Shipthrifty.com Q & A

Our customers love working with us. Here are some of the common words they've shared:

• About the Tools - Brilliant, Amazing, Lifesaver, Easy, User-friendly, Fantastic, A Gift, Simple, Seamless, Speedy, Cost-saver, Timesaving, Valuable
• About Our Team - Amazing, Trustworthy, Love Working with Us, Professional, Passionate, Value Our Partnership, Flexible, Knowledgeable, Awesome, Compassionate, Dedicated, Helpful, Guardian Angel, Patient, Friends
• How They Feel About Working with Us - Blessed, Happy, Appreciative, Grateful, Delighted, Glad, Excited

ShipThrifty empowers you to create, purchase and print your own shipping labels online with major carriers. It works similarly to purchasing any other item online. In the case of a shipping label, you just put it on your box and take it to the carrier location that is printed on your label. It is paid for, so nothing is due at the shipping store, you get to skip the line at drop off, enjoy savings, and eliminate the hassles. The USPS does free pick-up and other carriers charge a fee. If you are shipping for a business, you can set up a sweep with the carriers too.

Shpthrifty.com is a free online shipping tool. We don't charge a user fee or monthly fees to use the application.

We are covered by the carriers.

• This is not the first time we've heard this, but rest assured it is not a scam. We partner with the carriers and built our shipping tools from scratch with people who ship packages. We happen to know a ton about military shipping and support military families and nonprofits through our tools and education. We are Military OneSource Vetted/Approved, a National American Legion Auxiliary Partner, used by 100's of nonprofits nationwide and partner with bases around the world. Some pretty big corporations use us for their military care package shipping too like Medica, Medtronic, Eastman and more. We also teach at military pre-deployments, volunteer and packing events and speak nationally at military events. Sometimes it is easier to see what others have to say so here is a link to some of our testimonials.

We partner with major carriers to give you discounted rates for shipping and on supplemental insurance. We empower you to optimize your shipment(s) based on your needs and choices while sharing tips and resources to help you ship better. You will also save time, which cuts your costs and raises your efficiency. Depending on how much you ship, we have other programs you may be able to take advantage of; email us at contactus@ShipThrifty.com to learn more.

Low volume shippers pay the highest prices on shipping. When you use ShipThrifty.com, you can leverage our discounts with an easy-to-use interface that saves you time and money.

There are a couple of answers to this question. Just because you have an account with a carrier does not mean you always get the best prices. Using ShipThrifty.com gives you the ability to manipulate your shipments (box sizes and weight) with ease so you can get the best value for your shipping needs. Third, we designed our interface to display carrier information, so you can choose the option that best meets your needs based on speed, carrier, cost, etc. The site's simplicity allows you to get your shipment set up in a fraction of the time. We also offer discounted insurance, and if you have a business, we integrate with other platforms for free. If you'd like to talk about your specific needs and ShipThrifty.com differences, send us an email at contactus@ShipThrifty.com. There are a lot of reasons to be excited about Shipfthirty.com.

Getting started is EASY! Just create your free account https://ShipThrifty.com/register. An email will be sent to your registered email address so you can confirm your account. If you don't see it, check your spam, junk, or other folder. We also recommend adding notifications@ShipThrifty.com to your safe sender list.

Once you create your account, you're ready to ship, so just seconds.

If you are a business owner and want to integrate to other platforms it takes about 5 minutes to set the webhooks up. We can help to make the transition quick and painless.

If you want us to teach you the special functions in the tools it takes between 10 and 30 minutes depending on shipping experience. Many just create their accounts and start shipping.

Yes, we offer training for individuals and businesses. We can train whoever you want to ship on your team. Email us at contactus@ShipThrifty.com to set up online shipping training times that work for you. If you're familiar with shipping, you can also view our help videos on our ShipThrifty.com/help page.

We can teach someone to use our tools in under 10 minutes. Set up a time to train https://calendly.com/ShipThrifty.

Yep. Anyone can be a shipping Rockstar using ShipThrifty.com. Our oldest known shipper is 86.

Absolutely! We love helping people with their shipping. We can spend as little or as much time helping you as you need, and shipping support is always free.

Yes, feel free to schedule a time that works for you here, https://calendly.com/ShipThrifty.

Base coverage is offered by carriers as follows.

- USPS® priority mail may include coverage up to $100 for loss or damage

- Other carrier insurance typically covers up to $100 for loss or damage.

You can add supplemental insurance to any order for a fraction of what others charge.

