A Christmas Shipping Poem
By Mark Taylor
“Tis a week before Christmas and all through the house,
not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The procrastinators know that there is plenty of time,
to get their gifts shipped and everything will be fine.
If they wait until Wednesday, two days before,
they can ship via USPS Express Mail and their gift will arrive at the door.
And for those who are willing to pay $12.50 more,
The USPS will take packages for Christmas, the day before.
But procrastinators be warned that not all destinations will be served,
and you need to drop off your package before noon or you might be nerved.”
In order to be certain, make sure you call, 1 800-ASK-USPS.
For UPS and FedEx the last day for shipping is Wednesday, December 23. Make sure that you use a service that provides delivery for the next day to the zip code you are shipping to. The last day for delivery is Thursday, December 24.
Many people have asked, what is the best carrier or the best value for shipping their presents. My answer is that it depends. It is variable based on how far away the recipient is, the weight of the item, and whether or not the delivery is to a home or a business (among other factors). If you don’t have a discount with a carrier, are shipping to a residence, and your gift if less than 10 pounds, the USPS is probably your best choice. Make sure that you check out their flat rate boxes. And if you ship online using Click-N-Ship or a PC Postage provider like www.stamps.com or www.endicia.com, you can get a discount on some services like Express mail and free Delivery Confirmation with USPS Priority Mail.
To give you a sense of the difference in price, let’s say that you have a 10 pound gift that you are sending to a residence from New York NY to Beverly Hills CA.
UPS Next Day Air by 10:30 will cost $97.32
UPS Next Day AirSaver by the end of the day will cost $87.78 (source www.ups.com retail rates)
USPS Express Mail $58.40 at the Post Office or $55.48 online.
USPS Priority Mail Large Flat-Rate Box is $13.95 at the Post Office or $13.50 online (source www.usps.com)
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