The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I have shipped packages via both FedEx and USPS. So far I have no complaints with either of these services. My packages have arrived safely and intact to their destinations. My question is, is one service less expensive than the other? I've assumed that FedEx would need to be competitive in order to stay in business. Is that correct?

John

You should be able to go to their websites and put in the data for the same size and weight boxes and compare prices.

There isn't a definitive answer to that question. USPS is definitely cheaper for anything up to a pound. After that, it varies by package size, weight, and destination.

One really good way to compare rates is to use Pirateship.com. You give them basic package info and they will give you quotes for both USPS and UPS (no FedEx yet). They also have some rates that are not available at the PO counter like Priority Mail Cubic, a great way to ship small, heavy items. Pirateship does not charge extra fees and their rates are almost always lower that what you would pay in a post office.

My general rule is that heavier items go FedEx or UPS and lighter items go USPS. USPS has started surcharging larger items, but the other carriers have not, at least not to the extent USPS does.

The cheapest rate anywhere is USPS Media Mail, but that is restricted to things like books, records, DVDs and such.

Thanks for the responses. And, yes, PhonoPhan, I should have done that. I have before, but blanked out this time.

John

I have also been very pleased with Pirateship. When you ship you have choices and price comparisons with UPS, USPS, etc. For the occasional shipper it is nice that there are no monthly charges and it costs nothing to join.

Jerry B.

Yeah I'd also recommend Pirate Ship. Jerry recommended them but I'd also like to vouche they're very good. That's what the seller of my Victor Jr used to ship and it arrived with 0 damage or any complications. I'd say they're definitely solid if you're shipping larger items.

Liamhamb30 wrote: Tue Jan 24, 2023 7:30 am Yeah I'd also recommend Pirate Ship. Jerry recommended them but I'd also like to vouche they're very good. That's what the seller of my Victor Jr used to ship and it arrived with 0 damage or any complications. I'd say they're definitely solid if you're shipping larger items.

Just to clarify, PirateShip is not a shipping company, it's a way to save money on shipping costs. Shippers still have to pack their own items and bring them to the carrier's office (post office or UPS). I have saved as much as $10 on a single package using PirateShip instead of buying postage at the counter, but it's typically $1-$3. Still, that adds up over time.