Cheapest Racket Shipping Cost?

SJSA

Professional
I have to ship out a tennis racket to a neighbor state.
Which shipping method is the cheapest?
UPS, USPS, or FedEx?
Thanks.
 

quest01

Hall of Fame
USPS for me, whenever I sell a racquet I for the most part choose USPS priority mail because they pick up the package for free. In terms of packaging I do what others do and use two priority mail boxes or if I have one, an old TW box.
 

jonestim

Hall of Fame
The cheapest is USPS Parcel Post, but it is just slightly cheaper than Priority and not worth it in my opinion. I'd rather suck up the extra $.75 or so and have the buyer get it days earlier. Even to a neighboring state they often quote over a week by shipping parcel.

You save money if you pay for the postage online. If the person paid for the racquet via PayPal you can click on the link from PayPal to print the postage which saves you a bit on the postage itself and I believe gives you free tracking info. I don't recall if you get free tracking info from a USPS.com account but you do save anywhere from $.60 to $1 over paying at the post office.
 

sundaypunch

Hall of Fame
If you accept payment via Payal you also have to consider their requirements. You must have insurance, tracking and signature confirmation. This significantly increases the cost of Priority Mail. Without that a buyer can simply say that they didn't receive the item and Paypal will refund their money. Whether you do this comes down to how much risk you are willing to accept.
 

Seth

Legend
USPS Delivery Confirmation costs .75 cents (went up from .70 cents on January 22). Absolutely worth it. As sundaypunch said, without it, buyer can file a claim and you'll have no evidence to support a defense.

In short: Two medium "shirt box" USPS Priority boxes taped together with light stuffing (balled-up newspaper). With Delivery Confirmation and insurance, you'll be out the door with minimal expense (compared to UPS or FedEx).
 

JustTennis76

Hall of Fame
Don't even think anything else. Just goto USPS priority mail. I had a recent experience where I had to ship a racket. UPS and Fedex don't even have boxes that fit the racket in correct size. You end up paying for the box, plus packaging fee, etc. Both of them quoted upwards of $30 to ship. So, I went to USPS - all you do is join two priority mail boxes and you have a perfect box that would fit 2 rackets. Would cost about $10 to $13 for most states for priority mail.
 

[d]ragon

Hall of Fame
And USPS flat rate boxes (the ones the posters above have mentioned) are free. Just order on the USPS website
 

loosegroove

Hall of Fame
If you accept payment via Payal you also have to consider their requirements. You must have insurance, tracking and signature confirmation. This significantly increases the cost of Priority Mail. Without that a buyer can simply say that they didn't receive the item and Paypal will refund their money. Whether you do this comes down to how much risk you are willing to accept.

Not true, insurance is not required. However if the racket is lost or damaged the buyer can place a claim, and you have no insurance to fall back on. Also, signature confirmation is not required unless paypal payment is over $250, which would not apply in this case I assume. All they require is delivery confirmation/tracking which is cheap at the post office, or free if postage is purchased online.
 

loosegroove

Hall of Fame
[d]ragon;6331395 said:
And USPS flat rate boxes (the ones the posters above have mentioned) are free. Just order on the USPS website

Actually make sure NOT to grab the flat rate boxes. Otherwise you'll be charged for TWO flat rate boxes, which will be expensive. They have some free priority mail boxes that look like the rectangular flat rate boxes, but are for regular "weighed" priority shipping.
 

10isbum

New User
Oddest Shipping Container

Many years ago, purchased a racket from a TW board member and to my surprise it arrived in a racket bag that the manufacturer used to provide with each racket sale. It just had a mailing label along with the postage stuck to the outside and the strap tucked inside with the racket. No additional stuffings other than the padding material which would come as part of the racket bag. Racket was shipped through the post office.
 

redbirdone

New User
U S Post office by far......priority mail 3 day delivery for a frame in a box Runs from $7 upto $12.


I just spent $17.45 for priority with USPS...it was two racquets, but should only be a pound more, right? Does distance have anything to do with their rates? It was Tennessee to California.

Parcel post was $12 or so, but 7-10 day delivery.
 

mhj202

Rookie
I just spent $17.45 for priority with USPS...it was two racquets, but should only be a pound more, right? Does distance have anything to do with their rates? It was Tennessee to California.

Parcel post was $12 or so, but 7-10 day delivery.

The distance absolutely makes a difference for USPS priority.
 

Dennylee60

New User
I just got ripped by shipping USPS Ground when I shipped a racquet today. What is the best way now? It has been a few years since I shipped a racquet. Thanks.
 

