Safe Ship has completed negotiations with Estafeta on a new program for final mile delivery shipping into Mexico. This program allows you "Safe Shipping" into all areas of Mexico. This program is 100% safe. Unlike the USPS, where shipments get stolen in customs during the clearing process  Or when the receiver refuses to pay customs and duty charges upon delivery. Estafeta pays all duty charges and hand carries your shipment through customs and then, all the way to the receiver. After your item has cleared customs, it is then put into the Estafeta logistics service for delivery. Average delivery time is 5 to 7 days from Laredo, Texas, to the receiver. You will need to add on the average delivery time from your store to Laredo to get an overall idea of the amount of time needed for the delivery. The shipping process is simple. From your PostalMate or ShipRite program you will process your shipment to be sent by way of FedEx ground to Estafeta's warehouse in Laredo, Texas. (For those of you located in Texas, Lone Star will be less expensive for you) You will also have your customer fill out the manual airbill shipping form and commercial invoice that is needed for Estafeta to complete the delivery in Mexico. Estafeta is a consolidator. As a consolidator, your shipment is not considered as an export from the United States into Mexico. It is considered as an intra-country delivery from Estafeta's US office. This means there are no customs or duty charges for the shipper or the consignee to pay. Any and all fees charged by the Mexican government will be paid by Estafeta. Unlike DHL, UPS, FedEx or USPS , there are no items that are prohibited to be sent into Mexico. No licenses, ID Numbers or permits are required for bringing in any items into Mexico. Shipping into Mexico using Estafeta is 100% safe. The price added onto items by the country of Mexico for customs and duty average between 50% to 250% of the appraised value of the items. That means if you send something and listed it out on the commercial invoice as a $50 value, then the receiver will pay an additional $25 customs and duty. That is if the item is sent by DHL, UPS, FedEx or USPS. Estafeta pays a standard fee to the Mexican government for customs and duty for each item. No surprises, no additional charges. In some cases, customs will open the package and appraise the value. So even though you put $50 of value on the commercial invoice, they may appraise it at $100 or more. Then the receiver will pay an additional $50 or more in customs and duty. That is if the shipment is sent by DHL, UPS, FedEx or USPS. Since this is an intra-company transfer for Estafeta, they pay a flat fee. That saves the receiver from paying any additional amount of money. When a receiver is unable to pay customs and duty, the Mexican government seizes the shipment, and it is never seen again. They do not return the shipment back to the United States sender. The savings to the receiver will be between $2n5-$100 per box. In many cases shipments going to Mexico by USPS are sent that way because the people who are receiving the items do not have enough money to pay for a safer mode of shipping. Also in the past, our government and the Mexican government have been lax at charging customs and duty for post office shipments. That luxury no longer exists. International shipping and the customs and duty generated by international shipping has become a profit center for most countries.

How to Set a Retail Price Using Estafeta

When we the set the retail price for a shipment using Estafeta, we will use the retail price for USPS to Mexico as a guideline in our pricing. If the post office price is $55, we will give the USPS price is $55. We will then advise the customer that we can insure the package for up to $300, get a tracking, a delivery confirmation when the item is delivered, a copy of the signature of the receiver, and a guarantee that the package will be delivered. This additional service is an extra $15 or $20 over the price of the USPS. Our goal is to make a minimum of $25 per package we ship. On the 15 to 50 pound weight packages, we try to make as much as 100% of our standard cost. Application Estafeta       Application To Become an Estafeta Agent Safe-Shipping-to-Mexico1     Estafeta Shipping Program Estafeta Commercial Invoice        Commercial Invoice Needed for Each Shipment Your Estafeta Pricing   Your Cost per pound, Ground Shipping As always, if you have any questions at all on this, give us a call immediately. We can walk you through the entire process is very simple.

UPS and FedEx have announced price increases for packages with dimensional weight issues. This increase took place January first 2015. Please note the following article that was published by Parcel Forum in their recent newsletter. Please note it is important to remember that so far the USPS has not confirmed that they will be going to a dimensional weight procedure. This will make shipping by way of USPS, along with your new discounts on parcels, more profitable.

FedEx UPS Dimensional Weight Shipping Changes

Announcing the upcoming UPS and FedEx Dimensional Weight Ground Penalty –Beginning 12/29/2014 -  Are You Prepared? By Thomas Andersen

