I wanted to talk about freight today, as it is very fresh in my mind and thought I could share a little insight into shipping your larger items via freight through a pack n ship store like ours. Yesterday, we had two separate freight shipments come in within an hour of each other. The prices for freight usually are in the hundreds to thousands of dollars.
We offer a full service shipping solution through Goin' Postal. Sometimes that means that we have to package an item or items before they can be shipped. This was the case for one of these freight jobs. The truth is that anyone can do what a pack n ship store does and maybe save a few dollars, but you will save yourself a lot of headaches as usually the people are professionals and know what pitfalls to avoid.
Katie and I built a crate around the item, after the store had closed so that it will ship out today. Normally for a shipment we may spend 15 minutes total, but a freight shipment will take several hours and sometimes even days worth of work to have it ready for the LTL (Less than Load tracking companies). The time spent starts with the many phone calls to different trucking companies to negotiate rates, then prepping the shipment to leave. I hope that I have made your choice to ship via freight easier by choosing to have your local pack n ship company do it for you.
On a final note, last year we sent a complete household for less than the person could rent a u-haul and take it to her destination herself. So when you might think that Freight is expensive through a commercial counter it really is worth the amount quoted.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Online shipping quotes
There probably isn't a day that goes by that we don't hear this "I was online and saw that it would cost "X" to ship via ..." At which point we have to educate the customer about online shipping quotes vs the real world of commercial shipping.
When you send a package through one of the three major carriers (FedEx, UPS & DHL) there is a base rate (this is the rate that most websites will show, and if you read closely in their small print they will tell you this in one way or the other). The true cost to shipping the package not included in this price will definitely include a fuel surcharge which I have seen range anywhere from 1.5% to 28%. The other charge that these website neglect to tell anyone about is the pickup fee to have a package picked up at your location. As a shipping store we pay those fees everyday and they are included in our rates, so you will see a difference in rates right there.
Usually listed right on those sites is a disclaimer stating that prices given are only estimates and prices at a commercial counter may vary. Commercial counters include stores like us that are franchised (Goin' Postal, Post Net, The UPS Store, FedEx Kinko's) and mom and pop stores. If you go to a carrier hub you may receive the published base rate, but first you will have to find it and usually it is a lot easier, friendlier and closer to go to a commercial counter.
Commercial counters are a business just like a gas station, your local movie theater, food supermarket, etc... and as such they have overhead that requires a markup. So it should be understood that the prices will be slightly higher than the wholesale published base rate.
However, also it should be understood by those commercial counters that you the customer should receive quality, friendly & quick service. I have heard horror stories about commercial stores that don't do this. It is Goin' Postals mission to provide that type of service.
Stay tuned for more about shipping quotes from individual websites and the problems with each one.
When you send a package through one of the three major carriers (FedEx, UPS & DHL) there is a base rate (this is the rate that most websites will show, and if you read closely in their small print they will tell you this in one way or the other). The true cost to shipping the package not included in this price will definitely include a fuel surcharge which I have seen range anywhere from 1.5% to 28%. The other charge that these website neglect to tell anyone about is the pickup fee to have a package picked up at your location. As a shipping store we pay those fees everyday and they are included in our rates, so you will see a difference in rates right there.
Usually listed right on those sites is a disclaimer stating that prices given are only estimates and prices at a commercial counter may vary. Commercial counters include stores like us that are franchised (Goin' Postal, Post Net, The UPS Store, FedEx Kinko's) and mom and pop stores. If you go to a carrier hub you may receive the published base rate, but first you will have to find it and usually it is a lot easier, friendlier and closer to go to a commercial counter.
Commercial counters are a business just like a gas station, your local movie theater, food supermarket, etc... and as such they have overhead that requires a markup. So it should be understood that the prices will be slightly higher than the wholesale published base rate.
However, also it should be understood by those commercial counters that you the customer should receive quality, friendly & quick service. I have heard horror stories about commercial stores that don't do this. It is Goin' Postals mission to provide that type of service.
Stay tuned for more about shipping quotes from individual websites and the problems with each one.
What this blog is all about and why it is here.
Hi my name is Rick Kegresse and I am one of the owners of a shipping store in rural upstate New York. The store is Goin' Postal which is a franchised store that offers all of the shipping choices at the lowest rates found at commercial counters.
My wife Katie and I started this business about three years ago after much research on different business ideas and found that Goin' Postal Franchise corporation had exactly what we wanted and our community needed. The people at corporate headquarters in Zephyrhills, FL have always been great to work with and we have the best training and knowledge when it comes to our industry.
I am saying all of this ahead of time so that you, the reader, can know who I am and know with a great amount of certainty that I am speaking with the voice of experience in this blog.
The reason I have set this blog up is that there are a lot of misconceptions about the shipping industry and I see them every day through our customers that walk in our door. Mostly, Katie is up front at the counter explaining or dispelling whatever misconception that our customer may have and she helps me with this blog quite a bit. We feel that everyone should be fully informed as to their options when it comes to shipping.
Some may say that I have a vested interest, and to you I say you are correct. It is in my businesses best interest for my potential customer to know the truth.
In future blogs I will write about eBay Shipping calculator, iSHip, overseas shipping, shipping sidekick, FedEx, DHL, UPS, USPS and much much more. Please keep coming back to see what is new.
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