Sending parcels by mail

Say you have a kit that you need to return for repair.  You could wrap it up and then go to the post office and stand in line to get it weighed and labeled, et cetera.  But I use Paypal Shipstation.  This can save not only time but money, for example the USPS retail rate may be $5.15 on 8 oz from Washington Island to Chicago but Paypal Shipstation will charge $3.79.

The bad points:  you need to know the weight.  Also you need a printer/tape for the shipping label.

You don't need to know the exact weight though, for first class parcels the minimum weight is 4 oz, the next rate is for 5-8 oz, 9-12 is next rate and finally 13-15.999 oz is the top rate for 1st class parcel.  The 2021 minimum 1st class commercial parcel rate is $3.37, the maximum is $6.28.  So I usually use the old spring scale

 and only plug in the digital scale if I'm right near the boundary points.

I used to start at:

https://www.paypal.com/shipnow

another login page  then takes me to

https://paypal.shipstation.com/orders

click on Create New Quick Label  upper right (you may be able to start here):

https://paypal.shipstation.com/sales-orders/new

Then fill in the address and the package size/weight.  The dimensions of the parcel aren't really important for small parcels, I usually enter 5 x 5 x 5 for the kits.  The weight is the important thing.  Usually my parcels are 4 oz (minimum) so they go first class parcel.

Then after hitting calculate you can pick the service you want.  Shipstation now has a UPS option, please don't use that to send stuff to me, I'll refuse delivery (see blog post from 2 days ago).

Finally pay for the label and print it out.  I place the parcel in my mailbox and it's on the way that afternoon (actually it doesn't leave the island until the next morning).

I've also used this for things like real estate taxes or other papers where I want at least some confirmation that the parcel has arrived.

Incidentally, the rates on that Hanson scale (per the USPS: https://about.usps.com/who-we-are/postal-history/domestic-letter-rates-since-1863.htm ) were from the 5 year period of January 1963 to January 1968.  

Stuff changes.

Best Regards,
Chuck, WB9KZY
http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm