USPS shipping prices ?


Went to the Post Office to ship a set of 4 pound cables with $200 insurance plus tracking to California via priority mail. Clerk tells me the cost is $14 and change. When I balked at the price, the clerk told me that it depends on the zone it goes to. I said, sounds like you guys are getting more expensive than Ups and Fedex. Went to Fedex and shipped the same package with tracking and insurance for $7.05. It used to be cheaper to ship via USPS. Unfortunately, this is no longer seems to be the case.
jig
I, too, have NEVER had a problem shipping USPS. Ever - but I have heard horror stories from others about ALL shippers. With respect to cost, though, it varies. I almost always find USPS Priority Mail cheaper - except when comparing to UPS or FedEx Ground. Where I live, Bay Area (CA), I will not have anything shipped to me via UPS unless I absolutely cannot avoid doing so. 2 of 5 times they misdeliver or just bang the living snot out of the package. I've declined to order a few times from businesses that say UPS only because of this.
USPS also has a new "flat rate" Priority Mail box that is only $7.70 irrespective of weight. If you print your label online from the USPS web site, the delivery confirmation is free.

I use USPS almost exclusively to ship hundreds of packages a month and they've only lost two the past two years. Pretty good in my book!

Regards!
My latest USPS story-

An $800 money order sent by priority mail with delivery confirmation. Mailed on Monday from Nebraska to Virginia. When it did not arrive by Thursday I went to the Post Office and they said:

"Well, its not a guaranteed service. Our tracking shows it left here on Monday".

I could have told them that. They then said if it is not there by next Monday (8 days later) they would trace it for me.

It arrived on Saturday after 6 days (2-3 day service my butt). As an experiment I shipped the same person a small package by FedEx ground that got there in 3 days and was tracked all the way. Difference price 97 cents.

Just my 97 cents worth with the USPS.