Thursday, December 15, 2011

Use Cardboard as a "Green" Weed Barrier in Landscaping and Gardening

Cardboard as a Weed Barrier in Landscaping and Gardening

Many landscapers and gardeners are looking for inexpensive and eco-friendly solutions for weed control. Weeds are a constant menace to landscapes and gardens. Sometimes people want something that will work as mulch for the flower beds, and other times they want pathways free of weeds. The perfect answer is the use of corrugated cardboard that is much easier on the natural environment than are plastic or synthetic fabric weed barriers or chemical sprays.

Benefits in Gardens and Landscapes

Rolls of corrugated cardboard have many uses and benefits for landscaping and gardening. In rock gardens and raised beds, the cardboard can be laid with holes cut out for the plants through which the plants may grow. The cardboard can be the first layer and mulch such as wood chips can be spread on top of the cardboard around trees and shrubs or in playgrounds.

Of course, cardboard will decompose naturally into the soil because it is made from wood fibers. This decomposition is a benefit in itself to the soil.Worms love the cardboard and help to break it down, and leave castings behind while working the soil, which is great for your soil. Every couple years, people will need to add more cardboard, but every landscaper and gardener knows that mulch treatments are a maintenance job that must often be renewed regardless of the materials used because weeds are so persistent.

Use Instead of Non-Green Weed Control

Cardboard is much easier to replace than is the synthetic and plastic weed barriers. Because it naturally becomes part of the soil, it does not have to be removed before laying new materials. On the other hand, plastic must be removed because it does not decompose. The ripped pieces make poor soil material and should be completely removed from the soil before something new is installed.

Then, mulching with the corrugated cardboard makes it unnecessary to spray chemical weed control on pathways in the garden. The natural cardboard covered with bark chips or other natural mulches prevents the growth of weeds.

Corrugated Cardboard Keeps Weeds at Bay

Landscape artists and gardeners do not have to spend so much time tackling the growing weed problem in their summer outdoor spaces, and they can spend more time on the plants they want to grow in the intended areas. The convenient use of corrugated cardboard to keep weeds at bay is making mulching and weed fighting so much easier and more friendlier to the environment than other methods.

We deliver Cardboard Rolls nationwide to Business and even to your home! For more information or to order, visit out website at www.fastpack.net

Friday, November 11, 2011

Don't forget to prepare for the BUSIEST shopping days of the year!

Yes, we all know this is the busiest shopping time of the year. But did you know which DAYS are the busiest for online retailers? Be sure to have plenty of widgets on hand, as this isn't the time to be caught out of stock on a popular item. Now run back to the shipping room and make sure you have plenty of packaging supplies to ship all of those orders that will be coming in. Check your stock of Boxes, Bubble Wrap, Bubble Mailers, Tape, Tissue Paper, etc!

Here are some of the days we expect most online retailers to be the busiest this holiday season:
Black Friday: November 25th
Small Business Saturday: November 26th
Cyber Monday: November 28th
Free Shipping Day: December 16th


Also, don't forget the Holiday Shipping Deadlines for the USPS.


Happy Selling!

Jason Archambault
CEO
Fastpack Packaging Inc.
226 SE Lee School Ave
Lee, FL 32059

Web: http://www.fastpack.net
Ph.850-971-7201 - Fax 413-460-8062

http://www.facebook.com/fastpackshippingsupplies
Linkhttp://twitter.com/FASTPACK

Tuesday, November 08, 2011

FedEx Ground 2011 Holiday Service Schedule

Thanksgiving Day - November 24, 2011
Day after Christmas - December 26, 2011
Day after New Year's - January 2, 2012

UPS 2011 Holiday Schedule

Thanksgiving Day - November 24, 2011*
Day after Thanksgiving - November 25, 2011**
Christmas (observed) - December 26, 2011*
New Year's Day (observed) - January 2, 2012*

*UPS Holiday. UPS Express Critical® available.
**UPS Holiday. Delivery and pickup of air and international packages only.

For up-to-the-minute information, go to ups.com.

The United States Postal Service Announces 2011 Holiday Mail-by Dates

Holiday shipper

WASHINGTON — As the “Official Shipper of the Holidays,” the United States Postal Service today released the suggested mail-by dates to ensure packages, cards, and letters reach their intended destination before the 2011 celebrations begin.

