Which carrier is best for you depends a lot on where you live. Living
in Hawaii USPS is usually the most cost effective option.
Flat rate box service from USPS is just that: Flat Rate. Whatever will
fit in the box, regardless of weight, as long as it is not a hazardous
material or other prohibited thing, ships to anywhere in the USA (Alaska
and Hawaii included) for the same rate. That rate has risen over the years,
but when compared to other services it is still a bargain. Of course not
everything you want to ship will fit into a USPS Flat rate box. Aside from
the commonly available Flat Rate boxes that you can pick up at the Post
Office they have some other shapes and sizes that you can order and get for
free. For example they have a "Board Game LFRB" that ships for the same
rate as other Large Flat Rate Boxes which is long enough to fit a Hustler
resonator. You are not going to find a LFRB large enough to fit a full
sized transceiver, although smaller transceivers will fit in the large box.
You may have space to double box a small transceiver in a LFRB, but no
manufacturers packing box for a transceiver that I have seen yet will fit
inside a USPS LFRB. Flat rate Priority Mail Service has reliably delivered
to me in Hawaii in seven days or less, often as fast as three days.
I use a PO Box for most mail to me. This offers a bit more security at
the expense of delaying when I actually have a package in my hands. A
parcel will either be in my PO box, in a locker at the PO, or have to be
picked up at the counter. There does not seem to be any rhyme or reason for
which. Obviously parcels too large for my small PO box will have to be put
in a locker, and parcels too large for lockers will have to be handed over
at the counter, but the strange thing is that even small padded envelope
parcels that could easily fit in my PO box are often put in a locker or
required to be picked up at the counter.
Not every supplier will use USPS, and many offer free shipping by
other carriers. Often the free shipping fine print says "except to Alaska
and Hawaii".
DE N6KB aka KH6KB
On Thu, Jul 21, 2022 at 8:58 AM Ron Notarius W3WN via TenTec <
tentec@contesting.com> wrote:
> They're all pretty bad, these days. A lot depends on who your local
> delivery person for that carrier is. Some care, many do not.
> Over the years, overall, I've had the worst experiences with the Boys in
> Brown. (And Gals too, alliteration aside). I once was having a rig
> delivered, my wife was at home that day in the living room, and the
> delivery person didn't even knock on the door, just left a note. Twice. I
> had to go to the local UPS depot and pick it up personally... 2 days later,
> after they lost and found it.
> I've had better luck with USPS. But I still recall shipping an old
> Ameritron amp to the West Coast... the spare tubes went separately and
> arrived in 2 days. The amp got as far as the Oregon town it was to be
> delivered in, then went to Kansas, Texas, New Mexico, back to Texas, and
> then finally back to Oregon for delivery. (Tracking numbers can be
> wonderful things)
> Local Fed Ex are hit & miss. I've had letters (paychecks actually) and
> packages left in my driveway, in the weather, considered "delivered" -- not
> up on the covered porch. The one paycheck my wife actually drove over
> before she realized what it was. I had a repaired Omni VII tossed in with
> the trash cans on the side of the garage... fortunately, not on a trash day!
> No matter who you pick, it's a roll of the dice. Double box at least,
> make sure everything is secure, document (pictures) if necessary, and don't
> scrimp on the insurance.
> And pack it yourself. I've seen how some of the "office" places pack
> things. "Professional" sometimes only means that they get paid.
> Finally, if a shipper tells you that they MUST inspect the package and
> packing job before they'd ship it (I had this one pulled on me at an Office
> Depot once), go elsewhere. It's a ruse, more often than not, to find an
> excuse to sell you additional packing materials, starting with a new outer
> box (as the original one is now deemed unusable, because it's been opened.
> By them.)
> 73, ron w3wn
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Richard Knox via TenTec <tentec@contesting.com>
> To: tentec@contesting.com
> Cc: Richard Knox <knoxcol@aol.com>
> Sent: Thu, Jul 21, 2022 11:36 am
> Subject: [TenTec] Best Shipping Carrier
>
> Hello TT Fans!
> I am going to be shipping several TT radios soon from Central Florida to
> destinations in the US. From your experience, can you share with me what
> you believe to be the best Carrier, both for price and for safe
> delivery? Thank you and 73! de KD4BRL Dick Knox
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