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UPS vs Fed-Ex


Brent_Baumer

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I must admit, I took the packages to independent businesses that act as drop off points. Mail B*xes Etc. gave me the UPS quote (guess they were planning on doubling their money) and a local place called The B*x Stopp gave me the Fed-Ex price. I guess he only wanted to make 12% on the deal (which is alot more than I made on the gunrack considering my time!). I thought a handmade solid ash rack that has a locking drawer and rod to lock the guns in the rack would bring more than a lousy $30........Brent
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And stay away from places like Mailb**es,Etc. they really rip you!I use my local AGCO dlr for UPS,of all places,,he gives me his discount rate,,suprising because everything else there [parts and tracs,]is NOT cheap!.,,thats only on outgoing,, recieving is the same rate.
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Another tip -- if possible, have it delivered to a business address, marked to the buyer's attention. Both FedEx and UPS charge significantly more to deliver to homes instead of business addresses. I guess this is based on the assumption that the business is on their regular delivery routes...
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When I ship to a residence and forget to check the non-business box I get a $2.58 charge billed to me. Had this happen on several pieces . So I think that is the price difference between business and residence. Could be wrong-frequently am.
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Since this topic has come up recently, I'd decided to do an experiment today at lunch. I made the gun rack shown below a few weeks ago and sold it on ebay. I packaged her up and weighed and measured the box. I then went to the UPS and FED-EX websites and input the dimensions and weights. Both carriers gave me a cost of $9.80 to ship to the successful bidder. I went to the local UPS dropoff point. They measured and weighed the package, and gave me a cost of $18.92 to ship via UPS. I took the package back and went to the local FED-EX dropoff point. They measured and weighed the package and gave me a cost of $11.00 to ship. The moral of the story, don't trust the website rate calculators and shop around! Brent http://ourworld.cs.com/Bcbaumer/gunrack1.jpg
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The rate calculators figures can vary greatly depending on what you input the information as to type of pick up. UPS has several options that you can choose from and the chrges will be different for each option. Customer counter is what you want if you are taking the package to a UPS counter. Independent businesses acting as a drop off may use a different rate as well. I ship daily pickup the way my billing is set up and usually the rate calculator is right on the money.................
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After you get the quote have UPS pick up at your home. I sell fiberglas fenders and once I sent an empty box to the fabricator to have them send the fenders back to me. The empty box cost $18.00 to send and when the same box came back with 2 sets of fenders inside the cost was the same. The reps at the UPS drop off facility says this happens often when the sender calls in and arranges for pickup. It makes no sense but that's the st-st-story and I'm stickin to it..Woody
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I've been pushing Forward Air because they have extremely good rates for heavy items. Kent, for example to send 100 pounds of anything to Michigan costs about $24.00. It may not be convenient in all situations but the rates are low. A tractor from Orlando, Florida to New York at JFK costs $167.00. That quote was for that Ebay tractor with the high reserve that looked so good. That quote was for the tractor only. My point is Forward Air forces you to pick up at the terminal and if a terminal is close enough to both parties it's a great deal. I called United's SameDayPlus's new cargo service yesterday as an alternative to Forward Air. United will go belly up if they don't stop demanding I have an account with them in order to ship. Their prices suck and their personnel don't know their jobs yet. 200 lbs to Tok Alaska was quoted at $160. OK I was curious to see how much Marty would have to pay for a new snowblower. Forward Air doesn't go there yet and I can't imagine why?! I believe UPS to be the better company than FED EX....Woody If you have a business Forward Air will open an account if you like. If this saves you money OR allows you to make more sales I accept GIFTS...preferably tractor related. Forward Air Website United's SameDayPlus Heavy Freight
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MPH, Watch out, tears freeze quick up there. The closest Forward Air gets to you is Seattle,WA. Hell, that's only 1350 miles as the crow flies from Tok! What is it about 30 hours each way driving? By the time any snowblower would get to you it would cost as much as a tractor! Still working on the problem. Cheap blower and Cheap freight...Woody [A href='http://www.metlife.com/Lifeadvice/Tools/Distancecalc/']http://www.metlife.com/Lifeadvice/Tools/Distancecalc/[/a]
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Driven that in 22 hours myself, including a stop at Laird hot springs about mid way up the Alcan, a must stop even at 45 below. fact, think its illegal to drive the Alcan and bypass Larid, least my sons believe that...MPH
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MPH, Even at 20 miles per gallon you're talkin 143 gallons of gas alone and I don't think your truck gets anywhere near that! Probably 13 which gets the gallons up to 220 gallons. One expensive snowblower trip!...Alaska is great but don't forget ANYTHING when you go there or vice versa...Woody
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Ok Ok Woody, guess I'll just have to come out for a picnic, vist family from Wash to Virgina, then come up and visit the 7 states I have never been in, which happen to be right in your neck of the woods. Probably won;t get any more snow this year worth blowin anyway..MPH
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I had an large pkg to ship, too heavy for the USPS, so I looked into UPS. The web site indicated something like 70 to 80 depending on the pick-up /drop-off etc. I called the local independent businesses that act as the drop off and they wanted more than $ 110.00 !! I ended up having a friend do it for me through his daily UPS pick-up, it cost 58- & change. Seems there should be a better way, it's like UPS doesn't want to deal unless you're a business.
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Brent, I understand your frustration. I sold a snow/dozer blade (the light duty one, not the HD) to a guy in Michigan and sent it UPS in two boxes. The prices I had to pay at a Mail Boxes Etc. were so much more than what I had quoted the buyer (based on the website calculator) that I darned near gave the blade away... I learned my lesson! There's a local cardboard box manufacturing company that's a UPS shipping point fairly close to the house, and they come pretty darn close to the prices quoted on the website.... I use them as much as I can. Dick, I agree with your sentiments entirely. I just wish there were some accurate way to predict these costs....
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OK Woody, now that I know shipping will cost me 160 bucks how much you wantting for that new 42 inch blower you got with that B-112??It doesn't snow on Long Isand anyway, does it??MPH
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Like I said MPH they (United) demand opening an account and it wasn't very clear where the heck they went. I had in mind to locate a blower for you and then present the package deal at the appropriate moment. A little more patience and try not to look at my B112's blower too closely...Woody
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