RE: Unpleasant reality...
We do a lot of shipping where I work and when I bring a package down to the UPS desk, enter it into the computer and stick a label on it, it is "In the system", so technically, it's been shipped - even though they don't come to get it till 4pm or so.
If, for some reason they don't come that day, it won't go out till the next day, but it still in their system and technically "shipped"
As far as prices, blame OPEC
And even though the box isn't heavy, it's big enough to be considered "Oversize" by most carriers.