• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Shocked by UPS shipping charge

#41
Dimensions and weight really doesn't matter that much to UPS, what increases the price a lot is sending something to a residential home, requiring a signature and putting insurance on a package.
When signature is required UPS will make three delivery attempts to get a signature before sending back to sender. So basically when you require a signature to someones house they charge you for delivering it three times because they may have to go out three times. Whereas USPS will make one attempt and if no one is home they will leave a card that the person has to sign and put it in their mailbox, or go to the post office to pick it up.
 
#43
Thornton Davis said:
You would think that with the huge decline in gas and diesel over the past 8 months that courier/shipping costs would be moving downwards instead of upwards. I can't help but see this as anything more than corporate greed.

TD
Click to expand...
I suspect the " little guy " is being used to make up for some of the lost revenue due to all the free shipping offered on places like Amazon and Ebay etc by big retailers . Somebody must be paying for that somehow and it doesn't always seem like it's built into the item cost ...
 
#44
Those UPS or shipping stores are independently owned businesses. They are free to mark up the actual UPS price as much as they want. People with UPS accounts pay less, and volume shippers, even less. As mentioned, taking your item to a real UPS hub is cheaper, but if you have to drive a 30 mile round trip, no real savings as the average car takes about a buck a mile to operate.

Many people who belong to a professional or trade organization usually get a preferred FedEx price as one of the benefits. I think even AARP members get a discount as well. In my area, FedEx is a more reliable carrier, so I take everything to the FedEx Office Print and Ship Center and a bass is usually $35 to ship including insurance.

BTW, just about anyone can get a UPS or FedEX account and then you can box up your stuff and print your label at home.
 
#45
Pay for all your shipping via an online FexEx or UPS account - you get a big discount that way compared to a retail counter.

You can then drop of your labeled box to one of the convenient retail locations, like the UPS Store, FexEx Office, or independent shop for no extra charge.

That's usually how I roll. My post office, UPS, and FexEx hubs are all remarkably far away from my house given that I live in a major city.

To the folks managing to ship a bass for ~$35, what sort of boxes are you using? I'm usually at least $50 if I use the U-Line guitar boxes.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DWBass
#46
I once spent $60 shipping a bass from South Texas to North Texas and I had my own box. That was a shock. I am pretty sure I used Fedex. I shipped it from a store that was an authorized shipper for all the major carriers.

I was in a hurry, and didn't want to spend half a day, plus gas, meeting the buyer halfway. Next time I will shop around for better prices.
 
#47
FenderP said:
Everyone - including the USPS - charges not only by weight, but by dimensional weight.
Click to expand...

Yup. I have used USPS the most BUT if the box bumps into the "oversize" category it about doubles. I got eaten by that a couple of times. If you can have a box about the size that covers a bass case you will do OK.
I will add my shipping days are about numbers but I developed methods to super insulate the instrument from damage in the smallest possible package.
 
#49
Handyman said:
To the folks managing to ship a bass for ~$35, what sort of boxes are you using? I'm usually at least $50 if I use the U-Line guitar boxes.
Click to expand...
I typically re-use a box a bass was shipped in either from a vendor or private sale. I rarely ship a bass in a hard case (keeps the size and weight down). Most times ship with a gig bag. I was averaging $27-$40. I haven't shipped a bass in 4-5 years though so not sure of current rates.
 
#50
Shipping cost have caused me to re-think my position for buying/selling basses. it's funny but here on TB, it's the norm to include shipping in the price. I know for myself, I generally pass by any post that says shipping to be paid by the buyer. On FeeBay, most every individual seller charges shipping, and most buyers don't bat an eye. I've just lost too much money on my sales lately because of the shipping fees. I'm shipping from Maryland, and it seems most of my buyers are from California. That usually means $80-90. with those fees, it's hard to even break even on a sale anymore.
 
#51
1) Unless it is a high dollar bass, never ship in a hard shell case, always a gig bag or no case
2) Insure for actual value of transaction...the 1st $100 is free
3) never take it to the ups store to pay, pay from your computer on your own account
4) I found Fedex Ground much cheaper on my own account than UPS
5) Drop the package off
6) If shipping out of the country, ask the buyer if they mind if you take the neck off. It is way cheaper and the box becomes much smaller.

I only ship about 5 basses a year but found over the years these methods reduce the price. It is shame we lost Parcel Post fron the US Post Office.
 
#52
Sold a cabinet on TB last year and made the mistake of including shipping charges in the sale price, because hey, how much could it be, right? Wound up costing almost half of what I sold the cab for! I honored the deal, but I won't make that mistake again.

Zooberwerx said:
*Avoid storefront shipping sites like "The UPS Store" as they charge premium prices. You're better off finding and utilizing local hubs / terminals.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's what I thought too, but they charged me just as much when I dropped off at the hub as was quoted from the UPS store.

Zooberwerx said:
*Don't be afraid to "shave down" a grossly over-sized shipping carton as dimensions do have an impact.
Click to expand...

That was part of my problem as well. But I was obsessed with making sure the cab arrived intact. The larger dimensions really drove up the cost.
 
#54
Shipping charges have really become crazy in the past 10 years. They blamed fuel prices, but they aren't reducing their charges now that fuel is cheap.

Online orders have increased which has caused shipping prices to increase also.
 
#56
you get what you pay for...UPS has better tracking systems, accountability for damaged packages, and ability to deliver when they say they will. Fedex is a crap shoot because they use many independent contract drivers, their tracking sucks, and if you get ground and the package arrives earlier at the destination hub than estimated, most times it just sits until day projected. USPS is the cheapest for a reason: you will get your package anywhere from 3 days to 3 years and the condition will always be unknown to bad.
 
#57
DWBass said:
I typically re-use a box a bass was shipped in either from a vendor or private sale. I rarely ship a bass in a hard case (keeps the size and weight down). Most times ship with a gig bag. I was averaging $27-$40. I haven't shipped a bass in 4-5 years though so not sure of current rates.
Click to expand...

Thanks, that makes sense. I've usually shipped with a hard case, which obviously makes for a larger and heavier package.
 
#60
scowboy said:
I think this is one of many reasons sales are slow. As a seller it's hard to ship for free anymore. I also have had pretty good luck with craigslist lately. I would also add that buyers on Reverb.com are more accustomed to paying for at least some of the shipping so it gets offset.

It's hard to ship a bass across country for any less than about $75 these days. As far as USPS, I use them only when I have to. I shipped a six string Spector Euro last year from Sacramento to San Diego and it got lost for about three weeks. When I filed a claim it magically re-appeared - say what you want about FedEx or UPS, that is the exception and not the rule.

I generally use FedEx and have had the best service and they are always a little cheaper.
Click to expand...

I agree. The overhead in selling a large instrument is too high now. Everyone wants 30% at least off of the lowest price they heard someone buying the bass for plus free shipping and then they want another discount on top of that. So we quickly get into the range where it's no hassle to sell to Guitar Center. Trades are much easier now than sales.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back