Mailing Packages to College Students

<p>I mailed the first of many "care" packages to D yesterday, of course after getting detailed instructions on exactly where to look for needed item in her bedroom at home. It raised a question to me of when it will be better to mail via USPS priority mail vs. flat rate package vs. UPS. </p>

<p>FYI, there are calculators on the USPS and UPS sites that give you the rates based on package size and weight and the from/to zip codes. In my case, mailing from Charlotte to College Park, MD, if the package is 5 lbs or less, it is cheaper to send a package using priority mail. If the package is 5 lbs or more, it's cheaper to use the flat-rate priority mail boxes (there are 2 sizes, so it assumes that what you send fits in one of the boxes that you get at the post office). It looks like if it's over 5 lbs and won't fit in the flat rate boxes, then you really have to compare between USPS and UPS. Of course, the amount of time that it takes to deliver is also a factor.</p>

<p>Another note from experience....using places like the UPS store or Mailboxes, Etc. really add fees that you don't need to pay. Just save the bubble wrap you get in boxes, etc. and get some good clear packing tape, and use the $$ you save to buy goodies for jr....</p>

<p>For what it's worth....</p>

<p>You can sign up on the Fedex website to get good rates, and then print out your own labels. You can then just drop the package at your nearest Fedex drop box/fed ex office/Kinkos.</p>

<p>That way you aren't paying for the overhead for the Mailbox, Etc or UPS store.</p>

<p>Our UPS store claims they charge the same price than if I dropped it at the UPS center. Do you think that's true?</p>

<p>Weenie,
Website may have changed, but last year I was able to compare cost at UPS store vs UPS hub(pass it on one route home). The cost difference was about $3. Also it was less when I had "Univ of Redlands" 1200 E Colton than when I just has 1200 E Colton. The lady told me because putting university meant it wasn't residential.</p>

<p>You should be able to go to UPS.com and sign up for an online account which will bill to your credit card and will elimate a lot of hassle. You then print out your own label, slap it on and drop off at UPS store, saying it is "on my account" or hand it off to any UPS driver. And yes, Residential address are more money but be careful. DS's school specifically says Do not put the name of the school on the shipping as it causes problems between the mail services for students and those for other campus facilities.</p>

<p>One of our friends "has a guy" for just about anything. But for shipping? Yes, he "has a guy" for shipping. I have no idea how this guy works, but he is able to ship things across country, over night, for less than quoted Fed Ex or UPS, and it includes packing the item up. So if you are shipping lots of things, ask around. Maybe your friend "knows a guy."</p>

<p>When we shipped stuff to D's school, we found that FedEx ground was much cheaper than UPS or USPS.</p>

<p>I'm a big believer in the Flat rate priority boxes! (of course, I'm shipping from So Cal to MA). Love 'em.</p>

<p>Right now if you sign up for a Fedex account you can get a 15% discount for all packages for 4 months, going down to 10% after that -- if you use the online utilities to print your packing slip. I just did that because my daughter was shipping about 75 lb. of stuff to herself (3 boxes) -- rather than schlepping them on the plane. The cool thing is that her dorm is 2 doors away from a Kinkos/Fed Ex station, so it will be easy for her to mail the stuff back as well. </p>

<p>Basically, it will be more cost-effective to ship heavy stuff that fits in a flat rate box using USPS flat-rate, less effective for lighter stuff. You can use the rate information for various services to calculate a ballpark per-pound figure and then use that. You could always simply pack a flat-rate box and then weigh it before sealing it and run the figures yourself.</p>

<p>Also, I'd like to add that for sending new stuff to your kids, its worthwhile to shop online at places where you can qualify for free shipping. My d. will be living in a suite next year, cooking on her own, so I used Amazon to send her a bunch of ramen and chocolate chip cookies. Lots of food, cheaper for me online than at the local Safeway, and not only is shipping free, but I don't even have to deal with the hassle of packing a box or taking it to a drop off point.</p>

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<p>I had no idea that Amazon had food!</p>

<p>If you haven't discovered it yet, FedEX Ground is the real deal. We live in Dallas and shipping to D In Columbia SC is 3 days and to S In Chapel Hill is 4 days and both are VERY cost effective.....far better and faster than UPS or US Mail.</p>

<p>My S amazed me by shipping his stuff home with Fedex Ground last spring. Reasonable and fast. Never had heard of it before.</p>

<p>
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I had no idea that Amazon had food!

[/quote]
Amazon has pretty much everything, but you have to be careful on the site to pay attention to where you are ordering from. You can get food by either selecting "Grocery" or "Gourmet Food" -- but many of the options are from third-party sellers like Netgrocer, and they do charge a lot for shipping. The Amazon options are generally bulk purchases -- the smallest order I sent to my daughter was a pack of 4 15-oz bags of chocolate chip cookies -- ramen comes in packs of 24. So this makes a lot of sense for a kid doing their own cooking -- not so handy for the typical dorm care package. Since my daughter is living with 5 other girls, I thought it was possible that they may decide to share cooking and food buying responsibilities -- if so, I would guess that my contribution is added to the mix. If not, my kid either has a lot of ramen or food she can trade with her suitemates. </p>

<p>But there are bargains around at all sorts of online retailers -- so you simply have to shop around a little and pay attention to shipping options as well as list price.</p>

<p>I LOVE "Click and Ship" offered by the US post office. You can pay for postage, print out a label, and schedule a pick-up all on-line. You just leave the package in a "safe" location for your mail carrier to pick up. I have a USB scale to weigh the package, and it then calculates the correct postage. You can send either Priority or Overnight.</p>

<p>As a busy mom who commutes to work, this sure beats trying to get somewhere during business hours in order to mail a package.</p>

<p>
[quote]
As a busy mom who commutes to work, this sure beats trying to get somewhere during business hours in order to mail a package.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Our Post Office has a 24-hour lobby where you can buy stamps, mail packages, etc. using a credit card. Very convenient as long as the machine is working.</p>

<p>My daughter wanted a care package. I have a hard time paying for shipping (waste of money). I found an online grocery store around where my D goes to school. They offered everything from fresh fruit, meat, to dry goods. I ordered enough grocery that there was no delivery fee (cases of water, her favorite cookies, cereals, fresh fruit, milk, snack bars).</p>

<p>We just shipped a care package to D who's studying in S. America this semester. Postage cost more than the value of the package! :)</p>

<p>Another for Fedex Ground when sending domestically. It's really the best (in terms of price/time it takes) shipping option available.</p>

<p>I'm going to have the same problem as oldfort - my stuff is going to be worth less then the cost to ship it. I sent my son a package yesterday to SW Virginia that weighed just over 4 lbs. and it cost $8.90. I asked the clerk how much it would cost to send the same package to my daughter in China and she looked it up and calculated $37.00 if I shipped it Priority Mail flat rate or $38 for Priority Mail international. I immediately thought that my daughter should hone her shopping skills and only count on Christmas presents being sent but I really want to send her some Mom baked cookies sometime this fall. Anyone have tips on good shipping rates for overseas?</p>

<p>Kathiep: I wouldn't try to send cookies to China. It's not the same as the US. From time to time they do open up packages to check for content. I have a hard time spending money on shipping. $8.99 got 2 cases of water for my D from the online site. Whereas my H wouldn't twice of sending our kids their favorite candy bars across the country when they are at camp or college.</p>