US Mail/Priority Mail for Low Weight Orders Now On Store

[AGD-OfficeGal]

Assuming I did everything right :D - you will now be able to choose US mail or US Priority Mail options for low weight orders on our internet store. "Low weight" means orders up to 12 ounces for US Mail and up to one pound for Priority Mail. This means those with APO/FPO addresses can now use the store for small orders :)

Please do NOT select US mail if you are ordering Autolube!:eek: Not safe!

Let me know ASAP if problems occur. Thanks!

Marcia

[kevdupuis]

Thanks Marcia.
Does this work for us when we need small parts shipped to Canada?

KEV

[coolcatpete]

Will this include ULE bodies casue they are under 12oz right.
Pete

[FreakBaller12]

nice so i can order a 4 dollar part and not have 7 dollar shipping right?

[Eric Cartman]

Does this work for us when we need small parts shipped to Canada?
Yeah Marcia, what he said. How will this affect small Canadian shipments?

Thanks!:)

[BlackVCG]

You have to fill out a Customs slip to ship USPS to Canada. Not sure how it works with UPS, but you might still have to use UPS to ship to Canada since it's a bit more involved to ship there USPS.

Keep in mind that USPS Priority is 3.85 flat rate for up to one pound. If you plan on ordering some stickers, o-rings and a couple of hard parts, USPS shipping should be fine.

I wouldn't try to abuse it and order a grip frame and a body seperately, for example and have them shipped Priority. It probably won't save you any to ship it that way and if you do place an order for over 1lb. and try to have it shipped USPS, AGD isn't going to send it to you that way since they'll get charged more than they charged you for shipping.

[Eric Cartman]

Thanks for the scoop Black. As far as this goes:

but you might still have to use UPS to ship to Canada since it's a bit more involved to ship there USPS
I'd rather drive to AGD from Toronto to pick my shipment up.:) By the time UPS has screwed you with brokerage fees, it'd be cheaper.:( I and many other Canucks avoid UPS shipments from the U.S. like the plague!

[shartley]

I ship to Canada often using USPS Priority Mail. It is the same price as if you shipped within the US. And as for customs…. It is only a small form (if my memory serves me correctly), takes about 15 seconds to fill out. Wallah… badda bing, badda bang.

[Halliday]

I just used the "mail" feature today. I ordered 2 E-Mag on/off pins and one Retro pin.

Using the mail, will I get them by the end of next week?

[DK1]

w00!, this is great for people like me who both live in an apartment where we don't want people to snatch our stuff from the front door, and work (or school) during UPS delivery hours. Thanks AGD.

DK1

[Halliday]

Originally posted by DK1
w00!, this is great for people like me who both live in an apartment where we don't want people to snatch our stuff from the front door, and work (or school) during UPS delivery hours. Thanks AGD.

DK1

It says only for items 1-3 oz in weight on the checkout.

[adam shannon]

Originally posted by BlackVCG
Keep in mind that USPS Priority is 3.85 flat rate for up to one pound. If you plan on ordering some stickers, o-rings and a couple of hard parts, USPS shipping should be fine.



then you have the "flat rate" envelope. its not up to 1 pound...its as much as you can shove in the envelope. i can fit 25 dvd's (trimpack cases), or 4 vhs tapes, or my whole ule mag...rail, grip frame, body, barrel kit, 2 drops, and all the little extra parts...all packed in bubble wrap, when i sent it to XPB for anno...for $3.85 priority.

there is also flat rate international envelopes. the small ones are $4 to canada, and the legal size envelopes are $7 to canada.

use the power of the flat rate envelope.

[AGD-OfficeGal]

1. I'm truly sorry, but the store still isn't set up to accept Canadian orders. The differences in coding/shipping rates are just too complicated for the software to handle.

2. With US mail there are no guarantees when you will get the package - or IF you will get the package. That's the tradeoff for the low price. If it gets lost in the mail, you have to buy it again - we will NOT replace it for free. So I wouldn't be tempted to have a ULE body sent to me by mail, knowing that. Remember, there is no tracking by Priority Mail, it's just faster than regular mail.

3. If your total order adds up to less than 3 ounces, you'll see the charge for 1-3 ounces as an option, and Priority Mail as an option, along with UPS. If it adds up to 4-6 ounces, you'll see the 4-6 ounce charge, Priority Mail, and UPS. If it adds up to 7-9 ounces, you'll see the 7-9 ounce charge, Priority Mail, and UPS. If it adds up to 10-16 ounces, you'll see Priority Mail and UPS. Over 16 ounces, you'll only see UPS options.

