New 2020 Flat Rate Shipping with UPS

FranklinWorkshops

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I received this information link today from UPS about their new flat rate shipping option. This allows us to ship using our own packaging and get flat rates across the continental USA. The largest box qualified for this option has to measure less that 1728 cu inches as measured from the outside of the box. That is equivalent, for example, to a box that measures 18" by 12"x 8" with a total weight of 50 lbs or less. This is much bigger than the largest USPS flat rate box and the price is about the same. I'll be able to ship much more wood like this for the same or less than with USPS.

Suggest you read this if you're shipping products as it may save you money.

https://www.ups.com/us/en/services/shipping/simple-rate.page?WT.mc_id=EML_MKTO_101299&mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiTXpJeE1qRmlOREV5TldJMyIsInQiOiJkdW1qcjRaMWZvUE9CdnpUTW1FZzVDMno5ckZlNUcwT0dJemhZMGRwdW1lS1JBQzVwcGd6T3JJQkpZbjZRQXFtK1lJTVBqbGVpVnhLVU9MeHYweWFiYkNzTXZYUjBDNTFjV0phbHpPV1NTSVRKVmIzVllHMUVmQTJ6RFYxaWFcL2kifQ==
 
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FranklinWorkshops

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Shipped my first box using this new UPS Flat rate option but it was an adventure. Because the box was close to the upper size limit, I took it to the UPS service center for them to verify that it was within the size range limits. They had no idea that UPS was offering a flat rate option and told me that they could only tell me what the standard UPS Ground rate would be ($38.50) to ship it to Jason in Texas. After I realized they weren't kidding, I brought the box home and printed out the label using the UPS online system since they told me how they measured the box. It was well within the upper limit.

The form online just asked for which of the five size ranges your package fits in but it didn't ask for the weight. Since the max weight for this program is 50 lbs, and mine was much less than that, I thought it was no big deal. For some reason when I printed the label from the online system, I noticed that the label said it weighed 13 lbs. No where did I enter that number on the screen.

So off I go again to the UPS Service Center with a print-0ut of the UPS online description for their new flat rate service. The guys behind the counter were shocked as they read through it. Then another UPS guy walked in and they asked him about it. He had heard about a flat rate option but didn't know the details. Corporate had not yet informed or trained their service center personnel on it. They also assured me that they didn't have the ability on their computers to give that shipping option. So we all agreed that for now, using the flat rate option can only be done online. My final cost was $25.00 instead of $38.50 so it is well worth the effort.

Now here's a conundrum: the UPS guys say they are not allowed to accept a pre-labeled box that has a weight on it less than it actually weighs. After some debate, they finally agreed with me that the information I printed and gave them does say that it can have any weight up to 50 lbs. So they took the box and shipped it and gave me a receipt for it.

So if you use this new flat rate option, take a printout of the online information I linked to above because you may have to train the UPS people like I did. So much for UPS communications within their company.
 

Schroedc

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It's been an option for me for a while but so far everything I ship UPS has been outside the limits, I'll have to dig back into it. I wish I could get a USPS flat rate that worked for something I make in the shop. the game box is too long and the medium is too shallow :sarcastic:
 

FranklinWorkshops

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It's been an option for me for a while but so far everything I ship UPS has been outside the limits, I'll have to dig back into it. I wish I could get a USPS flat rate that worked for something I make in the shop. the game box is too long and the medium is too shallow :sarcastic:
Remember that with the UPS flat rate option, you can use your own box. I had some heavy duty 9 x 9 x 36" boxes that I cut down to make 16" long boxes. Used that to ship a bunch of bowl blanks this morning. That size easily fits within the upper range allowed. Lots of the boxes that come from Amazon will work also.
 

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It's been an option for me for a while but so far everything I ship UPS has been outside the limits, I'll have to dig back into it. I wish I could get a USPS flat rate that worked for something I make in the shop. the game box is too long and the medium is too shallow :sarcastic:

Also, there is a Regional Rate B box that might work for you. Check it out on the USPS.com website.
 

Schroedc

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Also, there is a Regional Rate B box that might work for you. Check it out on the USPS.com website.

Yeah, I looked at those too, they just aren't quite the right size. I am currently using a ton of addresses to calculate an average cost for USPS with a set box size I use here and may just use that average to set a combined price including shipping.
 

FranklinWorkshops

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Yeah, I looked at those too, they just aren't quite the right size. I am currently using a ton of addresses to calculate an average cost for USPS with a set box size I use here and may just use that average to set a combined price including shipping.
I also buy boxes for some of my Etsy items from Uline. Check them out at Uline.com. They make great corrugated boxes in almost any size you can think of.
 

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Just an update, I purchased 25 boxes from Uline.com this morning that measure 12 x 12 x 10 which allows me to ship three to four 12" bowl blanks to you bowl turners for the same approximate price that USPS charges for their 12 x 12 x 5.75 large flat rate box. The boxes are made with 200 lb rated corrugated and cost $0.92 each. Even with next day delivery, the total cost was less than $2 each which is a great deal for this heavy duty box. The odd thing is that next day delivery was the cheapest delivery option. Go figure!!!
 

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It's good to know that the USPS keeps careful track of out packages. Today is Sunday, Dec 4. I just got this from the P.O.
1670172628228.png
I expect to get a "delivered" message tomorrow, Monday, Dec 5. It's good to see that the P.O. knows what it is doing.
 
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