We'd love to talk with you. Every business has unique challenges and it's our goal to set you up for success with your shipping. Knowing a bit about your needs will help us make the biggest impact on your business. Send us an email to connect contactus@ShipThrifty.com

Great question! We created ShipThrifty.com to give businesses and people options and transparency when it comes to shipping. You can store your shipping addresses in the system and access all your historical reports indefinitely for no additional costs. Our reporting is straight forward and easy to understand. You'll know exactly what you've sent, what you've spent, and where everything is at. You can use ShipThrifty, whether you have an online storefront or not. We eliminate the need for multiple logins and give you the ability to create shipments faster and easier than going to the carrier websites, plus you get to see all your shipping options on one screen. You can also extend your cash flow for 30 days when you check out with a credit card. There are other benefits, and we'd be happy to talk with you about your specific needs or questions; shoot us an email at contactus@ShipThrifty.com.

No, ShipThrifty can is used for shipments inside the U.S. as well as some international shipments. We do help a lot of military families and nonprofits ship and will be expanding our international options in the next year.

ShipThrifty is the backbone of our shipping application. It is how we pull prices from the carriers and print labels. Ship to Military is a website we set up to provide resources for military shippers.

It depends on where you live in the U.S., carrier, and the weight and dimensions of your package. We are always happy to help you figure out the most cost-effective ways to ship so reach out for a free assessment.

When you create your account, you can use our batch shipping tools to see the costs of different box sizes and services. Copy your entry and try different boxes and dimension and refresh your rates. ShipThrifty is smart enough to show the lowest priced option first, and you can see additional options based on your needs. If you are shipping USPS®, sometimes a brown box that you pay for will cost less than a flat rate box. The Regional Rate B Box is a zone-based box that can be ordered on USPS.com® can often be a cost-effective option. Another option is putting multiple items in larger boxes.

We recommend checking out the Regional Rate B1 Box and the Regional Rate A1 Box or Shoe Box, NOTE - Regional Rate Boxes must be ordered online, and labels must be created online. The local post office does not carry them but can accept them with shipping labels already paid for online. The Large Flat Rate Box is often used for Military Shipping, as is the Medium Flat Rate Box. However, if your package is less than 20 pounds and you don't live on the West Coast, consider switching to a brown box of similar size, or a larger brown box to stretch your shipping dollars. The Regional Rate Boxes linked above can offer savings if you are not shipping too far away and for military APO/FPO/DPO shipping.

Most people get boxes from the carriers.

You can order free USPS.com® shipping supplies online. Uline also has boxes for purchase, and they also have a delivery fee. Another alternative is to get boxes from local stores that carry boxes or envelopes. The dollar stores often have envelopes. Walmart, Target, Home Depot, and Lowes also have shipping supplies. We recommend heavy-duty boxes, especially for heavier items or packages going long distances, such as those being sent to an APO/FPO/DPO.

Carrier's do not allow their boxes or shipping materials to be used for anything other than shipping. Carrier branded packaging can only be used for shipping with the specified carrier. (Example - A USPS® box cannot be used to ship with a UPS® service, etc.)

Shipments are paid for by credit card at check out or you can also use your credit card to load your My Wallet in the admin area before making shipments. Credit card payments process through Stripe. They have token identification, so card information is not stored directly on our platform. Many large companies use the service (Google, Target, Salesforce, NASDAQ, Shopify, Expedia, etc.). You can also mail a check to prefund your account and we have ACH available as well.

It is not necessary, but they are a good investment if you will be shipping regularly. The weight is more reliable than a bathroom scale, and they are not very expensive. Check out Amazon for the one that will work best for you. We use this affordable shipping scale: If you choose to use a bathroom scale, we recommend adding a pound or two to your weight just to be safe.

Rounding up to the next pound is recommended among carriers. Something that's 10.2 pounds should be rounded up to 11. Think of each price bracket as having a little “up to” in front of it. If a package is 10.95-pound package may be heavier, consider rounding up to a 12-pound rating instead of 11 pounds.

The label will include your address information, the recipient's address information, and package details. If you are making an APO/FPO/DPO shipment, customs details will also print on the label. You do not need to write out customs forms or labels - everything prints right on the label.

You don't need one when you use ShipThrifty.com; your customs information prints right on your shipping label. Because you create and pay for your shipping label online, you avoid the line at the post office and skip hand entry of your customs information by the postal clerk.

