US Sellers - miscellaneous shipping discussion

[phaz0rz]

With the cheapest tracked shipping for packages under a pound now being $6 or more with USPS.. I'm just curious what other sellers here are doing to stay profitable in the face of perpetually rising shipping and fuel prices?

I've seen a lot of talk about photoshopped/foofoo shipping labels being used, wreaking havoc with USPS's tracking system. On the USPS complaints reddit I saw a thread a few days ago with a mail carrier claiming their supervisor told them to deliver packages even when the postage is obviously fraudulent, because not delivering would cause a delay.

I haven't come across that yet with anything I've ordered but I've got to say, I'm almost tempted to try it (just kidding, postal inspectors)

A few weeks ago I had a $2 order which was advertised as having domestic Fedex shipping included free. The order arrived a month later via epacket from China. I assume the seller chose a fast domestic service to help their listing rank better.. but it seems like a pretty reckless strategy since the package arrived a month after the advertised delivery window.

I also learned via the USPS complaints reddit that all outgoing mail now sits at the receiving post office for an extra day, regardless of location. Instead of the 2-ton truck coming each evening for outgoing mail, it comes the following morning. Overtime continues to be cut, postal workers everywhere are saying their facilities are understaffed.. and the overall flow of mail really reflects both of those things. In all of the time I've been selling online, USPS has never been as slow as they've become over the past couple of months. Ground Advantage is now averaging 7 or 8 days to go from coast to coast.

Any input is welcome! :)

It takes me back to when I got my start selling and was able to slap tracking labels from the USPS website on "flats" shipping labels. At the time it meant the difference between paying ~$2.95 or $1.20. Such a workaround could make me some serious bank if done successfully in 2026.

[agent006140]

I miss shipping USPS PRIORITY for $3.95

[phaz0rz]

That was a little before my time. When I was first getting started it was $5.05 for a Flat Rate Envelope and Priority Mail was only used for anything over a pound. Haven't used Priority Mail since Ground Advantage came out/UPS being cheaper.

One thing I miss about First Class Parcels is the flat pricing regardless of how far the package had to travel. Zone pricing has a bit of an upside in that you can factor in the price of shipping to the furthest zone when you price items.. but it's just gotten ridiculous lately with it costing upwards of $6 to send a small package two zip codes away.

Anyway.. what's your cheap shipping solution, agent? Or anyone else?

[agent006140]

My cheapest is USPS ground advantage,for heavy items,Fed Exp ground is cheaper..
For local ,you may want to look into AMZN Blue Care.
For overseas shipments,there are several alternatives to USPS.
Or you can just ship first class with no tracking if it is a low price light item,

[rsot]

Originally Posted by phaz0rz

I've seen a lot of talk about photoshopped/foofoo shipping labels being used, wreaking havoc with USPS's tracking system. On the USPS complaints reddit I saw a thread a few days ago with a mail carrier claiming their supervisor told them to deliver packages even when the postage is obviously fraudulent, because not delivering would cause a delay.

I haven't come across that yet with anything I've ordered but I've got to say, I'm almost tempted to try it (just kidding, postal inspectors)

Playing with fire - I wonder if some members here have had personal experience with shipping failing due to this.

[agent006140]

Once there is a buyer on Ebay who bought 3 bar stools ,they dont fit so he is given 1 USPS priority label to return the items .
he printed the same label thrice and slapped on three boxes,USPS returned two back to him !
When tracking shows delivered on the one accepted by USPS ,seller has to refund all 3 bar stools when he received just one back.
(I dont think the buyer is scamming,he is a bar owner and not familiar with Ebay,he is supposed to find a box which fits 3 stools )

[agent006140]

Originally Posted by rsot

Playing with fire - I wonder if some members here have had personal experience with shipping failing due to this.

We sometimes forget USPS is an agency of US goverment,ask yourself what happens if one is home making ⊗⊗⊗⊗ USPS postal order,stamps,T shirt?
There was a time some folks were buying counterfeit postal order and use them buy things online,one guy received three (each is $700mback then this is the max $,now I think it is $1000) and went to cash them at the local USPS post office,he was asked to step into the back office with 2 armed investigators ready to investigate him!
I received some as well from some one in Georgia(our Georgia) ,he said he bought from someone in London,Britain,it looks real but the paper is thicker and lack watermark,I turned them over to USPS,I should have kept one as souvenior.