Dennylee60

New User
How did you get ripped?
Sorry I should have clarified. I shipped it using a Tennis Warehouse box using USPS Ground, hoping for the cheapest option. It turned out to be $40 to ship from San Diego to GA. I shipped a racquet couple years ago and it was half that price.
 

tim-ay

Legend
Sorry I should have clarified. I shipped it using a Tennis Warehouse box using USPS Ground, hoping for the cheapest option. It turned out to be $40 to ship from San Diego to GA. I shipped a racquet couple years ago and it was half that price.
Something doesn’t make sense with that price. USPS is still cheapest.

Although, buying labels and printing at home for UPS - especially with a discount code or through the Bay - is very close in cost. So it depends on what is closer to you. I have a UPS store a few blacks away, I can ride my HiBoy scooter up and just drop it off and be back home in 5 min. Worth a buck or two for me.
 

mad dog1

G.O.A.T.
Sorry I should have clarified. I shipped it using a Tennis Warehouse box using USPS Ground, hoping for the cheapest option. It turned out to be $40 to ship from San Diego to GA. I shipped a racquet couple years ago and it was half that price.
How big was the box because size matters.
 

Dennylee60

New User
It is the standard Tennis Warehouse racquet box. The post office guy kept saying it is the length of the box that is costly. I cut it down as much as I could but it was still $40. Without modifying the box, the cost was $50.
 

Dennylee60

New User
Something doesn’t make sense with that price. USPS is still cheapest.

Although, buying labels and printing at home for UPS - especially with a discount code or through the Bay - is very close in cost. So it depends on what is closer to you. I have a UPS store a few blacks away, I can ride my HiBoy scooter up and just drop it off and be back home in 5 min. Worth a buck or two for me.

I thought USPS would be the cheapest also. I was really surprised at the cost. It is just a standard Tennis Warehouse box and I cut it down a bit to try to reduce the cost. They have the $21 flat rate box but I could not fit the racquet in it.
 

mad dog1

G.O.A.T.
It is the standard Tennis Warehouse racquet box. The post office guy kept saying it is the length of the box that is costly. I cut it down as much as I could but it was still $40. Without modifying the box, the cost was $50.
Standard for how many racquets? TW has many “standard” sized boxes. When the overall measurements (length + width + height) exceed a certain number, the USPS rates jump up. The TW box that holds up to 2-3 racquets has always been under that threshold for me and I don’t believe USPS has changed the rates recently.
 

mad dog1

G.O.A.T.
I thought USPS would be the cheapest also. I was really surprised at the cost. It is just a standard Tennis Warehouse box and I cut it down a bit to try to reduce the cost. They have the $21 flat rate box but I could not fit the racquet in it.
I typically tape 2 priority mail boxes (O-1095 or O-1092) together which will fit up to 3 racquets depending on beam width. Shipping 1 racquet from coast to coast costs up to a max of ~$20.
 
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tim-ay

Legend
I thought USPS would be the cheapest also. I was really surprised at the cost. It is just a standard Tennis Warehouse box and I cut it down a bit to try to reduce the cost. They have the $21 flat rate box but I could not fit the racquet in it.
You can’t use the flat rates anyway. You can use the priority box (whatever that number is), but not the flat rate. It’s risky business to try and use it as it could get stopped anywhere along the way. I would think the cost would be about 20 bucks from SD to Atlanta.
 

tim-ay

Legend
I typically tape 2 priority mail boxes (O-1095 or O-1092) together which will fit up to 3 racquets depending on beam width. Shipping 1 racquet from coast to coast costs up a max of ~$20.
Of course, MD has you covered on the box number :).

If you have a box already, then you can use other options like I mentioned. But UPS might have been 22 or 23 bucks. Not worth it if the Post Office is closer to you.
 

Westerwick

Rookie
I typically tape 2 priority mail boxes (O-1095 or O-1092) together which will fit up to 3 racquets depending on beam width. Shipping 1 racquet from coast to coast costs up a max of ~$20.
I do the same as Mad Dog 1. Two priority medium flat boxes, open end to open end, slide one into the other and make it as short as possible. Angle the racquets diagonally in the box, then tape it all up. Use Paypal shipping to save a couple bucks over USPS. Just shipped three racquets in one box pair to Florida for $15 from Colorado. Typically costs between $9 and $15, depending on number of racquets and distance.
 

dak95_00

Hall of Fame
A video I created a few years ago. The only thing I’d change is I’d buy postage using PirateShip.com to save a large percentage. They’ll find the best price between USPS and UPS.

 

joah310

Professional
I personally haven't had any issues using the flat rate. Often the post office workers just slap them on. Maybe it's faster for them? Idk, but if they do it, Im fine with doing it. Until one of them gets stopped...
 
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