If you go to the post office to ship the current USPS® customs form is the 2976-R. The Postal Clerk will be required to enter the data into the postal service systems. Handwritten customs forms are no longer allowed. Source: Director, Global Trade Compliance, USPS® Headquarters

You can avoid the waiting for the retail postal clerk to hand enter your customs information if you use ShipThrifty.com.

To disclose the items in your package, list each item, the quantity, and the unit price for each item you are sending (Example: Socks, quantity 3, Unit price $3) - the tools will do the calculations automatically and print this information on your label.

If you are a nonprofit or organization sending multiple care packages to the troops, you can list items like this.

Hygiene (toothbrush, paste, floss, soap) followed by the quantity say 5 at $1 each and then move on to the next items like so: Snacks (chips, granola bars, microwave meals, nuts) with a quantity of however many are in the box and unit price of $1 and so on.

Note - If there are more than 5 grouped items a second label will print listing the details of the additional customs and both should be placed on the package.

You will want to avoid restricted items to ensure your package is not sent back for violating regulations. Hand sanitizer, aerosols, and lithium batteries are common items that trigger returned packages.

Your admin panel gives you access to your live tracking, shipping history, historical reports, address books, and more.

We have SSL encryption on our site, which provides a higher level of security. We also have hard authentication, which means you need a username and password to access your data and not see anyone else's. We restrict who has access to our systems internally, and we don't sell, share, or distribute addresses and our hosting tools also have security protocols in place to protect your information.

We work with the post office. ShipThrifty falls into the PC Postage category, which allows us to offer discounted rates. We add efficiency for the post office, and postal customers have a better experience because of reduced wait times.

- USPS® doesn't have to weigh packages, collect shipment/customs info and enter it, accept payment, and label.

- USPS® has already received an up-front electronic declaration of customs information ahead of the arrival of packages at the Customs Facility level.

- At the processing level, bulk acceptance scans allow USPS® to bypass the lengthy process of manual acceptance entry per-package

“Here's a quote from our post office contact: The total amount of time that PC Postage solutions save USPS® per APO/FPO/DPO shipment is likely to be upward of five minutes. This is of such significant value to USPS® as a whole; it's hard to even put a price or score on it. There are a hundred reasons to use PC Postage for business functions like this, to begin with, but if Care Package Organizations want to consider what's best for USPS®, then they get a hundred more reasons to use PC Postage.”

You can drop your boxes off at any of the carrier locations or your local post office, depending on the carrier you ship with. Carriers also partner with local stores to drop off. Anyone can schedule a pickup with USPS® by completing USPS® Schedule a Pickup Form. If you have a lot of packages or larger heavier ones, we recommend calling your local post office to ensure they can pick up. Pickup availability varies by location and staffing. If your business location is interested in site pickup, you can create an account with major carriers to get pickups set up at your business location. Carriers charge a fee for the service.

When you're logged into your ShipThrifty.com account, go to your My Tracking link. You will also get live tracking notifications when a carrier scans your package. You can also put your tracking link into the carrier's website for a status report.

If you haven't gotten a live tracking alert for a while, your package is most likely still on its way. Check your My Tracking report and look to the left of the current-colored column for status. Military packages sometimes experience a delay between the USPS® International Service Center and the Base. The average time for packages to get to someone overseas is typically two weeks, but sometimes they can take longer.

Yes, you can give your salespeople access to your account. When you do, you will be able to track all shipments and gain clarity when it comes to shipping activity. This also streamlines your package handling and makes the sales job easier for your company representatives.

Luggage, golf clubs, trade show booths, and other items can be shipped as well.

Yes, you can upload a CSV or Excel file to ShipThrifty. Use the template that is available when you log into your ShipThrifty account and add your data to it. We can also add your addresses to your account for you, and this service is complimentary, as we are all about helping you ship better.

We can help you integrate any online applications with your ShipThrifty account. It just takes a couple of minutes to set up, and we will help you. Reach out to let us know you'd like to discuss integration and let us know when to reach you for further discussion or set up.

No, we don't charge fees for integration or to help you get set up.

Carriers have restrictions on size and weight.

USPS® package cannot exceed 70 pounds, length + girth cannot exceed 108 inches

UPS® and FedEx Express® packages cannot exceed 150 pounds, 119 inches in length and 165 inches length and girth

Length is the measurement of the longest side, and girth is the distance around the thickest part (perpendicular to length).

Here's a link to our ShipThrifty Blog Post on Carrier Size and Weight Shipping Restrictions to learn more.