[phaz0rz]

Originally Posted by rsot

Playing with fire - I wonder if some members here have had personal experience with shipping failing due to this.

I was PM'd by a guy here a few weeks ago trying to sell me Priority Mail labels for $3 each, which would be like 20-30% of the lowest commercial rates. He claimed to be using a corporate veeqo account. My gut tells me he's most likely offering photoshopped veeqo labels, custom edited as orders are sent. When I declined he was like "oh well.. guess you'll be missing out." If it sounds too good to be true, it is too good to be true.

Just when eBay was starting to give American sellers a bit of an edge over Chinese sellers, USPS hits us with several postage rate hikes. There are so many listings on there now claiming to be shipped from the US while the listing price is way less than the cost of postage.

I think, as usual, eBay and co. are turning a blind eye to deceptive marketing techniques for the sake of profits.

For now the only actual legal cheat code I've found for the postage situation is credit card rewards points. A lot of postage providers now insist on using ACH as it's cheaper than credit card processing. For example.. Pirateship. I used to recommend them since they have no monthly subscription fee.. but they no longer allow credit cards. It's worth paying stamps.com $19/month for the privilege of paying for postage with a credit card. Nets me a couple hundred extra each month.

[phaz0rz]

Originally Posted by agent006140

We sometimes forget USPS is an agency of US goverment,ask yourself what happens if one is home making ⊗⊗⊗⊗ USPS postal order,stamps,T shirt?

I can't comment on money orders. That's a surefire way to go to jail. However, f@ke postage seems to be running rampant at the moment. I suspect it's mostly Chinese sellers exploiting the system and they're doing it in such a coordinated way, USPS can't keep up. On Reddit it says the "seller" will have a return address of some office building in Deleware.. but they purposely leave out the suite or unit number so it's impossible to track down the source. If you try to track down the seller by their LLC documents, it's the same thing. They're just vague enough to make tracking down the operator impossible.

[agent006140]

There is a place in DELAWARE where dropshippers use to send and receive goods.

[phaz0rz]

Right. Eastern european forwarders typically operate out of Delaware - latin american forwarders operate out of Miami. I've shipped to freight forwarders for as long as I've been a seller and I don't have a problem with them. They take a lot of pressure off me as the seller while increasing my visibility. Rather than being responsible for international delivery, I'm only responsible for delivery to the forwarders US address. When the international buyer complains to me I tell them to take it up with their forwarder, since I know I'm covered on the eBay side when tracking confirms delivery to their forwarding address.


That's hardly relevant to what I was asking about though.

[agent006140]

Originally Posted by phaz0rz

I can't comment on money orders. That's a surefire way to go to jail. However, f@ke postage seems to be running rampant at the moment. I suspect it's mostly Chinese sellers exploiting the system and they're doing it in such a coordinated way, USPS can't keep up. On Reddit it says the "seller" will have a return address of some office building in Deleware.. but they purposely leave out the suite or unit number so it's impossible to track down the source. If you try to track down the seller by their LLC documents, it's the same thing. They're just vague enough to make tracking down the operator impossible.

I have seen roll of USPS first class stamps for sale for little,they could be printed in China.
IT gets worse, they said they also sell Maine Lobsters!!
For printing postal and money orders,foreign scammers can go to local print shops and have them print them,USPS ones would need watermark which they do not have,but other private retailers money orders they can easily make them,like those you buy from supermarkets.

[phaz0rz]

lol.. RIP aspkin forums.

While I appreciate the artificial engagement, agent.. all you do is go off on irrelevant tangents.

Purpose of the thread is to discuss potential ways to save on USA domestic shipping.

[SaiJin]

I use a business account with UPS and DHL.
USPS rate hike actually just became more expensive than UPS.

I negotiate the rates with UPS of course and it's not a standard rate that they gave me.

My items are about 1lbs or more though.

So if it's a super light weight I might have to shop for rates again.

