Flat Out Savings

Flat Out Savings was Originally Posted on May 24, 2009 by lavarock

I see that the US Post Office has finally decided to advertise their flat rate boxes on TV. We coffee farmers have been touting them for years! If any of my customers are reading this they are nodding because that is how they got their shipments.

Flat rate boxes (and the cheaper alternative, envelopes) are a cost-effective alternative to other shipping methods. I can ship a couple pounds of coffee to anywhere in the US for just about $5. I can ship perhaps 4 pounds of coffee, some honey and a few calendars for under $10. The post office says “If it fits, it ships!” This is true, although we farmers push the envelope a bit, so to speak.

There is an upper limit on weight, but unless you are literally shipping bricks, I don’t think it will be a limit for you.

The envelope is best for papers or a book; the boxes come in a few different sizes and are best fro odd sized or heavy items. I won’t try to teach you all about this shipping option, but encourage you to stop by the post office and look at the sizes. There is a small box, one the size of a shoe box and one the size of a sweater box (the latter having a bit more space in it than the shoe box one).

You can buy stamps the right amount to paste on the boxes, but there is a secret I wanted to pass along. Go to USPS.COM and create an account and use a credit card to buy postage. You save few cents and lots of time. Here is how:

You access the site and log in. Either choose an address from your saved lists or enter the shipping information. Choose your shipping method, like the flat rate shoe box and then you print the shipping label on your printer. The cost is less than buying stamps at the post office. Although they make adhesive labels specifically for these types of labels, you can print on a regular white piece of paper. I do that and then use clear packing tape to tape the label on the box. It could not be easier!

You also save time, especially during holidays and you don’t have to be a big shipper to do this. perhaps you are mailing Christmas ornaments to Mom, or a “C.A.R.E.” box to the kids with all sorts of candy and stuff. Just pack the box, attach the label and head to the post office. Don’t dispair that the line winds its way out the door and half way down the street. You don’t have to stand in line to ship now! Just walk in past these poor un-technical people and go to the designated counter. In my post office it is the one that is at the end and unused. Ask your post office in advance if you like, exactly how they would like you to drop off your packages or envelopes.

You may notice that almost everyone in line is getting stamps or buying boxes. You already have stamps and a box (you Do know that the box was free, right?). Anyway, you place the box on the counter and point at the preprinted postage label. A clerk will look and nod that they saw you drop the box off and “whoosh”, you are out the door. Average time in the post office to drop off a box or envelope, 1 minute! This is in contrast to the 20 minutes that others may be waiting. Oh, they may think you are cheating by bypassing the line, but in reality, you are being efficient and using the system to your advantage and the post office rewards you with a pleasant experience, a free box or envelope and a few cents off your shipment. I liken this to you going on a flight where you paid less than the person next to you. You did a bit of work up front and saved money. It s not your fault that others don’t know the secret.

I suggest this process even for people who only send a couple packages a year. If your items fit in the box, the price is fixed. I have a tendency of buying gifts that will fit the boxes. However, I find that I send more gifts because the process is so simple now and I don’t have to stand in long lines at the post office. The best part is saving that 19 minutes a week or so before Christmas.

I have not mentioned shipping times. Shipping a package to or from Hawaii can take a long time, if it goes by boat. Luckily, flat rate boxes ar priority mail and go by plane. Average time from anywhere in the US to anywhere else in the US is 3 to 5 business days! Although it can take a bit longer during holidays, still, that is fast!

You can get boxes and envelopes at the post office. If you ship a lot, you can go to USPS and order them (free shipping to your home or office). You can buy stamps at regular price to attach, but bty printing the label and postage at the USPS site, you save a few cents each and get free delivery confirmation. You can also add insurance if you wish, although out of hundreds of shipments I have only lost 2 shipments and they were too inexpensive to have worried about the cost of insurance.

As you can tell, I’m on the bandwagon for this and have been since they developed this flat rate priority shipping system. It is similar to FedEx and UPS but at a lower cost and certainly appropriate for businesses and home use.

Give it a try!