Dates are provided as a guide for dropping holiday wishes into the mail. Customers who use the United States Postal Service as their “Official Shipper of the Holidays” can trust the Postal Service will provide reliable, trusted and secure delivery at home or abroad.

Postmarking for domestic mail — mailed from and delivered within the U.S. — and international mail destined for overseas should occur by:

Domestic Mail Product

Mail-by Date

First-Class Mail

Dec. 20

Priority Mail

Dec. 21

Express Mail

Dec. 22

Parcel Post

Dec. 15

DNDC Drop Ship

Dec. 19

DDU Drop Ship

Dec. 22

International Mail Addressed To

Global Express Guaranteed® (GXG)1***

Express Mail® International (EMS)2

Priority Mail® International (PMI)3

First-Class Mail®

Africa

Dec-20

Dec-10

Dec-2

Dec-2

Asia/Pacific Rim

Dec-19

Dec-15

Dec-9

Dec-9

Australia/New Zealand

Dec-19

Dec-15

Dec-9

Dec-9

Canada

Dec-21

Dec-16

Dec-12

Dec-9

Caribbean

Dec-20

Dec-15

Dec-12

Dec-9

Central & South America

Dec-20

Dec-10

Dec-2

Dec-2

Mexico

Dec-21

Dec-15

Dec-9

Dec-9

Europe

Dec-20

Dec-15

Dec-12

Dec-9

Middle East

Dec-20

Dec-15

Dec-12

Dec-9

***GXG Notes:
1 Cutoff date does not take into account time needed for customs clearance.
2 Should allocate extra transit day(s) for delivery outside major cities.
3 Last day to ship to Afghanistan is Dec 19 and Iraq is Dec 16.

“We suggest holiday shippers both in and outside the country use one of our Priority Mail products to send gifts and good wishes,” said Gary Reblin, vice president Domestic Products. “The Priority Mail Flat Rate boxes come in a variety of sizes and are always free. Remember — ‘if it fits it ships’ for a low flat rate.”

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.


Friday, November 04, 2011

#0, #1, & #2 Poly Courier Mailers are overstocked and marked down to move!


Poly Courier Mailers #0, #1, & #2 sizes on sale in Case quantities! - Great for shipping clothing and other none fragile items.

YOU HEARD RIGHT! ***WE ARE OVERSTOCKED ON THESE ITEM'S AND NEED TO MOVE THEM FAST. WE HAVE LOWERED THE PRICE 20% FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY!

http://www.fastpack.net/Shopping.idc?ProductCategory=17

Thursday, November 03, 2011

Cool Shield Rolls, Box Liners, and Pallet Covers are now available at www.fastpack.net


*Metalized bubble provides cushioning and stops heat transfer through radiation.
*FDA compliant for incidental contact with food.
*Provides an effective barrier against moisture, vapor and odors.
For more information visit our website at :
http://www.fastpack.net/Shopping.idc?ProductCategory=21

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Color Masking Tape just added to Fastpack.net



Use Colored Masking Tape to color code shipments or for inventory identification.

*Designed for medium temperature applications.
*Stain and solvent resistant.
*19 pounds per inch of width tensile strength.
*32 ounces per inch of width adhesion to steel.
*Elongation at break 7%.
*Temperature resistant up to 150 degrees F. for 30 minutes.
*5.7 Mil. Thick


http://www.fastpack.net/Shopping.idc?ProductCategory=503

Thursday, October 06, 2011

Colored Stretch Wrap - New Product


Due to popular request from our customers, we have just added Color Stretch Wrap / Pallet Wrap Film.
Cast Stretch Film releases from the roll smoothly reducing warehouse noise up to 75%.

*Great for inventory control, carrier identification, or to call attention to shipments.
*Film stretches up to 250%.
*Great for use on uniform loads.
*80 Gauge for loads up to 2,500 lbs.

For more information or to purchase Color Stretch Wrap visit:
http://www.fastpack.net/Shopping.idc?ProductCategory=16

NEW PRODUCT - Duct Tape in 11 different Colors!



Colored Cloth Duct Tape is great for color coding.

