Ongoing measurement
The parcel price index
A rate increase is usually announced as a percentage against a list price. Very few shippers pay that price, so the percentage tells them almost nothing. Once a month we take six cartons that never change, send them down five lanes that never change, and write down what the checkout would have charged. The result is one number and a table anybody can check.
Latest issue
Earlier issues will be listed here as they accumulate. A single issue is a snapshot; the point of the series is the movement between them, and that begins with the second one.
The basket
| Carton | Dimensions | Weight | Stands in for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Book box | 8 x 5 x 1.5 in | 1 lb | The smallest thing worth posting |
| Shoebox | 13 x 9 x 5 in | 3 lb | The most common resale parcel there is |
| Clothing box | 16 x 12 x 8 in | 5 lb | A folded order from a small shop |
| Appliance box | 18 x 14 x 12 in | 10 lb | Where zone pricing starts to bite |
| Tool carton | 16 x 16 x 16 in | 20 lb | Dense weight in a compact cube |
| Oversized light carton | 24 x 18 x 18 in | 12 lb | Volume charged instead of weight |
Destinations: Atlanta, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles and Seattle. Five cities spread deliberately across the zone ladder so a single lane cannot dominate the average.
For editors and reporters
The figures are ours to give away and we would rather they were used than sat on. Take the table, name the month, and link the issue so a reader can see when it was measured. If a story needs the underlying quotes, the raw capture for any issue is available on request at [email protected], including the services that lost and the transit windows they came with.
Questions
How often does a new issue appear?
Once a month. The basket is quoted on the same day each month and the issue goes up the same week.
What stays fixed?
The six cartons, their dimensions and weights, the Newark origin and the five destinations. Only the prices are allowed to move. If anything else ever has to change, the issue that changes it will say so on its own page.
Where do the numbers come from?
A live request to the system that prices a real order on our site, so each figure is a complete checkout amount rather than a published tariff. Nothing is modelled and nothing is carried over from a previous issue.
May a publication use these figures?
Yes, with the month named. A link back lets a reader check the date, which changes faster here than in most datasets. Reach us at [email protected] if you want the underlying quotes.