Hi, i just want to know what is the best way to ship a tennis racquet. I shipped before by using usps, i choosed the package option(not any flat rate) by using my own tennis box,which are charged by the weight and dimension, this only costed me 5bucks.
Now i have to ship a racquet, but i dont have any boxes. I heard a lot people said that you can use two priority medium flat rate box and tape them together.
Can i use the two medium flat rate boxes and still use the package option? or if i use this method , i have to ship it as medium flat rate.
I ask this question because someone told me that if i use two medium flat rate box to ship racquet, i have to ship it as medium flat rate, which cost a lot more.
If you use flat rate boxes, USPS will probably kick the shipment back to you if they even accept it for shipping. You have to use Priority Mail Mailing Boxes. Tape two Mailing Boxes together and you will have a nice racket sized box; roughly 28x13x3. Some of us have made fusing such boxes together into an art form of sorts. I combine two different sized boxes so that one fits perfectly within the other and I can dial the length to whatever dimension I want.
If you use USPS, it is advisable to get both tracking and insurance. If you take someone's money, you are responsible for getting the goods to their shipping address and being able to prove that you have done so in case of a dispute. That burden is entirely on the shipper.
You can also use UPS or Fed Ex Ground. Much better tracking systems than USPS. USPS often has tracking problems and I have had seen many instances where USPS never confirmed delivery. When I ship USPS, I write SCAN all over the box and that seems to help.
Never have to do that with UPS or Fed Ex.
Shipping cost depends on weight, dimensions and how far you are shipping. USPS (and the rest) use a zone system that seems approximately tied to time zones. If you are shipping from the middle of the country, you can ship most rackets for $10 or so. If you are shipping coast to coast, about $15 including tracking and insurance. If you are shipping within your own zone, the cost is about half of what it would be versus shipping coast to coast. Watch the box dimensions because if you go over 30? inches in length, USPS balloon rates kick in and the shipping cost doubles. Parcel Post and Priority Mail are usually within a dollar? of each other so better to opt for Priority Mail which is 2 to 3 day service even cross country. If you are shipping within zone, Parcel Post is okay because the package will get there about in about the same time as Priority. If you are shipping cross country, don't use Parcel Post for a racket because delivery can take two weeks. And don't try to save a $1 by shipping Parcel Post in Priority Mail boxes; USPS will kick the parcel back to you.
UPS and Fed Ex Ground are better choices IMHO due to their much better tracking systems and $100 built in insurance. Plus no going to the PO and waiting in line to be subjected to moronic (in about half the cases) people with bad attitudes who don't know what they are doing even though they have been working there for 20 years. I only use USPS if I have to. Make sure the clerk scans the package and gives you an acceptance receipt because that may be the only time the package tracks.
If you are stuck for a box, you can always do a cut and tape job. Cut up some cardboard boxes, tape the pieces together to form a sleeve and insert racket in same. Works well in a pinch. Some people wrap a racket in bubble wrap and then ship it in grocery store paper bags taped together, or craft/brown paper, or trash bags, etc. Rackets will take a lot of abuse so it is unlikely one will be damaged in transit.
