Originally Posted by
Mellonc
if you send from Mailboxes ETC, which is now called the UPS store, it will be expensive. if you ship it directly from a UPS office, it's generally cheaper. At my town, there is one about 13 miles away.
I generally agree with comments about fixing the bag yourself but I find that the bolts and screws supplied by Briggs were much lighter than the ones I found at Home Depot. I think they use lighter hardware and that's good.
Actually they charge the same rate for shipping, the stores are not allowed to charge more than the UPS published rate, and unless you have a business and ship a lot you can't negotiate a discounted rate.
The centers you are talking about charge the published rates as well.
The only thing the UPS store makes a lot of money on is the box and packing material. The box costs them $1.50, they charge you $9, but unless you are buying 100 of them from U-Line or someone like that, you won't get them for the $1.50 rate so you pay the $9 for a one time box. They make a little more yet on the discounted amount UPS charges them vs. the published rate.
You can drive the extra miles, you can do it online with a credit card and print it at home, you can go to the UPS store. If you box it yourself, all 3 will cost you the same unless you have a business account with negotiated rates.