IndyGirl Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 Why can't suppliers save us money by using USPS flat rate boxes? They have 2 configurations of the boxes that will hold quite a bit of product. Especially FO's. They can ship anywhere in the US for $8.10 up to 70 pounds per box. The cost savings to the customer (us) would really help with our profit. I checked the USPS website and these boxes are free. It says max 20 but I put in 10 bundles of 25 and it still came up free. I use these for ebay all of the time and I really think that the suppliers could gain more business by doing this. Am I wrong???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eugenia Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 Some suppliers do ship USPS. There are a lot of regs regarding liquids and combustibles (low flashpoint FO's) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sudsnwicks Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 I think the max 20 is 20 bundles of boxes, not 20 boxes. That is why you were able to get 10 bundles. I'm not sure if FOs can be shipped by air (the flat rate box goes by air) but for non-flammable items I don't know why they don't use these boxes. I've bought things where it came in a non-flat rate box and I was charged more of course, even though the contents could have easily gone into the flat rate box. Maybe it's because their shopping cart doesn't have the ability to tell if what you ordered will fit into a flat rate box or not, so they just charge you by weight, and since you've already paid, they may not care to try using the flat rate box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyGirl Posted March 5, 2007 Author Share Posted March 5, 2007 On the lower flashpoint fo's they could ship parcel post. Ground only and it's still less than UPS. I have found a couple of suppliers that use USPS and I will continue to use them and pass up the suppliers who think I'm going to pay almost as much as the fo or other items costs to have it shipped. That's a profit loss I just can't live with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane42 Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 I was very happy to see that Just Scent ships usps flat rate - but I was a bit confused because they said only up to 7 lbs (including packaging, so six l lb bottles would be the limit). I am reading this correctly, right?You can order approximately 5 pounds of Fragrance Oils and a Sample Packor 6 pounds of Fragrance Oils. As long as your packed order does not exceed 7 pounds, you can pick our new flat rate shipping saver program.If you order 7 pounds of Fragrance Oils, your packed box will weigh over 7 poundsand will not be eligible for this shipping option! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyGirl Posted March 5, 2007 Author Share Posted March 5, 2007 I will have to check them out! At least 6 lbs is better than getting the rate just posted by Candlescience. Backwoods also ships USPS and has great shipping rates. I really wanted to order more from candlescience but even the priority rate just is for 1 lb of oil not 2 lbs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clonefan80 Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 I ship both UPS and USPS but do not have the flat rate box to check on my website. However, if the customer checks USPS and the flat rate is cheaper than Priority then I ship out flat rate and reimburse the customer the difference. Flat rate boxes will only hold so many bottles of f/o no matter what the weight regulations are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beesweet Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 Maybe only 6 lbs of oils will fit in the box comfortably with packing material around it? It seems that I recall receiving a box with 7 lbs and it was a close fit with very little or no packing paper or peanuts, but I could be wrong.Be sure and compare the various shipping methods available. I learned the hard way that adding required insurance to USPS can sometimes turn out to be more expensive than Fed Ex. UPS was so close it wouldn't have mattered either way, but I could have saved a buck and change with Fed Ex in that case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanmala Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 Flat rate boxes are only 11" long, 8" wide and 6" tall. I don't think that will hold very many bottles with packing Most of the time I find shipping cheaper just using a regular priority box than the flat rate one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyGirl Posted March 5, 2007 Author Share Posted March 5, 2007 I just checked just scents and after putting 6 lbs in the cart the shipping was only $8.95 that's pretty good! Now if everyone else would follow this.....maybe eveyone would profit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sudsnwicks Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 However, if the customer checks USPS and the flat rate is cheaper than Priority then I ship out flat rate and reimburse the customer the difference. This is likely to be why they don't bother with the flat rate box - doing the reimbursement of the difference would be a hassle. So since the customer already paid based on weight, they just use a regular non-flat rate box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowgirl Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 I just checked just scents and after putting 6 lbs in the cart the shipping was only $8.95 that's pretty good! Now if everyone else would follow this.....maybe eveyone would profit!Ok, I was curious so I dug out my last order from NG and I ordered 8-16 oz bottles of FO (nothing else was ordered) and shipping was $10.57 UPS. I really didn't think that was too bad. Plus $8.00 discount off. Maybe part of it is being so close to Ohio ??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mexitan Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 You can order large quantities of free boxes from USPS (flat rate and priority rate boxes), I don't think there is a limit. We order them hundreds at a time, but you have to call them. They are great to work with!Sandra Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bugtussle Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 My sweet friend, Stacy, at DayStar can get 12 #s of FO in the large Flat Rate Priority box. We are about 220 miles apart so it doesn't have to get on a plane. DayStar ROCKS!! Carole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gloworm Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 I've got a question for you guys. As a supplier we have researched this shipping thing every which way and it is confusing. The post office isn't a lot of help as you all know and I won't go into all of that. Could you tell me do other suppliers send you their lower FP oils priority and flat rate? I see some of these posts