Mail & Shipping - Recommendations, Questions, and Answers

redorca16 said:I am not entirely certain if this is the right venue to bring this up, but I suppose I should try, as I am at a complete loss for what to do next...
Two weeks ago, I sold a shirt to a girl; she paid the full amount immediately, everything was seamless and went exactly according to our agreement. I shipped it out the following day, along with two other small packages, yet those two arrived instantly while this first one is still nowhere to be found. I stopped by the USPS office after five days, and the clerk there informed me that because of the holiday rush, things are moving slower than usual—essentially telling me not to worry and that it would arrive eventually. I don't have any sort of receipt or tracking slip. However, the girl keeps telling me that the package still hasn't shown up. She mentioned something about moving house recently, and I wonder if that might have anything to do with this whole mess.
So now I find myself wondering, what on earth am I supposed to do? 😕The buyer is genuinely wonderful and paid upfront, and I sent the item promptly, yet she still hasn't received her new shirt.😢

Listen, she ought to check her old address if she moved during the interim and you sent it to the previous location. It is possible the package is sitting at a local post office or perhaps got left behind there. 🤷

Unfortunately, if you lack any proof of postage, your hands are tied.

I’m looking to pick up some gear from someone halfway across the country, and honestly, I really don't feel like driving all that way just to grab it. I'd much rather have it shipped directly to me, so I'm trying to figure out which carrier is actually worth the hassle—or at least the most budget-friendly. I'm looking at a total weight of maybe around 220 pounds across everything

FedEx, UPS, international shipping...

So, I tried to mail out a bubble mailer today, but the clerk at the USPS refused to take it. Apparently, everything has to be in a box now... 😕
And I’m sitting there thinking, "I've been sending these exact things forever without a single issue," but she just doubles down. Says that as of January 1st, all packages are required to be boxed up. 🤷

Does anyone actually know if this is a real rule change, or was she just being an absolute nightmare 😳?

Whatever 🤔
I sent one bubble mailer and one box yesterday, and she didn't say a word!

But then she totally ripped me for trying to send something in this bubble envelope that looked like it had been used before—it was all taped up with black duct tape on the flap..
Like, apparently you can't just treat it like a regular letter, they won't allow any tape on the package.. 😕
So I had to repackage everything right there on the spot.. wtf..

Update on this: I swung by Branimirov yesterday, and get this—the lady there just sent my envelope off as a package without skipping a beat. Honestly, who’s actually overthinking this? 😕

Regarding the tape thing, my aunt is a doctor and her sister seals all her envelopes with extra tape, and it works perfectly every single time 😁, never had an issue...

I've started taping everything shut myself lately, too, mostly because half my mail ends up being tampered with. Now I just stamp them to say they were received in damaged condition, because it's pretty obvious when someone's messing with them rather than it happening during transit... It doesn't exactly look pretty seeing my over-taped packages, but hopefully, whoever thinks they're entitled to pry into my business will lose interest 😈

So, I’m getting ready to mail out a few books. I've already got everything packed up in a box, and it weighs roughly four and a half pounds. Does anyone happen to know what the shipping costs might look like for something like this?

Thanks...🙂

The package includes up to 11 pounds $4.75

Chloe Moore65 said:but if you're looking at a 10-pound bag, that's $4.75

Fair enough, thanks for clarifying...

I really should be sending off some glassware, but I’m already second-guessing myself... what kind of packaging can I actually use to make sure it doesn't end up in pieces? Last time, everything shattered, even though I specifically requested they mark it as fragile on the label 😢

Wrap it several times in bubble wrap, or maybe just use some scrap fabric or an old towel.