On June 17, 2014, UPS announced that it will apply dimensional weight to all packages moving by its ground service, rather than just those with dimensional weight greater than 3 cubic feet (L x H x W > 5,184 cubic inches). This change will be effective December 29, 2014. This announcement comes nearly seven weeks after FedEx announced the same change, effective January 1st 2015. As a result, a higher billable weight will apply to all Ground packages where the dimensional weight exceeds the actual weight. *This practice is already in effect for FedEx Express and UPS Air services.Experts claim that 33% of all Ground shipments will be impacted by this change. This would be accurate if the change were to happen right away. However, since shippers still have a couple of months to make the necessary changes, either contractually (renegotiating their carrier agreement) or operationally, the 33% will be significantly reduced. UPS and FedEx will still expect to experience a very healthy increase in profitability from many of its ground clients, however.This increase may be viewed by many as being either shrewd or egregious, depending on how it affects them. The bottom line is that the change is going to negatively impact many shippers. BUT, it also makes perfect business sense for UPS and FedEx and the change was inevitable. In every other mode of transportation, pricing is based on the combination of volume and weight.The Carriers typically run out of space in their trucks and planes long before they exceed weight limits.Yet with the 3 cubic foot threshold, there is little incentive for packaging optimization up to 5,184 cubic inches. In addition to not benefitting the Carrier, it doesn’t benefit the Shipper, other than minimizing box sizes and simplifying the pick and pack process. Arguments can be made that additional space for dunnage is a necessity to minimize damages, and in some cases that’s true, but in the majority of cases (with most shippers) we find that there is wasted space. There is no one to really blame for this, because there hasn’t been much incentive to operate more efficiently.Carrying additional box sizes or cut-down boxes (and labor costs associated with making them the correct size) certainly come at a cost, but opportunities to offset those costs for most shippers exist.In fact, if shippers believe that they haven’t directly or indirectly been penalized by dimensional weight pricing for less than 3 cubic foot ground shipments historically, they are likely mistaken.Carrier Pricing Departments pay close attention to package dimensions versus actual weight. They measure their profitability based on several factors… density is one of the primary drivers and impacts the discounts and other incentives that are approved.This change will be impactful to most shippers (especially initially), since it will require some type of action by nearly everyone that wishes to avoid an additional financial burden, and the action is required to be completed in the next six months.It will continue to be impactful to many shippers in the long-term, as well. Some shippers are limited by the operational changes that can be made and will need to resort to negotiating the necessary terms with the Carrier. For those that have the flexibility, this change in business practice may encourage shippers to evaluate options and utilize packaging that’s more appropriate based on the commodities that are shipped.With space often being UPS and FedEx’s bottleneck, these changes should help improve the revenue per cubic inch, resulting in opportunities to pass savings along to the Shipper (the Carriers ultimately operate on overall margin), especially in the long-term. Those with more favorable freight then become a desirable target for UPS and FedEx, which ultimately benefit the Shipper.What’s also interesting about this was the timing of these announcements. FedEx historically begins the initial round of announcements related to rate increases in September each year with UPS following a few weeks later. These dimensional weight increases were announced four months earlier than usual. UPS and FedEx understand that their clients need time to make the necessary changes, either operationally or contractually, or both. They expect their clients to demand changes to their contracts, which address these issues. UPS and FedEx will need resources and time to address the contractual implications, whether through customized cubic inch thresholds, dimensional weight divisors, or other solutions. Their people will be busy.So how can this benefit you? If you have built your business exclusively around shipping lampshades and light bulbs, you may only be able to protect what you already have. If you have more desirable freight however, this could be a great opportunity to evaluate packaging processes and identify potential changes. Start by gaining visibility to your data and then determine what changes can be made internally. You can then approach the Carriers to manage effective negotiations based on the remaining gaps. Now that others are taking significant increases, those that are aware of the options are positioned to negotiate more effectively than in the past.* Dimensional Weight is calculated by multiplying the length by width by height of each package (in inches) dividing by 166 (for domestic shipments) or 139 (for shipments to Canada)… unless a customized dimensional weight factor has been negotiated, in which case that factor should be used.Example: a 2 lb. package with dimensions of 10”L x 10”W x 10”H will be billed at 7 lbs. as of January 1, 2015 (10 x 10 x 10 = 1000 ÷ 166 = 6.024 rounded up to 7 lbs. In today’s environment, it is billed as a 2 lb. package. Since January 1st, you have been charged for 7 pounds. Some Ideas on How to Protect Yourself As a FedEx Authorized Ship Center or UPS Approved Shipper you are under a contract that does not provide you the option to renegotiate your rates. Many of our Safe Ship(R) Franchisees, already have relationships with your local regional carrier. People like Speedee, Lone Star and others. These companies do not charge for dimensional weight issues. Safe Ship is working with other regional carriers to set up relationships to add their services later on this year. Safe Ship also has a relationship with Greyhound bus. Greyhound will be adding pickup and delivery services to their package GPX system in the next couple of months. Their rates for small packages under 15 pounds, is not competitive. However on items that are dimensionally weight rated at 50 or more pounds, they are a very good alternative to UPS or FedEx.