For more information and to Purchase Color Duct Tape visit:
http://www.fastpack.net/Shopping.idc?ProductCategory=9


*Economical all-purpose duct tape.
*Poly coated cloth tape.
*High tack rubber adhesive.
*Moisture resistant.
*9 Mil. Thick

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Packing Peanuts and Potted Plants


Packing Peanuts and Potted Plants

Packing peanuts are no longer just for protecting your valuables during shipping. Many gardeners are using the polystyrene kernels as helpful drainage filler in the bottom of potted plants and gardening beds, and you can too! This practice saves money on costly potting soil, and peanuts are lightweight for easy use. Polystyrene packing peanuts can also be used to anchor the roots of hydroponic plants.

When using peanuts for potted plants, fill one to two inches of the bottom of an empty pot, instead of using of heavy pebbles. Lay a barrier of landscaping fabric over the peanuts to protect the soil from sinking down. Fill the pot with soil and add your plants or seeds. The non-biodegradable polystyrene will act as a barrier between the pot base and the soil, allowing drainage to occur if there is too much moisture. Proper drainage keeps plants healthy, and packing peanuts save a lot of weight in potted plants. This method works best in heavy ceramic pots because plants in plastic containers may become top-heavy and capsize.

If you want to use packing peanuts for an outdoor gardening bed, enclose the peanuts in a feedbag, or create a bag using landscaping fabric. Containing polystyrene peanuts for a large job is critical to cut down on the mess. Just as you would with potted plants, cover the peanuts with soil and plant as desired. Packing peanuts may even deter pests from burrowing into your garden box from below.

Hydroponic gardening is a cinch with polystyrene peanuts. All you need do is anchor your soil-free plant with two inches of packing peanuts in the bottom of your potting container. As a growing medium, polystyrene pellets support and aerate the root system, just as heavy rocks and pebbles can.

FastPack Packaging offers polystyrene peanuts that you can use for your next indoor or outdoor gardening project. Our peanuts will help your garden and potted soils retain a healthy level of moisture, so your plants will not become waterlogged. Contact FastPack Packaging to order polystyrene packing peanuts today at www.fastpack.net or call 1-866-971-7201 .

Saturday, August 06, 2011

FastPack offers FREE Shipping Supplies to help small business in poor economy

Free Shipping Supplies

You get what you pay for. You want the best, you buy the best, and pay the highest price. Well, as the economy shows, following that advice certainly didn't work out very well for anyone.

How about going back to some earlier advice, like a penny saved is a penny earned, and the best things in life are free?

We're offering FREE Shipping Supplies to help jumpstart your own personal economy. When a financial crisis happens, big banks want bailouts, loans and stimulus packages, but we're going one better by giving you FREE Shipping Supplies, delivered right to your home, office or business, and with no waiting for any trickle down economics to take effect. More importantly, you can't argue with the price.

No matter what your shipping needs are, our FREE Shipping Supplies can help reduce the sting of your shipping costs.

These FREE Shipping Supplies are the same high quality construction and quality as our paid products, the only differences may be in available quantity, color, and available sizes. We only charge a small shipping and processing fee to cover the expenses of shipping, third party credit card processing fees and any other fees associated with acquiring and processing your order. We do not charge a fee for the product itself.

Shipping prices are not going down, but let us help ease the burden by supplying the shipping products you need for all of your mailing needs, use them top ship Media Mail®, First-Class Mail®, Priority Mail®, Express Mail® , Ground, Overnight, 2nd Day, 3rd Day, Any Day, Any Way.

Once you have your FREE Shipping Supplies, what you do with them is up to you. Whether you're starting an online auction empire or looking to lower costs for your customers, these FREE Shipping Supplies will give you the edge.

Don't forget that having these supplies shipped straight to your door means no more standing in long lines at big box office supply stores or your post office to purchase supplies. Not only will you save money, but you will also save time, which everyone could use a little more of.

We can't put money in your pocket, but we can help you save on shipping costs with our free shipping supplies. Just remember that for a small fee, which covers shipping and processing costs, you can have our high quality shipping supplies delivered right to your door allowing you to carry on your business without wasting a moment. For more information visit our website at http://www.fastpack.net/freeshippingsupplies

Contact Information:
Jason Archambault CEO/President
Fastpack Packaging Inc.
Phone: 850-971-7201
Fax: 413-460-8062

Web: http://www.fastpack.net/freeshippingsupplies

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/fastpackshippingsupplies
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/fastpack

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Hugs from Home






Dear Hugs from Home Supporter,

Wow! Thanks to you over 3,000 Hugs from Home tubes were delivered to our troops this year.

