Don’t Get Boxed In--A Guide to Holiday Mailing

It’s time to think about getting and giving--and wrapping and packing and sending; in other words, how to send that bathrobe to Aunt Louise in Minneapolis and the stuffed dinosaur to young Tommy in Pittsburgh. The earlier you send them, the cheaper it will be. But with the overnight airmail options, it’s possible to wait until almost the last minute--for a price.

This year, too, you will find a proliferation of packaging services listed in the Yellow Pages that will do the whole job for you. You bring the items in and they will gift-wrap them, if you wish, package them for mailing and send them off using the U.S. Postal Service or any other postal carrier you designate. Most do both domestic and international mailing.

The majority also offer an a la carte service--they will sell you the box and filler you need, then you can pack the items and mail them yourself. Or you can buy boxes, tape, and labels at the Post Office or UPS or Federal Express offices. You should shop around, though. Most companies charge only a flat rate per parcel for wrapping and packing; some add a small handling fee for mailing the package for you.

But prices vary from company to company, and the more important variable is the size and weight of the parcel you want sent. And how difficult it will be for them to pack. Blue jeans and a shirt, for instance, would cost far less to pack and ship than an antique marble clock.

A package of lightweight toys in a 12x12-inch box, packed and mailed to New York by parcel post, for example, would cost $9.95 from Pak Mail in Hollywood, one of 25 Pak Mail franchises in Southern California.

For $7.50 to $10, Wrapit Packit Shipit Co. of Huntington Beach will pack and wrap a tabletop typewriter, and charge you whatever the mailing fee is plus a $2 handling charge.

The recently opened Handle With Care Packaging Store on San Fernando Road in Los Angeles, one of a nationwide network of more than 200 stores in 33 states, will specially pack a computer for about $25, plus shipping charges.

How to Pack Your Own

“Except for your mother-in-law, we’ll pack anything,” said Handle With Care’s Emery Minger. “We also give people hints on how to pack their own things, if that’s all they need.”

If Handle With Care doesn’t have a box to fit the gift you want to send, according to Minger, they will make it, as will Wrapit Packit Shipit, which has been in business for 12 years.

But, if you’re a Christmas traditionalist and want to personally mail your presents, or want to save the extra money you would pay a packaging service, the best bet is to mail your gifts as soon as possible.

Last year, from the day after Thanksgiving to Christmas, the Postal Service processed over 12 billion pieces of mail, including letters and parcels. “The projection (for) this year over 1987 is about a 3 to 4% increase,” said David Mazer, communications manager for the Postal Service in Los Angeles.

However, “there are no deadlines as such anymore for domestic mailing at Christmas,” Mazer said. Although it’s still the Post Office’s busiest time and it still advises people to mail their packages as early as possible, “It’s not like the old days,” Mazer said. “We’re so automated now that Christmas is not nearly the struggle it was 30 years ago.”

Most Economical Way

The most economical way to send holiday packages may be through United Parcel Service’s ground service shipping.

Shipping a 5-pound package UPS from Los Angeles to Boston, for example, would cost $3.54--and could take five days to get there--if you take the package to a UPS office for mailing. If UPS picks it up at your home, it’ll cost you an additional $3.75, for a total of $7.29.

The U.S. Postal Service, however, would charge $6.25 to ship that same package to the Massachusetts city, and you will have to take the parcel to the Post Office for mailing. It could take up to eight days to reach its destination.

A better deal from the Postal Service in this case is its priority mail, which gets to its destination within three days. The 5-pound package can be shipped priority mail to Boston for 12 cents more than the parcel post charge.

“Where fourth class (parcel post) becomes the bargain is when you get to the big packages,” explained Mazer. “You can send 50 pounds to Boston for $22.98 with parcel post. If you sent it first class (priority mail) it would cost $52.06.