Items that can be sent overseas to our military include snacks, hygiene, games, books, and like items. You can learn more on the www.shiptomilitary.com. It is important not to send items that are restricted by USPS® or prohibited by the APO/FPO/DPO base locations. See Military Restrictions and the following question and answer.

Yes. Be sure you know what can and can't be sent overseas. USPS® General prohibited items include lithium batteries, GPS tracking devices (cell phones, transmitter radios, used electronics etc.), offensive or pornographic images (including semi-nudity), bulk quantities of religious materials, pork products, items with Aerosols and sometimes even coffee and over the counter medicines, including vitamins can be restricted. Hand sanitizer is also not allowed since it contains alcohol. See our Blog Post - Major Carrier Restrictions for more details and quick links to carrier pages. ShipThrifty ties the military restrictions right in the shipping tools. You can also use this Military Restrictions link to check specific restrictions based on base zip code.

No, FedEx® and UPS® do not ship to PO Boxes. Only a USPS® service can be used to send to a PO Box.

Yes, major carriers have general restricted items include hazardous material, explosives, fireworks, firearms (parts or ammunition), money, money orders, passports, credit/debit/ATM cards, antiques, works of art, lottery tickets, animals, plants, pornographic materials, contraband, narcotics and psychotropic substances, fragile glassware. Additional information can be found at https://crossborder.fedex.com/us/assets/prohibited-restricted/united-states/index.shtml.

You can also consult the FedEx Terms and Conditions

page https://www.fedex.com/content/dam/fedex/us-united-states/services/SG_TermsCond_US_2020.pdf or the UPS® page https://www.ups.com/us/en/help-center/shipping-support/prohibited-items.page for more details.

Yes, most items may be shippable when you have a carrier contract, regular shipping volume, and adhere to their regulations. You must have carrier approval for shipping restricted items.

Dry ice is a restricted item. We have an option to ship dry ice in the batch shipping tools, but you must have approval from a carrier to ship it, a contract, a regular shipping volume, and adhere to carrier regulations.

Alcohol is a restricted item. You must have approval from a carrier to ship it along with a contract, regular shipping volume, and adhere to their regulations. Additional information can be found at https://crossborder.fedex.com/us/assets/prohibited-restricted/united-states/index.shtml.

You can also consult the FedEx® Terms and Conditions

page https://www.fedex.com/content/dam/fedex/us-united-states/services/SG_TermsCond_US_2020.pdf

We have some options available for international shipping. This is an area we want to expand in the future. At this point, we are not set up for people or organizations outside the U.S. to ship using ShipThrifty.

If shipping within the U.S., major carriers can deliver packages to a base. If shipping overseas to an APO/FPO/DPO/MPO, USPS® is the carrier. ShipThrifty.com has shipping options for all military shipping.

Military mail MUST be addressed to an actual person, or it won't be delivered. Soldier, Any Service Member, etc. is not allowed. Rank/grade/rating is recommended but not required and should be skipped if sending to a DPO (example: CPT for Captain). Here are some examples

Yes. If you send books, play scripts, printed music books, CD's, records tapes, sixteen millimeter or smaller film, test materials, educational material or records such as medical or student related, they can be sent for less through Media Mail. Media Mail may not contain any advertising or be mixed with other items like bookmarks or T-shirts. Comic books are not allowed to be sent through Media Mail either. Media Mail can be enabled in your ShipThrifty account settings.

If you notice an error on a label and it has not been scanned by the carrier, we recommend canceling the label and creating a new one with the correct information. Labels can be cancelled in the My Orders Simple link. The card you used to check out will be credited automatically in 3 to 7 business days.

We always recommend adding a little extra weight or rounding up to the next whole inch if you aren't sure about your measurements or weight. Overall, the round up does not affect cost much and it helps to ensure your package is not returned or assessed extra fees for incorrect information. If you are under weight and the carrier catches it, they typically won't accept the package. In some cases, packages are assessed an additional fee which will be billed to your card on file.

USPS® typically returns the package to you with a not stating insufficient address. Other major carries will try to figure out the correct address rather than send the package back if they are able to. A surcharge for an address correction is charged back to us which will be charged to your card on file. The charge differs based on carrier, but it is typically under $20. Returned packages are not refundable.

A manifest is a form that produces a scan code that allows you to check all your packages in at one time. ShipThrifty automatically produces a manifest for your USPS® shipments which speeds up your drop off or pick up time by 90%. USPS® just scans the one form and all your packages are turned over. There is a max of 500 labels per manifest. Most people usually split orders into groups of 500 or less and may do multiple manifests in that case.

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