Why You Should Select UPS Ground for X-Plus Godzilla FiguresWhen ordering or pre-ordering an X-Plus figure from FlossiesGifts.com, it's best to CHOOSE UPS GROUND for your shipping method. In 2015, UPS and FedEx switched to "Dimensional Weight" over "Actual Weight" when calculating Shipping Costs. That year, their rates increased drastically. In 2016, they increased drastically AGAIN. They say the reason for this change is that they now want to calculate Shipping Costs by how much space boxes take up in their truck -- NOT by actual weight. This does make sense for them. A large box filled with a pillow doesn't weigh that much. But it takes up more room. And that leaves less room for other boxes requiring them to get more trucks and drivers on the road. Switching to Dimensional Weight is their solution. Again, they now charge by Space, not Weight. One problem for retailers is that Weight is the universal method to calculate and charge for shipping. UPS and FedEx have found a way to "translate" Space into Weight with "Dimensional Weight". To calculate it, you would multiply the dimensions of your box. Length x Width x Height. This will give you a number which would be a universal dimensional weight. UPS and FedEx now controls their rates by providing a divisor number. In the case of UPS, that number is 139. So: Length x Width x Height divided by 139 will give you the Dimensional Weight for UPS. This is a "fake weight" which can be entered into shipping systems to push the price of shipping up to where they really want to charge for any size box. Here's an example. An X-Plus Titanosaurus figure is shipped from Flossie's in a box with the dimensions of 16 x 14 x 10. (A snug fit, but room for some padding.) So, 16 times 14 times 10 equals 2240. 17 pounds is the dimensional weight for an X-Plus Titanosaurus from Flossie's. 17 pounds for a box that actually weighs 4 pounds. This way UPS gets to charge more for the space your box is taking up on their truck. Our problem now is that most store sites let you assign only one weight to a product. So what we've done is we've translated all of our X-Plus weights into Dimensional Weights. But if you choose USPS, you will find a wildly expensive shipping rate. A rate which is Not Accurate for USPS, but it IS Accurate for UPS. And since UPS is, most of the time, less expensive than USPS when it comes to X-Plus boxes, we've chosen UPS. There are Exceptions. Flossie's is located just outside Philadelphia. The closer you live to us, the better the USPS rate will be over UPS. If you live in the Great Lakes Region, you may also fair better with USPS. But if you live in the Southeast, Southwest, Plains and anything West, UPS is absolutely your friend. INTERNATIONAL ORDERS |