Uncle Marty's Shipping Office

Whaaat? Lower!?

Yes, lower!

Here’s the skinny: FedEx recently announced a change in the way they calculate dimensional weight. (Dimensional weight is the minimum chargeable weight of a shipment based on the size of the container.)

For the past few years, they’ve used the following formula to calculate dimensional weight for both ground and air shipments: LxWxH/139. But now they’ve increased the divisor for shipments via FedEx Ground and FedEx Home Delivery to 166, and elementary math tells us that a higher divisor yields a lower quotient!

For example, a 20x20x20 box used to have a 58 pound dimensional weight (20x20x20/139) regardless of whether it was going air or ground, but now, with the new formula, it has a 49 pound dimensional weight (20x20x20/166) when going ground!

If this all confuses you, don’t worry one bit. That’s why we’re here. Our slogan is #WeMakeItEasy and we stand by it. Just bring your stuff in and let us figure out all of the measurements, formulas, and labeling. We’ll compare ground, air, and other carrier options all in one screen so you can choose the best option for your needs and budget.

We just wanted to share the good news. Officially, FedEx rates have not changed, but with this change to the back-end formula, the way ground shipments are rated will make what you pay a little bit less … and that’s really cool!

See you soon!

Marty and Ingrid at one of our three storage areas

Summer storage season is in full swing! We’ve broken records again this year and are so grateful to you for trusting us with your precious items.

Many of you have already received your items back, whether you arranged to pick them up at our shop, we delivered them locally, or we shipped them to you in your new home city. But most of you are still enjoying your summer away from Ithaca and plan to get your items back later this month or next.

When you’re ready, please let us know ahead of time what your plans are. If we haven’t heard from you by your storage expiration time, we’ll reach out to touch base. Planning ahead allows things to run as smoothly as possible, especially during the busy move-in weeks at the end of August.

We appreciate your business, your trust, and your loyalty year after year. See you soon!

Uncle Marty’s will be closed on Wednesday, July 4th, in observance of Independence Day.

DHL, FedEx, and USPS have no domestic operations on the holiday.

See you Thursday!

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You’ve seen them on Shark Tank. And now you’ll see them at Uncle Marty’s!

We’re honored to now carry Lovepop greeting cards: fantastic, 3D pop-up cards that are sure to delight! The detail in Lovepop is extraordinary … truly more of a whole gift than just a greeting card.

Marty was recently in Orlando attending the Retail Shipping Expo, and there he got to meet the Lovepop team (including one of the founders who appeared on Shark Tank). He knew that our clients would love these cards and they’d be a great fit for Uncle Marty’s already very unique selection, so he hand selected an assortment.

Come in and check them out!

We’ll be open extended hours this weekend to help all of the Cornell grads ship out!

Friday, 5/25: 9-6
Saturday, 5/26: 10-5
Sunday, 5/27: 12-5 (Graduation Day)
Monday, 5/28: 9-6 (Memorial Day)
Tuesday, 5/29: 9-6

We have 50+ sizes of boxes in stock and shipping options via DHL, USPS, FedEx Ground, FedEx Home Delivery, and FedEx Express. We also do storage, so if you’re not sure of your new address yet, let us store your items until you’re ready for us to ship them to you.

Congratulations, graduates! We’ll surely miss you!

See you soon!

We are your end-of-semester move-out headquarters!

BOXES

We stock over 50 sizes of boxes all year long, but in May we feature giant stacks of four special move-out sizes:
Small (18x12x12, $2.99)
Medium (18x18x18, $4.99)
Large (24x18x18, $6.99)
Extra Large (28x18x18 or 22x22x18, double weight cardboard, $9.99)

We sell tons of boxes this time of year. Why? Because our prices are excellent and our boxes are sturdy and strong — shipping boxes, not those flimsy “moving” boxes that you might see other places. And, if you’re buying a whole bunch, we can talk about quantity discounts!

SHIPPING

As a FedEx Authorized ShipCenter, a DHL Authorized Shipping Center, and a USPS Approved Postal Provider, we compare rates and services cross-carrier all in one screen to help you find the best service for your needs and budget.

Most students moving out of Ithaca this time of year just need basic ground shipping for their large boxes full of clothes, shoes, books, and household goods … and do a lot of that! We also have express options for things in a hurry, excellent rates (less than online published rates) on DHL and FedEx international services, and USPS Media Mail options as very cost effective way to ship your books.

We’ll compare everything so you can choose what you’d like.

STORAGE

Most people don’t believe it when we tell them our storage rates are just $10/month for items up to 50 pounds. But, it’s true! Any item (suitcase, box, bin, mini fridge, etc.) that weights 50 pounds or less is just $10/month! If it’s heavier than 50 pounds, then it’s just $20/month.

Our storage area is former office and retail space — clean, dry, and temperature moderate. Uncle Marty’s has been a trusted part of Ithaca’s community for nearly seven years, so you know who has your stuff and that it’s being kept safe while you’re away on break or a semester abroad.

For those unable to get their items to our store, pickup service is available for just $25 for everything you have ready on a ground floor loading area. Please schedule your pickups at least a few days in advance to ensure a spot on our pickup schedule.

We hope to see you soon!

Dear Clients,

We’ve just received communication from our partners at FedEx that valid government-issued photo ID will now be required for shipments processed at FedEx Authorized ShipCenters. The address we keep on file for you must match the address on your ID.

We understand this will be an extra step, though we are glad that extra caution is being taken to keep the package stream safe. It’s our duty to comply with this new ID requirement, and we do so hoping for your cooperation.

So, please bring your IDs with you when shipping FedEx. See you soon!

With care,
The Uncle Marty’s Team

Please view the official statement from FedEx here, which is also posted at Uncle Marty’s: FedEx_Packaging_Guidelines_ID

If you’ve been to Uncle Marty’s in the last few days, you’ve notice that we’ve been busy making some big changes!

Over spring break, we hauled around all of our counters and fixtures to rearrange our layout … again. (We tend to do this every year or two. You know, to keep things fresh.) With our new configuration, we’ve added 11 feet to our front service area!

In that new space, we’ve put in a two-stool stainless client workstation and print center, and opened up the very front of the store to allow our private mailbox holders wider access to their mailboxes. Our stainless bench is now front and center, allowing for more seating and doubling as a great place for you to stage your stuff as you bring it into the store to ship.

This new space will also give us much more room this year to fill up with boxes to sell and then outgoing shipments during the busy May move-out season, which we know will be our best season yet … and we’re doing everything we can to gear up for it!

In your last visit or two here, you’ve also likely meet either Gina or Eoghan, our two new team members. We’re so pleased that they’ve joined the Uncle Marty’s family. They’re both still getting their feet wet, but we hope to formally introduce them to you soon!

Here’s to moving forward!

Due to a death in the family, Uncle Marty’s will be closed on Tuesday, April 10th. We apologize for any inconvenience.

We hope to be back to our normal schedule on Wednesday.

We will be closed on Saturday, March 31st, for Easter weekend.

We will resume regular hours on Monday, April 2nd, and remain open our regular schedule (Monday-Friday, 9-6; Saturday, 10-3) through the rest of Cornell’s spring break. Campus may be quiet, but we’ll be here!

We wish you all a safe and healthy Passover, Easter, and spring break!