USPS dimensional weight

[Bassmaster96]

Alright, I got the message this morning. Any info on how this is going to change prices?

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Agony and Death on a Gold Rush Steamer: The Disastrous Sinking of the Side-Wheeler Yankee Blade - Grab it through Amazon!

[Darke]

Depends on the original weight and what the dimensional weight translates to. If it's only slightly over a cubic foot and light expect to pay about $5 to $10 more. If it's heavy then you might not pay any more. The new rules don't change much from before. Anything large should be shipped FEDEX or UPS ground anyway. The commercial rates available through eBay and PayPal are much better than USPS. Sometimes up to $40 less.

 

[cyberdan]

If it's heavy then you might not pay any more.

No problem, I live near a beach that is loaded with stones. Guess I might have to ship stones to the east coast. But, I rarely ship heavy-big things. When I buy I always try to get light weight things. Only heavy big thing now is a POPCORN Windless Swooper Flag with stand.

 

[Bassmaster96]

They've made the auto part shipping very tough already. My nearest Fedex facility is 45 minutes away now too.

 

[cyberdan]

They've made the auto part shipping very tough already. My nearest Fedex facility is 45 minutes away now too.

I live in a super small town, but there is a shipping type company 5 min drive (USPS-UPS-FED-EX) mail boxes and more. I only use them occasionally.

 

[Bassmaster96]

I live in a super small town, but there is a shipping type company 5 min drive (USPS-UPS-FED-EX) mail boxes and more. I only use them occasionally.

We had one, but they quit doing it. Have a post office, so that's no problem. Hoping that someone else starts accepting fedex pretty soon.

 

[deserdog]

Dimensional weight will change bulky items shipping by a bunch! It will not effect heavy items much if at all, especially if the actual weight is more then the dimensional weight.

For example, let say you have a package that is 13'x12x12" that weighs 4 lbs. Now zone 1 would be $7.71 priority mail. 13"x12"x12" = 1872 cubic inches. So 1872/166(the new divisor) = 11.28 or 12 dimensional lbs. So now that same package in zone 1 will cost $11.32. But now lets look at zone 4 for example, say for me, Phoenix AZ. Now it would cost $8.81 priority, after June 23 it will cost $15.83. Now lets look at zone 8. Now it would cost $36.32(divisor now is 194), after June 23 it would cost $42.20. Parcel select in all zones will also be subject to dimensional weight.

Curiously, retail ground will not be subject to dimensional weight.

 

[Bassmaster96]

Dimensional weight will change bulky items shipping by a bunch! It will not effect heavy items much if at all, especially if the actual weight is more then the dimensional weight.

For example, let say you have a package that is 13'x12x12" that weighs 4 lbs. Now zone 1 would be $7.71 priority mail. 13"x12"x12" = 1872 cubic inches. So 1872/166(the new divisor) = 11.28 or 12 dimensional lbs. So now that same package in zone 1 will cost $11.32. But now lets look at zone 4 for example, say for me, Phoenix AZ. Now it would cost $8.81 priority, after June 23 it will cost $15.83. Now lets look at zone 8. Now it would cost $36.32(divisor now is 194), after June 23 it would cost $42.20. Parcel select in all zones will also be subject to dimensional weight.

Curiously, retail ground will not be subject to dimensional weight.

That doesn't sound very good to me. I'm just glad they still do regional rate and flat rate priority. That helps on anything smaller.

My guess is boxes like 36x36x10 are basically going to be unshippable after this update.

 

[deserdog]

For many small heavy items, I use Pirate shipping because I get the cubic priority rate. I shipped a Lodge Cactus corn bread pan to Colorado, say Denver and used cubic priority shipping. Box was 18"x7"x3". Weighed about 6 lbs. Label cost me $8.92. Large flat rate box would have been $17.60. To zone 8, the cubic label would have been $11.39. Small, heavy items that pack out at less the .5 cubic feet are perfect for cubic priority.

 

[Bassmaster96]

For many small heavy items, I use Pirate shipping because I get the cubic priority rate. I shipped a Lodge Cactus corn bread pan to Colorado, say Denver and used cubic priority shipping. Box was 18"x7"x3". Weighed about 6 lbs. Label cost me $8.92. Large flat rate box would have been $17.60. To zone 8, the cubic label would have been $11.39. Small, heavy items that pack out at less the .5 cubic feet are perfect for cubic priority.

