[rconti]

I didn't even really know they existed. I mean, we have a package sitting in the closet with Shyp tape on it, and I guess I was vaguely aware that the person who sent it had a service package it up, but that's about all I knew. I never bothered to investigate, I never heard about them from friends or folks on the internet, but I would have LOVED to have used their service. Shipping things is one of my least favorite activities ever. It's such a hassle for so many reasons; even though I live 2 blocks from a post office it still takes 30 minutes every time I ship anything due to lines, the fact that I forgot the one thing they don't have (tape or pens or something), it's impossible to figure out which shipping vendor will be best for an unboxed item of a given size (and trying to figure out what size box to use under which vendor for which price).

[corvallis]

I go through periods of frequent shipping, and I find it pretty easy. I bought a small scale and the USPS website is pretty solid for giving price comparisons and allowing you to buy/print postage and drop it in the mail. You can order flat rate boxes and they send them to you. I've almost always found UPS/Fedex to be more expensive so I simply stopped comparing. If it's local, I'll use a courier. I'd rather just work with what I know even if it means rarely overspending a few bucks. Saves a lot of time, money, and hassle in the long run. I guess I don't understand how others seem to overcomplicate or overthink this to the point that something like Shyp existed for as long as it did.

[cepth]

Worth noting that UPS/FedEx/USPS each has its own shipping niches.

YMMV, but I've generally found that FedEx for home delivery of larger packages is cheaper than UPS and USPS, who each charge a surcharge for residential delivery vs commercial delivery. If you need to ship things overnight, FedEx's air/express prices are a competitive advantage.

USPS is very price-competitive if you are able to use their standard sized packaging, their "flat rate boxes".

For shipping larger items via ground, UPS still generally has that niche. Worth noting that if you do large volumes of smaller items, say the size of a book, UPS Surepost combines UPS's speed with USPS last-mile delivery.