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Insane cost of shipping by UPS and FedEx

You most likely have experienced the baffling you got when you had to return something, or ship something, and got an insane quote for cost ($70 to return a $120 item that specified $15 shipping, anyone?)

More insane is the straight face that UPS tells you with. Oh, and the box would be $20 sir.

I thought those people would be trained to understand why I grab the item and walk out the door. Sometimes I ask "why" or plead for a lower price, but they STILL DO NOT GET IT!

Well, first of all, an explanation. The reason it is so cheap FOR THEM is because they get huge VOLUME DISCOUNTS (means they ship many packages and they have a business account).

What can you do?

1) Pack it in your own box so you would not have to pay for it.

2) Try to reduce the volume of the box

3) Shop around. UPS seems to be the most expensive carrier, followed by FedEx. Don't forget about USPS. Most things they will get there VERY CHEAP, especially small packages or internationally.

4) Ask the seller for a return shipping sticker. It will be cheap for them to get one.

5) Obtain an account for the carrier and pack the box and print the label at home. It will give you a small discount for printing the label at home. I have heard that the discount for FedEx is 10-15%.

6) Keep your sanity. I'm here for you.

Note: for shipping to Canada, USPS is the only cheap option.

Update: just walked into their store today with 2 pages to be faxed. Five dollars! I just walked out. Walked into my local hardware store as I remembered they had cheap fax before (Rocky's Ace Hardware). Well it was five bucks there, too (I found out when I had to pay, of course). Blast! Well next time, don't be lazy and fax online. Use any search service to look for free online faxing services. You will need a scanner to scan it at home, of course.

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