[pct-l] Regional Rate Boxes

Thu Jul 21 00:57:18 CDT 2011

Good stuff, Yogi and L-Rod. I also do a boatload of shipping by USPS.

Even in zone 8, a Regional Rate Box A is $9.37 vs. $10.50 for a medium flat
rate box. (That's the commercial base or Click-n-Ship price for a flat rate
box; it's $10.95 at the counter.) And you're right: At $4.97 for nearby
zones, RRBs are a killer deal.

Here are some RRBs factoids that hiker/shippers might find useful:

   - A Regional Rate Box A is *always *cheaper than a Priority Mail Medium
   Flat Rate Box. But as Donna points out, the savings diminish the further the
   package is going.
   - A Regional Rate Box B is *always* cheaper than a Priority Mail Large
   Flat Rate Box until you get to zone 8 (essentially, across the country or to
   AK/HI).
   - RRBA uses the commercial base price for a 2-pound package for the same
   zone. So if your package weighs *more than* 1 pound (which kicks it into
   the 2-pound rate) and it fits into an RRBA, then that's your best,
   cheapest option. Always.
   - RRBB uses the commercial base price for a 4-pound package. So if you
   have too much stuff to put in an RRBA, it weighs *more than* 3 pounds
   (which kicks it into the 4-pound rate), and it fits in an RRBB, then that's
   your best, cheapest option...unless:
      - You're mailing to Zone 8. Use the slightly larger Large Flat Rate
      Box instead. Or
      - You're mailing to Zone 5, 6, or 7 *and* your stuff will fit in a
      Medium Flat Rate Box. Use the Medium FRB.

I know, I know. The pricing scheme and rules are convoluted and opaque, but
when you boil it down to these few rules, it's pretty easy to decide which
packaging to use.

On Wed, Jul 20, 2011 at 8:17 PM, Donna "L-Rod" Saufley <dsaufley at sprynet.com
> wrote:

> Also, we found that you can use the Regional Boxes to any domestic US
> address once you got around the general delivery issue -- just the savings
> disappear the further the box has to go, until they cost just about as much
> as the regular flat rate boxes.
>
> L-Rod
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> >From: "Donna \"L-Rod\" Saufley" <dsaufley at sprynet.com>
> >Sent: Jul 20, 2011 8:10 PM
> >To: Jackie McDonnell <yogihikes at gmail.com>, Brian and Linda Morris <
> bl_morris at comcast.net>
> >Cc: pct-l at backcountry.net
> >Subject: Re: [pct-l] Regional Rate Boxes
> >
> >Yogi,
> >
> >I'm glad this is being discussed.  When sending ANY boxes Click-N-Ship via
> USPS this season (and dang, we sent a lot of them!) we ran into the issue
> with the USPS automatically directing numerous smaller trail post office c/o
> General Delivery addresses to some larger post office, often miles away from
> the trail post office the hikers need to get to.  We found the way to
> circumvent this issue was as follows:
> >
> >1.  In the Company field for the package recipient, put c/o General
> Delivery.
> >2.  In the Address field below, type the actual street address of the post
> office where the package needs to be sent.
> >
> >This of course required looking up the street address of the intended post
> office, which you can also do at the usps.com site.  I especially wanted
> to tell you this, so that the actual street addresses (not just city and
> zip) could be included in your book.
> >
> >BTW, you were so spot on about the savings on the regional rate boxes.  In
> many cases the cost was a third of the already cheap flat rate.  I did
> notice the regional rate boxes get more expensive the further you send them,
> so the greatest savings are realized on the shorter delivery routes. But it
> was big time savings for hikers -- thanks for letting us know about it.
> >
> >L-Rod
> >
> >
> >-----Original Message-----
> >>From: Jackie McDonnell <yogihikes at gmail.com>
> >>Sent: Jul 20, 2011 10:52 AM
> >>To: Brian and Linda Morris <bl_morris at comcast.net>
> >>Cc: pct-l at backcountry.net
> >>Subject: Re: [pct-l] Regional Rate Boxes
> >>
> >>Oooh, I forgot to mention - I just tried entering General Delivery
> addresses
> >>for Old Station and Chester into the Click-n-Ship system, and those
> address
> >>*are* accepted.  They are valid Click-n-Ship addresses, and I did get the
> >>option to use Regional Rate boxes when I entered Chester and/or Old
> Station
> >>General Delivery.
> >>
> >>yogi
> >>www.pcthandbook.com
> >>
> >>On Wed, Jul 20, 2011 at 12:49 PM, Jackie McDonnell <yogihikes at gmail.com
> >wrote:
> >>
> >>> Regional Rate Boxes will work to any address which is accepted by USPS
> >>> Click-n0Ship.  The problem is that USPS Click-n-Ship does not recognize
> some
> >>> Post Offices - usually the really small POs.  So it doesn't matter if
> you're
> >>> using the Regional Boxes, normal Priority Boxes, or your own packaging.
>  If
> >>> you're using USPS Click-n-Ship, then that's where the problem is.
>  *And*
> >>> Regional Boxes require you to use Click-n-Ship.
> >>>
> >>> For example, when I enter a Belden CA address into Click-n-Ship, the
> system
> >>> defaults to Oroville CA.
> >>>
> >>> Echo Lake CA defaults to Twin Bridges CA, even though I type "Echo
> Lake".
> >>>
> >>> The Click-n-Ship system will also not accept the mailing addresses for
> the
> >>> Crater Lake Mazama Camp Store or for the WY'East Store at Timberline
> Lodge.
> >>>
> >>> What does this mean for PCT hikers?  You *can* still mail packages via
> USPS
> >>> to these four addresses.  However, you cannot use Click-n-Ship, which
> means
> >>> you cannot use the Regional Rate boxes for these addresses.  Instead,
> you'll
> >>> need to use other packaging (normal Priority packaging or your own
> >>> packaging), take the package to your local Post Office and mail the
> package
> >>> in person.  This will cost more than Regional Rate boxes, but it *will*
> >>> work.  The packages *will* reach the proper destination.
> >>>
> >>> Hope this helps.  If you have any more questions, please let me know.
>  I do
> >>> a lot of business with the USPS, and I've encountered many stumbling
> blocks
> >>> along the way.
> >>>
> >>> Yogi
> >>> www.pcthandbook.com
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> On Wed, Jul 20, 2011 at 12:34 PM, Brian and Linda Morris <
> >>> bl_morris at comcast.net> wrote:
> >>>
> >>>> Has anyone else had a problem using Regional Rate Boxes to mail
> supplies
> >>>> c/o General Delivery?  Apparently, Belden, Old Station and Chester are
> >>>> not in their system and I can't use Regioinal Rate boxes to mail to
> >>>> those post offices.  If anyone knows a way around this please let me
> know.
> >>>>
> >>>> Thanks, Linda
> >>>> _______________________________________________
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