Does anyone know where I might find some tweezers lying around? If I can't track any down, I might just have to make do with my fingernails 😁

Back when I lived in a quiet suburb, I never had to deal with extra fees when my packages arrived. Now that I’ve moved to downtown Chicago, I feel like I’m getting hit with a surcharge every single time the mail carrier shows up $1.75. Seriously, what gives? Who am I even paying $5.00 and why is there this extra $1.75 tacked on? Does anyone know why this happens or how to dodge it? Thanks for any help! 🙂

I have no idea why they do that; I never pay a dime

brightcobra772 said:back when I was living out in the suburbs, I never once had to cough up a dime when a package showed up at my door. But now that I've moved into the city near downtown Chicago, every single time the mail carrier arrives, I'm expected to pay $1.75. Seriously, wtf? Where am I even supposed to pay $5.00 when they show up with $1.75 like this? Does anyone actually know why this is happening? And more importantly, how can I avoid this headache? Thanks in advance for any help! 🙂

This topic has already been covered around here. Personally, I have *always* had to pay those $1.75 whenever a delivery driver pulls up in a car or a van to drop off my stuff. My regular mail carrier never asks for anything, but the specific guys driving the delivery trucks? They always want their money. 🤷

So, this is my first time posting in this thread, so I’m hoping you all can help me make sense of this...
I ordered a bag from a girl online. The bag itself was $17, and she was offering a 10% discount, which brought it down to $15
. When I reached out to ask about shipping costs so I could send the full amount at once, she told me it would be $8.25... making the total $70
.
Well, the package arrived today via standard mail, and the actual shipping cost on the label was only $13, $27
.
It isn't even about the ten bucks... it's more about the principle. Why couldn't she just tuck the extra $3.25 inside the bag, or at least send a private message admitting she made a mistake with the quote?

It wouldn't have hurt her to be honest. To me, this just feels like poor business practice and dishonesty...

To top it all off, she mentioned the bag had a tiny scratch, but when I opened it, the whole thing was scuffed up from front to back along the length of it...

I'm honestly just really disappointed.

The red one is mandatory, and if you can, take some photos of those scratches so we can see them.
That shipping fee is an absolute joke.
You should have asked us here about the shipping costs first. As you can see, everyone in the forum specifies that $5.00 the price includes shipping for the package, so she needs to put the bag in a box and ship it as a parcel.

Angela Flores76 said:People have already brought this up here. I’ve $1.75 always paid whenever the UPS driver drops off my packages. I never have to pay my local mail carrier, but if it's the guy in the delivery truck—it's always cash. 🤷

Typical... they're just looking for a quick way to grab our cash.😢 thanks for the reply 🙂

Chloe Moore65 said:Make sure she sends photos of those red marks—actually, if you can, get some close-ups of the scratches so we can see what we're dealing with.
That shipping fee is honestly a total rip-off.
You really should have checked with us here regarding the shipping costs first. If you look at the listings in the album, everyone specifies that $5.00 the price covers the package, and since it's a bag, she needs to box it up and ship it as a standard parcel.

I sent her a direct message, so I'll wait and see how she responds.
She mentioned there were some scratches on the bag, but she didn't say the whole thing was scuffed up.😢
It wasn't exactly obvious from the photo...
Thanks for the advice!

Laura Morris4 said:Look, this is my first time posting in this thread, so I’m hoping someone can help me out here...
I ordered a handbag from this girl online. The bag itself was $17, and she offered a 10% discount, which makes it $15
. So, I asked her how much the shipping would be so I could send the full amount at once, and she told me $8.25... basically, $70 total including everything.

Well, the package arrived today via standard mail, and guess what? The actual shipping cost was only $13, $27
.
It isn't even about the extra cash... it's the principle! Why couldn't she just have included $3.25 in the price of the bag, or at least sent a private message admitting she messed up the math?

It wouldn't have killed her to be honest. This isn't how a decent seller operates; she's just being dishonest...

To make matters worse, she claimed the bag only had a tiny scratch, but when I opened it, the whole thing is scuffed from front to back...

I am beyond disappointed.

Situations like this are an immediate red flag. Are we seriously living in a world where someone tries to overcharge $8.25 for shipping?! 😲 🙄

And the fact that the bag didn't even match the description? That’s enough to make anyone see red. 😳