What Is Parcel Post?

It's from the people that brought you priority, a few days slower than priority (i think 4-7 days), and usually only a few cents to a dollar or two cheaper. i never use it.
 
just google it
parcel post- "postal service that handles packages"

It basicly means sending packages. The shipment is based on service such as ground, air or 1 day service. Some of service have different names due to trademark such as United States Postal Service for first class, media and priority.
 
the person I bought from on Ebay for the PS3 is shipping it Parcel post? I asked if he'd use UPS, and he said he needed 10 dollars more then the 15 I already paid?

I' guess I'm just anxious since my 360 crapped out, and has to be sent in...

[quote name='fatbeer']just google it
parcel post- "postal service that handles packages"

It basicly means sending packages. The shipment is based on service such as ground, air or 1 day service. Some of service have different names due to trademark such as United States Postal Service for first class, media and priority.[/quote]

Parcel is a form of sending mail in the case Im asking, such as first class, priority, and media.. I did google it, I was just hoping someone had expeirence with it, and could testify how it was?
 
you shouldnt have anything to worry about, parcel post gets the job done, and i trust you bought from someone with good feedback.
 
Parcel post is a class of mail offered by the USPS. Here's an example using a 5 pound package from NJ to CA:

Mailing Services Speed Price

Express Mail® Overnight to most areas $28.75
Priority Mail® 2 Day(s) $12.80
Parcel Post 7 Day(s) $9.94
Bound Printed Matter 7 Day(s) $4.23
Media Mail (Book Rate) 7 Day(s) $3.51

Basically, it's usually a couple dollars more than priority, but takes about 3x longer. Mostly cheapskates use parcel post mail.
 
Parcel is a slower mail. Its usually used for heavier packages that does not fit under the First Class category. FC has a weight of 13oz before its pumped to Priority Mail. Parcel Post is like FC but a cheap alternative for bigger packages.

All special products such as delivery confirmation, insurance, signatore confirmation, etc. still applies to Parcel Post.

Looking at the auction, thats pretty damn cheap but no insurance? Better watch out considering its Parcel Post and a big package. Hope that the seller packaged it very very well.
 
[quote name='iamthekiller']Parcel post is a class of mail offered by the USPS. Here's an example using a 5 pound package from NJ to CA:

Mailing Services Speed Price

Express Mail® Overnight to most areas $28.75
Usually overnight only if you get it to the post office before noon, otherwise it'll probably take two days.

Priority Mail® 2 Day(s) $12.80
2-3 days in the Lower 48, 3-5 days if it involves Alaska or Hawaii

Parcel Post 7 Day(s) $9.94
3-5 weeks, but it will generally take about two and half if you're lucky.

Bound Printed Matter 7 Day(s) $4.23
Same as parcel post.

Media Mail (Book Rate) 7 Day(s) $3.51
Same as parcel post, but limited on what can be included here and there is no return postal, so if it does get RTS you will have to pay postal again or else it'll be lost in the void of the USPS forever.

Basically, it's usually a couple dollars more than priority, but takes about 3x longer. Mostly cheapskates use parcel post mail.[/quote]

Did you get that off ebay?
 
Parcel Post is the lowest class of mail and is treated exactly the same as media mail....like crap. I worked in a post office for 5 years and parcel post was always treated like it is totally unimportant. It is slower than other classes of mail but not too bad unless it is Christmastime or your local office is shorthanded. Since Parcel Post is considered 3rd class it does not have to be delivered every day like 1st and 2nd class mail. Parcel Post is also very dependent on how far it is going. We used to tell people 4-7 days. If it was going coast to coast it was probably more like 6-9. That means that if your post office is shorthanded, your package may sit there for a couple of days in a dirty old sack waiting for someone to get a chance to sort it.

Speaking of the dirty old sack, yes that is how Parcel Post is moved around by the USPS. In nasty dirty sacks that are decades old and have had countless packages break open in them. I can't tell you the joy of reaching into a dark dirty old sack to get a handful of cake someone thought was a good idea to send Parcel Post in a flimsy box. Or the Sack O' Beer (tm) I got to deal with one time. Fun for all! The sacks are then tossed in a 6 foot tall metal container where you pray your package (If it's fragile) is not on the bottom of the 6-10 sacks that will be in there. Priority mail gets put in the same containers but not in the sacks, which makes the fragile stuff more visible and less likely to get smashed. I would have to retape several broken open PP packages every day. Rarely did I have to reseal Priority stuff.

