I believe that USPS flat rate was low but now it's been going up a bit over the last 2 years.

I took a square box (Pachy box) to the PO - 12x18x18. Ground shipping was $75. This is the first time ever that UPS was less money at $65.

quote:

Originally posted by richj:
I believe that USPS flat rate was low but now it's been going up a bit over the last 2 years.

I took a square box (Pachy box) to the PO - 12x18x18. Ground shipping was $75. This is the first time ever that UPS was less money at $65.

De Joy of shipping things...

Costs increase over time, we all understand that. But the thing that gets me with shipping is that there seems to be a huge increase in the amount of items that are shipped to residential addresses due to online purchasing.

I would think that this would cause the cost of shipping to go down, or at lease remain stable, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

USPS has gotten so expensive and slow anymore it has killed my poultry business. I've shipped live fowl as far as Anchorage in the past (I have well known flock of high quality rare araucana) and it has gotten so costly no one will buy birds anymore to be shipped. They destroyed shipping of hatching eggs several years ago. Their conveyor belts and sorting machines crush and damage almost all live embryos.

This is too bad as rare, heritage livestock, is what suffers when people are priced out of obtaining stock.

Part of my recent Amazon prime order was a day late (UPS this time). Promises made, not kept.

I know. My most hated to hear comment these days is "Well, that's just the way it is." I personally do what I say I'm going to do + require the same. But these days, morals + ethics seem to go out the window. Because they really don't give a sxxt. The guy at the P.O. told me that the regular Flat Rate boxes were going up now in anticipation of the Christmas rush, will go back down after the 1st of the year, (Yeah, right!) Rates, like taxes, I have NEVER seen go back down. Not to mention that if the powers that be don't get off their axx + fix this container issue there won't be a Christmas rush.

About 6 weeks ago, I ordered 3 things from Home Depot. The largest item was shipped and was out for delivery 2 days later. It did not arrive. It was held for 7 days in the Stockton, Ca. warehouse.
I was notified another item shipped and would be delivered soon from the same Stockton warehouse.
The 3rd item was not due for another week. It arrived in 2 days, from Stockton.
All 3 items arrived on the same day, from the same location, 3 different trucks. I watched 2 of the trucks pass each other in opposite directions. One turned down my driveway, the other to the neighbors place down the street. One left my driveway, the other came back to my house. Not very efficient.
If Home Depot had the items in stock, I would have just picked them up.

quote:

It was held for 7 days in the Stockton, Ca. warehouse.

I had the same thing happen with a very small item.

I tracked the shipment it was held in MN less then 100 miles from the house then delivered 5 days later.

On the delivered by date.

USPS hires the dumbest idiots they can find and then fails to train them.

The Polish cleaning woman who recently inherited my route doesn't know what a vertical red flag on the postbox means. She left a handgun sitting on my porch without signature or notification (Adult Signature Required package), then she left a handgun with the neighbors, the final straw was her refusal to deliver a package that was 8 oz. over the weight limit. She was probably afraid of straining her milk...

Anyhow, after 4 online complaints in a row, I was called by her supervisor and we had a heart to heart conversation about her failures. I informed him that a missing firearm is very serious and would result in an ATF investigation of HIS post office, training, personnel, procedures, etc. Suddenly, we had a different mail carrier, and this is in "do nothing, be accountable for nothing" WA state.

Sometimes, being loud and obnoxious pays off. Take a pro tip from the leftist protests and become a nightmare for the local post office. Documentation and video helps!

Oh, yeah, he damned sure wouldn't want a visit from the ATF, who would? If you want results 1st you've got to get their attention, + that's a good way to do it.

Over the decades of living in the same area.

I have had 3 rural mail carriers. The first two where men and would go out of their way to help you.

The latest one is a women and I don't think she would call 911 if you were draped over the mail box having a heart attack.

I know my mail carries pretty well. Some have been 'neighbors' in the rural areas I have lived. They have always been good people. Their 'subs' are the ones who are problematic. My current regular carrier does not have a good sub. Many times I have cursed this person out for shoving boxes that were really too large into my mail box and then causing issues for me to extract the damn thing.

quote:

Originally posted by 3584ELK:
USPS hires the dumbest idiots they can find and then fails to train them.

The Polish cleaning woman who recently inherited my route doesn't know what a vertical red flag on the postbox means. She left a handgun sitting on my porch without signature or notification (Adult Signature Required package), then she left a handgun with the neighbors, the final straw was her refusal to deliver a package that was 8 oz. over the weight limit. She was probably afraid of straining her milk...

I think I found the problem.

I’m sorry, I just couldn’t resist.