For shipping packages to closer destinations, Greyhound Trailways Bus Lines Package Express offers a Next Bus Out service that would get your 2-5 pound parcel from Los Angeles to San Diego in about 2 1/2 hours for $9. And that service gives you a guaranteed arrival time when you bring in the package to a Greyhound office.

Delivery Charge

With Greyhound, you pay an up-front $5.50 delivery charge--or the recipient of the package can pick it up in San Diego and avoid that additional fee. Greyhound will send the same package to San Diego on a “regular” service basis for $4.50, but there is no arrival-time guarantee.

The bulk of mail moving across the country--via the Postal Service, UPS, Federal Express, Emery Worldwide, DHL Worldwide Express, etc.--will be sent in the next two to three weeks, according to service representatives.

But if you wait until Dec. 22, 23 or 24th, you can still get a package to its destination by Christmas Day if it’s going to a major city. If you’re sending it to a small town in Iowa, mail earlier. And you won’t find last-minute presents cheap to send.

The U.S. Postal Service will deliver only express mail on Dec. 25, and would be the least expensive way to send a late present. Its rate for a five-pound package to Boston from Los Angeles is $15.25, $1.25 less than UPS Next Day Air service and $16 less than Federal Express’ Overnight service.

And UPS has no Saturday or Sunday delivery, so you would have to mail your package by Dec. 22 to insure delivery by Christmas. Federal Express has no service on Sunday, but will deliver on Saturday for an additional $10.

To mail packages internationally, you will have to use the Postal Service’s airmail options since the deadline for sending international surface mail is long past.

It’s too late to use Postal Service priority air mail to send a parcel by air to Southeast Asia, Australia, the Middle East or Africa, but you still have some time for other countries. (The last dates for presents to be sent priority air mail to Europe and the Far East in time for Christmas is Dec. 2; for Central and South America, Dec. 5; the Caribbean and West Indies, Dec. 9.)

But the Postal Service has international express mail service to 69 countries. To use it, check the current rates to the country to which you wish to ship, and projected time to its destination.

To give you an idea: a two-pound package sent from Los Angeles to Hong Kong by express mail would cost $26.70 and should arrive in two to three days.

Using UPS International Air service, you can send packages to 40 countries; Federal Express delivers to 110. The UPS rate for a two-pound package to Hong Kong would be $37; Federal Express, $42.50. Both would take two to three days, and both carriers advise mailing no later than Dec. 19.

When mailing packages internationally, check first with the Postal Service or other carrier about weight limits. For most countries, the maximum mailing weight is 44 pounds. It’s also a good idea to find out ahead of time if the contents of the package you want to send would be acceptable in the designated country.

Fill Out Custom Forms

You must fill out customs forms when sending packages overseas, and it’s a good idea to insure parcels for what they’re worth.

And heed these tips for mailing all packages: Be sure to place the gift or gifts in a sturdy box and pack securely. Include a slip of paper inside with yours and the recipient’s name and address in case the box is damaged in transit, making the outside names and addresses unreadable. Seal with heavy-duty tape, not Scotch or masking tape because they can tear in the automatic processing machines.

Do not wrap the package in paper or tie it with twine. Both will jam the processing machines. Address the outside of the box legibly on one side only, with your name and address in the upper left hand corner. Be sure to use the proper ZIP code. If you are sending a parcel to an apartment or condo complex, include the number of the unit.

SENDING A 5 POUND PACKAGE TO BOSTON

Maximum Carrier Cost Days U.S. POSTAL SERVICE: Only Express Mail delivered on Christmas Day. No pickup service. Parcel Post $6.25 8 Priority Mail $6.37 3 Express Mail $15.25 1 UNITED PARCEL SERVICE: No weekend delivery, including Christmas Day. Add $3.75 for home pickup. Ground Service $3.54 5 Second Day Air $6.50 2 Next Day Air $16.50 1 FEDERAL EXPRESS: No Sunday service, including Christmas Day. Add $10 for Saturday delivery. Add $3 for home pickup. Standard Air Service $12.50 2 Overnight $28.25 1