when a mistake lasts 50 years
    16 years
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During the pandemic I sold my first item on eBay, so I wanted a means of shipping...I found online that I could open a UPS account. Got a really good discount, to illustrate--
Say I wanted to ship a 3 lb box from PA to CT. If I walked into a UPS Store, the going rate would be about $21.
With my work account it will show $17 (they get a volume discount obviously--more will come off the statement).
With my UPS account newly created, $12--to include the residential surcharges being discounted. The residential was 50% off. This is like $5, nuts.
Flash forward....I guess I ignored emails from UPS saying to simply login to keep the account active....so it got canceled. I called and spent hours trying to preserve the discount--I could see it, but the account had no ability to generate a label. The people at UPS claimed all I need to do is to order supplies, and the account would be reinstated. I did, have all these supplies lol but no.
OK, flash forward again to this AM. I want to ship my mom an iPhone and I don't want to simply walk in and pay $21. Today's account only gets it down to $15. Again, I believe the old one would bring it into the $12's.
I managed to setup UPS again with what I thought was a similar discount but no--25% off surcharge, and 30% not 40% off ground.
So the fact that I didn't simply login cost potentially from last year to 2070, of never getting the discount I had in place. dang.
I also opened a FedEx this AM and oddly? Same package, $11.70 ground. Every other time in my life I cross-shopped, FedEx was more.
I guess I can't pay full price--I've been in the UPS store and overheard stuff like, "That'll be $78.xx" And the person has a tiny box.
Even UPS offers a code clearly displayed on their webpage so it's not necessary to have an account, and the code right now is DISCOUNT. It takes 20% off ground and 25% off the residential surcharge. Why not generate a label before heading to the store? I know franchisees are saying, what in tarnation are you doing, trying to ruin me? lol
edit: I found a pdf of the old agreement--it was in fact 40% off the residential surcharge, and the fuel surcharge was also discounted. Too bad I didn't simply login when the emails said to do so--thought they were spam.
Pirateship.com Free
Pirateship.com
Free accounts, massive usps/ups discounts. Been selling on ebay for 20+ years. Using PS ~3 years now.
They do well priced international too - use ebay global shipping for that though. The latter places my responsibility on ensuring delivery to a state side depot which then reships to the final destination. Cost more for the buyer but safer for the seller.
Shipping an iphone, I'd probably ship via usps priority mail small flat rate box. Adding insurance/sig as needed.
woW!!!! .....
Thank you for the insight. Will be following your lead.
rvOutrider
Here's a sample rate based
Here's a sample rate based on shipping from PA to CT. I choose the zipcodes based on major towns.
https://i.imgur.com/jBUHsYW.png
nice
Pirateship.com
Free accounts, massive usps/ups discounts. Been selling on ebay for 20+ years. Using PS ~3 years now.
They do well priced international too - use ebay global shipping for that though. The latter places my responsibility on ensuring delivery to a state side depot which then reships to the final destination. Cost more for the buyer but safer for the seller.
Shipping an iphone, I'd probably ship via usps priority mail small flat rate box. Adding insurance/sig as needed.
Thanks for the tip! Will give it a try!
Sometimes....
....those mistakes just come back and bite us! If only we could see the future and see how our mistakes could (or can) affect our lives.
"Everything I need can be found in the presence of God. Every. Single. Thing." Charley Hartmann 2/11/1956-6/11/2022
Would a new account solve this?
johnnatash4, can't you just open a new account with a different email address to get the UPS discount again?
"141 could draw faster than he, but Irving was looking for 143..."
no
johnnatash4, can't you just open a new account with a different email address to get the UPS discount again?
I did create a new account, and the reason it doesn't make things the same, is the discounts are not as favorable. Prolly in 2020 they wanted to increase business.
So off the top, rate discount is 10% less. But, the residential surcharge discount is 25%, when it was 40% (this is $5 on the $20 package). Then, I believe there is no discount on the fuel surcharge.
My old invoice was a thing of beauty, where the $21 shipping was $12 and change, and all these minuses showed up.
It's not the end of the world as I don't ship that much. But I was trying to illustrate how just a mouse click logging in, could have kept the account alive and the discount intact for 50 years.
Another example of being grandfathered--our credit union Visa gas card has a 5% cash rebate automatically deducted on every statement. So we don't have to wait or bother with rotating 5%. This card doesn't exist today for new applicants. I'd hate to lose it say if I got an email login, or it will be deactivated! They also paid me $150 to switch to paperless and autopay--I thought that was worth it, and a bit on the high side.