USA CHESS VENDORS I know you read this column

Please go to USPS.COM and order some ZONE A USPS PRIORITY BOXES so you can charge your customers rates that are less than 1/2 the price you are charging, expect for a couple, and offer 2 days service. Rates are out of this world if you live a distance for UPS and FedEx for 2 day service and their regular ground service is much higher than a Zone A USPS PRIORITY Box. It also comes with free insurance as does FedEx and UPS to be fair but you must order the boxes yourself as they are NOT and never were available from your local post office. They are just for businesses.How do I Know? I shipped out more poker and blackjack books and playing cards than most chess vendors with chess books except for the ones that have and do handle the USCF contract.

I consider myself an expert when it comes to shipping any product to a customer in the fastest and cheapeast way and packing it with great care which is another topic in itself as some do not care how they ship books out. 

The above is a WIn WIn situation

Any chess vendor can message me and I would be more than glad to help them out on decreasing shipping costs and increasing customer satisfaction. 

Although i find it perplexing why a $15 item with free shipping would sell less than the same item priced at $12 with $5 shipping, both shipping the same way. I have experimented for a long time and I can tell you people look at the price without shipping and make the comparison.  Very strange as the total price is always what I look at. 

you must order the boxes yourself as they are NOT and never were available from your local post office. They are just for businesses.

Mike, those boxes look just like the ones avaliable in our local office on display in the outer office(customer side) it is about $5 and change to send the small box (too small for a chess set but ideal for a few pieces) and about $20 for the medium size (which is plenty big enough for most sets). Is there some difference between these boxes and the ones to which you refer?

Alan, a Zone A box is absolutely free from USPS.Com and are for businesses yes. It is almost the same size, just a pinch under as a USPS Medium Flat Rate box. Zone A is legal for up to 15 pounds and Medium Flat Rate up to 75 pounds.  I owuld have no problem putting most chess books, maybe up to 5 in that box, including a couple thick ones and about any plastic chess set.

Yes will not hold a quality wood set if each is wrapped up in foam as a place like CB does. It has its place and the fact maybe aonly one chess evndor uses it shows how little is know about shipping. It's been avalable for a couple years now, I use many of them. It is a USPS PRODUCT not a 3rd Vendor product as you see for same in the post office. 

LIke I said Medium flat rate is a little bigger not much and a little thicker and the USPS allows 75 pounds vs. 15 pounds for the Zone boxes.

They also make a Zone B which is about the same size as the Large Flat Rate and a Zone C which is larger. I persnally for what I ship do not get a bargain from the Zone B and surly not from the Zone C but I do from the Zone A the way they have them priced.

Many people will also not want to print on line but rather go to the post office so that immediately excludes the Zone boxes as they have to be printed on line. It is the fact you are also saving time and doing it yourself that helps in the cost. 

YOu can orer them by having a sign on as you and your spouse have businesses you would have no problem. When you print on line you save postage BTW for all USPS PRIORITY packages.