CloudContacts Blog

I’d like to share a simple tip that can help seriously cut your shipping costs when you mail any packages (including your business cards to us for scanning and transcription). Shipping costs continue to rise with all of the carriers and I don’t expect the prices to slow anytime soon. I also expect the “additional services” like delivery confirmation from the post office to increase in price. FedEx has announced that all of their rates (overnight, 2-day, etc.) will increase as of January 4, 2010.

The key to saving money on shipping is to check all carriers before leaving the house or office with your package. It only takes a minute to check and it can save you several dollars on each package. Here’s an example using a package from NYC to Boston that weighs 10pounds shipped via FedEx and is going to an office address:

Look at the savings if you send the package Ground — $31 dollar savings over the Standard Overnight option and both packages will arrive the following day! Of course there are times that the delivery time is critical but I’d bet that even risking an extra day for delivery would be fine to save over $30 for one package. These prices are the drop-off prices at a retail counter – it’s actually even cheaper for the Ground option ($6.50) if FedEx picks up the package — there is a weekly pickup charge of $9 so if you have multiple packages it’s worth it.

When most consumers think about shipping packages they think first (and sometimes only) about the post office. So how much do you think the 10 pound box costs to ship with the post office? $10.60 including delivery confirmation – $2 more than FedEx Ground which includes free tracking (which is better than delivery confirmation).

One of the big changes the post office made in the last few years was to start charging based on distance. This is why checking all of the services is so critical. This 10lb box example would cost $30 to send via Priority Mail to Beverly Hills from NYC  using the post office.

Also – if you decide to use the post office for shipping – checkout their flat rate boxes. Many times you can save money on shipping by using one of their boxes that allow you to load the box with as much weight as you like for a flat rate price. Lastly, check out the online postage printing service – it can save you additional money and comes with free delivery confirmation so at a minimum you are saving nearly $1. In a recent shipping to Australia, I saved $3 over paying for the postage at the post office. And you don’t need to wait on line!

So the next time you need to mail a box, take 5 minutes out of your day and check all of the carriers to find out which one will work best for your specific mailing needs. A couple of minutes can save you and your business several hundred (or even thousand) dollars every year.