And, we didn’t just deliver tubes, we delivered smiles and nothing boosts morale like an ear to ear grin. We can’t thank each of you enough for your time and commitment to making Hugs from Home such a big success. We look forward to your support again next year in sharing our appreciation for the sacrifices our troops endure protecting our freedom.

“There are really only a few things to make a yearlong deployment bearable: having friends in the unit to make the time go by and knowing there are people in the US that care and think about us and can't wait until we get home.”

Bryan Kolano


“My Marines really enjoyed them and their morale shot through the roof.”

First Lieutenant Bobby Jorgensen

It’s amazing that something so simple can mean so much. Great things happen when great people work together towards a common goal as the Hugs from Home program has provided over 11,000 tubes of inspiration since its inception. Enjoy the notes and pictures below from the service men and women stationed overseas that received a tube of awesomeness thanks to you.

Thank you again for your incredible support to our heroes. You’re a hero in our book too!

---------------------------------------------------------------------

We support Hugs from Home. Clear mailing tubes from Fastpack are packed with all kinds of goodies from home, magazines, candy hygiene productshttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif etc. Thanks to Office Furniture Partnership for putting these tubes together and sending to our troops over seas.

Jason Archambault
President/CEO
Fastpack Packaging Inc.
www.fastpack.net

Thursday, June 09, 2011

USPS Adds Adult Signature Option

Jun
9
2011

USPS Adds “Adult Signature” Option

Author An article by shipsurance    Comments No Comments

In a move geared to further compete with FedEx and UPS, the United States Postal Service has added two new services: Adult Signature Required and Adult Signature Restricted Delivery. These new services are meant to be used when a packages need to be received by an adult over 21 years of age.

The two services are described as:

  • Adult Signature Required
    Requires the signature of anyone in the household who is 21 years of age or older and costs $4.75 per package.
  • Adult Signature Restricted Delivery
    Requires the signature of the addressee or their authorized agent, who is 21 years of age or older, and costs $4.95 per package.

The two new services are available for the following products:

  • Priority Mail©
  • Express Mail©
  • Critical Mail
  • Parcel Select© Barcoded Nonpresort
  • Parcel Select© Regional Ground

For more details, visit http://www.usps.com/shipping/adultsignature.htm

Tags:

Posted via email from Shipping Headlines & Tips by Fastpack.net

Thursday, May 05, 2011

USPS strikes back with promise of free tracking on all parcels | Post & Parcel

The US Postal Service is making a major effort to fight its way back into contention in the US package business, with a bid to make track and trace services the norm for all products.

From this fall, the USPS is to offer free track and trace services for all commercial parcels that have a full-service Intelligent Mail barcode, initially excepting Lightweight Parcel Select parcels, the former Standard Mail parcels category.

Jim Cochrane, vice president of product information at the USPS, told the National Postal Forum yesterday that in the long-term, the newly rebranded USPS Tracking service would offer free visibility on all items.

From January, with approval from the Board of Governors, the USPS is aiming to offer visibility on all parcel products, he said, adding that the Postal Service is also looking at increasing visibility in other mail products.

“By October 1 this year we will have tracking that is every bit as good as anybody else in the marketplace,” Cochrane declared yesterday. “This will be the basis for our growth here.”

The package business is one of Postmaster General Pat Donahoe’s top priorities for chasing growth at the moment, with the organisation currently seeing success from its flat-rate box products under the “If it fits it ships” slogan, but also from advertising the fact that the Postal Service is not imposing fuel surcharges.

Visibility has been a key weakness of its service, which the USPS is now seeking to turn around. ”The package business gets it,” Cochrane said. “At UPS or FedEx it’s a universal part of their business.”

The Postal Service has been investing in scanning technology across its network, including use of OCR technology, passive scanning systems and more than 1,500 ring scanners for processing plants cannot use full systems, so that “nothing will leave a processing plant without a scan”.

The network is being set up to get from four different scanning points during the mailing process to 10 tracking events on every piece, said Cochrane.

