New UPS policy bad for ukuleles

hoosierhiver said:
We just dropped UPS and signed up for FedEx today.
They seem approximately the same as the old UPS rate.
Heavy duty boxes are key no matter what company you use.
Click to expand...

I am calling this afternoon!

Viva la Shipping Revolution!!!

(What I love is when this all went down, Main Mike was the first to warn me! He is a super good friend and I appreciate his help! That is the magic of the ukulele world! We are friends and help each other out!)
 
hoosierhiver said:
We just dropped UPS and signed up for FedEx today.
They seem approximately the same as the old UPS rate.
Heavy duty boxes are key no matter what company you use.
Click to expand...
My wife markets wine for a Napa winery and they switched from UPS to FedEx a year or so ago. A few of her customers quit buying wine from her because they didn't like FedEx, but we personally have not had a problem with them.
 
Just talked to a FedEx business rep. I'm finding them to be more accessible on the phone than UPS.
Anyways, he admitted that FedEx will also be raising their prices in January. Sounds like collusion.
 
hoosierhiver said:
Just talked to a FedEx business rep. I'm finding them to be more accessible on the phone than UPS.
Anyways, he admitted that FedEx will also be raising their prices in January. Sounds like collusion.
Click to expand...

Well, I guess people out west will be getting their ukes in 2 days via USPS because if I am going to pay that much, I am at least going to send it faster!
 
hoosierhiver said:
UPS has changed it's pricing, they are now basing cost on size of the package instead of weight. This is bad for large-ish, light weight packages like ukuleles, expect to pay more if you ship with UPS.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info, Mike. The rate hike was known to investors (it amounts to an estimated 4% raise in average shipping rates, i.e. profit), and I mentioned it, on a UU thread, in late Oct/Nov when UPS was 99/share. Now closed today at 112, and note, it pays a 2.4% annual dividend. The rate hike, plus the dramatic drop in gasoline (their #1 non-employee cost), plus gangbuster online seasonal shopping, will have UPS announcing their best ever quarter in late March 2014. Shareholders have already made 12% in two months, and another 12% is likely (but not guaranteed; your results may vary...lol). Note: Dow is up about 6% over same period of time, Oct 31 to now. I hope some of my UU friends were able to take advantage of the timing of ticker symbol UPS 60 days ago.
http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/showthread.php?101570-UPS-what-a-tease

But, yeah, for shipping ukes, it sucks. :p
 
Last edited:
WOW! So true the rate increase is crazy! I expected 5% but UPS has moved up 50% on some of the shipments. Can't really understand the reasoning on this either from UPS with fuel prices dropping.
We may have to start driving them to your house :)
 
hoosierhiver said:
Just talked to a FedEx business rep. I'm finding them to be more accessible on the phone than UPS.
Anyways, he admitted that FedEx will also be raising their prices in January. Sounds like collusion.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I got an email from FedEx saying a 5% increase was coming 2015. Hope they don't do what UPS is doing.

The USPS has been using "dimensional weight" vs. actual weight for large light stuff for a while.
 
When we lived in Brookings, Oregon (2miles north of the Ca border on the coast), the UPS driver was there before 1000 every morning. 27 years ago we moved to the capital city of Oregon. They became known as Unusually Poor Service. FedEx opens my gate (UPS had the code also) and puts it inside the door of my shop. Their rates are less. When I inquired about the shipping price for 6 full sized banjos and cases,last week, the supplier sent me the rates of Fed Ex and UPS. FedEx was $75 less.
 
Just a thought...Since FedEx seems to be in the mood to make deals, have you'll thought about going to them as a group? I'm not sure if they would recognize it to begin with, but you could always give it a shot. It would be a sort of AIMM [(The Alliance of Independent Music Merchants) buying group] for freight. I'm pretty sure USPS and one of the others had a booth at NAMM last year. So you come up with a name a list of members, their locations and go to them with and say we will give you all of our biz if you cut us a deal. The"Big Boys" do this all the time. I know for a fact that Peavey used only FedEx exclusively for years, and to this day Shure only ships UPS on their dime. Shure will ship FedEx, but only with the users acct. number. Being the exclusive freight provider seems to mean something for them. For the retailers, you might even get a vendor to throw in with you. Say, Amahi or Kala's (I'm not overlooking smaller makers, but to FedEx it's all about the numbers and I'm pretty sure they ship more 100.00 ukes than smaller builders ship 2500.00 ukes) biz plus all of your retail shipping might turn some heads and get you a deal! Plus, if they have a booth (after going to their website Fedex is Booth# 152 at Winter NAMM), they need to get some value for going....Saying we got the exclusive shipping for X number of Uke retailers and vendors might be enough to rationalization their booth and travel there!

