Shipping Paint, and books, etc.

[Mike Jackson]

I wrote something about this earlier, but maybe it was on the old Forum.

We live in Wyoming, a state without a single sign supplier. The closest one is in Salt Lake City, and the other one is in Denver. Montroy Sign Supply is closer than Midwest Sign Supply, so I order quite a bit from them just to save a day in shipping time, however Montroy has to ship all my paint on a truck. My minimum shipping on just about any quantity of paint is roughly $65. I think they will pay shipping costs on orders of $500 or more....but that's a tough call when I just need a few gallons or quarts of paint.

We have been using Chromatic's Hi-Viscosity Block Out White for a long time, and they carry it at Montroy. I contacted Midwest Sign Supply in Denver, and they were able to ship two gallons of Block Out for $12.55. Unfortunately, Midwest does not carry the Hi-Viscosity BOW, so we settled for the other.

When I asked Midwest about their shipping, they said they could ship most sign paints by UPS under the ORM designation...something similar to what Rick used to do. When I asked Montroy about it, they just said it was a lot of trouble on their end. Midwest has a small branch office in Salt Lake, so maybe I need to order more there.

I am not writing this to pick on Montroy, but more to suggest to others their might be another possibility for shipping. I remember getting charged a big hazard fee one time (I can't remember who shipped it) for a bottle of Hand-See charcoal powder...something like $25. Ouch! I can order in medical charcoal powder next time!

On another note, I recently won an old Atkinson first edition book for $20. Great buy! Then I get the note from the seller wanting $21.57 shipping. Dang!!!!! Media mail for that book would be cheap. The Post Office now has a new Flat Rate Priority Mail box. Actually, they have two sizes, both free, along with shipping tape and labels if desired. For $7.70, you can ship the box with all you can stuff in it for the same price, anywhere in the country! The local postal worker said people are shipping car parts in them. You could ship a lot of magazines or books in those boxes. Needless to say, I feel like I am getting ripped by the book dealer. Maybe, $41.57 is still a good price, but it doesn't feel so good right now.

Lastly, when we sell our Americana Collection of Panels and Ornaments (and others), we have been shipping by Priority Mail in the US. I signed up with their new Click-N-Ship about 6 months ago. Overall, it is a nice option, and it keeps me from having to stand in line at the PO. I get free delivery confirmation with the option, saving 45¢ on each package. When shipping to Canada, I used the Post Office for quite a while. The paperwork is very easy, however, once the package goes out of the Post Office's hands, and into the Customs and Canadian mail system, I lose all contact with the package. Two sets of disks got "lost", which I had to replace. So, I switched to UPS for Canadian packages. They handle and track the package all the way, only losing touch with it while going through customs. Interestingly, I sent a three disk set to Ontario a week or two ago, which cost me $9.95. Today, I sent a single disk to Banff, Alberta, and it cost $15. The local UPS store has all my info on file, and they print out the labels for me now, so the time in their store is much less than when I had to hand fill out a big pile of forms.

Hi to all,
Mike

[Danny Baronian]

As long as your shopping for shipping, check out FedEx ground. All paperwork and transactions can be done online. I recently shipped a 4 lb package from the SF to San Diego for a little under $ 7 and it was received within two days.

You might want to check out rates to Canada.

Unfortunately both shipping and products are increasing due to the cost of fuel. I don't know about UPS, but with a FedEx account , if you ship occasionally your shipping is discounted.

[Mike Jackson]

Danny,
I mentioned some of my discontent with Fed-Ex on the phone. They deliver on time okay, but they have a way of sticking extra charges on my account AFTER I drop off the package. I have an account there, but have quit using the numbers. I just pay with a check at the counter now. Maybe the price is the same, but it always bugs me to see all the add on charges for fuel, residential delivery, and so forth. Shipping paperwork for out of the country is a pain anywhere, I guess.

Mike

[Mike Jackson]

Just a quick update.
I had several emails with the ebay seller about the shipping on the Atkinson book. He wanted over $21 to ship the book. After telling him about the new Priority Mail Flat Rate box, which ships to any place in the US for a maximum of $7.70, he agreed to drop the shipping down to $10. With the flat rate Box, the post office supplies free boxes, tape, labels, and so forth, AND you can ship as much weight as you can stuff into either of the two box sizes. He could have put three Atkinson books in one of the boxes. The postal clerk told me people are shipping heavy car parts in them.

I don't HAVE the book yet, but at least I will save over $11 on shipping if everything goes right.

Mike Jackson