1 per half ounce - in t
> od
> > ay's money $30 - more or less. That's 32x30 or
> $9
> > 60 per pound - ah, the 'good old days".
>
>
> But the Pony Express didn't even last two years, d
> one in by the completion of the Transcontinental R
> ailroad. Then that $1 dropped to 1 cent.

You're right Brian. My error, should have said Transcontinental Telegraph.