Paul's Comments

The Post Office has one big problem; anything in a usable size is even more expensive. Anything that's inexpensive is in an inconvenient size.

For the prices listed in this column I used the Post Office's website and presumed an item being mailed the longest possible distance I could think of, Miami to Anchorage. Maybe Miami to Honolulu or Portland, Maine to Honolulu might be more but I doubt it would make much difference.

Actually, it doesn't; I just looked it up. There are 8 zones in the United States, local being a Zone 1 charge all the way up to Zone 8, the maximum rate. Sending something from Alaska to Maine, Miami or Montpelier (Vermont) is Zone 8. But Anchorage to Honolulu is also a Zone 8 mailing. This only applies to packages; First-Class mail (anything under 4 ounces) is the same between any two points in the U.S. Anything above 4 ounces up to 70 pounds is no longer "First Class," it's "Priority Mail" unless it's time sensitive, then you use Express Mail (or Expensive Mail, take your pick). Merchandise can be sent (slowly) using Parcel Post for packages, but sometimes that's more expensive than Priority Mail. For really heavy packages, if they're manuscripts, disc or tape recordings or similar items they can be sent as Media Mail which is a lot less expensive, but the disadvantage is you give the Postal Service permission to inspect it if they want; it's presumed not to be "sealed" even if the package is sealed.

If I had a book that was 6,800 pages - and the way I write I probably could do one if I took 15 years and worked every day - it would weigh 68 pounds. A Zone 8 mailing would cost $114 by Priority Mail, $67 by Parcel Post, and $29 by Media Mail. But the real issue is mailing ordinary items or even documents; if I can fit them into the Post Office's standard packaging, i.e. what the Postal Service has decided is standard, it's much cheaper.

If I want to mail a single-page letter, if I'm willing to fold it into a #10 envelope - the standard fold into three parts - it's 44c and actually I can send up to 6 pages at the same one ounce price. But send that same single-page letter in a 9x12" Manilla envelope and it's 88c.

Priority mail has flat-rate packages for larger items like big documents, but any boxes that are inexpensive are the wrong size, any that will fit unfolded pages cost a lot.

If I want to send documents either I fold them (for small documents), or I have to use my own packaging. None of the "inexpensive" flat-rate boxes will support 8 1/2x11" pages directly except the flat-rate envelope. But if the document is larger than what will fit in a typical "pak" style cardboard carrier like USPS, UPS or FedEx, none of the lower-cost flat-rate boxes will allow unfolded pages. Even some of the larger packaging still won't work for full-size pages. In many cases the flat-rate packaging is more expensive than regular packaging.

The "small" flat rate package 8-5/8" x 5-3/8" x 1-5/8" basically requires if you're sending a business document to fold it in half. Otherwise you're looking at double or triple that price. The small flat-rate box ships for around $5. Medium flat rate (13-5/8" x 11-7/8" x 3-3/8" or 11" x 8-1/2" x 5-1/2") or Regional box A (13-1/16" x 11-1/16" x 2-1/2" or 10-1/8" x 7-1/8" x 5" ) is near or just above $10. But if you need to ship unfolded 8 1/2 x 14" documents, either you have to use Regional box B (16-1/4" x 14-1/2" x 3" or 12-1/4" x 10-1/2" x 5-1/2") at about $14.75, or any size box as Priority Mail at whatever the weight for that size costs. But it's really only going to work for smaller items. The largest flat-rate box is just shy of 1/2 cubic foot (12" x 12" x 5-1/2"), if it's off in one of these directions you can't get flat-rate.

So I can ship a box of floor tiles, it contains 45 tiles and is 5.3 inches by 12x12, and weighs 45 pounds, in a flat rate box, costing roughly $15 for any two points in the country. But a 10 pound package of 8 1/2 x 14 paper (about 1000 pages, or two reams) will cost $31 to ship. Unless it is a manuscript, then it can be sent Media Mail for $5.89. Parcel post will cost about $9.50.

Going back to my 6,000 page tome, as a comparison, anything I can fit into a 1 square foot by 5 1/2 inch container ships anywhere for $14.95 or less as long as it doesn't weigh more than 70 pounds.