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Everyone loves lower cost shipping, but the best rate is nearly gone. But you can help.
Earlier this year. My postmaster received an internal memo about the termination of the gameboard shape Flat rate boxes[24" x 12" x 3"] that we used since 2012 to ship guitar tops and bracewood for half the price of weight based shipping rates. The memo cited an unfavorable return on investment.
I immediately tried to stock up on whatever I could get, but couldn't order even one. However there are still many of these boxes out there in the land, and USPS will honor those rates as long as these boxes are in circulation. One customer asked if he could send me some and did so. I have since asked my brother in NV and my daughter in SEA to gather what they could get art their post office/s. I have been able to get another 50. But they are disappearing fast.
If you want to help us help you, you can go to your post offices 's and get whatever quality you are able and I will pay for the shipping to get them here. If you can get bundles of 25 even better! even multiple bundles!

if you want to help, chime in.
Thank folks Brent Cole Sr

Good to know the Post Office is so concerned about losing money..... (tongue planted firmly in cheek).

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

I just checked my itty bitty post office and they had 16 of them and let me have them all. I'll get them packed up and shipped your way.

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jw ( o)===:::

I found 13...

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Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from poor judgement.

Awesome!
Casey, Do you think there is any possibility to score anymore? If so, lets hold off me sending you a prepaid label. But if that's all there will be, then send me an email with your mailing address. brent@alaskawoods.com
I can figure package size and weight using a quantity of boxes I have here.

Post Office announces "temporary" rate hikes going into effect on October 2nd. Priority Mail boxes and envelopes will increase by 75 cents each, with long distance deliveries to Zone 8 (western states) increasing by $6.50

Full press release here:
https://about.usps.com/newsroom/nationa ... tments.htm

After all, they've gotta pay for those 25,000 electric vehicles somehow.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

I picked up a bundle of 18. Maybe I can get more at another office. How do I ship these cheapest?

I got 13 at my local PO. Will check in Chico for more next week. Oh, and the postmaster said she'd give them to me only if I shipped them USPS .

Parcel select ground is the cheapest. I’m gonna guess it may cost around $25. You can see available rates at usps.com. Our zip code is 99921
I would be happy to provide you with a pre-paid shipping label that you can print and tape to the package. Email me your address. Brent@alaskawoods.com

I PM'd you. I am up to 27.

Brent,
With all the positive comments of your wood lately, it seems that this is the perfect opportunity for you to set up a contest for the most boxes provided by OLF folks gets a box of something. Bergman's ahead so far.

That's a good IDEA! I Should have thought of posting this months ago when the boxes were quite a bit more plentiful.

If folks wanna do this, I'm game.
winner winner chicken dinner gets a flat rate box full of sawn bracewood. Thats near a $100 value with the postage. and other participants get a coupon. and everyone has the ability to still be able to order and get product shipped in these boxes for a little bit longer. I'm down to the last 35 or so. Last yr we used about 700 of those boxes.

Sorry to see those boxes go away.
The USPS has the dubious distinction of needing to run the business like a private company but with the American congress telling them what they must and must not do. My understanding is they no longer get support from the government. Unlike the other delivery services they must visit all their customers several times a week, whether they have business to transact with them or not. Where I live they are the only delivery service that is reliable (and can find us!).

Seriously? According to the Congressional Budget Office the Post Office has run in the red for decades because they live on gubmint money - aka our taxes. WE are paying for those new electric delivery trucks. WE paid for all the ammo the Post Office has purchased (look it up if you don't believe me). They are no longer a government agency, but are classified as a quasi-government agency by Congress. In other words - they are gubmint when they want protection, and they are not gubmint when they are telling us they are improving services by reducing services. DO NOT make me snort in derision at your lack of understanding on this subject.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front ... nd-funded/

Quasi governmental in the sense that congress can tell them how to run their business.

The only Flat rate box that was terminated is this board game box. Referred to as Large "B" in the coding of shipping software. the large square 12 x 12 x 5 is still in use.
Like you, USPS is the only reliable service available to us.
UPS doesn't deliver here directly, but does contract a small float plane, Taquan Airlines to deliver UPS packages. Fedex doesn't come here at all. But rather gets stuff to Anchorage 900+ airmiles NW of here and passes it on to USPS to deliver here.
We have had UPS packages that are shipped by 2nd day air rates, take up to 2 weeks to get from Ketchikan to Prince Of Wales Island. It's only 40 miles to Hollis[east coast] from KTN and about 80 airmiles to Craig float plane dock.
Ordered some sand blast hose last week. 10' x 1/2" ID. Free shipping to Seattle by UPS, but $186 to Craig Alaska. Needles to say I had it shipped to a freight forwarder in SEA. the barge line{ Alaska Marine Lines] and will pay the MIN. of $71 to get the $40 hose.
The fees charged by private carrier to send and receive to and from Alaska are generally 300% higher than USPS.

Although 9” shorter, you may find use for the Regional Rate Box. https://store.usps.com/store/product/sh ... 2-P_RRB_B2

Nope. Too short for anything we produce, and I haven't seen any Regional rate available to and from Alaska. And there aren't many instrument makers in Alaska. But lots of Local, State and federal government employees, Fisherman, oilfield workers and other occupations though.

Ive PM'd a couple of folks about the boxes they have rounded up.
Whomever is doing this for many of us that enjoy the fast and cheaper shipping option for as long as these boxes are around and usable, [I have been re-using some as well]. You can email me your address and and quantity of the boxes. Then I can create a prepaid shipping label and send you to tpe to the outside of the bundled package. Email me your info to Brent@alaskawoods.com or alaskawoods1@gmail.com

I have mentioned this before, and it probably does not apply to Brett's special shipping issues, but we also have some similar issues being in Hawaii and the middle of the Pacific. I'm not sure how it would apply to long distance shipping on the Mainand, but might be worth checking if you are shipping large items. Online shipping is so convenient compared to standing in line at the P.O., and it is also discounted. I used to ship by Click n' Ship, which worked great, A year or so ago I changed to Pirate Ship. Easy to get labels and pay from your computer, and they discount USPS shipping rates. Lately a very strange thing has happened. Pirate now offers me UPS rates for less than USPS on large items. Case in point. Yesterday I shipped koa binding to a Calif. builder. 6#, 38" x 5" x 5": The USPS rate was $42.43, but UPS was only $20.45. A recent box of wood to Japan was nearly $100.00 less by UPS.You can print out the UPS label at home and then just drop the box off at any UPS pickup point. Insured if you want. It can take a couple of days longer to arrive, but the savings are significant. Just food for thought.-Bob

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“ The meaning of life is to find your gift and the purpose of life is to give it away” Pablo Picasso

Thank you for this! You sent me this info by some method last week, I believe I saw it in one of my middle of the night intermissions from sleep between 1am and 3 am. But later during normal awake hours, I couldn't find it again. And I didn't remember whom sent it to me. Yes we folks that are not connected to the other contiguous 48 States, and off the beaten path of regular shipping lanes, get hammered. And to make matters Worse, some merchants won't even ship to us. Huh. GRRR! Anyway, Im going to check this "Pirate Ship" out and see if it can help us help customers.