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Shipping pedals priority for $5 via USPS


solewheelin

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I didn't know about this for a long time and I lost a lot of money due to it.

Maybe its old news, maybe not, but if you ship pedals frequently, you might want to read on.

 

The $4.95 small flat rate mailing boxes I have always seen advertised at the PO are 1 1/2" thick and are only good for shipping books and vhs tapes. They look like this:

usps_pmc_fro_thb_sm.jpg

No way can you fit a pedal in this box.

So for years, I resorted to the medium flat rate box which costed $10.70 to ship.

Then I started brown paper wrapping a pedal sized box for shipping, thinking it would save me money,

and they were still charging me 8-9 dollars to ship a boss sized pedal because I am not using their flat rate priority box, so it would be priced under a different (non-flat rate) priority system.

What a load of shit!

This made me mad.

:mad:

 

So,

What they don't seem to advertise is that there is something that the USPS calls a "#4 box".

They have them in the back and I never, ever have seen it advertised in the waiting room with the other boxes. So ask for it by name.

WTF!?

For a long time, I didn't know this box ever existed.

These qualify as a $4.95 small priority box and look like this:

O-BOX4_600x600.jpg

 

 

 

Dog shit.

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You might want to get her to ring you up each time then.

 

 

I think that used to be a flat rate box.

 

By the way, as long as the box you use is less than 12 inches on each side, the rate is drtermined mostly by weig. There is a small upcharge determined by how many postal zones away your destination is. Anything under about pound and a half should only be $5-7, and most pedals are around a pound.

 

It could be worse. Try using UPS for a small item such as a pedal.

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i will have to look into this.

 

i hate finding pedal boxes, i always end up making one and it's a pain in the ass.

 

however if you use your own packaging it usually costs 5.75 to ship a pedal priority (including deliv. conf. so i gues that would be 5)

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My PO lady says as longs as the box fits in the envelope it will be fine and I haven't had one sent back to me.

 

 

The only time I've done this is when some eBay asshat sent me a pedal in a reused Flat Rate envelope. It arrived beat to {censored}, so after I got my refund, I sent it back in the same envelope with a little more tape. How hard is it to spend the extra $2 to protect what you're shipping?

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I just looked up the flat rate boxes on USPS.com -- that size is not included. You just got lucky.

 

 

This. I've got a whole stack of those free from the PO. Go to their site and order them, even the delivery is free. They do go by weight with this box and a pedal is about 6 to 7 dollars now, not $4.95.

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So,

What they don't seem to advertise is that there is something that the USPS calls a "#4 box".

They have them in the back and I never, ever have seen it advertised in the waiting room with the other boxes. So ask for it by name.

WTF!?

For a long time, I didn't know this box ever existed.

These qualify as a $4.95 small priority box and look like this:

O-BOX4_600x600.jpg

Dog shit.

 

 

I've used those scores of times and have never been charged a flat rate. Usually costs me about $8-11 for a single pedal with delivery confirmation.

 

 

As an aside, I received a pedal in nothing but a padded envelope the other day. Pissed me off.

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Well, i guess the deal is, these used to be flat rate, and the clerk charged me the old price.

I thought I had something there.. I plan on finding this clerk from now on. :)

Didn't mean to spread any misinformation.

 

Really though! Why the hell did they change that?

I guess USPS has their reasoning.. but we and many others get shafted because of it.

My apologies for submitting false info, but not for cheating the system!

:evil:

 

And I don't know about you guys, but even though you get charged by weight, I could fit 2-3 well padded pedals in box 4.

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And I don't know about you guys, but even though you get charged by weight, I could fit 2-3 well padded pedals in box 4.

 

 

True, but at that point you're probably better off using a medium size flat rate box for around $10. You can fit quite a bit more in there, and the weight limit is 70lbs.

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