US and CONUS Shipping (1 Viewer)

[Tommy]

To fine tune the options of the upcoming marketplace upgrade, I'm looking to understand why some US sellers restrict shipping to the contiguous United States (CONUS) when using USPS flat rate. Given that USPS flat rate pricing is the same for shipments to Hawaii and Alaska, and if the buyer is covering the shipping costs for non-flat rate shipping, what are the potential reasons for these exclusions?

 

[Himewad]

I think a lot of people just assume that CONUS means the same thing as USA, and don't differentiate between the two.

 

[markleteenie]

Yeah conus vs us only from a usps perspective is the same. I always thought it was a misunderstanding by people with exacting terminology.

 

[Tight_Lay_DOWN]

Dont know how this might apply, but experience as a shipper to Hawaii and Alaska has not been easy for a seller.

the USPS flat rate pricing may be the same on paper, but in practice? Delays, lost packages, and the occasional “your item went on a scenic detour through Guam” tracking update make some sellers and buyers twitch. Throw in longer delivery times that lead to angry “Where’s my stuff??” messages at 6am, and suddenly CONUS-only shipping starts looking like self-care.

But, like I say - your mileage may vary.

 

[markleteenie]

Well just like if someone wants to ship to a military base, that’s considered US too.

 

[upNdown]

The few times I’ve restricted shipping to conus, I’ve always meant US.

 

[MrCatPants]

I used to say "CONUS" until this clicked for me and now I just say "to a US address" as it covers those with a reshipper as well.

 

[raynmanas]

The few times I’ve restricted shipping to conus, I’ve always meant US.

i am also guilty of this.

 

[JMC9389]

I used to say "CONUS" until this clicked for me and now I just say "to a US address" as it covers those with a reshipper as well.

This is what I do. I'll sell to anyone on here, but if it's international, my responsibility stops as soon as the package lands with that person's US based reshipper.

 

[Benjaminotaur]

I just shipped a non-priority package by weight to Alaska and was surprised at the cost similarity. I was under the impression those two states were in different zones on the USPS map

 

[Tommy]

I appreciate the feedback.

 

[Tonystark137]

Dont know how this might apply, but experience as a shipper to Hawaii and Alaska has not been easy for a seller.

the USPS flat rate pricing may be the same on paper, but in practice? Delays, lost packages, and the occasional “your item went on a scenic detour through Guam” tracking update make some sellers and buyers twitch. Throw in longer delivery times that lead to angry “Where’s my stuff??” messages at 6am, and suddenly CONUS-only shipping starts looking like self-care.

But, like I say - your mileage may vary.

^ this

Conus seems less risky? > All of usa

 

[TheOffalo]

I’m willing to ship international so I almost never have cause to use “CONUS”. And if I want to restrict shipping to the U.S. I’d say “U.S.-based address”.

I can’t remember the exact circumstance now, but I was pricing shipping out to AK/HI using a flat rate box once, and I noticed it had a $1 higher fee than other states. Haven’t been able to replicate this tho, so maybe I imagined it.

 

[justsomedude]

Dont know how this might apply, but experience as a shipper to Hawaii and Alaska has not been easy for a seller.

the USPS flat rate pricing may be the same on paper, but in practice? Delays, lost packages, and the occasional “your item went on a scenic detour through Guam” tracking update make some sellers and buyers twitch. Throw in longer delivery times that lead to angry “Where’s my stuff??” messages at 6am, and suddenly CONUS-only shipping starts looking like self-care.

But, like I say - your mileage may vary.

^ this

Conus seems less risky? > All of usa

I think this is the primary concern.

Chip prices have gone up significantly in recent years. And the site/hobby has grown immensely.

There used to be packages moving around valued at hundreds or low-thousand dollars. Now it is common to have packages moving around the world valued in the tens of thousands of dollars. Or more.

Sellers are likely just trying to limit their risk. Because if something goes bad, they know they have one heckuva headache on their hands.

For lower priced items I don’t see any need to restrict shipping to the contiguous states. And I can admit being at fault there… using CONUS when it wasn’t necessary. My bad.

 

[Josh Kifer]

Yeah. US is US.

 

[Benjaminotaur]

To fine tune the options of the upcoming marketplace upgrade, I'm looking to understand why some US sellers restrict shipping to the contiguous United States (CONUS) when using USPS flat rate. Given that USPS flat rate pricing is the same for shipments to Hawaii and Alaska, and if the buyer is covering the shipping costs for non-flat rate shipping, what are the potential reasons for these exclusions?

I just shipped a MFRB to Alaska, and the price is not the same flat rate as the CONUS. Granted, it was only an $0.85 difference, but that is leaving the door open to changes in the future. The definition of flat rate may become malleable

 

[CHP TD]

What is "contiguous United States" i assumed it meant Continental.

 

[TheOffalo]

What is "contiguous United States" i assumed it meant Continental.

The 48 states that you can travel through without going outside the U.S. border. People started using that instead of "continental" because technically there are 49 states on the same continent of North America. But you can't get to Alaska without crossing through Canada.