topic Re: USPS vs. UPS Price To Ship in Community Chat

USPS vs. UPS Price To Ship

NickNack — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 16:23:30 GMT

I have a fairly large package to return (not to QVC). How much more expensive is it to ship by UPS vs. USPS? The UPS Store is so much quicker than standing in line at the Post Office. I would definitely ship USPS if it's significantly cheaper though.

Re: USPS vs. UPS Price To Ship

software — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 16:30:14 GMT

@NickNack wrote:
I have a fairly large package to return (not to QVC). How much more expensive is it to ship by UPS vs. USPS? The UPS Store is so much quicker than standing in line at the Post Office. I would definitely ship USPS if it's significantly cheaper though.

You can do everything for USPS through the website.

Not sure about UPS, I always found them expensive.

Re: USPS vs. UPS Price To Ship

50Mickey — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 16:37:23 GMT

Those UPS stores are a lot more expensive. In some cases double what you would pay in the PO. These stores are franchises and they make money shipping and packing and printing.

Re: USPS vs. UPS Price To Ship

NickNack — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 16:49:08 GMT

Thank you @software and @50Mickey . That's what I was afraid of, that UPS was much more expensive. I'll take it to the post office. I can't do it online because I have no idea how much the package weighs.

Re: USPS vs. UPS Price To Ship

BunSnoop — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 17:10:40 GMT

Oh @NickNack , you must have ESP, I was just going to start a topic about my experience this morning at the post office.

I live in Illinois and had a 9 pound package to be sent to California. Went to the post office - it cost $38.00!! I was shocked at the cost. It's so seldom I ever ship packages; however, this was a Christmas present for my in-laws. Usually they're here in Illinois for the holidays, but this year they were not. The cost was about double of what I thought it was going to be.

I'm curious of what it would of cost if I had gone to UPS. My hubby thinks UPS is cheaper.

Good luck with sending yours!

Re: USPS vs. UPS Price To Ship

BabyYoda — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 16:59:35 GMT

@NickNack wrote:
Thank you @software and @50Mickey . That's what I was afraid of, that UPS was much more expensive. I'll take it to the post office. I can't do it online because I have no idea how much the package weighs.

I would send it by UPS. Waaaay cheaper. I just sent a large box to relatives as we won't be spending Christmas together. @NickNack

Pack your box and tape it closed. Weigh yourself on a scale then get back on the scale holding your box (hopefully it isn't too heavy). Subtract the difference and you have the weight on your box. Measure your box by Length, width and height with a measuring tape. My box had the size listed on the bottom of the box. I printed the label and used clear shipping tape to secure it to the box. Go to a UPS service station NOT the UPS store (that is retail pricing) and drop it off. You can pay right then and there and they will check the weight for you or prepay online before you go. You can also get a pickup but there is a charge for that. Use Coupon code Holidays for 25% off ground shipment.

Re: USPS vs. UPS Price To Ship

noodleann — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 17:00:15 GMT

Do you HAVE to let UPS pack your stuff? I always package my own Amazon returns to avoid any possible surcharge, and they always take them. Other people show up there with sealed boxes to ship and I see UPS take them.

Assuming UPS will take a customer-packed box, I would weigh and measure the box and then use the USPS online tools to calculate the shipment cost. You may run into something called "dimensional weight." I think all the services have that. Don't forget insurance, assuming the contents are insurable. I believe $50 insurance is included with Priority mail. Don't know about UPS.

Not sure about how to get pricing from UPS. But to be fair, you need an apples-to-apples comparison, and that means packaging the shipment yourself.

Re: USPS vs. UPS Price To Ship

ReggieRagu — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 17:02:39 GMT

@NickNack I always thought UPS was more expensive than USPS.

I can only share my most recent experiences. I had a medium sized box, not very heavy at all to send to my grandchildren for Halloween and my grandson's birthday. We went to the USPS because it is very convenient for us. It was going from NC to WI. It was $42.00 plus change. My husband was shocked to the point that he went back in to make sure it was accurate. I even checked on the website when I returned home.

This week we went to the UPS store to send our gifts to both WI and TN. The prices were comparable...possibly even cheaper because we had one very large and heavy box and it was about $6.00 more than the one we sent via USPS.

Sorry to ramble on but I really don't think it makes a difference anymore plus my boxes got to TN in 1 day and to WI in 2.
Merry Christmas

Reggie

Re: USPS vs. UPS Price To Ship

nana59 — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 17:10:49 GMT

i know this might be off topic....but i just packed up a qvc return....is it cheaper to use their return label....or pay usps to return....thank you.....

Re: USPS vs. UPS Price To Ship

Janey2 — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 17:19:38 GMT

I was curious about this so I just read 3 articles comparing USPS, UPS, and FedEx. All three authors sent out packages and compared the cost. USPS came out cheaper, and in some cases by a lot.

Re: USPS vs. UPS Price To Ship

Mz iMac — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 17:31:39 GMT

In my neck of the woods USPS is cheaper. That being said, I like going to UPS if I have to have my item(s) wrapped.

