If you’re planning on mailing presents to loved ones this holiday season, be prepared to do some research if price is a consideration.
Shipping costs vary widely, depending on where you go and how much convenience you demand.
To quantify the price variations, The Denver Post took the same four Christmas gifts – two hardcover books and two sets of stemless wineglasses – to five local shipping centers and the U.S. Postal Service. We asked each how much it would cost to pack the goods into one box and ship it to a residential Chicago address by next week.
Answers varied significantly.
For overnight delivery, the U.S. Postal Service came in the cheapest at $32.05 – plus a 45-minute wait in line. Mail Boxes Etc. was the most expensive, at $100.73 for guaranteed delivery using FedEx. We were in and out of the store in five minutes.
Others charged between $63.39 and $92.68.
Commercial carriers such as FedEx and UPS say their services are more expensive than the Postal Service’s because they provide tracking numbers, a guaranteed delivery time and up to $100 insurance. Franchises such as Pak Mail or Mail Boxes Etc. can be even more expensive because they tack their own fees on top of UPS or FedEx charges.
The Postal Service also provided the cheapest Priority Mail rate at $10.45, while Mail Boxes Etc. charged the most at $24.10.
Joel Meadows, who, with his wife, owns two local Mail Boxes locations, explained their pricing: “I think we charge a very fair rate,” he said. “Customers like to have choices. And they like to be able to track their packages. They want someone to be accountable.”
Moss Printing & Packaging on Colorado Boulevard, an independent company, had the cheapest prices of any second-party shipper we visited. Co-owner Wendy Birt said that’s because “we don’t have huge franchise fees. We can set our own pricing.”
The store also makes much of its revenue off its printing business, said Birt.
Expect longer lines and hefty premiums for express shipping next week. FedEx estimates that Monday will be the busiest day in the company’s history, with 9.8 million packages moving through its global system.
Paul Aguirre, a window clerk for the U.S. Postal Service on 20th Street, agreed.
“Friday and Saturday, it’s going to be really busy here, but Monday is really going to be the big time,” he said.
Staff writer Julie Dunn can be reached at 303-954-1592 or jdunn@denverpost.com.