So yeah I am not a fan of Parcel Post. After seeing it in action for 5 years I would only send stuff that Superman couldn't break. The funny thing is the USPS HATES PP (and Media Mail for that matter) but can't get rid of it because their charter requires it. Or so a supervisor once told me. They make all their money on Priority.
 
Parcel Post is not first class, it's third class. Priority is considered first class.

[quote name='iazybandit']Parcel is a slower mail. Its usually used for heavier packages that does not fit under the First Class category. FC has a weight of 13oz before its pumped to Priority Mail. Parcel Post is like FC but a cheap alternative for bigger packages.

All special products such as delivery confirmation, insurance, signatore confirmation, etc. still applies to Parcel Post.

Looking at the auction, thats pretty damn cheap but no insurance? Better watch out considering its Parcel Post and a big package. Hope that the seller packaged it very very well.[/QUOTE]
 
[quote name='TheOne06']Would it make more sense for me to spend the extra ten then? and have it sent via UPS?[/quote]

Ask him to insure it with the $10, and id say deal
 
[quote name='Pookymeister']Ask him to insure it with the $10, and id say deal[/quote]
How do you do that? So I can explain to him

and can't you claim up to so much insurance via UPS for free?
 
[quote name='Thongsy']If he hasn't sent it yet, I would just send him an extra $15 to send it UPS and get insurance.[/quote]

How much does insurance cost via UPS?
 
When I sold one of those dell 24" moniters a few years ago, it cost like $10 for $1000 in insurance, so I"m assuming $5=$500? Also I think you only get like $100 free insurance on USPS if it's express mail.
 
[quote name='Thongsy']When I sold one of those dell 24" moniters a few years ago, it cost like $10 for $1000 in insurance, so I"m assuming $5=$500? Also I think you only get like $100 free insurance on USPS if it's express mail.[/quote]

Im tempted to just pay him 10 more bucks, I've never had a problem with UPS, but knowing my luck, this time I would..

Iunno, these post on parcel post just have me worried now :cry:
 
It is totally worth the $10 so that you can have the peace of mind knowing where your PS3 is at all times. UPS tracking kicks major ass. I never liked Parcel Post myself when sending packages to buyers. It is only a few dollars cheaper (if that) and isn't as reliable as Priority.
 
I never had a problem with UPS either, but always better to be safe than sorry. On the other hand I have had numerous problems with the USPS, even priority and express mail, so I don't have much confidents in them anymore, and the fact that they alway deliver my packages only one time when I'm not home and I have to go pick it all the on the other side of the town.

There probably won't be anything wrong, but I found it was always better for my nerves when I got my package asap instead of cheaping out.
 
I just went ahead and told him I"d do the extra 10, and asked about additional insurance

thanks for the advice guys
 
agreed, for something that costs 500 beans, insurance is most definetly necessary...when i got my ps3 off ebay (i paid 500ish too for the same deal), my seller just through in insurance for free...and good too, because the box was sent through usps and the box came BATTERED. The packaging was excellent with at least 2 pounds of shredded paper as stuffing so the ps3 box wasn't dented tho but if there was a problem with the system, without insurance, both of us woulda been shit outta luck
 
i actually prefer FedEx over UPs - find it cheaper and when i had to deal with insurance claim, it was easy...but prob too late for that now.
 
I've sent stuff out by Parcel Post. All it does is ship the product EXTREMELY slowly meaning you would have gotten it in two weeks. The main reason people use it is because the shipping price is noticably cheaper than First-Class or Priority Mail.
 
[quote name='crowbb']Parcel Post is not first class, it's third class. Priority is considered first class.[/QUOTE]
Priority is not considered first class. Go to a post office and request first class, its a different shipping method. They'll stamp it with a FIRST CLASS stamp. Anything under 13oz's or under a certain size limit is considered first class. Post cards, letters, documents, etc. those are all FIRST CLASS. The stamps that you buy for your letter...First Class.

Priority Mail is a faster and safer option. Anything over 1lb or bigger than the required dimensions of FC, is bumped to Priority Mail.

Parcel Post is like First Class but a slower, cheaper option for heavier and/or bigger packages.

I too worked in a post office for a short period of time as well as pretty much all my family members working in the Post Office.
 
