USPS Regional Rate boxes are going away

[rawbutter]

Sad face.

I know this probably doesn't affect many people, but I probably use regional rate box more than everything else combined. Sadly, USPS is ending the service. Don't know why.

We can still use the boxes for regular priority shipping, but say goodbye to awesome regional rates.

https://faq.usps.com/s/article/Regional-Rate-Boxes

[Jonnydread]

That’s annoying, those are handy.

[superman]

likely because it isn't integrated to paypal/shipping services. It can be shipped with usps online but it is more of a pain as you have to type the addresses instead of easy click and ship.

[Painthappy]

We've never had those here, must be because I live out in the boonies...

[Ecapnation]

I don't live in the boonies and never seen them

[Morgenstern]

You had to order them online, couldn’t pick them up at a usps and they didn’t advertise...because they were awesome. I only knew about them because MCBers would mail me things in them so I looked it up

[William the Third]

Back on the old MCB I had a thread up about using regional rate boxes. The USPS made using regional rate boxes as inconvenient as possible (had to order the boxes and postage online, and the boxes took forever to arrive once ordered), and did nothing to advertise them. They push the flat rate boxes hard, which cost a lot more, easily twice as much for more local zones, unless shipping to far off zones. I bet they'll try to kill cubic pricing next, which is even cheaper than regional rate for smaller packages. They'd really like everyone to use flat rate boxes it seems, as it's far more profitable for them on short distances. There still are other options than flat rate, for now...

[BLachance75]

It usually took about a week to get the boxes after I ordered them. I’d order a few bundles or each size then when I opened the last bundle of a size I’d order more. I did the same thing for the padded mailers.

[William the Third]

Damn, I don't think I ever got the boxes in less than two weeks.

[BLachance75]

That sucks, I used them all the time. I have a big pile of the boxes sitting in my basement.

[William the Third]

Yeah, I've still got a pile of them.

[rawbutter]

You can still used them. You just need to ship them as normal priority mail and enter in the size measurements and weight and whatnot.

[William the Third]

Yeah, but it sucks that they no longer get a special rate.

[DocsMachine]

I never got into them because, coming from Alaska, there was rarely much, if any, difference over FR.

Doc.

[William the Third]

Yeah, for Alaska pretty much everywhere is Zone 8/9, except for Alaska (a slight exaggeration, there are some Zone 5/6/7 outside of Alaska for some parts of Alaska closest to the CONUS). Same goes for Hawaii, for which everywhere is Zone 8/9 (no exaggeration). Pirate Ship has a neat Zone map here.

[Morgenstern]

Oh no! The Board Game box going away was a huge loss, too. Can’t affordably mail long awkward stuff like original tippmann flatline kits now

[woouulf]

I was told they would honor the price for awhile....

[BLachance75]

I went to print a label tonight through USPS and regional rate wasn’t an option. Pirate ship didn’t give me the option either but it was the first time I tried pirate ship so I may have done something wrong.

[William the Third]

Yeah, Pirate Ship has already removed the regional rate box options.

[boarder2k7]

Thank you William the Third for mentioning it, will be using Pirate Ship going forwards!

[chrislognshot]

they are raising the price of stamps now too.

[bouford]

I never saw those in Hawaii and SMH about the game board box.

[chrislognshot]

yes it sucks get rid of boxes. but post office needs to make money