On Vacation

I am on vacation with my family in Brazil.

For procrastinators, the US Post Office will be open on Christmas Eve and does deliver Express Mail on Christmas Day.

I wish you a happy holiday and will return next year.

Today is the USPS Busiest Day of the Year!

Thinking of going to the Post Office today to ship your packages? 960 million pieces will be processed today, making it the busiest day of the year, according to the USPS.

Wednesday, December 17, will be the busiest delivery day. This validates that the average delivery time for USPS Priority Mail is two days.

If you want to avoid the lines, try shipping online. You can even save some money.

The following are some sites that you can process postage online, obtain discounts, and get free Delivery Confirmation with Priority Mail—a $.65 value.

For about $15 a month, and a 30 day free trial, you can get a subscription at the following:

www.endicia.com

www.stamps.com

and for no cost, with limited options, you can try

www.usps.com

Last Day to Ship Express Internationally

 

Today, December 12, is the last day to ship packages to Central & South America, and Africa via USPS Express Mail International, and still have your package delivered by Christmas.

According to the USPS shipping calendar, it is already too late for Priority Mail and First-Class Mail to arrive to any international destination in time.

I calculated the cost difference to send a package to Brazil. It is $48.50 to ship a 5 pound package using Express Mail International. It is $137.00 for Global Express Guaranteed—almost 3 times more!

So ship today and save!

For shipments to Asia, Australia, Caribbean, Mexico, Europe, and the Middle East, you have until Wednesday, December 17 to make the cutoff.

Save 15% on Holiday Shipping

 

Many people are looking for ways to save on shipping gifts over the next couple of weeks. The cost to ship a package to a residence is about $2.00 more than shipping it to a commercial business. I calculated a 5-pound package from New York to Beverly Hills and it was $13.51 for a residence and $11.43 to a business with UPS.

An easy way to save money is to ship the package to the recipients business and save 15% or more on shipping cost. Many people prefer to receive packages at their office because no one is at home during the day. No more packages left on the front porch or waiting for deliveries.

Here is Taylor’s Tip:

Ship it to a business address and save on shipping!

RedRoller Ceases Operations

The on-line shipping comparison site, www.redroller.com, has discontinued its operations.  On September 15, 2008, RedRoller filed for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the bankruptcy code, and last week that proceeding was converted to a Chapter 7 liquidation.  The RedRoller site is no longer operational, and its assets will be sold for the benefit of its creditors under the supervision of the bankruptcy trustee.

RedRoller had the potential to bring the power of multi-carrier rate shopping to the small business shipper by allowing users to compare rates and services from the US Post Office, FedEx, DHL, and regional carriers Eastern Connection, Lone Star Overnight, and Overnite Express.  Unlike others in the field, it served the actual discounted rates from the carriers, with all the accessorial charges, so that a true comparison could be made. 

As the former Chief Logistics Officer and a major investor, I am sad to see that the company was unable to develop a successful business out of what was a great concept.