OK the cost of shipping is a joke now a day with the prices they are charging. I listed some trap for sell on the Trap Shed & a guy from CO. wanted to know what the shipping would be, so I looked up to see what MTA would charge and it was $24.95 for the same amount of traps that I'm shipping in 1 box. Not knowing what the shipping was going to be for sure I thought I would be nice and tell the guy $18.00 which I thought was a fair price. So he agreed to the deal & I went to the post office to see if I was close....... not even they wanted $54.00 to ship the 1 box weighting 31 lbs.

So I went to FedEx to see what they would ship it thru my business account which was better at $32.00 but this is out of control for 1 box the size is a little bigger than a shoe box. A deal is a deal so I guess I will eat the $14.00 in shipping cost. And no they would not all fit in a large flat rate box before anybody says anything about shipping. I don't see how any business can stay in business with shipping cost like this.

I'm a bit confused about what you shipped and the size of the package.

You said that the package was a little bigger than a shoe box yet the contents would not fit in a large flat rate box. Was it an odd shape or something.

Not looking for a fight - just wondering why it would fit in a LFR box. Thanks.

Hard to picture 31 lbs of traps in a shoe box or LFR.

But always best to box up and get a true shipping price before listing if in question.

I ship live birds by US Express Mail. It costs me $198.30 to ship 31 pounds of birds to California, which is not a maximum sized order. The Post Office won't honor the guaranteed delivery time on live birds and won't honor insurance claims for any birds they kill either. Shipping is about 6 1/2 times higher than when I started shipping in the nineties. I used to ship 3500 pigeons a year, but because of the cost of shipping, I will probably only ship 800 this year. Countries, like China and corporations, like Amazon, only have to pay a small fraction of what individuals and small businesses pay.

Keith

I have 24 Duke DP's with the spade inside of the 2nd trap packed as tight as I can get them.

You did good seeing is believing. Hopefully your customer isn't planning on using those DP's in Colorado.

I know the guy that bought em Todd. He knows the rules, and will be using them in Kansas on his coyote line.

Very good. Hate to see someone get in trouble.

Just trying to help here, not argue. I easily put 24 DP's in a Large Flat Rate Box all the time. [The Long Skinny Boxes] by Tie-Banding the Traps set. Just easily set the Trap and Tie-Band the around the Springs and Trap. Hopefully this will help for future reference for someone.

The only way I can save on shipping Traps is by using the Regional A or B Boxes. Much cheaper shipping in these boxes vs. Flat Rate Boxes. You can order these boxes online from USPS.com.

Flat rate is the way to go if it all fits but most people don't know about the sizes/shapes they offer, if you have a click and ship account the regional rate is a cost saver at time also.

The regional boxes aren't always cheaper than flat rate. Especially if you are shipping across the country.

You guys that live in the middle of the US - Iowa, South Dakota, Minnesota - benefit the most from the regional boxes

For me, being on the west coast (well sort of), a large flat rate box to Pennsylvania is less expensive than a Region B box. Plus a large flat rate can weigh up to 70 pounds. Region B box is 20 pounds max.

On the other hand, if I'm shipping to a customer in the Pacific Northwest, regional boxes are the way to go. Just shipped a dozen traps to a customer in Oregon. Region B box = $8.50. Large flat rate box = $19.85. That is over ten bucks savings. ,!!

All 3 shipping options - USPS, UPS, FedEx - have on line calculates to figure shipping costs. Very easy tools to use.

One other negative on the regional boxes - you have to ship on line. Regional rates don't apply over the counter at the post office.

I know Im taking it on the chin with internet sales because of shipping prices. When I first started it was 1.85 or something for up to a pound, now its 7.70. Whats really criminal in my eyes is Ebay takes a cut out of the shipping. They did that because some sellers were circumnavigating the sellers fees by padding the shipping price (which wasn't charged a fee at that time) to offset the fees. At least I get a couple bucks off usually by printing labels online.
Whoever designed the flat rate boxes was a genius they are always too small for the item I try to put in it. Had a guy get a porta power of me for a song and said my shipping was too high- he wanted it shipped flat rate (heavy item across the country) (after the auction which isn't allowed)- no way no how was it gonna fit in their largest flat rate box. God forbid if the item just fits, then you cant pad it correctly and its my butt on the line for refunds and such when it gets busted up.

OK I just got off the phone with USPS trying to get a business account set up thru my decal business, the best price the guy could give me was $45.24 He said a Large Flat Rate Box was 12"x12"x5" and my box is 14"x14"x7". He also said that USPS is set up to ship lighter weight items, my box only weights 31. lbs.
I guess I will just stay with FedEx

We have a couple of online retail businesses. We ship about 3,000 packages a year. We actually choose our products to fit in the three sizes of USPS flat rate boxes. Everything else is so cost prohibitive that it chases customers away. We have a couple of products that can't ship USPS and UPS rates are high. 1/4 of our business used to be international but that's just about dried up in the last couple of years. Shipping often costs more than the products purchased.

Flat rate USPO was a deal a few years back then they went a gubermented it all up so it's no longer a deal~

Be happy you don't ship over seas on a regular basis, every time I have an order over seas, first I can't have them pay with anything but direct wire transfer due to bank rules, second the shipping changes like monthly, and is usually more than double what their order is. Wire transfer and shipping has just about destroyed my over seas's sales.

Anything I ship east from Utah past Colorado cost's almost double unless I can fit it in a labeled flat rate USPS, which is what I use as it's cheaper by far than any one else for my products, but if it's not in "their" box the price is always higher, weight is the factor, but I found it's really not when it comes to "their" box, as I had two the same weight in different box's due to running out of their's and they were the same size, but were charged different, I'm sure weight comes into play but wow !! Sometimes I can get flat rate cheaper but then have to buy a tracking number and insurance which really negates their flat rate.

I've yet to find anyone more economical or trust worthy for my products than USPS here in the states and over seas, but the USPS will only guarantee it getting to customs, no further, whereas others you can pay extra for guaranteed home delivery.

Insurance reimbursement for the USPS is another story though and you better be prepared to wait forever, and never get the amount you insure for !!

There are two large flat rate box sizes.......

Priority Mail 3-Day™ Large Flat Rate Box

USPS-Produced Box: 23-11/16" x 11-3/4" x 3" or 12" x 12" x 5-1/2"