A few months ago there was a thread that claimed that tracking in the US postal service was free for any package or letter.
Not so.
It's free with certified mail and some other things but to just send a letter, it's about $6.50. I think for the same money one can send certified mail, return reciept, with tracking, but I didn't have any use for certification or a receipt.
But it's not at all free. And of course not. Otherwise people would be using it for trivialities.
I sent a jump drive across the country last week via USPS. Total cost was $2.67. This included a tracking number on my receipt.
Anything sent priority mail is tracked.
As are first class parcels.
The thing is though it's really more a delivery confirmation system than an actual tracking system. They hit it a few times at the drop-off post office and "origin" station which is the initial distribution center that sends it on it's way.
Much of the stuff I ship (and I ship a lot selling on Ebay) goes 2-3-4 days without being scanned at all, They it magically shows up at the delivery office, then delivered later in the day....and not infrequently a day or two later than the original "expected delivery" date they show right after they take your money;-)
UPS, FedEx, and even DHL scan parcels all along the way so you know where your stuff is and if it's on time.
I use it for trivialities.
I ship small packages USPS First Class via PayPal quite often. Here's the result of a recent transaction. Note the cost of the USPS Tracking.
Shipping cost Postage cost $3.88 USD USPS Tracking® $0.00 USD Total $3.88 USD Payment method Instant Transfer...x-xxxx
On Tue, 07 Mar 2017 20:54:51 -0800, Oren wrote in
Looks like Amazon is cutting costs by contracting out delivery services to individuals who probably don't know how to calculate the full cost of operating their vehicle.
I am sure that is some of it but these independent contractors do not have the added costs that a licensed common carrier has. It is like the difference between a "medallion cab" and an Uber.
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