Results 1 to 5 of 5
  1. #1
    ilyaz started this thread.
    ilyaz's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor

    Member since
    Sep 2010
    Location
    MD
    Posts
    425
    Thanks
    340
    Thanked 230 Times in 114 Posts

    A couple of shipping related things I discovered for shipping FedEx ground

    This might be common knowledge, but I discovered a couple of small details this morning that will hopefully help me keep my shipping cost down.

    I scrap in small quantities and ship out of state via FedEx Ground 100-200lbs of material at a time. So here's what I found out:
    1. Density of material in boxes that I have shipped has been surprisingly consistent at about 0.01 lb/in^3. I got this number by dividing shipping weight of my boxes by their dimensions.
    2. Using this density estimate, I got a quote from FedEx that showed that shipping two 60 lb boxes is almost $20 cheaper (for the destination ZIP that I used) than shipping one 120 lb box.


    I am curious if having more of smaller boxes is cheaper still. I suspect that it's not if boxes get too small, but I did not go through the exercise to figure out at what point that happens.


  2. The Following User Says Thank You to ilyaz for This Post:



  3. #2
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Apr 2011
    Location
    Louisiana
    Posts
    255
    Thanks
    74
    Thanked 72 Times in 49 Posts
    I found the best box for me is 24x24x24. I can get right under 60 pounds like that. If I remember correctly I sent out 3 boxes like that. The shipping was alittle over 30 bucks for all

  4. #3
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Jan 2013
    Location
    North Texas
    Posts
    97
    Thanks
    1
    Thanked 80 Times in 44 Posts
    OSHA probably has something to do with that. One man can handle a 60lb box but the shipper has some point where they require 2 men or mechanical assistance. So they factor this into the cost of larger loads.

    Good info though.

  5. #4
    SMF Badges of Honor



    Member since
    Feb 2012
    Location
    OK
    Posts
    5,731
    Thanks
    6,815
    Thanked 3,465 Times in 1,990 Posts
    I don't recall if it was FedEx or UPS but one shipper once told me 70 pounds was where it went to a two person handling requirement, and past that point the rates showed a rapid increase.
    It's relatively easy when on their shipping quote page to back up and enter different weights to see where it changes, and that applies to any size package to anywhere. I've used that method a lot when preparing shipping for both domestic and international packages.
    Always leave yourself some room. If you get it too close, sometimes they'll add something like a customs form and push it over into a higher bracket, extra tape and labels can add up ; )
    Last edited by Bear; 06-14-2013 at 09:29 AM.

  6. The Following User Says Thank You to Bear for This Post:


  7. #5
    KzScrapper's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Apr 2011
    Location
    Denver Metro, CO
    Posts
    4,841
    Thanks
    7,019
    Thanked 5,792 Times in 2,417 Posts
    Bear is correct ...for Fedex keep the weight just under 70 pounds. Cost me $40 to go from Denver to Mentor.
    Recyclable Material Merchant Wholesaler
    Certified Zip-Tie Mechanic
    "Give them enough so they can do something with it, but not too much that they won't do nothing."


  8. Similar threads on the Scrap Metal Forum

    1. This thead is a question - Experiences Shipping Fedex through ebay?
      By ryanw in forum Ebay Traders
      Replies: 15
      Last Post: 08-15-2014, 08:38 PM
    2. Shipping Supplies from USPS, FEDEX, UPS, etc
      By GeorgeB in forum Off Topic Discussions
      Replies: 16
      Last Post: 10-29-2012, 08:51 PM
    3. Interesting pricing results with fedex ground
      By wdaddy in forum General Electronics Recycling
      Replies: 5
      Last Post: 05-29-2012, 04:14 PM
    4. Shipping. usps via Gaylord ltl shipping.
      By wdaddy in forum Scrap Shipping and Logistics
      Replies: 4
      Last Post: 09-01-2011, 02:45 PM

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

 
Browse the Most Recent Threads
On SMF In THIS CATEGORY.





OR

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

The Scrap Metal Forum

    The Scrap Metal Forum is the #1 scrap metal recycling community in the world. Here we talk about the scrap metal business, making money, where we connect with other scrappers, scrap yards and more.

SMF on Facebook and Twitter

Twitter Facebook