Mailers at the National Postal Forum were excited by the prospects of the USPS visibility promises, particularly for the low-cost Priority Mail services, although speaking to Post&Parcel, Postal Service customers noted that it had been a long time in coming.

Priority Mail value

Addressing the Association of Priority Mail Users at the National Postal Forum, Cochrane said a lot of American businesses did not know about the value of Priority Mail, the Postal Service’s second-tier premium shipping service.

He said despite the low shipping prices compared to rival shippers, people in the US perceived reliability issues in USPS transportation and service performances.

Cochrane said all that should change with the offer of 100% visibility and tracking.

“We are making a pretty significant (step forward) from a world where we just confirmed delivery to one where we are providing tracking and tracing on every product.

The Delivery Confirm service is being phased out, to become part of a new USPS Tracking service offering visibility across the mail process.

Cochrane told Post&Parcel that the Postal Service had “backed off” from setting deadlines for its customers to use the Intelligent Mail barcode system, and will instead seek to entice them to use IMb.

“We took a look at the full-service requirements and there were some that were somewhat complex,” he said. “We now want to focus on the value of our full service offering – and make it so compelling that customers will want to use IMb.”

Network Performance

As well as allowing the USPS to compete with rivals where track and trace is now standard and conventional, the increased visibility will also allow the Postal Service to further improve and optimise its network in ways never possible before. Cochrane said it would help with spotting bottlenecks and reducing delays.

The system currently measures service to 300 zip codes, but the plan is to measure performance in all zip code areas from October.
Meeting business expectations was more about providing a consistent service, the USPS VP said.

“Customers want consistency – 98% of shipments in three days is better than 80% being delivered in two days,” he said. “We want to get to ‘world class’, and that means we have to get beyond the mid-90s to the high 90s (in service reliability).”

The IMb system would also help USPS to optimise the size of its network, more effectively responding to the volumes flowing through the system, Cochrane said.

The Postal Service is currently in the process of a major consolidation effort to reduce the excess processing volume in its infrastructure, with mail volumes having declined to levels not seen previously since 1993.

Source: James Cartledge, Post&Parcel

Tags: , , , ,

Posted via email from Shipping Headlines & Tips by Fastpack.net

Monday, March 28, 2011

10 Items You Didn't Know Were Illegal to Mail via USPS

If you are shipping articles across international borders, you may not realize that each country has a list of prohibited items that you cannot send in the mail to those countries. Guns, ammunition, hazardous substances and illegal narcotics are a pretty common standard for most countries, but many of the items listed below might take you by surprise.

  1. Unused Envelopes. You got that correct. If you are mailing into Sri Lanka, do not send envelopes inside your envelopes. And don’t send blank stationery, or pens, pencils, chalk or erasers. I have a feeling that the government there doesn’t want your correspondence to receive a response.
  2. Chessboards. I’m not sure if the American soldiers in Afghanistan are playing chess or not, but you cannot mail chessboards into Afghanistan. Absolutely prohibited!
  3. Playing cards. This item has made it onto the lists of several countries. And, no, it is not OK to send them one card at a time. A deck of cards, is a deck of cards, no matter how many envelopes it takes to send it in.
  4. Musical greeting cards. Sorry friends, but if you sent a musical birthday card to your relatives in Cuba or Quatar, it probably got confiscated before it reached them. Birthday and holiday greetings must be of a silent nature. No cute little tunes playing while you read your card.
  5. Unused postage stamps. This is actually a very common item. Many countries prohibit the mailing of unused postage stamps within your correspondence. Apparently, they want to make sure each individual buys their postage stamps locally. There is no gifting of postage, at least not via postal delivery.
  6. Soap. This is a no-no in many countries, including the United States. No shipping soap across borders. Each country must use native soaps. Who knows what might happen to the Italians if they started showering with soap made in Ireland? They might all end up with freckles.
  7. Shoes. No putting your shoes in the mail and shipping them over to some poor soul that doesn’t have a pair in another country. No trading shoes across the borders either. There are some strict rules about mail carriers transporting sneakers.
  8. Blank invoices. You can send your billing invoices in the mail to any country, but there are certain countries that won’t let you send a blank invoice form in the mail to its citizens.
  9. Currency. Please don’t send cash. Even if it weren’t illegal, it just isn’t wise to send cash of any type through the mail system. This is true, regardless of where you live or where you’re sending to.
  10. Cigarettes. Did you ask your cousin in France to mail you some cigarettes in the U.S.? That’s not going to fly with the custom’s agent. Mailing of cigarettes is prohibited in many countries around the world, including the U.S.