Hope I've covered everything. Again, Canadians - I'm sorry. :(

[PBCapo]

is there a minimum amount of money you need to spend at the store? Can i just buy one oring and have it shipped priority?

[BlackVCG]

There is no minimum purchase amount from the AGD Online Store.

[Halliday]

Originally posted by AGD-OfficeGal
2. With US mail there are no guarantees when you will get the package - or IF you will get the package. That's the tradeoff for the low price. If it gets lost in the mail, you have to buy it again - we will NOT replace it for free.

That's depressing. How would I even know if my order was EVER shipped?

[AGD-OfficeGal]

Two ways you would know it was shipped:

(1) You would receive it. ;)

(2) After about five business days for priority mail, or ten business days for regular mail, you could email me or call us.
=======
Yes, you can certainly order one O-ring and have it sent by mail. That's one of the primary reasons JoAnn and I *wanted* to make mail service available, was for people who had very small orders and were paying over $6.00 in UPS charges for a single O-ring. We felt guilty, and believe me, we aren't making any money off those sales. Tiny orders are never profitable.

Marcia

[shartley]

I would like to point out to those that may be a bit weary about the USPS addition to the AGD choices for shipping….

No, the USPS does NOT guarantee that Priority Mail will be delivered within 2-3 days. However, I have used USPS Priority Mail exclusively for almost a year now for product shipment and not only have they delivered EVERY package, but they have done so within 3 days of shipping… sometimes the next day!

If folks are worried that the package was not shipped, maybe they can request tracking with it? I track almost every package leaving my shop, it costs a tad more, but it is worth it for both my piece of mind and the customer’s.

[DK1]

I agree, USPS is great. So far, I've actually mailed a few items off on a saturday and had people receive them on the following monday.

As far as tracking, I don't think USPS offers it, but they do offer Delivery Confirmation for $.40 I think. You can track the package with it, but it only updates once a day, at the end of the day, and sometimes it's a day or two behind the actual package.

DK1

[shartley]

Originally posted by DK1
I agree, USPS is great. So far, I've actually mailed a few items off on a saturday and had people receive them on the following monday.

As far as tracking, I don't think USPS offers it, but they do offer Delivery Confirmation for $.40 I think. You can track the package with it, but it only updates once a day, at the end of the day, and sometimes it's a day or two behind the actual package.

DK1
Actually they do have tracking. They have Tracking for Express Mail, Global Express Guaranteed, and Global Express Mail. They have three types of Track and Confirm services with many choices for each.

http://www.usps.com/shipping/trackandconfirm.htm Look down at Additional Information.

I usually just do the basic tracking, and it has only seen a lag a couple times but not more than 24 hours after delivery. I don’t send with a conformation unless asked to do so since it is usually more of a hassle for the customer that way.

Hope that helps.

[DK1]

sure, I thought AGD had only decided to use Priority and regular mail. Thanks

DK1

[AGD-OfficeGal]

Our store IS only offering regular and Priority Mail and here's why. Anything else requires us to take the package to the post office rather than having it picked up by the mail carrier. We do not go to the post office every day - generally no more than twice a week. This means your package could be delayed considerably if it is packed on a Friday afternoon, for example, and we don't go to the PO till the next Tuesday or Wednesday. On the other hand, the same package, prepared on Friday afternoon for regular or Priority mail, has missed the mail carrier, but one of us could easily walk it down to the corner and drop it in the box that same day.

Remember, we are intending US mail/Priority Mail to be used for low weight/low value orders, so hopefully nobody is going to be losing a lot of money if something gets lost in the mail. You *should* think twice before having something of high value sent by mail. UPS is a better choice in that case. Packages sent by UPS and lost WILL be replaced at no charge.

Exception to US mail rule: If we send your order to the wrong address, we will replace it for free.

Marcia

[cphilip]

Marcia, delivery confirmation is free on Priority Mail if its done online account wise. Or it was last time I used it anyway.... It costs money if you go to the counter (55 cents) but not online in your USPS Business account. Often overlooked feature. And I assume you are doing it that way and printing out the label yourself? It will scan delivery confirmed if you add it. Would it not be best to use that? So you can at least prove it was shipped and delivered?

I have excellent luck with US mail. Never lost a thing. But I do always use delivery confirmation.

