USPS - Priority vs 1st Class

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1st Officer

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So I got my SI Labor Day Sale vape Mail today and when I placed my order I figured since for my Birthday last month because of my wonderful family and friends that are glad I quit smoking, I received nothing but Vape related gifts and now have a gaggle of X2 batteries and enough cartos, clearos, Ce3s (no T-3s) and juice to see me through a nuclear winter. Anyhoo I figured I would do a little experiment and use 1st Class Mail instead of Priority. Even with a holiday I got my order in 3 days. (way to go Smokless Image for working on the holiday to get a jump on the shipping) But my point is apparently with USPS it takes the same amount of time regardless and I save $4. I say save, what I should say is I have $4 more to spend on stuff like T-3s, when they finish rowing that boat over from China. :D

Smokless Image Rocks!!! USPS not so much... YMMV
 

bluecat

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So I got my SI Labor Day Sale Vape Mail today and when I placed my order I figured since for my Birthday last month because of my wonderful family and friends that are glad I quit smoking, I received nothing but Vape related gifts and now have a gaggle of X2 Batteries and enough cartos, clearos, Ce3s (no T-3s) and juice to see me through a nuclear winter. Anyhoo I figured I would do a little experiment and use 1st Class Mail instead of Priority. Even with a holiday I got my order in 3 days. (way to go Smokless Image for working on the holiday to get a jump on the shipping) But my point is apparently with USPS it takes the same amount of time regardless and I save $4. I say save, what I should say is I have $4 more to spend on stuff like T-3s, when they finish rowing that boat over from China. :D

Smokless Image Rocks!!! USPS not so much... YMMV

I wonder how many people they have rowing?
 

1st Officer

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I wonder how many people they have rowing?

I had typed an answer to that but then my better judgment kicked in (yea it happens, not often but it happens) and I deleted it. Lets not forget who makes all this neat stuff and I don't want anything blowing my nose off. Maybe they only got one oar in the water, see there I go...I'm outta here...
 

bluecat

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I had typed an answer to that but then my better judgment kicked in (yea it happens, not often but it happens) and I deleted it. Lets not forget who makes all this neat stuff and I don't want anything blowing my nose off. Maybe they only got one oar in the water, see there I go...I'm outta here...

Made me laugh. I also had another paragraph but decided the better of it. See. Now i wonder who made that one oar and what it was made out of.
 

1st Officer

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the reason is depending on how its sent and where you live... 1st class and priority can be routed through different hubs.

You are right! I tracked both Priority and First Class packages from SI to my house and both followed the same route, went through the same sorting facilities and my guess would be in the same trucks. of course by Google Maps I could make the drive up there in under 5 hours but it may be different for those in other localities. USPS can do it in 3 days (WTH?) but then if you look at the route the mail takes it travels almost 150 miles south of my town just to turn around and come back and the interstate they take runs within 15 minutes of my house, that really makes me wonder who does the routing?.
 

1st Officer

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I can't do that too often because here lately SI keeps coming out with new stuff every week and besides I so look forward to my weekly Vape mail from SI. Plus I now have a new friend, I have had the same Mail Lady/Next door neighbor for almost 10 years and didn't even know her first name but now I know her name, age, parent's names, kids birthdays and I get to hear just about all the local gossip. :thumb:
 

puff-a-saurus

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First class mail (under 13oz) takes same time as priority. To my house anyway.
Where you see the difference is when your item is shipped PARCEL POST. Anything over 13 oz cannot be shipped first class mail and will be shipped either parcel post or priority. It is usually only a few cents more to ship priority in this case and worth it.
 

18SixFifty

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I only pay extra for priority in rare instances. That is with large packages that can be damaged. If you go with first class it's not exactly first class anything. It gets tossed around and placed in the same bins with junk mail. Yes they might very well end up on the same trucks, but they are not handled in the same manner.

I have shipped thousands and thousands of items over the years. My general opinion is that if it requires special care then send it priority and with insurance. If not first class is fine.
 

kia2

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Mar 4, 2012
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In the contiguous 48 States, Priority and First Class are pretty much the same for me. Priority claims "2 days" and First Class usually makes it in 2 days. I used to say "whichever gets it there fastest" and ended up paying Priority rates, until I sent a few packages First Class to save money and found out I wasn't taking or saving more time. So, First Class usually makes it to where it needs to go in approximately the same amount of time. Used to be almost next day for an SI order, where as now it is back to 2 days, sometimes 3 days. Is ok, it's still faster than Pony Express.




I have shipped thousands and thousands of items over the years. My general opinion is that if it requires special care then send it priority and with insurance. If not first class is fine.


Yeah, what he said. ^^^^^
 
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kico166

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I had to chuckle reading thru these posts! I just got an order from Florida. It could have been here 3 days earlier but the good ol' Post Office sent it from St. Paul to Bismark - then back to St. Paul before sending it back south to my mailbox!

What has really amazed me is ordering before 9am Saturday is usually in the mailbox on Monday. Ordered on a regular day of the week ... now that takes a couple more days! Go figure ... :cool: I'm just happy it arrives and in the specified number of pieces it's s'pose to be in!
 

thebluefox009

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You are right! I tracked both Priority and First Class packages from SI to my house and both followed the same route, went through the same sorting facilities and my guess would be in the same trucks. of course by Google Maps I could make the drive up there in under 5 hours but it may be different for those in other localities. USPS can do it in 3 days (WTH?) but then if you look at the route the mail takes it travels almost 150 miles south of my town just to turn around and come back and the interstate they take runs within 15 minutes of my house, that really makes me wonder who does the routing?.

I am of the opinion they use chimpanzees with a crayon to decide shipping and mailing routes.
 
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