Best/cheapest way to ship single and group discs..?

[Slink]

Any suggestions on the cheapest way to ship both single discs and multiples?

Thx in advance, and sorry if i should've used the search function for this but wasnt having much luck..

 

[Romans 5-8]

Cheapest way for me, for one disc is through stamps.com, I print the label at home and tape it on the bubble mailer. If I ship it first class, it's usually 2.46-2.59$. First class is anything under 13 ounces I think. Or click-n-ship is another option from home instead of stamps.com. And if you don't have access to ship it at home, just make sure to do first class for one disc at the post office, they just might charge you for a bubble mailer.

When shipping two discs, it really depends on how far you are shipping it. I will normally use parcel post, but if parcel is more than 5 bucks, I will just upgrade it to priority and throw it in a padded flat rate envelope. Those envelopes cost 5.70 to ship for me on stamps and it get to the customer way faster, normally in 2-3 days.

I hope that helps. I can't stand to see the post office rip people off all the time, if you know what you want, it will be cheaper.

 

[Slink]

thx for the enlightening reply man... Sounds like i need to stock up on some bubble mailers.

 

[Kodachrome]

Walmart had them on sale near me, 10 for 7$. I have, however, opted to try something different. I have a ton of paper grocery bags that i use for various purposes. So I bought a roll of bubble wrap and duck (yes, the brand is duck) tape. I'm terrible at wrapping things so they don't look that great yet, but at 8$ for a big roll of tape and 30' of bubble wrap...we'll see how it winds up in terms of cost efficiency.

If it ends up even i still feel better because I get to wrap the discs individually in bubble wrap inside the paper instead of mashing them together on top of one another in an envelope. Especially for soft plastic like putters or special stamps.

From there it's a matter of weight.

 

[scarpfish]

When shipping two discs, it really depends on how far you are shipping it. I will normally use parcel post, but if parcel is more than 5 bucks, I will just upgrade it to priority and throw it in a padded flat rate envelope. Those envelopes cost 5.70 to ship for me on stamps and it get to the customer way faster, normally in 2-3 days.

I do want to point out that if you're shipping two discs and at least one of them is light, (say they average 160g or less), its possible to get two of them shipped first class. 320 grams = 11.3 ounces and bubble mailers usually are around 1.5 ounces, so that keeps you under the magic 13 oz weight.

On most two disc shipments though, the very thing that you put around the discs to protect them is what bumps the package up into Priority range.

 

[kerplunk]

Many people ship single discs as a large envelope, but since they are rigid they should really be shipped as a package. This brings the cost to right around $3. This difference is important though, as the mailman usually will not try to wedge a "package" into the mailbox, but will with a large envelope. Plus if you read the USPS definition of large envelope vs package it specifically says rigid makes it a package, which most discs are.

I always ship in a large manilla envelope (you can get 10 for ~$3 at Walmart or the dollar store), no bubble wrap or anything, but I always ship as a package and always write "DO NOT BEND" on the front and back. Discs are pretty resilient to dings, but don't handle extended warping quite as well. I have shipped around a hundred discs this way, no complaints thus far.

 

[BrotherDave]

Bump. What's the cheapest way to ship a player's pack (3 discs and stickers and junk, ~ 24 ounces)? The paypal ship now's limit is 16 ounces apparently. Cheapest flat rate box I can fit them in at the post office?

 

[sumo21]

Sam's Club or Costco for the bubble envelopes. Not as flexible as their plastic counterpart but the largest size envelope I think is 25 for $14, so less than 60 cents per envelope.

As for shipping, if your customer doesn't mind a little wait, you can do media mail with added services.

 

[sumo21]

Bump. What's the cheapest way to ship a player's pack (3 discs and stickers and junk, ~ 24 ounces)? The paypal ship now's limit is 16 ounces apparently. Cheapest flat rate box I can fit them in at the post office?

I did a 24 oz package from Sacramento, CA to 01022, somewhere in Massachusetts. It would take 8 days.

Media mail: $3.09

ADD ON'S
Certificate of mailing is $1.30
Insurance: $2.10
Signature Confirmation: $2.90

So you get an idea. If you need tracking, media mail and signature confirmation for $5.99.

 

[scarpfish]

I did a 24 oz package from Sacramento, CA to 01022, somewhere in Massachusetts. It would take 8 days.

Media mail: $3.09

ADD ON'S
Certificate of mailing is $1.30
Insurance: $2.10
Signature Confirmation: $2.90

So you get an idea. If you need tracking, media mail and signature confirmation for $5.99.

Media mail is for sending media. Not disc golf equipment. You're essentially screwing over the post office when you use it for something else, which is ill advised if you wish to keep it around.

I'd also point out that by sending stuff media mail, your package is subject to inspection, and when those inspectors find unacceptable contents inside, guess what happens...

http://about.usps.com/notices/not121/not121.htm

 

[sumo21]

Media mail is for sending media. Not disc golf equipment. You're essentially screwing over the post office when you use it for something else, which is ill advised if you wish to keep it around.

I'd also point out that by sending stuff media mail, your package is subject to inspection, and when those inspectors find unacceptable contents inside, guess what happens...

http://about.usps.com/notices/not121/not121.htm

Good to know scarpfish. I guess I misunderstood when a customer was sending mail and had the option to send it media mail, according to the clerk. Didn't get to see the contents. I'm always using first class + when sending packages. I've also been known to overpack to ensure nothing happens to the contents.

 

[ilmcgee]

Media mail is for sending media. Not disc golf equipment. You're essentially screwing over the post office when you use it for something else, which is ill advised if you wish to keep it around.

I'd also point out that by sending stuff media mail, your package is subject to inspection, and when those inspectors find unacceptable contents inside, guess what happens...

http://about.usps.com/notices/not121/not121.htm

Just tell them that those discs are the newest technology.

 

[sumo21]

Bump. What's the cheapest way to ship a player's pack (3 discs and stickers and junk, ~ 24 ounces)? The paypal ship now's limit is 16 ounces apparently. Cheapest flat rate box I can fit them in at the post office?

I stand corrected. There are two options.

Priority 2 Day, Medium Flat Box: $13.45
Priority 2 Day: $12.40

Thanks again to scarpfish for clarification on media mail.

 

[sumo21]

I think the Flat Rate box is good for shipping heavier things because it still quoted me the same rate for 24 oz as it did for 6 lbs, going to the same place.

 

[jamesp123]

I get my bubble envelopes at the dollar store......2 for a buck

 

[Moose33]

Walmart is pretty cheap. Depending on the time I've gotten 2 for $1 or one time 10 for $2 and they were nice Duck brand ones too.

First class or PayPal shipping is usually cheapest for me, but defiantly estimate both before going with one or the other. I had two packages ship to the same guy at different times one was PP ship at $4 and first class was only $2.70.

 

[Stardoggy]

If you're sending a good amount of discs, go on Amazon and buy in bulk. I bought 100 #4's for under 30 bucks, shipped. They easily hold 2 frisbees.

 

[sumo21]

I remember that I shipped 2 discs and it was $1 cheaper to send each one first class than it was to ship them both Priority. $3.40 for each, $7.85 Priority.

 

[Stardoggy]

I remember that I shipped 2 discs and it was $1 cheaper to send each one first class than it was to ship them both Priority. $3.40 for each, $7.85 Priority.

PayPal shipping. First class for a single disc is $2.60. Two discs first class, $3.60. Priority is a ripoff, especially with first class now getting tracking.

 

[Quinum]

Yup, first class through paypal is the way to go.