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It’s the time of spring and summer showers, which means it’s umbrella season! Come rain or shine, umbrellas are a necessary item to keep around the house…which means there are plenty of opportunities for eCommerce businesses to sell and ship them to customers across the country. That said, there are some things to be aware of before you stuff one in a box and buy a label. This guide covers the cheapest way to ship an umbrella, where to find the right-sized packaging for umbrellas of all kinds, and how to save the most money on your shipping costs. Let’s get into it!
Table of Contents
- UPS Ground Saver is Often the Cheapest Way to Ship a Small Umbrella
- Where to Get the Right-Sized Packaging for Shipping Umbrellas Cheaply
- Longer Straight Umbrellas May Incur Surcharges Due to Their Size
- USPS Surcharges May Apply to UPS Ground Saver Shipments
- Access UPS Ground Saver Rates through Shipping Software for the Cheapest Rates for Sending Umbrellas
- Which Shipping Software Provider Should I Use to Ship an Umbrella?
UPS Ground Saver is Often the Cheapest Way to Ship an Umbrella
If you’re looking for the cheapest way to ship an umbrella, look no further than UPS Ground Saver. UPS Ground Saver is a specially discounted sub-service of UPS Ground, which is already the most affordable service that UPS offers. When you take the extra savings into consideration, UPS Ground Saver is the cheapest service out there for sending an umbrella.
How Does UPS Ground Saver Work?
UPS is able to charge lower rates for UPS Ground Saver because they hand some packages sent with this service to USPS for last-mile delivery. When UPS partners with USPS for last-mile delivery, it enables them to offer lower rates than USPS even charges for its competitive ground service, USPS Ground Advantage.
That said, while Ground Saver is the most affordable service available, delivery takes one day longer than regular UPS Ground.
Learn more about the differences between UPS Ground and USPS Ground Advantage.
Where to Get the Right-Sized Packaging for Shipping Umbrellas Cheaply
The key to saving the most money on shipping is to use the smallest box possible. The smaller the box, the cheaper it will be to ship it!
It’s easy to find boxes for collapsable umbrellas, since their shape is relatively compact and straightforward. You also don’t need to add too much packing material inside your box, since umbrellas aren’t necessarily fragile items. That said, you could always add some extra packing peanuts or air pillows to give your umbrella an added layer of protection.
While USPS offers free boxes for Priority Mail shipments, UPS requires you to provide your own packaging for their services. For small boxes perfect for collapsable umbrellas, check out the ULINE website.
Longer Straight Umbrellas May Incur Surcharges Due to Their Size
While smaller, collapsable umbrellas can fit into tiny boxes, longer straight umbrellas are a bit trickier. You’ll want to use a long, thin box that’s big enough to fit your long umbrella inside, but small enough to keep your costs as low as possible.
ULINE offers long corrugated shipping boxes, which can fit long, non-collapsable umbrellas of all sizes. Generally speaking, you should aim to leave about an inch of room between the edges of your box and the ends of your umbrella.
Unfortunately, when you send a bigger box containing a larger umbrella, you may inevitably incur surcharges on top of your postage costs. Carriers like UPS and USPS impose surcharges when the dimensions of boxes exceed certain size thresholds. These surcharges apply to all UPS services, including UPS Ground Saver….which we’ll get into in the next section.
USPS Surcharges May Apply to UPS Ground Saver Shipments
Since UPS hands some Ground Saver packages to USPS for last-mile delivery, your package may incur USPS surcharges known as Non-Standard Fees. These Non-Standard Fees apply to shipments in the USPS network whose dimensions exceed certain length thresholds. We’ve listed the thresholds for incurring Non-Standard Fees below:
- $4 if any of your box’s dimensions is greater than 22 inches but less than 30 inches
- $8.40 if any of your box’s dimensions is greater than 30 inches
- $18 if your package’s volume is greater than 2 cubic feet
- $1.50 is also applied on top of any of the above surcharges, kind of like a “service” fee that USPS charges for imposing any Non-Standard Surcharge
Note that for UPS Ground Saver, the Non-Standard Fees that apply are the rates dedicated to USPS Ground Advantage shipments. USPS applies different Non-Standard Fees to Priority Mail and Priority Mail Express shipments.
Access UPS Ground Saver Rates through Shipping Software for the Cheapest Rates for Sending Umbrellas
When you’ve packed your box and you’re ready to send your umbrella, don’t go to the UPS Store! You’ll never find UPS Ground Saver rates advertised there. In fact, when you ask for that service, the UPS Store workers might not know what you’re referring to. The only way to access UPS Ground Saver rates is through online shipping software companies that sell discounted UPS labels.
On top of gaining access to the specially discounted UPS Ground Saver service, shipping software companies offer discounts on shipping labels that can save you up to 89% off what you’d pay to ship the same box at the UPS Store. If you’re a business sending a large number of long umbrellas to customers across the U.S., these discounts can save you hundreds of dollars per month on your shipping costs!
Another added benefit of using shipping software is the time you’ll save. Pretty much all shipping software companies let you schedule a pickup for your packages, where UPS will come to the origin address designated on your labels and scan your packages into their network. When you schedule pickups, you won’t need to leave your home or office to go to the UPS Store in the first place!
Which Shipping Software Provider Should I Use to Ship an Umbrella?
The truth about shipping software is that not all of them are created equally. Some shipping software companies offer UPS Ground Saver, while some don’t. Moreover, some companies charge their customers monthly subscription costs or extra per-label fees in order to access discounted rates…and some don’t. That’s why it’s important to find shipping software providers who not only offer UPS Ground Saver labels for your umbrella shipments, but who also don’t charge you additional fees on top of your label costs!
Looking for the right shipping software for you?
To access discounted UPS Ground Saver labels, check out our guide:
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