[quote name='ahmedmalik']I've sent stuff out by Parcel Post. All it does is ship the product EXTREMELY slowly meaning you would have gotten it in two weeks. The main reason people use it is because the shipping price is noticably cheaper than First-Class or Priority Mail.[/quote]

hopefully, he hasn't sent it out... I decide not to pay earlier when I asked him, but when I heard the stories about Parcel here, I want to pay. He said it would go out Friday

[quote name='Pookymeister']i actually prefer FedEx over UPs - find it cheaper and when i had to deal with insurance claim, it was easy...but prob too late for that now.[/quote]

Fedex wouldn't be bad, but we don't have a nearby location here, so someone would have to be here for it to arrive
 
[quote name='ahmedmalik']I've sent stuff out by Parcel Post. All it does is ship the product EXTREMELY slowly meaning you would have gotten it in two weeks. The main reason people use it is because the shipping price is noticably cheaper than First-Class or Priority Mail.[/QUOTE]
Sometimes, the price is just as much as Priority Mail probably by a couple of cents. There were a couple of times where Parcel Post cost more than Priority Mail
 
just a side not here, but why is my clock 10 minutes faster then the boards?

It says the last post was made at 8:28 and I have 8:38 EST
 
I suggest you talk to any relatives who were clerks then. Priority IS first class under a different name. Once in the mail stream it is treated exactly the same as first class. Over 13oz first class becomes priority. It is no faster than first class.

[quote name='iazybandit']Priority is not considered first class. Go to a post office and request first class, its a different shipping method. They'll stamp it with a FIRST CLASS stamp. Anything under 13oz's or under a certain size limit is considered first class. Post cards, letters, documents, etc. those are all FIRST CLASS. The stamps that you buy for your letter...First Class.

Priority Mail is a faster and safer option. Anything over 1lb or bigger than the required dimensions of FC, is bumped to Priority Mail.

Parcel Post is like First Class but a slower, cheaper option for heavier and/or bigger packages.

I too worked in a post office for a short period of time as well as pretty much all my family members working in the Post Office.[/QUOTE]
 
That's because until the new pricing system came in priority was a set rate based only on weight while parcel post was calculated via a combination of weight and distance. I believe the new higher prices make priority have zip code pricing as well but I'm not 100% sure. It's been 8 months since I was a clerk and all I know about the new pricing is stuff I have read online.

[quote name='iazybandit']Sometimes, the price is just as much as Priority Mail probably by a couple of cents. There were a couple of times where Parcel Post cost more than Priority Mail[/QUOTE]
 
[quote name='crowbb']I suggest you talk to any relatives who were clerks then. Priority IS first class under a different name. Once in the mail stream it is treated exactly the same as first class. Over 13oz first class becomes priority. It is no faster than first class.[/QUOTE]
I had a short stint as clerk and sorter before leaving and so have family members who still work as clerk/sorter. Regarding over 13oz, you just repeated what I mentioned above. Priority Mail has a guarantee delivery of 2-3 business days regardless of location. If you ship an item first class, item can take as long as 7 days to that same location.
 
Priority is not guaranteed. The ONLY guaranteed delivery in the post office is express. First thing they teach you in window training. Priority is USUALLY 2-3 days. You are specifically taught to never say guarantee.

[quote name='iazybandit']I had a short stint as clerk and sorter before leaving and so have family members who still work as clerk/sorter. Regarding over 13oz, you just repeated what I mentioned above. Priority Mail has a guarantee delivery of 2-3 business days regardless of location. If you ship an item first class, item can take as long as 7 days to that same location.[/QUOTE]
 
[quote name='crowbb']Priority is not guaranteed. The ONLY guaranteed delivery in the post office is express. First thing they teach you in window training. Priority is USUALLY 2-3 days. You are specifically taught to never say guarantee.[/QUOTE]
Thats what I meant, usually and majority of the time, it comes 2-3 days. The service is a lot quicker then first class. And yes, Express is the only service that is guaranteed.
 
I never expected this thread to go this far, I learned alot from it though.. seems Parcel sucks, and is something they should just get rid of
 
[quote name='TheOne06']I never expected this thread to go this far, I learned alot from it though.. seems Parcel sucks, and is something they should just get rid of[/QUOTE]
Then that would be one less way for them to make money and price of shipping would go even higher.
 
[quote name='Thongsy']Did you get that off ebay?[/QUOTE]

No, it came from the usps site actually. I ship every day using all of these methods. I'd say the transit times are very accurate. Overnight mail is always overnight as long as you're not a slacker and get to the post office 10 minutes before closing. Otherwise they'll guarantee it either before noon or 3PM.
 
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