Quick question.
Does anyone know why it costs so much more to use the online usps.com “Print Shipping Labels” service than it does to take your item down to a physical post office?
I am returning a small electronic item to Canada, and the Canadian postage label read $2.80. I wanted to simply send it back in the same box, but when I filled out the various prompts (address, weight, etc.), my choices were limited to $22.09 for “Priority Mail® International Service” or $12.95 for “Priority Mail International® Tracking not available.”
Sorry, but I don’t like having my lungs pulled out. Not while I’m still alive. So I drove to the post office where I mailed it for — get this — $3.20.
What could possibly be up with that? I asked the clerk, and she said “they probably don’t have all the options available online.”
I’ll say. There seems to be no option for printing labels with just plain old regular postage. You’d think they’d want people to use their online service, but maybe not.
Comments
7 responses to “Perplexing Priorities”
I had a similar experience with stamps.com… WAAAAAAAAY too expensive for the limited convenience they provided. Plus, a monthly fee.
I’ll say. There seems to be no option for printing labels with just plain old regular postage. You’d think they’d want people to use their online service, but maybe not.
The USPS has lost the will to live… or at least, is unwilling to do the things necessary to keep itself alive.
I can’t go through the label-printing forms without an account, but I simply attempted to calculate postage for a small package to Canada and got the full range of options. HOWEVER—there is a “show all options” box there that can be checked or not. Possibly there is a similar toggle on the label page?
I had the same issue and asked the mail lady. She said that the cheapest options through usps are only available through a 3rd party website called endicia.com. Bizarre. I think you have to pay or something to use it but not sure.
I’ve stumbled on the same issue. I’m not sure why, but when you sell through ebay you get more USPS options than when you go to usps.gov. Will definitely look into endicia.com.
Printing online is only offered for the flat rate services. For parcel post and first class, where it costs by weight, the post office wants to weigh it themselves. It gives them something to do.
Big corporations negotiate sweet deals with UPS for much lower rates. I swear they just don’t want business from regular people.
I find Fedex much cheaper and easier to deal with.