Well that's good at least

 

[cyberdan]

I use Pirate shipping

Never heard of them so I checked them out. I use priority mail bubble envelopes a lot USPS $8.00 Pirate $7.55 not a big savings.

But, I also do 1st class package even more. They are usually 2-3 ounces at around $4.25 or so. Pirate is at $3.09 Now that is worth the switch. But what is best USPS.com will not let anyone buy and print those labels on line. The post office makes it hard so people will just ship priority. So what I have to do every time I sell a coin or two is package it up and drive to the post office to mail. So it is a double win for me. THANKS. (I have two coins at auction right now with bids, I am going to be a pirate)

 

[deserdog]

Doing a little digging in th e new price charts effective June 23, 2019. Here is a link to the PDF:

https://pe.usps.com/resources/PriceChange/June%202019%20-%20Notice123.pdf

Verbiage from the PDF regarding retail ground:

1. Zones 1–4 are only for the mailing of hazardous materials, live
animals, or other items required to be shipped by ground
transportation (does not apply to oversized parcels).
2. For parcels that measure in combined length and girth more than 84
inches but not more than 108 inches, and the piece weighs less
than 20 pounds, use the 20-pound price (balloon price) based on
the applicable zone.
3. For parcels that measure in combined length and girth more than
108 inches but not more than 130 inches, use the oversized price,
regardless of weight, based on the applicable zone.

(This is on page 8 of the PDF)

Verbiage for parcel select:

1. IMpb Noncompliant Fee $0.20 per piece.
2. For parcels that measure in combined length and girth more than
108 inches but not more than 130 inches, use oversized prices,
regardless of weight, based on the applicable zone.
3. Parcels that exceed one cubic foot (1,728 cubic inches) are charged
based on the actual weight or the dimensional weight, whichever is
greater (as calculated in DMM 253.1.3).

(Page 25 of PDF)

So how I read it, you cannot use retail ground in zones 1-4 unless it is an item that has to shipped by ground, except for oversize parcels. But for zone 5-9, it would seem that dimensional weight will not apply.

 

[deserdog]

So setting up an example, from the new price charts: a 14x14x14 parcel weight 5 lbs. to zone 9 would be $23.02 retail ground. The same parcel would be: 14x14x14 = 2744/166 = 16.53 lbs. or the 17 lb. rate parcel select = $51.94

So imagine you ship this package and carry it to the post office and pay. Another person, with same size package going to the same destination but who bought a parcel select label onluine, will be paying $28.92 more for a similar package, being transported on the same truck!

 

[Bassmaster96]

Yeah it sounds like bull crap to me

Thanks for looking into it more

 

[deserdog]

I was reading on the Etsy forums, in the all about shipping and one poster had a great idea. If they have a package that can go a lot cheaper retail ground in zone 1-4, that customer would be getting a free $.50 bottle of nail polish, which is supposed to be ground only! This is in reference to this:

1. Zones 1–4 are only for the mailing of hazardous materials, live
animals, or other items required to be shipped by ground
transportation (does not apply to oversized parcels).

 

[eledrin]

Dimensional weight will change bulky items shipping by a bunch! It will not effect heavy items much if at all, especially if the actual weight is more then the dimensional weight.

For example, let say you have a package that is 13'x12x12" that weighs 4 lbs. Now zone 1 would be $7.71 priority mail. 13"x12"x12" = 1872 cubic inches. So 1872/166(the new divisor) = 11.28 or 12 dimensional lbs. So now that same package in zone 1 will cost $11.32. But now lets look at zone 4 for example, say for me, Phoenix AZ. Now it would cost $8.81 in lite blue usps priority, after June 23 it will cost $15.83. Now lets look at zone 8. Now it would cost $36.32(divisor now is 194), after June 23 it would cost $42.20. Parcel select in all zones will also be subject to dimensional weight.

Curiously, retail ground will not be subject to dimensional weight.

Thanks for the suggestion. I am also looking for the same.