rehmwa 2 #1 May 19, 2009 $9 to ship a manual from USPA? Seriously, and this is the cheapest (FedEx normal), not expedited or anything - the expedited shipping was over $20 in some cases, for a binder of paper you have got to be KIDDING me absolutely about the worst scam I've ever seen ... Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rehmwa 2 #2 May 19, 2009 You're right, seems they could use the USPS or anything else for that matter. If this is an example of money management by our organization, then I'd recommend we look at other financial decisions by the board too. ... Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rehmwa 2 #3 May 19, 2009 Hey - why don't you two guys lay off the USPA. They have a lot to do and this isn't out of our dues, it's just out of the pockets of the members directly. ... Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NWFlyer 2 #4 May 19, 2009 The voices in your head seem to be carrying on quite the conversation. I recently looked into getting an IRM and was also surprised at the high cost to get a manual sent out and since I don't have any great urgency I was going to look into other avenues first (see if any of the local DZs happen to have copies for sale) before I shell out an extra $9. "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
likestojump 3 #5 May 19, 2009 well bud, http://www.fedex.com/ratefinder/home?cc=US&language=en run a quote for FedEx ground and find out it costs ( from 22407 to 90210 using delivery to residence) .... and it costs $7.70 USD Granted USPS First Class mail would have been cheaper, but that's not the service they are offering... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MakeItHappen 15 #6 May 20, 2009 I always asked them to ship it via USPS to my PO Box. They did that and it cost the $3-4 rate and got to me in a week or so. YMMV .. Make It Happen Parachute History DiveMaker Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
peek 21 #7 May 20, 2009 Quote$9 to ship a manual from USPA? Seriously, and this is the cheapest (FedEx normal), not expedited or anything - the expedited shipping was over $20 in some cases, for a binder of paper. you have got to be KIDDING me. absolutely about the worst scam I've ever seen I feel your pain, but as the owner of a company that ships products of similar size and weight... Trying to figure out what to charge people for shipping products is a never ending and time consuming mess. If a company offers on-line ordering they don't have much choice except to average out the shipment costs to a wide variety of locations, and then set the price so they don't lose money. If you live on the west coast it's probably a deal, for those in the east, it sucks. Some companies jack up the price of their products and then offer free ground shipping. (That always give me a warm and fuzzy feeling.) If you want shipment by air (expedited), then bend over. Way over. (Not a warm and fuzzy feeling.) To make this issue a bit more palatable, you might go to to FedEx and UPS web sites and use their features that allow to you estimate shipping costs. USPA headquarters could perhaps be doing it a bit better, but probably not a lot better. My guess is that USPA normally uses FedEx Ground because it gives a decent overall shipping speed for the cost. My other guess is that most of the USPA documents ordered should have been ordered long before they were, and this method of shipments helps the more tardy skydivers. (Present company excepted of course.) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
davelepka 4 #8 May 20, 2009 QuoteIf a company offers on-line ordering they don't have much choice except to average out the shipment costs to a wide variety of locations, and then set the price so they don't lose money. That sounds like bullshit. How come I can go on e-bay and find an auction that will calculate my shipping cost for the item based on my location? In that instance, I would certainly be paying less than a buyer who lives further from the origin of the shipment. Calculating different costs for shipping isn't hard to do. I also run a business where I ship all sorts of things to various parts of the country. I go out of my way to find the least expensive way to get my products to my customers. The USPA cannot do the same for it's members? The same members whose yearly dues provide 100% of the funding for the organization? Like I said before, that's bullshit. The technology is readily available to provide that service to the membership. Any member in good standing with the USPA should be charged actual shipping costs to their zip code, plus actual costs of packing materials. Paying your dues should at least get you that level of consideration. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thedude325 0 #9 May 20, 2009 i thought the manuals were free to download on the website? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DSE 5 #10 May 20, 2009 The IRM is not free to download, and required for instructors. The USPA would do much better to encrypt/protect the IRM, sell it as a download, and we'd all be better off. For the most part, the USPA currently isn't embracing the electronic tools available. Hopefully they'll catch up one day. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
