Lower 48 or CONUS Only

[miguet]

USPS priority is the same cost to all 50 states and Guam but some sellers don't want to sell outside the continental U.S. Too far? Fear of aircraft disappearing?

 

[benchwarmer380]

USPS priority is the same cost to all 50 states and Guam but some sellers don't want to sell outside the continental U.S. Too far? Fear of aircraft disappearing?

People likely just don't know that it is the same price for Priority Flat rate.

Also, it's not terribly uncommon for folks to see something in an ad and copy and paste what they see without much thought behind it.

 

[Crossdraw]

People likely just don't know that it is the same price for Priority Flat rate.

Also, it's not terribly uncommon for folks to see something in an ad and copy and paste what they see without much thought behind it.

^^^ This. I won't ship internationally for a variety of valid reasons, but have no problem sending Priority packages to Hawaii, Alaska, or US territories. I think this sort of limitation/misunderstanding can be discussed between seller and buyer without much issue.

 

[popedandy]

USPS priority is the same cost to all 50 states and Guam but some sellers don't want to sell outside the continental U.S. Too far? Fear of aircraft disappearing?

Hard to say. I think it might be a lack of knowledge. I always specify U.S. sales only. I got a quick education once when I initially declined to sell a knife to a gentleman from Puerto Rico. He very courteously explained to me that Puerto Rico is a U.S. mailing address. He got the knife, and although I nearly died from acute embarrassment, I survived and came away a little bit wiser. I like to think that perhaps some of the folks you are referring to are just uninformed like I was.

 

[d.r.h.]

in 2013, I sold a knife to miguet. It wasn't too far .... and the aircraft didn't disappear! One thing to remember is that, depending on your sending location in the states, priority flat rate is, most often, the least expensive option (unless the package is light enough to qualify for 1st class rates).

 

[Peter Hartwig]

As long as they use priority flat rate, it is the same. If they just pack it in whatever box they have and ship it is going to be priced by zone. It is a combination of not being familiar with shipping procedure and cost and copy catting ads.
Some of the territories and armed forces bases can be a bit riskier, So far I don't believe I have been contacted by anyone in the territories, but have a few to armed forces bases sales. I figure if they can risk their lives I can risk a package-but that is an individual choice.

 

[MolokaiRider]

As a resident of Hawaii who runs a business dependent on shipping and receiving, I can offer my two cents.

USPS price is the same. For the most part when I see CONUS only I kinda wonder why.


My experience with USPS:
Time in transit is generally longer. Due to the high volume of items being shipped, mistakes are common. Maybe 1 out of 15 shipments have some type of error. Most arrive, but about 5 percent are lost or returned to sender. Many times I see items bounce around and eventually sent back to the sender. Boxes/shipping packages get destroyed and take a beating.

Of course, this may be the same for the rest of the country and they may experience the exact same service. Online shopping has certainly overwhelmed the system.

If you can afford the cost increase, it may be a better option to ship FedEx or UPS.

 

[TLA]

I live in Alaska and I deal with this issue all the time. From my experience most sellers that put lower 48 simply don't know about flat rate shipping or that sometimes the cost without flat rate shipping is the same or sometimes even cheaper. I contact via pm and tell them politely about flat rate shipping and then I usually get the knife that I'm inquiring about. A lot of people and even businesses that use only UPS or FedEx do not even realize that UPS and FedEX offer ground shipping to Alaska versus trying to make us pat the higher rates of overnight shipping cost.

 

[tyyreaun]

USPS priority is the same cost to all 50 states and Guam but some sellers don't want to sell outside the continental U.S. Too far? Fear of aircraft disappearing?

I'm convinced it's because they think saying CONUS makes them sound tacticool.

 

[AKnife]

Living in AK this is a pet peeve of mine.

Flat rate is exactly what it means.
CONUS is Continental US OR Contiguous US. 1 of those means all states in North America whereas the other means "lower 48."

It seems people are too lazy to type No International or US only. So they'll put CONUS. I have inquired when sales say CONUS and they usually have no problem shipping to AK. I avoid sales that say lower 48 only because it's not worth the time explaining the flat rate thing to them.

 

[Vaporstang]

I've shipped to Hawaii priority and, if I recollect correctly, it arrived sooner than to the LA area....

 

[brancron]

As mentioned by someone else, most people just parrot what they see others do without stopping to inquire into the reasons (or lack thereof). This is prevalent across all modes of life.

 

[JD Mandrell]

I admit, I used to do the "CONUS Only" thing for years, before realizing Hawaii and Alaska are the same costs, felt like a dipstick.

 

[sliceofaloha]

USPS priority is the same cost to all 50 states and Guam but some sellers don't want to sell outside the continental U.S. Too far? Fear of aircraft disappearing?

I think people just think it’s cool to write CONUS - makes them feel cool and special. It’s completely wack and a sign of being unaware of many things. CONUS! durrrrrr

***note to self - read past the op before responding as not to duplicate other responses... and: lighten up Francis

 

[Monofletch]

It’s the same as “You must comply with your local laws....” It comical reading some of these sale adds.
If I click on a sale add and it’s got paragraphs of mumbo jumbo I usually just skip it.

Back on topic.... yes, Flat Rate will get to AK, HI, and all territories.

 

[10after10]

It’s the same as “You must comply with your local laws....” It comical reading some of these sale adds.
If I click on a sale add and it’s got paragraphs of mumbo jumbo I usually just skip it.

Back on topic.... yes, Flat Rate will get to AK, HI, and all territories.

I'll ship to anywhere on the planet as long as buyer contacts me first, AND as long as you know your local knife laws. Wouldn't want you to get in trouble with Pakistani ISI for instance.