The Mailbox Ballard

It’s time! Holiday shipping madness is finally upon us. Luckily for you, we’ve spent some time compiling the various shipping deadlines outlined by our carriers into one simple list so you can get your gifts under your loved one’s trees by December 25th.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
UPS and Fedex Ground Services suspend their delivery guarantees after December 7th, and Air Service guarantees are extended by 90 minutes.

Domestic Shipping in time for Christmas

December 14th
Last day for Fedex Home/Ground delivery to Alaska and Hawaii

December 15th
Last day for USPS standard post

December 16th
Last day for Fedex Ground and Home delivery in the continental US

December 18th
Last day to ship UPS 3 Day Select

December 19th
Last day to ship USPS First Class

December 21
Last day to ship USPS Priority Mail
Last day to ship UPS 2nd Day Air delivered by December 24th
Last Day to ship Fedex Express Saver

December 22nd
Last day to ship UPS 2nd Day Air
Last day to ship Fedex 2 Day AM and Fedex 2 Day

December 23rd
Last Day to ship USPS Priority Mail Express
Last day to ship UPS Next Day Air

Military Shipping in time for Christmas

November 7th – Standard post Service
December 3rd – Priority Mail Service/First Class Mail Service for APO/FPO/DPO AE Zip 093
December 10th – Priority Mail Service/First Class Mail Service for Zips 090-092, 094-098, 340, 962-966
December 17th – Priority Mail Express Military Service (excluding Zip 093)

International Shipping in time for Christmas

*All of these dates are estimates, as customs times and shipping to more remote areas are always variable. It is always recommended with international shipping to contact the carrier to verify shipping dates.

December 1st
Recommended last day for USPS First Class and USPS Priority Mail to Africa and Central/South America

December 8th
Recommended last day for USPS First Class to Canada, the Caribbean, Europe and the Middle East
Recommended last day for USPS First Class and USPS Priority Mail to Asia/Pacific Rim, Australia/New Zealand and Mexico

December 11th
Recommended last day for USPS Priority Mail to Canada, the Caribbean, and the Middle East

***DHL Global Mail recommends handing over holiday shipments to a carrier by December 18th, but cautions that the specific destination country and customs process may result in delayed delivery.

Extra Shipping Tips

1. Make sure to wrap you packages well – H tape the bottoms of your packages for extra security, and choose strong, study boxes. Feel free to call with any questions you may have regarding best practices.
2. Consider insurance – UPS and FedEx shipments automatically come with declared-value coverage of up to $100. The U.S. Postal Service provides similar coverage for Priority Mail Express shipments. Declared value is the carrier’s maximum liability. If the package is lost, damaged, or stolen, you’ll need to file a claim and can do so as early as 24 hours after expected delivery. (Timing differs by carrier.)
3. Use a waterproof marker to write the full address of both the sender and recipient on the outside of the package. Include a duplicate label or business card inside, so the carton can be returned if it gets damaged and becomes undeliverable.

Good luck, and get shipping!

Seattle University is administering the citywide Seattle Public Safety Survey. The purpose of the survey is to solicit feedback on public safety and security concerns from those who live and/or work in Seattle. A report on the survey results will be provided to the Seattle Police Department to assist them with making your neighborhood safer and more secure. The survey is accessible at publicsafetysurvey.org from October 15th through November 30th and is available in Amharic, Chinese, English, Korean, Somali, Spanish and Vietnamese. Please circulate this information to your friends, family, co-workers and community members and feel free to post the information on your social media. Public safety and security are community concerns. Please make sure your voice is heard by completing the public safety survey today. http://publicsafetysurvey.org/

Name: Jeffrie
Hometown: Centralia
Years with USPS: 5 years
Best Shipping Advice:
Don’t rush your packing. Make sure you “H” tape the box both top and bottom.
Essential Item You Wear or Carry during your Work Day:
Pen and socks
Favorite Down Time Activity:
Video and watching soccer (used to play)
Do You Have a Pet?:
No, have a child instead.

The 2015 Postal rate increase was postponed from January to April and then revised to May 31st.  Take heart though, no rate increase for a first class stamp.  Your Forever Stamp is still Forever.  If you are SOHO shipper please factor these increases into your shipping budget.

First Class Package Service
First Class Package Service will see an average increase of 5.1% in 2015. For packages that weigh 13 ounces or less, First Class Package Service remains the lowest cost option to ship a package to a U.S. address.

Parcel Select
Prices for Parcel Select, the U.S. Postal Service’s ground shipping product, will increase an average of 9.8% in 2015.  There are no price increases for Zones 1 to 4 for packages weighing 25 lbs. through 70 lbs.

Media Mail
Media Mail rates will see an average increase of 6.2% in 2015. For books, videos and other products that qualify, Media Mail remains a great low cost shipping option.

First Class Letters & Postcards – International
The cost to send a one ounce First Class Letter to an international destination will increase five cents. Postcard rates will increase by five cents.

First Class Package International Service
The overall increase for First Class Package International Service will be 7.2% in 2015.  The highest price increases by pound is between 3 and 4 lbs.

Priority Mail International
The overall increase for Priority Mail International will be 5.5% in 2015. Additionally, the USPS is introducing Zone-based pricing for Priority Mail International packages traveling to Canada. Canada will be split into 7 zones.

Priority Mail Express International
The overall increase for Priority Mail Express International will be 6.7% in 2015.

Global Express Guaranteed
The overall increase for Global Express Guaranteed will be 7.2% in 2015.

Effective January 2015, both UPS and FedEx are changing the way they calculate prices for their Ground service.  Prior to this change the Major Carriers have calculated their prices based on the size of the box, as well as the weight of the box based on the distance traveled or the speed of service provided.  Express has always used dimensional weight for packages due to the capacity of planes and price of jet fuel.

UPS began their dimensional weight charge for all ground packages on December 29th.  FedEx followed suit on January 5th of this year.  This increase can be an astounding 45% increase in charges along with their 4.5% increase in regular pricing.  Neither company reduced their Fuel Surcharge even though fuel pricing is at an all time low in the last 10 years.

So in 2015 it is critical for all shipments to be in as small a package as will safely transport your items to their destination.

The “good” news is that The Mailbox is aware of this situation and we have been doing whatever we can to minimize the effect of this change for our customers.  We also encourage you, the consumer, to contact FedEx and/or UPS to voice your discontent with this new policy.  The policy seems to be brought about by large shippers such as Amazon/Zappos/etc. that used very large packaging for very small items as a matter of their convenience.

The 18 years experience we bring to the shipping business allows us to:

• Offer a choice of carriers and services
• Stock over 80 sizes of boxes that enable us to find the perfect box for your shipment
• We can build custom boxes as well as resize your box if it merits a downsize

Just bring your shipment to The Mailbox and let us see what we can do to ship your items safe and secure in the most economical way possible.  Please realize that some shipments are inherently going to cost more but we have many options for sizes, weights and distances.

We’re here to assist in any way possible.