Starting on January 18, 2010, it’s going to cost more to send packages through FedEx. The international shipper is hiking prices to “enable FedEx to make key investments,” said company spokesman T. Michael Glenn in a news release.
On average, it will cost individuals and businesses 5.9% more to send a parcel anywhere through this service. The company is expected to announce rate increases in the coming months for its ground service.
FedEx Express Tubes Will Have
6-Pound Minimum Billable Weight in 2010
Along with increasing their base shipping rates, FedEx is increasing surcharges as well. If your destination address is incorrect, it now will cost you $11, an increase of 10 percent from 2009. “Remote” zip codes, as decided by FedEx, will require an additional delivery surcharge. And if you send FedEx Express Tubes, you’ll have to pay for at least 6 pounds inside the U.S., even if you’re contents in the tube are lighter. That can add up – if you ship a 3-pound Express Tube from Los Angeles to Miami, it will cost you $29.38* under the current 3-pound rate. At the new minimum 6-pound rate for 2010, that same package will cost you $38.75 – at 32% increase.
USPS Does Not Add Miscellaneous Fees
Thankfully, the USPS is a great economical option to ship your parcels to their destinations. USPS doesn’t have “miscellaneous fees” for sending packages to rural areas or for using a special printed return label like UPS and FedEx do. In fact, USPS offers many of these services for free:
- No Fuel Surcharges with USPS:
FedEx currently charges 5.50% extra on your package cost for fuel surcharges. The USPS doesn’t add any form of fuel surcharge. - No Residential Delivery Charges with the USPS:
FedEx will charge $2.50 for residential delivery in 2010. The USPS delivers to all residences in the U.S. for no added cost. - No Saturday Delivery Charges with the USPS
FedEx Saturday delivery charges can be as high as an additional 54% of a standard 2 Day Express change**. The USPS does not charge to deliver on Saturday. - No Rural Delivery Area Charges with the USPS
FedEx delivery charges to select rural area could cost as high $2.75 per package in 2010. The USPS has been delivering to rural areas for free since 1896. - No Address Correction Charges with the USPS
FedEx will charge $11.00 to correct an invalid address. The USPS does not charge anything to correct the delivery address.
The USPS offers Priority Mail which is one of the cheapest methods to ship your packages. Shipping a 3-pound 38” x 6” triangular tube from Los Angeles to Miami would cost $15.88 using the Stamps.com discounted USPS Priority Mail rates – a 59% lower cost than FedEx’s new 2010 charge of $38.75 to be delivered. Priority Mail packages will arrive at your destination in just two to three days.