FYI, I'll be at NAMM Thursday - Sunday and would be happy to help. I'll be working most of the time 'till Sunday. I hope to be there as a consumer on Sunday, but should have time to talk or brainstorm then!

Just a thought...http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/images/icons/icon10.png
 
timmit65 said:
Just a thought...Since FedEx seems to be in the mood to make deals, have you'll thought about going to them as a group? I'm not sure if they would recognize it to begin with, but you could always give it a shot. It would be a sort of AIMM [(The Alliance of Independent Music Merchants) buying group] for freight. I'm pretty sure USPS and one of the others had a booth at NAMM last year. So you come up with a name a list of members, their locations and go to them with and say we will give you all of our biz if you cut us a deal. The"Big Boys" do this all the time. I know for a fact that Peavey used only FedEx exclusively for years, and to this day Shure only ships UPS on their dime. Shure will ship FedEx, but only with the users acct. number. Being the exclusive freight provider seems to mean something for them. For the retailers, you might even get a vendor to throw in with you. Say, Amahi or Kala's (I'm not overlooking smaller makers, but to FedEx it's all about the numbers and I'm pretty sure they ship more 100.00 ukes than smaller builders ship 2500.00 ukes) biz plus all of your retail shipping might turn some heads and get you a deal! Plus, if they have a booth (after going to their website Fedex is Booth# 152 at Winter NAMM), they need to get some value for going....Saying we got the exclusive shipping for X number of Uke retailers and vendors might be enough to rationalization their booth and travel there!

FYI, I'll be at NAMM Thursday - Sunday and would be happy to help. I'll be working most of the time 'till Sunday. I hope to be there as a consumer on Sunday, but should have time to talk or brainstorm then!

Just a thought...http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/images/icons/icon10.png
Click to expand...

WHAT A SPLENDID IDEA!! Thank you for the offer to also put hands and feet to the idea of your head and heart.
 
timmit65 said:
Just a thought...Since FedEx seems to be in the mood to make deals, have you'll thought about going to them as a group? I'm not sure if they would recognize it to begin with, but you could always give it a shot. It would be a sort of AIMM [(The Alliance of Independent Music Merchants) buying group] for freight. I'm pretty sure USPS and one of the others had a booth at NAMM last year. So you come up with a name a list of members, their locations and go to them with and say we will give you all of our biz if you cut us a deal. The"Big Boys" do this all the time. I know for a fact that Peavey used only FedEx exclusively for years, and to this day Shure only ships UPS on their dime. Shure will ship FedEx, but only with the users acct. number. Being the exclusive freight provider seems to mean something for them. For the retailers, you might even get a vendor to throw in with you. Say, Amahi or Kala's (I'm not overlooking smaller makers, but to FedEx it's all about the numbers and I'm pretty sure they ship more 100.00 ukes than smaller builders ship 2500.00 ukes) biz plus all of your retail shipping might turn some heads and get you a deal! Plus, if they have a booth (after going to their website Fedex is Booth# 152 at Winter NAMM), they need to get some value for going....Saying we got the exclusive shipping for X number of Uke retailers and vendors might be enough to rationalization their booth and travel there!

FYI, I'll be at NAMM Thursday - Sunday and would be happy to help. I'll be working most of the time 'till Sunday. I hope to be there as a consumer on Sunday, but should have time to talk or brainstorm then!

Just a thought...http://forum.ukuleleunderground.com/images/icons/icon10.png
Click to expand...

I love it, maybe start a petition to present to them that way dealers who don't attend can lend some weight to the cause.
 
RichM said:
I don't think this is new. I have been paying for "dimensional weight" for quite some time now.
Click to expand...

Right. I owned/ran/slaved in a UPS store for 11 years. It's always been the greater of dimensional weight or actual weight. I forget the formula but it's something like L x W x H/166 to get the dim weight. I think it's on the UPS website.
 
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