This is just a small sampling of prohibited items. The Universal Postal Unit provides a complete listing  of items prohibited or restricted in each country’s mail system.

To Do List:
1.) Make sure we do not ship Blingvelopes, Shiny Shippers, or any other envelopes to Sri Lanka! (I don't look good in stripes)

Sincerely,
Jason Archambault
FastPack Packaging Inc.
www.fastpack.net

Posted via email from Shipping Headlines & Tips by Fastpack.net

How Close Are We To A Five-Day USPS Delivery Schedule?

Mar
24
2011

How Close Are We To A Five-Day USPS Delivery Schedule?

Author An article by shipsurance    Comments No Comments

The United States Postal Service is operating at a huge loss. Competition from email and the other carriers has forced their hand. They have been looking into a five day delivery week for some time now and it seems the Postmaster General is on board.

Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe issued the following statement today.

“We have received the Commission’s advisory opinion on our proposal to move to a five-day delivery schedule. We have been awaiting the document and look forward to studying the views expressed by the Commissioners. Five-day delivery is an integral part of our action plan for the future.

“It’s important to remember that the Postal Service came well-prepared to this undertaking. Based on extensive outreach to our customers and other stakeholders, we developed an operational plan, analyzed the potential cost savings, and conducted extensive market research to document customer reaction and estimate mail volume changes that could result from implementation of this plan.

“Following tremendous losses in mail volumes and revenues, the Postal Service remains in the midst of a period of great financial instability. On March 30, 2010, we presented a compelling case to the PRC, reflected in the testimony of Postal experts in operations, marketing and finance, as well as a highly respected market research firm and academician. Their testimony demonstrated that the plan would effect a $3.1 billion annual saving and allow the Postal Service to continue providing excellent service in an economical and efficient manner.

“The Commission’s opinion is advisory only, and therefore, is not a final determination on the merits of our proposal. We remain convinced of our findings. As such, we will also continue to press our case with the Congress on this matter.”

Tags: ,

What are your thoughts on a potential 5 day delivery week?

Sincerely,
Jason Archambault
www.fastpack.net

Posted via email from Shipping Headlines & Tips by Fastpack.net

Monday, February 21, 2011

Don't forget, the USPS is closed today, no mail delivery! Presidents Day February 21, 2011

2011 Postal Holidays

body, td { font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; }.toprow { background-color: rgb(237, 237, 237); }

 

Date

 

Day

 

Holiday

 

January 1

 

Saturday

 

New Years’ Day

 

January 17

 

Monday

 

Martin Luther King Jr’s Birthday

 

February 21

 

Monday

 

Washington’s Birthday (President’s Day)

 

May 30

 

Monday

 

Memorial Day

 

July 4

 

Monday

 

Independence Day

 

September 5

 

Monday

 

Labor Day

 

October 10

 

Monday

 

Columbus Day

 

November 11

 

Friday

 

Veteran’s Day

 

November 24

 

Thursday

 

Thanksgiving Day

 

December 26*

 

Monday

 

Christmas Day (Observed)

 

January 2, 2012*

 

Monday

 

New Year’s Day (Observed)

 

Notes:

 

The following is a list of related holiday dates:

Posted via email from Shipping Headlines & Tips by Fastpack.net

Thursday, January 27, 2011

UPS and FedEx Rates Increases Hit Small Businesses

Raising rates is inevitable when a company is trying to increase profits and shareholder value. When companies like UPS and FedEx raise their rates on their shipping services, there are many understandable factors they take into consideration besides their stock prices. Inflation, increased fuel costs, increased competition, and increased general overhead all play a part. We understand these reasons and pay for the raise in service fees.

However, when ancillary service charges are raised it is not so understandable. Mainly: Declared value coverage (often called shipping insurance). This additional service fee from UPS and FedEx is not due to increases in lost or damages packages in their systems. It is due to the need on increasing their bottom lines. The problem is, this increase also hits the bottom line of small to medium size businesses.

