Ship Thrifty.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

Ship Thrifty.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, partner with The American Legion, American Legion Auxiliary, Blue Star Mothers of America, and 100’s of nonprofits nationwide along with bases around the world. Some pretty big corporations use us for their military care package shipping. We also teach a 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 Ship Thrifty.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 Ship Thrifty.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 Ship Thrifty.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 https://shipthrifty.com/resource/category/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 Ship Thrifty.com. Our oldest known shipper is almost 90, and most of our shippers are in their 60's.

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® Ground Advantage & Priority mail 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.

Visit our website or give us a call at 800-544-4992.

Great question! We created Shipthrifty.com to simplify shipping and give businesses and people options and transparency when it comes to shipping. We believe in providing you with value. Save address, copy and edit labels and use our custom brandable tools 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 Ship Thrifty, whether you have an online storefront or not and we are military shipping experts.

No, Ship Thrifty can is used for shipments inside the U.S. and sending packages to APO, FPO, and DPO overseas military locations.

Ship Thrifty 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. Generally plain or your own personal branded boxes will be most cost-effective. 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. Ship Thrifty 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.

We have a box partnership that offers plain and branded boxes at wholesale rates.

Uline also has boxes for purchase online as well as Staples and Amazon,

Another option is to pick boxes up at local stores that carry boxes or envelopes such as Dollar Stores, Staples, Walmart, Target, Home Depot and Lowes.

We recommend heavy-duty boxes, especially for heavier items or packages going long distances, such as those being sent to an APO/FPO/DPO.

USPS.com also offers free shipping supplies online for Priority mail but it often costs less to use your own box even with having to purchase it.

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 service and carrier. (Example – A USPS Priority mail box must have a Priority mail label and only USPS can accept that package).

Shipments are paid for by credit card at check out. You can also prefund your shipping account by ACH or 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. If you choose to use a bathroom scale, we recommend adding a pound or two to your weight just to be safe. See our Shipping Supplies page for recommendations.

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 Ship Thrifty.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 Ship Thrifty.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 and hazardous items to comply with all laws, avoid any legal issues, and to ensure your package is not sent back for violating regulations. Learn more about shipping dangerous good and hazardous materials like hand sanitizer, cleaning supplies, nail polish, hairspray, lithium batteries by themselves or inside electronics.

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. Ship Thrifty 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 that match the carrier printed on the shipping label. Carriers also partner with local stores for 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 Ship Thrifty.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 right 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 Ship Thrifty. Use the template that is available when you log into your Ship Thrifty 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 Ship Thrifty 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

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 Ship Thrifty 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. 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 or restricted items include lithium batteries, GPS tracking devices (used cell phones and items with lithium batteries, transmitter radios, etc.), offensive or pornographic images (including semi-nudity), bulk quantities of religious materials, pork products, items with aerosols or glass, and sometimes even coffee and over the counter medicines, including vitamins can be restricted. Hand sanitizer is also not allowed since it contains alcohol. Also, military shipping must follow domestic and international shipping requirements.

Ship Thrifty 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 and follow domestic and international dangerous good rules.

No, FedEx and USPS cannot ship to PO Boxes.

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 below:

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

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

Dry ice is a restricted item. Ship Thrifty prohibits shipping dry ice and requests that you reach out to the carriers directly to ship it.

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

Ship Thrifty does not offer international shipping at this time.

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 primary carrier but sometimes UPS Sure Post will come up and that option can be used as well since USPS handles that last mile of delivery for that service.

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 sent to a DPO (example: CPT for Captain).

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 Ship Thrifty 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. Do not make edits to a label with errors because the information is still in the scan code.

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 note 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.

typically returns the package to you with a note 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

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