The post office makes zero sense

[WaTaGuMp]

Yesterday I go to ship something I sold online. I have it in one of those bubble lined envelopes. He weighs it gives me the price. I ask if thats the cheapest, he says no, cheapest would be to use a flat rate envelope. He gives me one and I put mine inside of that. Total cost $6.10 over the other which would of been over $11.00. What the fuck, I already had it inside the exact type of thing he gave me, just not the same color and no USPS shit on it.

 

[edro]

noob

 

[PottedMeat]

newman 1
watagump 0

 

[z1ggy]

Problem here is that u so poh' u gotta sell yo stuff online

 

[Newbian]

I would assume it would be slower shipping then.

 

[mzkhadir]

I would assume it would be slower shipping then.

Priority mail flat rate box (2-3 days)

 

[cronos]

noob

This.

 

[Ichinisan]

Same thing happened to me when shipping some speakers to my sister. Shipping was going to cost as much as I originally paid for the speakers a few years ago. Saved about $5 by going with a flat-rate box that my box dropped right into.

 

[ElFenix]

if it fits it ships. sometimes that's a good deal, sometimes it's not.

 

[SlitheryDee]

Those packages are probably painstakingly designed in every dimension so that X number of stacks of them N units high will fit on the standard shelf on a mail truck at $Y per unit to make $Z profit after expenses. Your shitty package messes all that up. Or then again they could just be morons.

 

[NutBucket]

newman 1
watagump 0

noob

LOL

 

[Crono]

They've been trained to tell you to always just go flat rate. It's the "super size" of the shipping world.

 

[WaTaGuMp]

Those packages are probably painstakingly designed in every dimension so that X number of stacks of them N units high will fit on the standard shelf on a mail truck at $Y per unit to make $Z profit after expenses. Your shitty package messes all that up. Or then again they could just be morons.

My shitty package fit inside of their flat rate envelope. :hmm:

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

you should be taking advantage of flat rate shipping if you can. your items just need to fit. some sellers will vacuum pack bulky clothing to cram into a flat rate box to save money. you could also try regional rate shipping to save money.

should've asked for a movers packet while you were there. made it worth your while.

 

[waffleironhead]

About as much sense as my mail having to travel 185 miles each way to a sort facility just to send a letter 5 miles down the road.

 

[artemicion]

My shitty package fit inside of their flat rate envelope. :hmm:

But *you* did the work of putting your package inside their standard sized envelope instead of a post office employee doing that work, so it saves them money. I don't know for sure, but I'm betting SlitheryDee's explanation is the correct one.

I remember watching some program a while ago about how it would save the milk industry millions of dollars if they used square shaped cartons for gallons of milk, because they could be stacked on top of each other, instead of using the traditional carton because they have to place it in another box or tray before stacking those on top of each other. It's another step of work. But they don't use the more efficient square cartons of milk because it looks weird and it would freak consumers out.

 

[WaTaGuMp]

But *you* did the work of putting your package inside their standard sized envelope instead of a post office employee doing that work, so it saves them money. I don't know for sure, but I'm betting SlitheryDee's explanation is the correct one.

I remember watching some program a while ago about how it would save the milk industry millions of dollars if they used square shaped cartons for gallons of milk, because they could be stacked on top of each other, instead of using the traditional carton because they have to place it in another box or tray before stacking those on top of each other. It's another step of work. But they don't use the more efficient square cartons of milk because it looks weird and it would freak consumers out.

Its more work for them to get me a new package to put my package in, then give me a new label to fill out. Mine was ready to go, it was the same size as what he gave me.

 

[artemicion]

Its more work for them to get me a new package to put my package in, then give me a new label to fill out. Mine was ready to go, it was the same size as what he gave me.

Think about it on the macro level. They probably have a system in place, where if you use their "designated" boxes, it's super easy for them to throw it into an auto sorting machine and have a computer calculate exactly which shelf it'll go onto in a truck, which shelf and cargo hold on the plane, etc. They probably save a boatload of money using standard size boxes and envelopes and letting a computer figure out exactly how to cram the truck full of those boxes in the most efficient manner.

All "other" boxes probably get special attention from some human being who has to handle the box personally and make inefficient, human, sorting decisions on how to get this non-conforming box to its destination. Some idiot human (edit: idiot compared to a computer, not trying to diss USPS workers) being probably plays a lazy game of tetris with these boxes and there's probably a ton of gaps and inefficiencies on the trucks and planes that could've been utilized more efficiently by a computer that knows the exact dimensions of all the boxes its working with.

It doesn't matter if it's an "other" box that is the same size and shape as a "designated" box--even if it were EXACTLY the same size (and it would have to be EXACTLY, by the millimeter, I'm guessing) you would still need a human being to handle the box, measure it, determine it is EXACTLY the same, then mark it somehow to let the computer know that this "other" box should be treated the same way as Priority Box B4 or whatever.

 

[ViRGE]

Think about it on the macro level. They probably have a system in place, where if you use their "designated" boxes, it's super easy for them to throw it into an auto sorting machine and have a computer calculate exactly which shelf it'll go onto in a truck, which shelf and cargo hold on the plane, etc. They probably save a boatload of money using standard size boxes and envelopes and letting a computer figure out exactly how to cram the truck full of those boxes in the most efficient manner.

All "other" boxes probably get special attention from some human being who has to handle the box personally and make inefficient, human, sorting decisions on how to get this non-conforming box to its destination. Some idiot human (edit: idiot compared to a computer, not trying to diss USPS workers) being probably plays a lazy game of tetris with these boxes and there's probably a ton of gaps and inefficiencies on the trucks and planes that could've been utilized more efficiently by a computer that knows the exact dimensions of all the boxes its working with.

It doesn't matter if it's an "other" box that is the same size and shape as a "designated" box--even if it were EXACTLY the same size (and it would have to be EXACTLY, by the millimeter, I'm guessing) you would still need a human being to handle the box, measure it, determine it is EXACTLY the same, then mark it somehow to let the computer know that this "other" box should be treated the same way as Priority Box B4 or whatever.

Bingo.

Standardized containers greatly reduce the cost of shipping for all of the reasons laid out above. USPS loves flat rate because they can do so much with just 4 different box sizes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Containerization

 

[rh71]

I tried to send a Nook tablet battery back for RMA and it would've been cheaper in my own packaging versus the small box priority that cost $6. I find this out after I already put it in their box, but asked for next time.

 

[Newell Steamer]

Eh, you should have just sent your personal assistant or butler - wtf is wrong with you?

 

[WaTaGuMp]

Eh, you should have just sent your personal assistant or butler - wtf is wrong with you?

Stupid ass question, my fleet of Bentley's were all getting waxed, I didn't have a car to loan to my assistant. Butlers don't do those pity tasks DUH.

 

[John Connor]

You know how much bureaucracy is in the USPS? Union this and that you name it. It's unbelievable. No wonder they can't turn a profit, and yet every damn time I go there the place has a long ass line and pulling out of the parking lot is a bitch. Overhead! Strip that shit down and Ben will stop rolling in his grave!

 

[sandorski]

Stupid ass question, my fleet of Bentley's were all getting waxed, I didn't have a car to loan to my assistant. Butlers don't do those pity tasks DUH.

This is why you have a spare Rolls for slumming. Noob.

 

[Jeff7]

Stupid ass question, my fleet of Bentley's were all getting waxed, I didn't have a car to loan to my assistant. Butlers don't do those pity tasks DUH.

You need to flog whoever was responsible for such sloppy scheduling.