In 2011, UPS and FedEx raised their declared value fees by 7%. They now charge $0.75 per $100 of coverage, with a $2.25 minimum. 7% may seem reasonable, but that is only part of the story. Did you know that since 2004, this fee has gone up 215%!

If your business is shipping packages on a regular basis, this increase can definitely hurt your bottom line. A $5,000 spend in 2004 is now $10,700. Many businesses we speak to do not even know that the rates are this high. Many believe they are still paying $0.35!

This is another reason why Shipsurance is a great option for your business. While you continue to rely on UPS and FedEx for their core business (shipping) you can rely on us for our core business (shipping insurance). Our rates have not risen and our claims processing has gotten more efficient over time. Can UPS and FedEx say that?

Great breakdown of the numbers!

Sincerely,
Jason Archambault
www.fastpack.net

Posted via email from Shipping Headlines & Tips by Fastpack.net

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

FedEx vs UPS ; Who Is More Efficient

We are always asked the same question: Who is better, FedEx or UPS? It is impossible to give a clear answer as both offer tremendous services and the claims we process are evenly distributed.

Using industry data, Package Fox has come up with a great graphic that compares the two shipping giants by the numbers. See below.

Related Posts

None

Ah, the age old question, UPS or FedEx......

Enjoy,
Jason Archambault
FastPack Packaging Inc.
www.fastpack.net
www.FastPackOutlet.com

Posted via email from Shipping Headlines & Tips by Fastpack.net

Monday, January 17, 2011

USPS to Raise Rates in April 2011

The United States Postal Service has proposed a rate increase for their First Class Mail, Standard Mail, Periodicals, and Media Mail services effective April 17, 2011. They also announced changes for the First Class International service. The new rate change is a 1.7 % increase on average. They will also introduce Commercial Base Rates for First Class Parcels. Priority Mail and Express Mail are not affected by this specific increase. These rates need to be approved by the Postal Regulatory Committee but they are likely to be approved as they are within the allowable annual increase of  1.7%.

DETAILS:

New Commercial Base Prices
This will be a new rate class that is available for online postage users ONLY, and will save shippers $0.15 per mail piece. These new rates start at $1.56. Commercial Base rates give discounts to shippers who purchase their postage online through Endicia, Stamps.com, the USPS Click N Ship, or other third-party online postage services.
First Class Letters
1 oz. ounce First Class Letters will remain at $0.44 and 1 oz. First Class Flats will remain at $0.88. However, each additional ounce (or half ounce for 3.5 ounce letters) will cost an extra $0.20 (up from the current  cost of $0.17).
First Class Packages
Retail rates will start at $1.71 (up from the current  cost of $1.22)
Media Mail
Rates will start at $2.41 (up from the current  cost of $2.38)
Parcel Post
Rates will start at $5.10 (up from the current  cost of $4.90)
First Class International
Letter prices will change for group one (1) and group two (2) by an average of $0.06.
Flat prices will change for all country groups by an average of $0.53.
Package prices will change for all country groups by an average of $0.78

Click here for more information from the USPS rate change

Good explanation of upcoming increases from Shipsurance.

Sinecerly,
Jason Archambault
www.fastpack.net.

Posted via email from Shipping Headlines & Tips by Fastpack.net

Friday, January 14, 2011

Bubble Wrap on History Channel's Modern Marvels ; TONIGHT Premiere Date: 01/14/2011 9:00pm

It pulls, stretches, bubbles, hardens, crunches, and melts! We eat about 7-billion tons of it yearly. We're talking about Candy--loved by kids and savored by adults. Candy-making evolved from a handmade operation to high-tech mass production. Nowhere is that more apparent than at Hershey's. On a tour of their newest production facility, we learn how they process the cocoa bean. At See's Candy, we see how they make their famous boxed chocolates--on a slightly smaller scale than Hershey's. We get a sweet history lesson at Schimpff's Confectionery, where they still use small kettles, natural flavors, and hand-operated equipment. Then, we visit Jelly Belly, purveyors of the original gourmet jellybean. Saltwater-taffy pullers hypnotize us on our sweet-tooth tour; we gaze at extruders making miles of licorice rope; and watch as nostalgia candy bars Abba-Zaba and Big Hunk get packaged. And in this sugary hour, we digest the latest sensations--gourmet chocolates and scorpion on a stick!

