Fed Ex Acct Must Knows?

Yup, bombers are no problem. 750ml will stick out by about 1". Very unfortunate!

 

"What this means is that, when shipping this box, you’ll be billed at a minimum of 70 lbs (the carriers round up to the nearest pound). If the package happens to weigh more than 70 lbs., then you’ll be billed for shipping at the actual weight. If the actual weight is less than 70 lbs….for example, let’s say it’s 39.6 lbs….then the dimensional weight will apply and you’ll be billed at 70 lbs."

You pay the larger of actual weight or dimensional weight. Beer is pretty dense and it's definitely a toss up what you'll actually end up paying. For example, a 12-shipper has a dimensional weight of about 25lb, but weighs 40-45lbs when full, so you'll pay actual weight (which, BTW, works out to $65 for a cross-country trip on my account). Less efficiently packed boxes might go the other way and get charged for dimensional instead.

 

Thanks for clarifying this. I understand what you're saying now.

 

I always use pool noodles or another dense foam source inside double-walled cardboard boxes (because I don't trust that flimsy stuff) or a box-in-a-box approach. Or a styro shipper. I overpack the hell out of my boxes because I figure having good boxes that can be reused strongly outweighs the cost/inconvenience of replacing bottles/losing good beers/spending a little more on packing/shipping.

 

I used to tape the hell out of my labels and never had any issues with the scanner reading them or labels ripping off. Lately, the FedEx employees specifically started instructing me to use the pouches instead and NOT the taping that I have been doing up until then because the pouches are better for the scanners

Not sure which I'm supposed to do now, but I've been going with the pouches to prevent any additional questions from the FedEx staff. I guess you could always just throw in an extra copy of the label inside the box so it's the first thing they see if they happen to open it up.

 

I tape my labels AND write the tracking number on the box in sharpie on every side of the box. Once had a shipping exception pop up due to a destroyed label but the package continued on with a new label just fine.

 

When I tape the labels on, I leave the parts with the bar codes exposed so that there is nothing in the way of the scanner.

 

How much is the account savings? I don't have a printer at home, and have never had issue with doing everything at thr store. But if the savings is substantial then I may look into a printer

 

I don't have a printer either--you can print the shipping labels for free at the store. It's what I do every time and has always gone smoothly

 

I think it's worth it just for the time savings. I never wait in line to drop off a package, I'm usually in and out of the store in 30 seconds. (Also, if I needed to, I could schedule a pickup from my house.)

 

Curious if anyone has ever received a fedex "shipment exception: label unreadable and replaced"? I always attach the label in their pouch and attach another written label with the shipping info and tracking number. I usually toss another one inside the box but forgot this time. Hoping they just reprinted it for me?

 

I actually got that same exception recently. Luckily for me I didn't remove the label from the box that was sent to me and they actually delivered the box back to me. I just printed a new label, taped it much better and two days later it found @Kurmaraja just fine, I believe.

 

Can't quote an earlier post because I'm on my phone. ..

I usually guesstimate weight for my boxes. For some reason, my guesstimates are usually a bit lighter than the boxes actually are . When i track the boxes, the tracking info always shows my declared weight, all the way through delivery. However, i checked my bill last month because of another issue, and almost every box was billed as a much heavier box, either because of dimensional weight or actual weight. The billing also indicated which boxes were billed by dimensional and which were billed by actual weight too. Very educational.

Needless to say, i won't be showing the wife the billing reps for my "hobby" any time soon...

 

No need to worry about weight and dimensions when filling out your labels at home, folks. Everything gets weighed and measured automatically on its journey from you to your recipient. Put whatever the hell you want, FedEx will get their money in the end.

 

things are re-weighed, but dims are only applied in certain facilities. entering your own dims is not required, but i recommend leaving it off with a low weight since dim weight is almost always more. soon dims will be calculated automatically but you still have time to save on big boxes filled with air and bubblewrap.

 

Not to be a dumbass, but where do you drop off these packages at...do you have to go to a Fed Ex facility?? I have a Postal Annex near me that I always use, they weigh the package and tell me who's cheaper (usally UPS)

 

If they can ship out packages via a carrier, you can drop off pre-labeled packages there. I sometimes drop at a Fedex Office store and sometimes at an independent shipping center, depending on what direction I'm headed.

 

You're paying a markup, sometimes they seemed small, but often sizeable by having them print the label. Create your own account online, print the label yourself and drop it off at the same place you were going. They still make money, though less, when you drop off at their location.

 

I have been printing 2 labels. I put one at the top of the box (if they were to open it) and I tape the hell out of my other label.