So when I’m on vacation I pick up a gift for a special friend. It is a gift of a oddly-shaped, breakable nature and I’m not sure how to pack it. If I woulda just crammed it in a big ol’ box full of tissue at home, I’m guessing I coulda sent it through the mail for around $5 to $10. Long story short, here’s what they stuck me for:
Shipping (UPS) – $10.59
Packing materials – $8.45 (Box, bubblewrap, and styrofoam, mind you!)
Packaging service – $4.45
Value of gift: approx $16
Cost to ship gift: **$24.20!!!
HOW DO THEY SLEEP AT NIGHT!!!**
Something that started out as a nice gesture has turned out to be a major cash outlay, and I’m currently unemployed so it really stings. GRRR!
I sent some stuff from Mailboxes, Etc a few weeks ago and they wanted to charge me like $3 to PUT TAPE ON THE BOX!!! Now, this was a small box to begin with, and I’d already paid $5 for the box itself… I said fuck that and bought a $2 roll of tape and taped the fucker shut myself. That place is such a ripoff it’s unreal.
I dare you to ask them what they charge for a 100-count roll of stamps. Go ahead.
They also discourage you from using USPS, presumably because they get a better markup on UPS. Last time I tried to send something USPS (and incidentally, the last time I set foot in a MailBoxes Etc) they acted like I was asking to send it overland via a mule train run by convicts.
And, with their “private mail boxes” encourage mail fraud. Assholes.