Fedex I stay away.... terrible shipping time, super expensive and they contract 3rd party delivery guys except for their overnight deliveries

[agent006140]

Originally Posted by phaz0rz

Right. Eastern european forwarders typically operate out of Delaware - latin american forwarders operate out of Miami. I've shipped to freight forwarders for as long as I've been a seller and I don't have a problem with them. They take a lot of pressure off me as the seller while increasing my visibility. Rather than being responsible for international delivery, I'm only responsible for delivery to the forwarders US address. When the international buyer complains to me I tell them to take it up with their forwarder, since I know I'm covered on the eBay side when tracking confirms delivery to their forwarding address.


That's hardly relevant to what I was asking about though.

You better revisit Ebay rules on forwarding,also PAYPAL as well.

[agent006140]

Originally Posted by SaiJin

I use a business account with UPS and DHL.
USPS rate hike actually just became more expensive than UPS.

I negotiate the rates with UPS of course and it's not a standard rate that they gave me.

My items are about 1lbs or more though.

So if it's a super light weight I might have to shop for rates again.

Fedex I stay away.... terrible shipping time, super expensive and they contract 3rd party delivery guys except for their overnight deliveries

Fed Exp serves mostly businesses,they are open for business 9-5 ,there will always be someone at the front desk to sign and receive the package.

[agent006140]

Originally Posted by phaz0rz

lol.. RIP aspkin forums.

While I appreciate the artificial engagement, agent.. all you do is go off on irrelevant tangents.

Purpose of the thread is to discuss potential ways to save on USA domestic shipping.

You dont seem to get it,the local print shops some are equipped to print checks,postal orders,stamps ,anything.
Some can print checks with those numbers on the bottom of your check,forget what it is called.

Who is going to stop you from buying a roll of USPS first class stamps and use them to ship your packages,I have seen it on sale on internet.
There is nothing special printing those stamps.

[phaz0rz]

Originally Posted by agent006140

You better revisit Ebay rules on forwarding,also PAYPAL as well.

I'm quite familiar with how it works. Buyers using forwarding agents have been a solid 15-20% of my sales since I started selling. Paypal has been totally irrelevant for me since the introduction of managed payments. I know you aren't actually a seller, agent, but I can't understand what exactly you base your facts on.

eBay's policy is actually quite favorable to sellers because it's exactly what I said the first time. The seller is only responsible for delivery to the US forwarding address - after that point, it's the forwarders burden since they are the one handling the international leg of the package's journey.

It became such a widespread thing over the past few years that eBay launched their own version of it - eBay international delivery. The delivery standards are exactly the same with eBay's in-house forwarding service as they are with 3rd party forwarders. The seller is only responsible for sending the order to eBay's Illinois forwarding address. International disruptions are eBay's problem.

[agent006140]

I start selling on Ebay when there were only 30.000 listings.
I am familiar with Ebay forwarding for overseas shipment,unless it has changed,I believe it is a joint efforts with Pitney Bowes ,you ship with tracking to some place in US,offhand I cant recall where,they will then ship overseas for you.
One advantage of using its service is that they know local tariffs,customs etc and collect them from your buyer before shipment .
This comes in handy for SELLING GUITARS To Australian,some US guitars are not allowed to export due to wood content,some are not allowed in Australia due to wood content.also it uses a large container enough to accomodate a large guitar
your item is not allowed in the buyer country or for some reason they cant ship you item,they will refund your buyer and let you keep the money,it will sell it to a local dealer who sells it on Ebay,
So if you want your item back,you can buy it back from him on EBAY.
But I am not aware Ebay offers similar for domestic shipping/
The reason I suggest you revisit EBAY FORWARDING RULE is that they differ from PAYPAL,one of them said as long as it is delivered to the forwarding address you are covered,but the other said NO,it is not good enough.
But now you said you do not use Paypal,then you dont care what it said.
what happens if someone buys from you outside EBAY,what kind of payment do you accept?

[agent006140]

eBay's policy is actually quite favorable to sellers because it's exactly what I said the first time. The seller is only responsible for delivery to the US forwarding address - after that point, it's the forwarders burden since they are the one handling the international leg of the package's journey.
Not if you are using a service not Ebay,if your buyer files item not received,you would have to deal with your non EBAY FORWARDER,why would Ebay covers you or go after the forwarder for you??

[phaz0rz]

wtf are you even talking about?


I'm a seller.. I'm not the one using a freight forwarder. What you're describing are the issues an international buyer would face if their forwarder lost their package in international processing, which has nothing to do with me.