Ebay has had a deal with the USPS to purchase, print, pay postage for at least 10 years I know of. UPS did not raise my rates this year, nor did FedEx. The fuel surcharge has absolutely nothing to do with fuel cost...it is a direct tax each state a commercial vehicle over 26,000 pays for driving in each state, based on miles driven and MPG...In KY, you pay about $.65/gal in taxes at the pump....if you get 10MPG and drive 100 miles in KY, you pay KY an additional fuel surcharge of $4.50($.45/gl for 10 gallons fuel used in KY) for driving those 100 miles. Each state is different on surcharges...You have to buy expensive tracking software to be accurate and spend about 6 hour labor every quarter entering the mileage information...a company like UPS with a fleet of over 100000 vehicles has to pay 30-50 people good salaries, year round, just for THAT regulation....
People like to gripe and usually never give a thought to just how much cost a business has to absorb and cover, just to make even a small profit!....but the service is a great value in my opinion!
esshup, in my 26 years selling auto parts, my favorite customer was the cost conscious customer telling me he can get the same part at a store across town for a quarter less...Depending on the customer, I could be a bit of a smartass and say...If you want to spend $5 more dollars in fuel to save a quarter, by all means, go there and buy the part!!!
Cecil, with a business degree, what costs you more, scheduling a pick up, or taking your shipments to a facility 40 miles away? Remember, that UPS truck drives those same miles, and for FAR less than it would cost you to drive them...raise your prices to cover shipping, or don't, that is your choice, but you are never getting a "free service" just because you don't like the price.