Safe Ship has a relationship with Greyhound bus. Safe Ship Franchisees receive a 30% discount from the Greyhound GPX list price. No other pack'n ship store receives a discount for Greyhound. Only Safe Ship. Greyhound GPX has added pickup and delivery services to their package GPX system. Their rates for small packages under 15 pounds, are not competitive. However, on items that are dimensionally weight rated at 25 or more pounds, they are a very good alternative to UPS or FedEx. If you currently do not have a relationship and an account with Greyhound, here is the information to set up your new account online. Complete online credit application for your Greyhound GPX  account. Click on the link below and complete the online credit application.  You will receive a response within 48 hours of submission with your account number.  http://www.shipgreyhound.com/e/Pages/ApplyForCredit.aspx Greyhound WebSites:   Add these links to your favorites on your web browser: Greyhound GPX Locations link will help you find the closest terminal to your consignee. Put in the ZIP Code of the receiver and it will give you a list of the Greyhound GPX locations near your consignee. http://www.shipgreyhound.com/e/pages/FindLocation.aspx The Greyhound terminal will assign a Greyhound GPX tracking number to the shipment at the time of processing at the terminal. You can use that tracking number  to track your GPX Shipment. Their tracking system is as good as the UPS or FedEx tracking system.             http://www.shipgreyhound.com/e/SitePages/TrackAPackage.as px If you are not currently using ShipRite, you will need this link to get quotes from the ShipGreyhound.com website. The pricing you get will be the current Greyhound GPX retail pricing. You will receive a 30% discount from that price. Get a GPX Quote          http://www.shipgreyhound.com/e/SitePages/gpxStep1.aspx To review door to door service charges, insurance charges and other service policies, please click on this service guide for Greyhound GPX shipments.  Please note that this is pricing for the average retail customer. Your Safe Ship pricing will be less than the normal retail amounts.        GPX Service Guide 2014 (1)

How to ship with Greyhound GPX

Here is an example of how to use Greyhound GPX for shipments of large items. These are our actual costs on shipping this item for our Ormond Beach store to Stockton California. We had a customer come in to ship a quarter panel for a car. We were shipping this from Florida to Stockton California. The item was 66” x 36” x 12” thick. UPS retail would be over $300. FedEx retail about $290. Our FedEx ground cost was right around $165. Your Greyhound GPX cost shipping from your local Greyhound terminal and being picked up at the consignee’s local Greyhound terminal would be $43 and some change. Or you could have the item picked up at your location for an additional $15. Delivery for your item up to 15 the miles away from the Greyhound terminal is $15. Between 15 and 30 miles for the delivery will cost you $30. Over 30 miles on the delivery is a $1.50 per mile. For those of you that use the ShipRite program, you have the pricing and you’re program as the last item as you scroll down through the different shipping companies. When you do a right-click on the pricing you will note that you get a 30% discount off of the Greyhound GPX retail price. No other packing and shipping store in the United States receives a discount from Greyhound GPX accept Safe Ship. For those of you that do not use ShipRite, you will want to go to the terminal with your 1^st shipment to make sure it is done properly at the terminal. He will also be giving a tracking number when you ship your item. Their tracking system is pretty accurate. So when you look at your cost you can charge a $100 for profit on this single shipment and $20 to pack it. Your retail price on this would be near your cost through FedEx or UPS. On something like this, we sandwich it between 2 pieces of cardboard or put on 2 or 3 layers of bubble wrap and shrink wrap it tight. This is something you can call us on for the individual items and we will walk you through the packing of it for Greyhound GPX. The average shipment across country from Florida to California, will take anywhere from 5 to 8 days, depending on the time of the year. The nice thing is that the buses are moving almost 24 hours a day 7 days a week. The bad thing is that luggage and priority items such as blood or medical shipments have priority over standard package freight. Overall though the system is acceptable and the timing is acceptable for the delivery.

Coming January 2015

http://www.hawaiianexpressinc.com logo Now you can ship freight, vehicles, furniture, and any other large item to and from Hawaii, Alaska and Guam. Hawaiian Express, Inc. can handle the entire shipment door to door or just handle the Inbound or outbound freight from LAX to the arrival port. They specialize in items too large for UPS, FedEx, DHL and USPS. Their website is www.hawaiianexpressinc.com Your contact is Candy Calloway. Her email address is Candy Calloway (ccalloway@hawaiianexpressinc.com) You can also get more information www.hawaiianexpressinc.com.

Coming January 2015

Coming January 2015

Poster with books Link_https://vimeo.com/penntext/retailbuyback

Coming January 2015

Coming January 2015

We Have YOU Under Our Wing. Why Look at Aflac for Your Employees? Want to offer benefits to your employees, but can't afford them? Aflac helps hundreds of thousands of employers offer affordable employee benefits at no direct cost to your business. Aflac is insurance for daily living which assists employees in paying their bills when they are hurt or sick. I would like to show you how you can offer these benefits at no cost to your business. Jack Pausman, IEBA (Cell) 214-680-1906 (Email) jpausman@jifgroup.com Rebecca Jones, Agent (Cell)804-840-1467 rebecca@sunflowerswirl.com