In this case a bit less at Walmart – when everyone else was saying the price is higher. I insurance ALL packages through ShipStation so I include insurance in my comparison.
Note the first picture in the fine print…
Bulk printing I can’t test yet…
For Amazon, I print ShipStation packing slips and Amazon’s buy shipping.
So one more thing to check out. AND gotta see if I can save the package size in Walmart so that all that detailed information loads automatically type of stuff like it does at Amazon.
I shall try looking for this tomorrow.
Walmart providing shipping is the first step to proving shipping protections, which I am hoping beyond hope will happen. Amazon may be the INR king, but at least I can sometimes be protected. On Walmart, there is nothing to talk about, they just take my money.
once you change both “acknowledge” boxes to ship, there’s more that pops up.
I noticed this morning that I never changed my “Fulfilment Center” address when I moved 3 years ago to our new home. So I gotta figure that out. I thought I updated everything. Returns are coming to the new address. Always something.
I know its an extra step, but did you try using a free online PDF file merger to merge all those labels into one bulk label? When I have had this happen to me in the past (I use Shipstation Buy Shipping now) … I used iLovePDF.com. It certainly beats printing one label at a time.
As an alternative to @danspress suggestion that requires no downloading of third-party software…
If you are running a Windows OS device, you can download them as a PNG into a single folder then open the folder press CTRL+A then Shift+F10 then P then select the Printer Microsoft Print to PDF and Click on the Button labeled Print or just press Enter.
Just a mention that iLovePDF does not require you to download any 3rd party software, you go to the website and simply click a button, highlight all your files, and press enter. It will merge all files into one PDF. I never knew the Windows trick but I’m sure either way is a good work around that should never be necessary in the first place.
Is everyone seeing higher shipping prices on Walmart than elsewhere and, if so, any idea why this might be?
I decided to check it out this morning, and was quoted $4.48 as the first-class mail price for a 4-ounce package from OR to NY, as opposed to the $4.13 rate available through Pirate Ship or Amazon.
is that with or without insurance through PirateShip?
I never buy insurance, so unless Walmart automatically adds it onto each label, their rate should be without it.
4 ounces coast-to-coast/to zone 8 is $4.13 without insurance. Walmart quoted me $4.48, so that’s a 35-cent difference. Is that what insurance costs?
It would be pretty surprising if they set their labels with paid insurance included as the default. That should be something you opt in to, not have to opt out of. I don’t have any unshipped orders now, but will check that when I get my next one.
Thanks for the tip, I hadn’t considered it might be insurance.
As I recall, Walmart didn’t break it down, they just showed a rate for FC mail of $4.48. That’s pretty close to whatever Amazon’s extra 30 cents is for, so I thought it might be the same thing?
Depending on how many packages USPS loses for you, insurance can be unnecessary. It’s just a numbers game. Does the amount you’re spending on insurance exceed what you would pay to cover any losses yourself? I think it does for most people, unless you’re selling stuff like diamond jewelry. If so, paying for insurance will be a net loss.
You can bet USPS ran their numbers - do people pay us more in insurance than we pay out for lost packages? You can be sure if they didn’t, USPS wouldn’t offer insurance.
The lower the value of your shipments, the more frequently USPS has to lose them for you to break even or come out ahead. If it costs $1 to insure a $20 package, USPS has to lose more than 1 in every 20 packages for you to not be losing money by buying insurance.
Walmart may have an insurance program like Amazon when you purchase through them and then the 35-cents would make sense. If that is the case, the insurance is handled by either Amazon or Walmart and not through USPS.
With that being said … when USPS changes from First Class Package to USPS Ground Advantage this summer, you will get $100 insurance coverage with the 4oz package just like you do when you use Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelopes. And the $4.13 price would be $4.13 with the insurance.
So only a couple of more months until we get the insurance on our 4 oz packages (will be nice during the holidays when we experience lost packages).
I have a couple Walmart orders now so can do a shipping price comparison.
There doesn’t seem to be any way to add an extras like insurance, or signature confirmation. You only have the option to enter the package dimensions and weight, then choose from a list of shipping options - nothing else.
Here’s a comparison on an order going from Oregon to Nevada.
Walmart’s price for 4 ounces by first-class mail is $4.16, compared to $3.81 on PirateShip. * PirateShip and Amazon use the same FC rates so it would also have cost $3.81 on Amazon.
That’s the same 35-cent price difference as yesterday. Priority Mail is 61 cents higher on this package.
My other order is going to Texas and again, the first-class mail price is 35 cents higher on Walmart - $4.32 compared to $3.97 on PirateShip.
Priority Mail is $9.53 on Walmart, and $9.43 on PirateShip.
When I changed the weight to 12 ounces, the first-class price was still 35 cents higher on Walmart - $5.52 vs $5.17 on PirateShip.
The takeaway seems to be that Walmart shipping charges an extra 35 cents for first-class mail shipments, regardless of weight or destination.
Priority Mail seems to be 10 cents higher in most cases. In increased the dimensions and weight on the Texas package and Walmart was always 10-cents more than PirateShip.
I think the larger price difference (61 cents) on my Nevada package was due to the recent lower PM rates announced on PirateShip for closer zones - Nevada probably falls in that region for me.
