how to ship a blanket
Who doesn’t love a good blanket? It’s the perfect companion for taking a nap, reading a book or watching your favorite TV show, and it complements your bedroom design with color and personality. Blankets are one of the most common household items that retailers and individuals ship every day, but shipping them can be expensive due to dimensional weight charges that carriers may charge. This guide explains which service to choose when shipping blankets, how to save the most money, and what to look out for in terms of extra costs.
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UPS vs. USPS: Which carrier should I use to ship my blanket?
When comparing blanket boxes from USPS and UPS, UPS Ground is often the best choice. In recent years, UPS has enhanced its ground services to offer the most competitive rates and fastest delivery times in the market. UPS advertises 1-5 business days for ground packages, but in our experience, delivery is usually faster than the 5-day threshold (depending on how far your package needs to travel).In contrast, the USPS situation is not uncommon up to two weeks Delivery of Retail Ground/Parcel Select Ground parcels.
Speed aside, UPS Ground will be more affordable than other services when your package comes with a thick blanket or two. UPS is the primary carrier for sending larger, heavier packages, and of the big three U.S. carriers, they’ve positioned themselves to offer the most affordable rates for this type of shipment.
Often cheaper and faster than USPS Ground, UPS Ground is a great option for sending a box of blankets.
Packages containing blankets may incur a dimensional weight charge
Some blankets are bulky and bulky, and some are bulky and lightweight. Either way, due to the size of blankets, they tend to require fairly large boxes when shipped. Therefore, blanket boxes may be charged by dimensional weight.
Carriers such as UPS and USPS charge dimensional weight charges for large and light boxes.In this case, postage is based on How much physical space your package takes up On their delivery truck, not the actual weight of the package itself. Think of the space inside a delivery company’s truck as real estate. If your large boxes take up a lot of space but aren’t too heavy, the carrier can technically make more money by fitting more boxes in the space your package takes up. As a result, they charge you extra to make up for those lost income opportunities.
Does not require any special packaging when shipping the blanket
The good news is, since the blanket is not at all flimsy, perishable, or temperature sensitive, you don’t need any special packaging to send it. You can use any sturdy cardboard box, or even a large bag if desired!
Pro tip: To avoid dimensional weight charges, you want the package to be as small as possible. This can be difficult when shipping blankets as they tend to be bulky…but don’t be afraid to really dirty the blankets in the box so they fit as snug as possible!
Learn more about how your package size can impact the success or failure of your small business.
Save on Postage with Shipping Software
Whether you decide to use USPS or UPS for package shipping, saving the most money on shipping labels is critical…and the best way to do that is to buy discounted postage online using shipping software.
When you use shipping software, you can take advantage of the “economy of scale” deals these companies have with carriers like UPS and USPS. Because shipping software companies have so many customers, they’ve negotiated the best volume discounts that shipping lines typically only offer to large commercial shippers.In some cases, these discounts can Save you up to 89% off How much would you pay to ship the same package at the post office or your local UPS store! In addition to these discounts, you can purchase and print shipping labels from your home or office and schedule a pickup time for your package so you don’t have to make any unnecessary travel.
Of course, when you use shipping software (if applicable), you still need to price by dimensional weight.That is, your label will still be a lot of Cheaper than shipping blankets to the Post Office or your local UPS store!