Every year, I send my grown children & their children huge Easter Basket gift packages. How do I box and/or wrap those things?????

Well, my local UPS store always has the right size boxes. They do all the boxing and/or wrapping themselves. Even providing the bubble wrap if needed. They always give me a sheet to take home to pop at my leisure.

Because I'm mailing multiple packages, UPS gives me a reasonable flat rate fee.

Re: USPS vs. UPS Price To Ship

geezerette — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 17:36:57 GMT

I think you can go to both websites and enter your box dimensions, package weight and destination to get an estimate of what each would cost to ship.

Re: USPS vs. UPS Price To Ship

icezeus — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 18:18:59 GMT

Im going to say that the post office would be cheaper. However, I am sure there must be some sort of online tools for both sites that let you at least give you a good idea on how much it will cost, take down the dimensions and place the package on your scale for the estimate weight.

Re: USPS vs. UPS Price To Ship

icezeus — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 17:54:32 GMT

@nana59

It depends upon the size and weight of the item. For instance I just returned a heavy box for Pac Man TSV that I purchased. I have no idea what I was thinking when I purchased. It was pretty heavy. I used the Q return label of $10.95. which I know would be a lot cheaper then trying to return it on my own dime.

Re: USPS vs. UPS Price To Ship

NickNack — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 18:17:42 GMT

@BabyYoda wrote:
@NickNack wrote:
Thank you @software and @50Mickey . That's what I was afraid of, that UPS was much more expensive. I'll take it to the post office. I can't do it online because I have no idea how much the package weighs.

I would send it by UPS. Waaaay cheaper. I just sent a large box to relatives as we won't be spending Christmas together. @NickNack

Pack your box and tape it closed. Weigh yourself on a scale then get back on the scale holding your box (hopefully it isn't too heavy). Subtract the difference and you have the weight on your box. Measure your box by Length, width and height with a measuring tape. My box had the size listed on the bottom of the box. I printed the label and used clear shipping tape to secure it to the box. Go to a UPS service station NOT the UPS store (that is retail pricing) and drop it off. You can pay right then and there and they will check the weight for you or prepay online before you go. You can also get a pickup but there is a charge for that. Use Coupon code Holidays for 25% off ground shipment.

Thank you @BabyYoda ! That's exactly what I just did. I actually just put the box directly on my scales and weighed it. It was 14.4 lbs. Now I just need to drop it off at the service station.

Re: USPS vs. UPS Price To Ship

NickNack — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 18:25:37 GMT

I just checked both UPS and USPS. UPS was $28 and USPS was $48. I assume that because of the size and weight of the box they only let me ship Priority Mail with the post office. I needed to insure it, and that may have been a reason, too.

Re: USPS vs. UPS Price To Ship

Kachina624 — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 18:35:04 GMT

@nana59 wrote:
i know this might be off topic....but i just packed up a qvc return....is it cheaper to use their return label....or pay usps to return....thank you.....

@nana59. Its almost always cheaper to use the QVC label. If you pay shipping you need to add insurance which increases the cost, even on lightweight items like jewelry. Also if you use the Q label, USPS will pick up the package at your house saving standing in line at the post office. Just go to their website and request a pick up.

Re: USPS vs. UPS Price To Ship

nana59 — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 19:26:28 GMT

@Kachina624 wrote:
@nana59 wrote:
i know this might be off topic....but i just packed up a qvc return....is it cheaper to use their return label....or pay usps to return....thank you.....
@nana59. Its almost always cheaper to use the QVC label. If you pay shipping you need to add insurance which increases the cost, even on lightweight items like jewelry. Also if you use the Q label, USPS will pick up the package at your house saving standing in line at the post office. Just go to their website and request a pick up.

thanks!

Re: USPS vs. UPS Price To Ship

novamc1 — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 19:33:05 GMT

Within the past week, I've shipped twice from the UPS store near my house and have become a big fan, versus the sometimes unreliable and inefficient U.S. postal service.

I was shipping both times to the same address of a family member in Virginia. My boxes both times were packed and sealed, and all I needed was a UPS-generated label, and all UPS needed was my credit card.

The label is now in their system so on subsequent visits I don't have to write out addresses or phone numbers before they can make the label. All I have to do is walk into the store and give them my phone number which quickly generates the stored info and spits out the label.

Our nearby USPS office, however, involves waiting in lines with many other people and dealing with some not-necessarily-very-friendly postal clerks. Then there is the problem of USPS delivering to the wrong houses and their not-very-reliable tracking info about packages. (Don't get me started on those horror stories.)

My first UPS shipment got to its destination in two days with regular and cheapest UPS ground shipping.

The second shipment is in progress but I"ll bet it arrives at the right address today or on Monday, at the latest.

Re: USPS vs. UPS Price To Ship

Melzie — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 20:41:27 GMT

If you go to UPSstore.com you can fill in your shipping information and get an idea of what it would cost yourself.