[cphilip]

Ok I just rechecked the USPS site. And it is free still. Here is a copy and paste direct from the USPS sites FAQ's about online label printing services

Q. Why isn't there an additional fee for Delivery Confirmation when I print a Priority Mail online label?
A. When you print an online label, an electronic record of your transaction is sent to the United States Postal Service. This meets the requirements for electronic option Delivery Confirmation service; no additional fees are required when used with Priority Mail.

Q. What if the retail employee tries to charge Delivery Confirmation fees for my online label?
A. Since the online label is a new feature, some USPS employees may not yet be familiar with it. Point out the "e/" endorsement on your label next to the Delivery Confirmation text. This indicates that this item is an electronic option Delivery Confirmation mailpiece. The retail associate should refer to the July 26, 2001 Postal Bulletin for further information. Regular Priority Mail postage rates apply.

[AGD-OfficeGal]

Sounds great but ... we don't do our postage online. We have a postage meter, and labels are generated by our point-of-sale/accounting/shipping/do-everything software. I'm not knocking what you say, Phil, believe me. However, the discussion is now becoming a little more involved than it should be for a public forum, plus I'm getting out of my depth. ::insert figure of woman buried in snow here:: :confused:

EDIT: After email consultation with Phil (THANKS!) I'll discuss this possibility some more with Jo next week.

Marcia

[homis]

I just want to share my experience(s) with USPS.

I recently bought a MM body online (from MI) and a MM body (From AZ). Both were shipped (to Chicago) via USPS and arrived in two days. Then I ordered some small (hose & o-rings) parts from AGD and shipped them via USPS. Remember, AGD is about 25 miles from downtown Chicago. It has now been 6 business days since the supposed ship date and no parts. I just got off the phone with AGD (who were nice about the whole thing), but to all who are reading this -> DO NOT USE IT IF YOU A) NEED THE PARTS B) LIVE IN CHICAGO C) BOTH A & B. To top it off, I just read that if it's lost in the mail, AGD doesn't offer a refund. So, either a) my parts will have taken 7+ business days to go 25 miles b) They will be lost and I get to spend $60 for five feet of warp house and some o-rings.

Now that I think about it, I remember I was having my Rolex fixed by a family friend in Cleveland a while back. He sent the watch certified, insured, blah blah blah. Anyways, it ended up taking two weeks+ to finally locate the watch, and when we did locate it, I had to drive down to the main Chicago post office and pick the damn thing up myself.

F*** the USPS, and don't think having a tracking number helps one bit. Two words : UPS Ground.

[Strider]

There is a story like yours out there for pretty much every shipping company... :rolleyes:

[homis]

True, but you also need to realize that the Chicago PO is legendary for being one of the worst in the country. When you get down to it, the thing that separates the USPS from UPS, FedEx, Airborne, etc is that it is not a private company. I have found in the majority of my dealings that experiencing an issue with a private company versus a public company shows that private companies do a better job with their customers because they have to->they can't rely on federal funds. My above post are two recent examples that come to my mind from personal experience. When I expand the category to include family and friends, the list of problems and issues related to the Chicago PO grows practically geometrically.

[cphilip]

The post office was privatized.

I have shipped at least two hundred packages in the last year and a half via USPS. Lost none... had one go missing for 10 days and another for two weeks. Both of them ended up getting there. But delayed.

I ship smaller quick stuff through them as I prefer it. Its often quicker and so far is pretty dependable. Larger stuff that I can take my time on I go UPS. Larger packages I want there VERY quick without reguard for cost and Overseas I go Fed Ex. I have had similar issues with each of them. Especialy UPS when it comes to timed shippments. They do not seem to care if I paid for three day for a reason. They bring it when they want anyway.

[homis]

I was aware that the proposal for full privatization of the USPS was occurring in 2002/2003, but couldn't find a resource that indicated that full privatization had occurred. Since the USPS was started by the federal government, it's employees are intertwined in the federal system, and the USPS is overseen by Congress, I'd say it's a lot closer to being a federal agency/department than FedEx.

Now, to get back the discussion at hand, I stated in my original post that I wouldn't recommend the USPS if you a) need the parts b) live in Chicago. As others have commented here (echoing my statements), sometimes parcels arrive promptly via USPS, sometimes it takes two weeks. If you need a part by a specific date, you're playing roulette. I made a further statement based on the Chicago post office, and because it is the office that routes my mail/packages (and every time I have to deal with it they are virtually worthless), I wouldn't recommend shipping USPS in Chicago. Yes, the private package companies have their share of problems, but they seem to do a better job of fixing problems. Plus, they can manage to deliver a package from 25 miles away in less that 6 business days.