about flat rate shipping (whichI would love to do, would make my life simpler) and assume the suppliers mentioned only have oils above 200 FP, but when I check out their sites thay have very low FP's and I don't know how they can send these oils priority. I certainly can't afford the fines for sending below 200 FP priority. Maybe I am just misunderstanding these posts??? Are the flat rates you are mentioning not a priority ship??Glo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth-VT Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 I swear, this ought to be a sticky somewhere ....Here's the reg's for USPS and shipping oils Read HereYes, you can ship oils with a FP above 141° via Priority. There are requirements, however on how they are packaged (ie: secondary containment, etc). IMO, there's no way that 8lbs. of oils will fit in a flat rate box....if they are packaged to the regs. Most co-op organizers AND most suppliers do not package accordingly. Can a few lbs. fit? Absolutely. But you're not supposed to cram the bottles in and call it good. JMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyGirl Posted March 5, 2007 Author Share Posted March 5, 2007 Okay!! I'm going to go get both of my flat rate boxes and see just how much fits in it!!! Double bagged and padded! I'll be right back! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clonefan80 Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 Well keep in mind there are two different types of flat rate boxes... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gloworm Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 I swear, this ought to be a sticky somewhere ....Here's the reg's for USPS and shipping oils Read HereYes, you can ship oils with a FP above 141° via Priority. There are requirements, however on how they are packaged (ie: secondary containment, etc). IMO, there's no way that 8lbs. of oils will fit in a flat rate box....if they are packaged to the regs. Most co-op organizers AND most suppliers do not package accordingly. Can a few lbs. fit? Absolutely. But you're not supposed to cram the bottles in and call it good. JMO.We've read those regs till we can't see straight. LOL. We don' have FO under 141-we have specifically watched out for that and have turned down some awesome fragrances with low FPs. SO this applies to us:For surface or air transportation, if the flashpoint is above 141°F (60.5°C) but no more than 200°F (93°C); the liquid is in a primary receptacle not exceeding 1 gallon per mailpiece; enough cushioning surrounds the primary receptacle to absorb all potential leakage; the cushioning and primary receptacle are packed in a securely sealed secondary container that is placed within a strong outer shipping container; and each mailpiece is plainly and durably marked on the address side with "ORM-D" or "ORM-D AIR," as applicable, immediately following or below the proper shipping name. Mailable material sent via surface transportation must be marked on the address side as "Surface Only" or "Surface Mail Only." For air transportation, each mailpiece must bear a shipper's declaration for dangerous goods.I think my packaging complies with this so I guess we have avoided priority because of the shippers declaration of dangerous goods. Extra paper work on each order and I can only imagine the post office if I declare dangerous goods. I ship ORMD ground only on these FO's, seems these are some of our most popular also as most orders include them. I too believe I received orders before we began as suppliers that were not shipped according to the regulations. Now these are the really low FP's we don't have yet:For surface transportation, if the flashpoint is 100°F (38°C) but no more than 141°F (60.5°C); the liquid is in a metal primary receptacle not exceeding 1 gallon, or in another type of primary receptacle not exceeding 1 quart, per mailpiece; enough cushioning surrounds the primary receptacle to absorb all potential leakage; the cushioning and primary receptacle are packed in a securely sealed secondary container that is placed within a strong outer shipping container; and each mailpiece is plainly and durably marked on the address side with "Surface Only" or "Surface Mail Only" and "ORM-D" immediately following or below the proper shipping name.So if I read this correctly under 141 it should be in a metal bottle and absolutely cannot go priority??? The reason we have avoided these.Or am I misreading the regs?? And again the flat rate you are all talking about is the priority right??Glo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowgirl Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 Hiya Glo,Not to hijack this thread or anything but I tried viewing your website via clicking on your name and it says url not found. What is your link, I am not sure what supplier you are. Sorry I should probably know but I don't. Thanks NitraOk, nevermind on that I just clicked on your profile I figured it out. Dumb me !!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth-VT Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 Glo, you are correct on all counts And kudos to you for shipping according to the regs. I get miffed when I receive oils that are just put in a box with a few peanuts and that's it. Many people with oils in plastic bottles think it's ok to just cram as many in a box as will fit :undecided Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gloworm Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 Glo, you are correct on all counts And kudos to you for shipping according to the regs. I get miffed when I receive oils that are just put in a box with a few peanuts and that's it. Many people with oils in plastic bottles think it's ok to just cram as many in a box as will fit :undecidedWhew,Glad to know we seem to be doing it right. I'll tell ya we researched a LOT in the beginning trying to wade our way through all the gobble-t-gook. Mike talked to USPS,UPS, Hasmat guys you name it. Plus he was a safety science major so he knew a bit from that. With all the worries people have with flying these days they don't need the added worry of unsafe liquids being transported incorrectly. Just curious-has anyone ever received a fragrance oil in a metal bottle due to the flashpoint? Now I mean from a regular supplier not one of the manufacturing companies.Glo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theoldehearth Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 I know The Candle Source ship 8 lb bottles in flat rate box for $9.10 anywhere in US. He packages them neatly and in ziplock bags. I'm in Canada so I really envy you guys with the cheaper flat rates. I only wish they have that option for us Canadians, not the smaller flat rate boxes which only fit 3 lb bottles and that's at $9 per box!:undecided Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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