peek 21 #11 May 20, 2009 QuoteI also run a business where I ship all sorts of things to various parts of the country. I go out of my way to find the least expensive way to get my products to my customers. By all means contact USPA headquarters and tell them how to do it. Or contact one of your BOD members and let them pass on the info. Mine is only one opinion from one business owner. (not an EBay business.) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
peek 21 #12 May 20, 2009 Here is the results of some research I have done. Although I do not have a digital scale, the 2009-2010 IRM weighs incredibly close to 2 pounds. (This might be the first of one of the reasons people do not understand why shipping is so much.) Any type of packaging is going to take the weight to over 2 pounds, which as we know, is 3 pounds to UPS and FedEx. The envelopes used to send me things from USPA HQ lately have been the envelopes padded with the stuff that looks like lint or fluffed up ground paper. This definitely takes it to over 2 pounds. The IRM will NOT fit in a USPS Priority Mail Flate Rate Envelope, so Priority Mail (assuming 2 pounds 2 ounces) with Delivery Confirmation would be $8.85. UPS (with delivery confirmation included) would be $8.71 to a Commercial address and $10.81 to a Residential address (which I think USPA would need to assume). Shipping from zip code 63301 (St. Louis area) to 22407 (Fredericksburg). If anyone's research comes up with something better, by all means tell USPA HQ about it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MarkBolton 0 #13 May 20, 2009 By far the best postal service option for this type of material is Media Mail. There are a lot of online options for printing labels and postage that will keep you from physically having to go to the post office. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 20 #14 May 20, 2009 Don't forget the cost of the packaging in that cost either.Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pirana 0 #15 May 20, 2009 And handling. Lots of handling." . . . the lust for power can be just as completely satisfied by suggesting people into loving their servitude as by flogging them and kicking them into obedience." -- Aldous Huxley Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
indyz 1 #16 May 20, 2009 QuoteBy far the best postal service option for this type of material is Media Mail. There are a lot of online options for printing labels and postage that will keep you from physically having to go to the post office. Media mail is cheap, but it is also by far the slowest way to send something via USPS (they used to call it "4th class special"). When I was in college I worked for a company that shipped a lot of books. We offered every shipping option imaginable, but we eventually had to drop media mail. Very few people used it even though it was half the cost. From those that did use it there was a huge number of complaints about delivery time, despite us quoting up to 14 days! Anyway, shipping is a fairly high-overhead operation if you don't do a lot of it. $9 for FedEx doesn't seem out of line. USPA might be able to get the shipping costs down by offering USPS, but there is no guarantee that with the added overhead of offering more options it won't end up being a wash. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rehmwa 2 #17 May 20, 2009 Meh - I think the OP is nuts. Suck it up Cupcake ... Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skyjumpenfool 2 #18 May 21, 2009 Hey Bill, There's a manual in my locker at the DZ. Just put it back when your done... Birdshit & Fools Productions "Son, only two things fall from the sky." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rehmwa 2 #19 May 21, 2009 Quote Hey Bill, There's a manual in my locker at the DZ. Just put it back when your done... nonsense, I was ordering those welding goggle sunglasses. I think they'd make me look like a retired-hat wearing-slow driver. SWEEET The short of it, the costing policies of USPA drive me nuts. I HAVE to pay for a magazine I don't want (actually two in my household we don't want) without the option to delete the thing for a reduction in membership fee. Not offering USPS on these minor manual ships? nuts. The new Coach and PRO ratings (new since I started) are just random adders that don't add value IMO. and more. HOw long did it take for them to get the reserve cycle lengthened? They are running the org for the sake of the org, not the members. Good ideas on this thread about the IRM though in terms of electronic versions. There are a lot of things USPA could do on the internet. It was one reason I liked having Jan on the board, she pitched stuff like that all the time. ... Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
