I have never seen a benefit, other than saving three cents and the box arriving in banged up shape. Nowadays, the Post Office has made pricing as such where shipping items (like transformers) via Priority Mail is about the same price as Parcel Post, and by doing it online, you get free delivery confirmation. It annoys me how I buy stuff on eBay and I pay $9 shipping because they mail Parcel Post, and it takes 10 days to arrive, when for the same (or less) cost, it can be sent Priority Mail and arrive in three days. Argh, does anyone get bothered by that?
Not really. As long as I receive my stuff in stated condition, I'm a happy camper. I'm probably the exception though and I do see your point.
I have never had a good experience. Most of the time the box comes beat up. All I'm saying is that if you are spending just about the same amount of money, why choose the crappier handling?
Now on the flip side, I've never received a package sent Parcel Post in damaged condition, but I have received Priority boxes stamped "Delivered Damaged" and crushed to hell.
I'll often ship Parcel Post if I underestimated the shipping cost or if I'm sending something big and don't want to pay for an oversize box.
Honestly, I think this falls in the same line with why certain people don't do other things that seem like they should be common sense when it comes to sending things through the mail, and to a similar extent how people these days manage to fuck up the simple process of taking money or goods in the first place, and then sending goods in return... and that's assuming their allergy to money doesn't get in the way of making it that far into the process. Like, I don't know that much about domestic US mail, but if what you're saying is true, then it just seems like an issue of the people not being well informed about what their options are & why they exist. I can however understand not wanting to buy postage online because unless I'm missing something here, you'd need to have a really good scale, and then since you're the one weighing it on non-standardized equipment, there's always the chance of running into trouble when your measurement disagrees with a measurement made by the USPS down the line, or presumably a greater chance than if it was weighed & documented at a postal depot.
It just depends on how much you're willing to pay for shipping. I'm sure if you emailed the seller and said, "LOOK, SEND IT PRIORITY MAIL"; they will do that for you!
I mail everything cheapest way with tracking unless specified otherwise. Do the same thing when I buy online whether from other members or business', never had a loss or smashed anything yet whatsoever. Why spend more than u have to? I don't ever piss my money away(exceptions made for hunting gifts or something like that) but regular stuff bah. I will pay for insurance if it's something pricey
Same goes with me when I have paid for priority I've got banged up items, from TRU and Hasbro toy shop. But parcel post packages and padded envelopes are fine for 99% of the stuff.
Surcharges. Priority is rigged in such a way that it could cost more than Express mail to send a package if it exceeds certain size/weight restrictions. My customers don't want to pay $40 to get a package 3-4 days sooner, and they're fucking nuts if they think I'm going to eat $30 to use Priority.
Sometimes they will try to trick you into it at the post office by telling you parcel post goes through a facility with 75 pound packages.
Well, if you pack your shit right, that shouldn't even be an issue (going through machinery with packages of varying sizes & weights), especially for smaller things where their own weight won't cause it to break if dropped. Envelopes maybe, but solid shit like toys shouldn't be sent in those anyway unless its just bubblewrapped parts, which kinda goes back to the whole "common sense" argument hah. Just learn the available options & the pros/cons of each, and go from there.
Send a 5 pound package with any side exceeding 12 inches from Florida to California and you will understand.
In my auctions, I give people a choice. Parcel or Priority. People go with Parcel because it tends to be cheaper. Also if the box is too large, Priority can get insanly expensive. Which would you choose. $10 Parcel or $30 Priority. Thought so.
Maybe it's your location...I'm being serious. In my area I have at least one to two packages--all sizes-- a week from the USPO and they are NEVER beat up or damaged in any way. Another plus, my mail carrier even puts them on the front porch in a plastic bag if it's raining. I've had nothing but good luck with them.
I ship Parcel when I sell on ebay, not just because it's cheaper, but it really doesn't seem to take much longer than Priority. I've never had a package take more than 3 business days to make it across the country with parcel post. Never had any complaints about banged up packages either.