TVPG

We are excited to see this episode. Let us know if you enjoy it!

Happy Popping!

Jason Archambault
FastPack Packaging Inc.
www.fastpack.net
Bubble Wrap in Clear, Purple, Red, Green, and Blue!

Posted via email from Shipping Headlines & Tips by Fastpack.net

Monday, January 10, 2011

Stamps.com Blog » 2011 Shipping Rate Change Survey – USPS, FedEx, UPS

This week, the U. S. Postal Service, UPS, and FedEx all raised their shipping rates.  While the USPS raised retail rates by an average of 3.9 percent (3.2 percent for Stamps.com customers), UPS Ground and FedEx Ground both raised their rates by an average of 4.9 percent.  In our latest, survey, we asked customers to tell us how these rate increases would affect their ecommerce program.

Most interesting is the rate at which merchants will be changing carriers due to the rate change; in particular the rate at which merchants claim they will be moving volume to the USPS (likely based on the USPS have the lowest rate increase).  Be sure to check out the rest of the survey questions to find out more about how shipping affects ecommerce merchants.

Will Merchants Change Carriers Based on Changing Rates?
Almost half (46 percent) of survey respondents stated these rate increases will influence which mail carrier they will use in 2011.

chart_o_1

Two-thirds of respondents reported that they currently use more than one carrier.

chart_n_1

Of the respondents that use more than one carrier, 50 percent have no intentions to change carriers based on the rate change.  For those that plan to change, the USPS is the carrier merchants are most likely to switch to.

chart_i_1

Switching Costs

While more than half (52 percent) of respondents reported that there is little or no back-end work required to accomodate the rate change, 26 percent of merchants will need to perform at least one day of work due to the rate change.

chart_j_1

In addition to rate change questions, we also asked a number of other questions for ecommerce merchants.  Here are some of the more interesting results:

How Do Ecommerce Merchants Determine Shipping Rates?

When asked how ecommerce merchants price their shipping charges, 44 percent of the respondents stated they utilize destination and/or weight based pricing.  40 percent stated they use flat rate pricing to determine their shipping charges.

While the zone/weight based pricing is generally a more accurate method, it is also much more complicated as it generally requires merchants to populate rate information for hundreds of zone/weight combinations and typically necessitates a system that allows for dynamic rate checks based on what customers have in their cart and what they have entered as a delivery address; to say nothing of the added complexity that more than one distribution center can add.

chart_d_1

Customers Prefer Home Delivery

74 percent of respondents ship at least half of their packages to a home address.

chart_l_1

Although FedEx ($2.50) and UPS ($2.45)  charge residential surcharges, only 12 percent of merchants have different rates for home/business shipments (USPS has no residential surcharges).

How Heavy Are Typical Packages?

83 percent of respondents reported that the majority of their packages weigh three pounds or less.  Only 4 percent typically ship packages over ten pounds.

chart_g_1
This survey was sent to current Stamps.com customers that operate an ecommerce store.  The survey was conducted from December 16-21, 2010.

Click here for more information on the 2011 USPS Rate Change.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the survey!

Bookmark and Share

Came across a great article from Stamps.com. Hope you find it as interesting as i did!

Sincerely,
Jason Archambault
www.fastpack.net
www.FastPackOutlet.com

Posted via email from Shipping Headlines & Tips by Fastpack.net

Wednesday, January 05, 2011

FastPack's Annual Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day Sale will go on!

We have great news! We have decided that our Annual Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day sale will continue this year! So on January 24, 2011, be sure to visit the BWAD (Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day) page on our site at www.fastpack.net to receive FREE SHIPPING on select products. Remember, the sale items will only be offered on January 24, 2011, for 24 hours. You purchase has to be made, from the BWAD page to receive FREE SHIPPING, & only on the products listed on that page of our site.

What potential savings is there you may ask?
For every roll of bubble wrap, you will save at least $7.95 in shipping
For every case of tape, you will save at least $9.00 in shipping
For every case of Poly Courier Mailers, you will save at least $9.00 in shipping
For every case of Bubble Mailers, you will save at least $9.93 in shipping

See the BWAD page at www.fastpack.net for all details of this one day event!

Sincerely,
Jason Archambault
President
Fastpack Packaging Inc.

Posted via email from Shipping Headlines & Tips by Fastpack.net