Why Priority Mail? May 3
Priority Mail is the default shipping method at CrystalsAndJewelry.com unless you choose Express Mail. Some people have asked why First Class is not an option. Why? Because First Class is unworkable and ends up being very little savings.
Why is First Class mail unworkable? Because if something is over 12 ounces, the post office will not allow it to be shipped First Class, and it has to go Priority instead anyway. My shopping cart service, which does many other things that save, chokes on that with First Class mail, so it would have to be calculated manually. By the time everything is said and done, First Class mail is nearly as expensive as Priority mail anyway.
How can First Class be nearly as expensive? Well, first off, the postal service doesn’t provide free packing, so that cost would have to be added, as bubble envelopes and small first class boxes would have to be kept in stock all the time. The boxes run from $1 to $5 depending on size, and even bubble envelopes in less than quantities of 1000 run 40 cents and up to $2 or so. Then a handling charge would have to be added in order to cover the time needed to calculate the postage manually and then charge it to your credit card or get additional PayPal payment manually. The time itself can add up to anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour depending on whether we have to email multiple times, etc. and that can become a very hefty handling charge. So by the the time all of that is added, the savings would come to a maximum of $1-$2. It’s just too complex for too little savings, when most people want the speed of Priority Mail anyway.
The shipping method question basically came down to a choice between raising all prices to cover the additional expenses of First Class mail which effects everyone regardless of shipping type, or just not offer First Class in general. I chose lower prices for everyone by using Priority Mail as the primary shipping method. In the end, that saves most people more than the max $1 or $2 First Class might save, and gets things to everyone more quickly.