What are some ways to save money on shipping during holiday season?
Gas prices aren't just making your trip to visit relatives more costly this holiday season. Fuel surcharges for carriers like FedEx and UPS have gone up as well, further raising shipping prices.
Every holiday season, carriers like the U.S. Postal Service, UPS and FedEx raise rates to accommodate the surge of letters and packages traveling across the country.
WCCO reached out to Pitney Bowes, a shipping technology and logistics company, for some insight on ways to save money on shipping this holiday season. David Bilodeau is its head of marketing.
Tip one: Use the smallest box/packaging possible.
"The number one thing to avoid higher costs is ship it in the smallest box possible," said Bilodeau. Too often, people will use boxes much larger than what they're shipping, then have to stuff it with paper, foam peanuts or bubble wrap to fill the space."
He added, "If your boxes start going over ... certain sizes over, like a shoebox, then there's extra fees that you're going to pay, and you shouldn't have to."
Tip two: Know when and when not to use flat-rate boxes.
Flat-rate boxes charge a certain price for the box regardless of how much it weighs or where it's being shipped.
"The whole point of those flat-rate boxes is to help you when you're shipping things long distance or you're shipping something heavy that fits inside the box," Bilodeau said.
However, if you're shipping something small, lightweight and a short distance, then Bilodeau said flat-rate boxes can have you spending more than necessary.
Tip three: Shop around.
Prices tend to vary between carriers. For example, a 1-pound package shipped from Minneapolis to the Chicago area was cheaper through the post office ($8.39) versus UPS ($15.21) when WCCO attempted to create a shipping label on their websites.
But when WCCO increased the package to 30 pounds, it was cheaper to ship through UPS ($42.99) than the post office ($42.99).
A great way to compare prices and get discounts on shipping labels is through third-party shipping websites. A popular one among small businesses and hobbyists is called Pirate Ship.
On Pirate Ship, people can type in the package's weight and size, and it shows each carrier's lowest price. The website offers commercial label rates that are cheaper than the retail rate people pay when visiting the post office. It's also free to use. The key is having a personal scale to properly weigh packages.
Pitney Bowes has similar software, called PitneyShip, that finds discounts for users. Nonmembers are charged a 5% transaction fee per label.
"Chances are you are going to pay much less, you know, $3 to $10 less than what you would be paying today not using [PitneyShip]," said Bilodeau.
Tip four: Reuse old material.
Reusing old packaging, like boxes and bubble wrap, can also save you money while creating less waste.