Rifle shipping

H

hkcarbine

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Holy cow. just shipped a rifle, 17lb from Nevada to Arkansas. PO made me ship prioity mail. $96.15 postage and $5.10 insurance. total $101.25. Think I will make the trip to UPS next time. Any suggestions other than UPS or idea of price charged by UPS.

Roger Q.
 
roger Q

Sounds to me like you were taken. I'd go back and ask to see the Postmaster. A rifle shipped that distance could have gone Registered Mail, fully insured, for $50 to $60. It's not up to the postal clerk to tell how you have to ship. That's your decision. Also, they cannot ask you what the contents were. Did you volunteer the information that it was a rifle?

Ray
 
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Yep, I voluntered was rifle. I thought you were required to give them that information. I talked to a supervisor and was emphatically told it had to go express mail.

Roger Q.
 
You were told wrong. You are not required to tell USPS that you are mailing a rifle. (UPS and FedEx have different rules). Even after you volunteered the information, you do not have to ship Express. Regular Priority mail, insured, works. I prefer Registered Mail because of the additional safeguards. I'd take the receipt back to the PO and ask for a meeting with the Postmaster. Most Postmasters know the rules and you may be able to convince him/her that you were given incorrect information that cost you extra $50 +/-. If you get no satisfaction, I suppose it's then a matter of how far you want to pursue it for 50 bucks.

With UPS and FedEx you may run into the same, or worse, problems with clerks. The bigger problem there is that they are private businesses and you don't have much recourse.

Good Luck
 
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I went through all of this myself and I was just shipping within the state to another city. It took me 3 weeks of riding FedEx everyday and I finally got my money back. They seemed like they didnt even really know the regulations when i asked. It threw them on a wild goose chase to find an answer to my question on this. They ended up telling me that handguns no matter what have to be shipped via priority overnight. Rifles on the otherhand can ship via Ground only if they have been disabled from being fired. Thats all the input i have for ya.
 
FedEx and UPS have a few simple Federal regulations that they must follow, but beyond that they pretty much make up the rules as they go. That's why I use USPS. You can't beat the safety of Registered Mail. It's what jewelers and coin collectors use too.

Ray
 
I shipped a rifle 2 weeks ago through UPS 1 state away. With them packing the rifle and shipping with $1,500 of insurance it was $56.72. I always use ups and they have never let me down. If my only choice was usps I would put it in the truck and drive it thier my self they always seem as if someone has peed them off before you even walk in. Its know wonder they are sinking.
 
I don't know where you live but you have a friendly UPS. here they give you a tough time and charge a lot.
We are 2 miles from a regional terminal and they are a pain in the butt to deal with.
UPS policy is generaly anti gun .
 
Bench 1 said:
...usps...always seem as if someone has peed them off before you even walk in. Its know wonder they are sinking.
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I use a USPS office that was previously a 24/7/365 operation. There used to be one of those at most big airports. They've had their hours reduced (8am to 10pm, 7 days a week, but they take off on federal holidays, now) but they're the most convenient for me since they're open *most* of the times I need to send something.

Couldn't find a nicer bunch of folks. Helpful, knowledgeable, pleasant, and unfailingly polite. I guess I'm just lucky.
 
Up date; I went back to PO to contest the amount charged me, with printed PO procedures, Thank You andre3k. Met with duty supervisor. He admitted that his clerk had made a mistake. Would not offer a refund, of $53.00, because I received the service charged for. So that is that! I think I will drive a little and use UPS next time.

Roger Q.
 
consider shipping precision machine parts with appropriate ins in the future.....

hkcarbine said:
Up date; I went back to PO to contest the amount charged me, with printed PO procedures, Thank You andre3k. Met with duty supervisor. He admitted that his clerk had made a mistake. Would not offer a refund, of $53.00, because I received the service charged for. So that is that! I think I will drive a little and use UPS next time.

Roger Q.
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I always use the USPS and have had no problem. UPS is higher for the same service. UPS will pick up my items, I don't use them unless I have no other choice. I once took an item to one of their franchise stores. They packed the item at a high price and insured it. When it reached the destination it was pretty much destroyed. They refused to pay as they said it wasn't packed properly. I blew my stack and let my attorney handle it. Received my money plus attorney fees.
 
I should not be saying this as my son is a UPS driver. Anyway, all my gun shipments go by USPS; either priority, registered of express mail. Priority gets there in 3-4 days, registered takes a bit longer and you need to wrap the package in a "kraft" type paper. It is then stamped along all the seams with the PO stamp and is signed for by anyone who handles it. There is definitely a paper trail that follows it. Registered is fast, shipped one from MN to AK and it got there overnight. All are the same price. If you go to the USPS website and register, you can determine shipping and insurance costs there. I then go to "click 'n ship" and fill out the form online, pay by credit card, print the label, tape it with clear tape to the package and go to the PO and drop it off on the counter. No need to talk to anyone. I just place it on the counter and leave. The thing about the overcharge earlier is the weight was probably why you got charged so much. The package I shipped to AK was 18lbs and insured for $7500, cost was $104. I probably ship over ten packages a month that way and never had a problem. UPS insurance is a sham, from what I am told they will no longer take insurance for more than $100. The rest is up to you through an independent insurance company.

Jim
 
Jim,
You are correct. Last pkg. that I used with UPS told me the same thing. Said I had to get 3rd party insurance. That is bull chit!
 
for rifles i like the plastic cases and save the exterior box. i think those boxes cost 20 bux or so and as butch says use usps and mine never asks oh he always asks those regultory questions but nothing else.

bob
 
Shipping advantages and disadvantages...

The USPS is a Government supported agency. Congress is the final oversite. For shipping any items valued less than $2,500 and not handguns they are more reliable.

A correction to another post Both UPS and Fedex have written policies expecially as they relate to fire arms. I know because I have sued both companies, and through the discovery process, I forced them to produce every shipping policy they had.

Most clerks Postal, UPS, and Fedex only know what they want to know and don't have a complete knowledge of their organizations polices.

I have considered asking the NSSF to file a class action suit against the private carriers for conspiring to force FFLs to ship at higher rates than are routinely available.

Let me say the "insurance" sold by UPS and Fedex is not insurance because iot is not regulated. They are "self insured" and have a conflicting interest..

I suggest all FFL to invest into a private insurance company to insure their products being shipped. A company who has an independent intrest in the product being shipped. This also takes away from the profit of the shipper. It also reduces your stress level in dealing with the carriers.

Good Luck
Nat Lambeth
 
Roger,

The refund you are due ($53) is above the discretion of the supervisor you talked to. He should have sought and gotten approval from his District Office since you were misinformed and denied the service you asked for. You can get this fixed on line with USPS Consumer Affairs. If you have any trouble getting connected I'll get you a link. USPS is more interested in customer relations than most of us are aware. A few of the employees haven't gotten the memo yet.

Greg
 
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