why are post office rates different?

[Chris142]

a guy in mn sent me an ac hose to copy. it cost him $12.75 to express mail it to me. i made the hose and put it in the exact same box. went to the post office to mail it back to him. same box,same hose with $13 in my pocket.

it cost $48 for me to express it back to him! even regular snail mail was $31. so im wondering why the huge price difference for the exact same box? just going the other way.

 

[Quattro Pete]

You see, not too many people want to travel from CA to MN. It's just nasty up there. Supply and demand.

Seriously though, I have no idea. It should have been the same price if it's the flat rate box service, unless that guy had some corporate account discount.

 

[99Saturn]

Interesting - no idea (now I'm curious).

You can cost out the package each way if you know the weight:
http://postcalc.usps.com/

 

[Chris142]

2lbs.14.60oz

 

[JHZR2]

Yeah what does the calculator say?

I doubt that it was $12 to express mail it, personally. Im pretty sure that even documents cost that much if not more to express mail.

 

[Chris142]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Yeah what does the calculator say?

I doubt that it was $12 to express mail it, personally. Im pretty sure that even documents cost that much if not more to express mail.

he sent me a pic of the label with the cost on it and he sent me the money to send it back which should have been the same.im at work and cant post the pic right now

 

[JHZR2]

Dunno. The cheapest express mail rate I see on USPS is $19.99.

 

[99Saturn]

55001 --> 92307 Priority 2 Day is coming up as $12.75

Same price going back as far as I see.

Priority Mail Express is $44+ both ways.

(those are the in store not the online prices)

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Yeah what does the calculator say?

I doubt that it was $12 to express mail it, personally.

Agreed. For around $12.50 you could get Priority Mail® Medium Flat Rate Box, but not Express.

 

[Noey]

Maybe he sent it Flat rate? The best deal out there if it fits in the box, it ships at a flat rate regardless of weight or distance (the two typical features determining cost with regular mail).

 

[mrsilv04]

Originally Posted By: Noey
Maybe he sent it Flat rate? The best deal out there if it fits in the box, it ships at a flat rate regardless of weight or distance (the two typical features determining cost with regular mail).


+1

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Noey
Maybe he sent it Flat rate?

Yes, but Flat Rate Express is still a lot more expensive than $12.75.

I'm thinking he sent it Priority, not Express.

 

[stephen9666]

As noted, he sent it Priority, not Express for that cost.

Originally Posted By: Chris142

it cost $48 for me to express it back to him! even regular snail mail was $31. so im wondering why the huge price difference for the exact same box? just going the other way.


There's definitely something wrong with your numbers. What service are you calling "snail mail"?

I just looked up a 3 pound package using the zip codes 99 Saturn posted above. These are normal package rates, no flat rate boxes. They're applicable unless your package has strange or large dimensions. These are even the higher in-store rates:

Priority mail (2 day) $12.75
Standard post $11.39
Priority mail express $45

 

[crw]

Hmm... if it's "overnight" service, I could see the situation where the package gains two hours going from MN to CA, and loses two hours going back, thus the package might need special attention to get it back to MN overnight.

Your concerns are valid though. In my hobby I trade giant pumpkin seeds with growers from around the country and around the world. Quite frankly, each and every post office seems to have it's own set of rates. It's a nightmare when people want to send a self-addressed stamped bubble pack... nobody knows how much postage will be needed.

 

[stephen9666]

Originally Posted By: crw
Quite frankly, each and every post office seems to have it's own set of rates. It's a nightmare when people want to send a self-addressed stamped bubble pack... nobody knows how much postage will be needed.


Not exactly correct. There are services based on zones and distance shipped.

There are also variances in in-store and online prices.

But there are services based purely on weight (or dimension, if you're talking Priority flat rate boxes). The USPS sets them based on weight and that's how much they cost. They shouldn't vary depending on which post office you buy from. First Class is the best for example.

From my experience, USPS is still one of the simpler shipping services to determine price and use and is often the best bargain by far for smaller packages.

 

[Chris142]

ok.it came to me express 2 days.cost him $12.75. i sent the exact same package back in the exact same box and it cost me $48

 

[dave1251]

Priority mail thus the 12.75 price tag. Primary EXPRESS the 48.00 price tag.

As others have posted.

 

[Chris142]

interesting as the lady did not give me a choice

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Chris142
ok.it came to me express

Sorry to drill into this so much, but how do you know? Does it say so on the shipping label somewhere?

 

[stephen9666]

Originally Posted By: Chris142
ok.it came to me express 2 days.cost him $12.75. i sent the exact same package back in the exact same box and it cost me $48


There doesn't seem to be any mystery here. The "2-day" that you say and the 12.75 price show that it was actually shipped Priority mail 2-day. Look at the prices I posted above. You can look them up on the USPS site to check for yourself. Simply put in the zip codes and you'll see the prices of all the different services:
http://postcalc.usps.com/default.aspx

If you want to know more, post a pic of the label and let's see what it says.

The main feature of Priority Mail Express is that it's an overnight service to most locations. That's why it's so expensive.
https://www.usps.com/ship/priority-mail-express.htm
Quote:
Overnight scheduled delivery to most U.S. destinations with a money-back guarantee


Originally Posted By: Chris142
interesting as the lady did not give me a choice


You seem to be hungup or focusing on the word "Express"

Did you just go in and say "I need to ship this Express," because you thought it was shipped to you Express? If you did that, she probably just quoted you the Express price, which is why you paid so much.

There are some people here who have shipped many, many items. In the future, feel free to ask any questions and we can probably help you decide what service you need.