Postal Rates - Oh My

Ouch. I find this hard to swallow. I've been trying to support them, because they've been loosing money for decades and decades. Still, it's hard to 'make friends' when the changes you make don't seem to make a bit of difference.

I have a package that's been "arriving late" for a week plus. It was mailed 12/6 and due on 12/9. I filed an inquiry and got the run-around ("its in transit to the regional warehouse, it should have arrived by now. Give it a few more days. We're busy"). I've never lost a package with the postal system. I worry I may break that streak.

Edit: Sorry, I know this isn't meant to be a USPS bashing thread. Issues happen, especially at the busiest time of the year. This package is special, though.

No need to apologize to me Paul.  My package has been "late" since April.

What?! April!!! That's absurd. Have you contacted them? Was it insured? My goodness, so sorry to hear that.

Ouch. I find this hard to swallow. I've been trying to support them, because they've been loosing money for decades and decades. Still, it's hard to 'make friends' when the changes you make don't seem to make a bit of difference.

I have a package that's been "arriving late" for a week plus. It was mailed 12/6 and due on 12/9. I filed an inquiry and got the run-around ("its in transit to the regional warehouse, it should have arrived by now. Give it a few more days. We're busy"). I've never lost a package with the postal system. I worry I may break that streak.

Edit: Sorry, I know this isn't meant to be a USPS bashing thread. Issues happen, especially at the busiest time of the year. This package is special, though.

No need to apologize to me Paul.  My package has been "late" since April.

What?! April!!! That's absurd. Have you contacted them? Was it insured? My goodness, so sorry to hear that.

Let me be brief, so as not to run afoul of the rules we live by:  Yes, I did speak to them.  The person I spoke to was a breath of fresh air, but there was nothing he could do.  It was more time and trouble than it was worth to make it right, so I let it go as best I could.

No need to apologize to me Paul.  My package has been "late" since April.

What?! April!!! That's absurd. Have you contacted them? Was it insured? My goodness, so sorry to hear that.

Let me be brief, so as not to run afoul of the rules we live by:  Yes, I did speak to them.  The person I spoke to was a breath of fresh air, but there was nothing he could do.  It was more time and trouble than it was worth to make it right, so I let it go as best I could.

I agree with you on the "breath of fresh air". I've traced a package 3 or 4 times. When I've spoken with the representative, they've been insanely good. All of my past calls have wound up getting the package moving, too. I'm not optimistic here. Still, absolutely agree: the folks who do the tracking are typically exceptional.

Nonetheless, I am very sorry to hear of your misfortune. Let us hope it remains a rare occurrence, and gets rarer as the days go by.

Have a great Sunday.

Anyone ever used Pirateship.com or Stamps.com?

I use Stamps now as an individual, not a company. You can use USPS, FedEx, and UPS, with a tool that looks for the least expensive. There is a monthly fee, $18 if I recall. I was doing a bit of buying and selling over the summer, and this helped cut costs from Click and Ship. Now I am used to having it, so like a Netflix subscription, it will probably keep billing me regardless of how little or much I use it. Need to keep an eye on it, for sure!

Anyone ever used Pirateship.com or Stamps.com?

Pirate Ship has the same USPS rates as PayPal and I find that their site is easier to use than PayPal as well. I've switched over to Pirate Ship and have been really happy with them. They've just brought on UPS as a second shipper but I've not used UPS yet. Assume that PS's prices are equally good.

I've been using pirateship.com for years - have shipped probably 250+ packages through them without any issues.

I’ve used PirateShip to ship a few packages, everything has been just fine. The only time I had an issue, was when I purchased Priority Flat rate, and I used a real Priority box. I was billed the difference because USPS recognized their box, of course, and noticed that the postage was not the flat rate cost. I should’ve used my own box, but you live and learn.

I worked my entire career for the paper industry. My employer was a large manufacturer that at one time produced about 50% of all the paper you found in your mailbox: envelopes, billing statements, bank statements, advertising mail, etc. This past year, that portion of the business was spun off as a separate company. To support my company, I always wanted my billing statements mailed to me along with return envelopes that I used to pay by check. However, as postage has increased and service has often been unreliable, I am now paying many bills online, avoiding the return postage and potential delay in getting my payment processed.

In contrast, I ordered a tub of Barrister and Mann Nordust soap on Dec. 16. Will shipped it USPS 1st class about 24 hours later from Cooperstown, Ny. It was picked up that evening by USPS and it will be delivered to my home in the Chicago area around noon today. That is four days from ordering to arrival with a weekend included. I certainly cannot complain about either Will's customer service or USPS on that one. Well done!

...Will shipped it USPS 1st class about 24 hours later from Cooperstown, Ny. It was picked up that evening by USPS and it will be delivered to my home in the Chicago area around noon today...

And you will have to wait until 5 AM for the Chicago gunfire to die down in order to open the door and retrieve the pckg.!!   

Anyone ever used Pirateship.com or Stamps.com?

I use Stamps now as an individual, not a company. You can use USPS, FedEx, and UPS, with a tool that looks for the least expensive. There is a monthly fee, $18 if I recall. I was doing a bit of buying and selling over the summer, and this helped cut costs from Click and Ship. Now I am used to having it, so like a Netflix subscription, it will probably keep billing me regardless of how little or much I use it. Need to keep an eye on it, for sure!

Today I signed up for Pirateship, and I canceled Stamps.com. And immediately they offered me a free basic shipping plan. So we shall see what happens.