Posts by Mark Perez2

Melissa Phillips4 said:Honestly, I sent mine out last week and didn't get hit with any extra $0.52 charges.
They didn't even mention anything about having to pay...

That covers the Red Alert promo running from the 14th through the 21st.
I shipped my stuff last Tuesday, then suddenly on Thursday, they're telling me I owe more. It made zero sense to me why the promotion would kick in right on a Wednesday instead of just starting at the beginning of the week.

vividnomad15 said:Hey, has anyone here tried using those gray Asus poly mailers to send something via certified mail? I'm wondering if the USPS will actually take them, or if they're going to be sticklers about you using actual envelopes.
thanks 😉

Yeah, I have. Just a heads up though—some of the clerks at the post office might give you a hard time and claim the packaging looks too "budget," but it usually works. You might find they'll only let you send it as certified mail rather than a full package, though personally, I've managed to get packages through in Asus mailers before without any issues.

My trick is just to turn the bag inside out so the logo isn't visible and then slap the address labels on there. That’s what I do...

Carol Mitchell67 said:Is there any way to send a package where the recipient covers the shipping costs? Basically, can I just drop the box off at the counter, tell them the receiver is paying, and then they settle up when it arrives?

Yeah, it’s possible, but you should probably check with the folks at the USPS counter to get the specifics. I haven't actually sent anything that way myself.

Chris Reed45 said:I’m talking about those dark shipping bags you get from ASOS🙂 my local post office takes them without a second thought, but the branch over in downtown Chicago won't touch them—they won't accept them as a package or even certified mail, they insist you put everything in a standard box or an envelope... honestly, it just depends on which clerk you happen to run into...

Oh, for sure. I always have no issues, though it really does come down to the specific employee. They know my routine and how I ship things. At my local branch, I just toss everything in the bag and they take it every single time without complaining. 😍

Basically, I just flip the ASOS bag inside out, tape the address on, throw the items into a secondary bag inside, and call it a day.

Zachary Peterson6 said:aren't🙂

Perfect, because I just finished offering some girl free shipping on her purchase of 😁

Chris Reed45 said:They messed with the rate sheet again. They swapped out that interactive calculator on the USPS site for another one of those static PDFs... 😢

Huh, I wonder if they jacked up the prices on us again. 😱

Zachary Peterson6 said:Don't sweat it, they probably just lose their way sometimes due to a bunch of different factors...

Lose their way? I'm not so sure about that. Last year, I had a package sent from Cleveland that just vanished into thin air. It was a huge box. Never showed up. 😁

Melissa Morgan77 said:"Under the Red Cross Act, supplemental stamps are issued three times a year during specific windows: Red Cross Week from May 8th to 15th, National Tuberculosis Awareness Week from September 14th to 21st, and Solidarity Week from December 8th to 15th."

So does that mean we're almost there? I was at the post office yesterday paying $6.75 just to ship a package out to San Francisco. I guess my daughter will just take it home later—they didn't even bother asking me anything. It’s honestly ridiculous; I live only 15 miles from San Francisco and I $6.75 still have to shell out for postage. 🤷

Morgan Hughes81 said:mellowsurfer34 and I both got ripped off by that goose. $4.75 She went and did it without even telling me, which honestly just set me off. By the time I actually made it to the post office, I was already losing my cool. I had everything ready to go—I even pulled out a tenner to pay the exact amount—but then she weighs it and suddenly it’s 101 grams. Because of that single extra gram, I ended up having to shell out an extra couple of quarters. Seriously, that's about the weight of a single feather from my tiger cat. 😠😠😠 I still hadn't even finished calculating what I owed Mark for the crisis fund, and she didn't say a word about it—she just demanded I pay her right then and there. When I finally lost my cool and snapped at her, she had the nerve to act like I was the one out of line. $5.00If that receipt says $12.50, then I was being way too nice. Honestly, I’m not paying that much just to be treated like garbage by someone who clearly doesn't care about basic customer service. If she hates working at the post office so much, there are plenty of other people out there who would actually take the job and treat customers with some decency.😁

Man, I remember one time my package got held up at customs—I think it was right around the 500-gram mark—and they ended up charging me way less than usual. 🙂

So, how much longer is this whole Red Cross Week thing going on for? I might be sending some stuff over next week, so I figured I'd check the timeline first.

Hannah Mendoza45 said:Look, be a pal and help me clear a few things up. 😉
I'm still on the fence, but I've decided I want to sell off some books. I'm not sure if people will grab just one or a whole bunch at once, so I need to be ready:
1. What's the best way to pack books (especially paperbacks) so they actually make it through shipping without getting trashed?
2. Can I send a cardboard box via certified mail?
3. How do I properly seal a box—like a shoebox—so it doesn't pop open while the delivery driver is tossing it around?
4. How should I label the shipment if I want the buyer to cover both the book value and the shipping costs upon arrival?
5. What's the most foolproof way to ensure the recipient actually gets the package?

Thanks in advance!
All this postal jargon and business stuff has me completely turned around.

Just use a bubble mailer or a box. You can send it certified or, if it's bigger, as a standard package. Anything will survive the trip as long as you don't leave empty space in the box; those USPS workers tend to throw everything around like it's nothing. 🙂
You can definitely do certified mail in a box. Just wrap it up with some heavy-duty kraft paper—you can pick up a roll at any Staples.
Regarding having them pay on delivery—I think that's called COD, but the shipping fees end up being higher that way. I've personally never done it that way. My girls always pay me upfront, then I just ship it out via certified mail or as a regular package.

The safest bet is to never send anything via standard ground without tracking, because if it disappears, you're just out of luck.

coastalwolf8 said:Thanks for the input, but honestly, once I run the numbers, sending something via certified mail ends up being way cheaper than a standard package. For instance, if I'm sending something weighing between 250 and 500 grams to Germany via certified mail, it costs $20
while a 0.5kg package to Germany goes for $40 !!

True, but shipping prices in this country are still an absolute rip-off... 👎

coastalwolf8 said:Can someone please walk me through how this works with USPS? I'm looking at shipping stuff on eBay, and when I go to the official site http://www.usps.com/shipping/main.aspx?id=194
I see all these options like letters, packages, etc. Obviously, a letter is the cheapest route, so if I shove a t-shirt into one of those big yellow padded envelopes—say, weighing about half a pound—can I just label it as a letter to save money instead of sending it as a package?

You can, provided it’s small enough to fit in an envelope, a mailer, or a tiny box—just make sure you send it via certified mail. Honestly though, I don't know if it's even worth the hassle of shipping internationally from here; USPS isn't exactly cheap.

ironsurfer10 said:I was wondering if there's any way to actually get my hands on those poly mailers? I mean the kind you see when an order from Neiman Marcus or something comes in—those slim bags instead of boxes. Can you even buy those somewhere? I checked with the USPS, but they really only seem to carry boxes and standard envelopes.

Just shop at ASOS😁 I always just use their bags. Or honestly, I'll grab some thicker ones from local boutiques. I don't think you can find them easily at the post office; they're pretty much strictly about boxes and envelopes.

Morgan Hughes81 said:Can someone tell me how many days it takes if I send something via certified mail versus sending a package?
So, let's say I drop off a package on Monday, and then separately, I send some stuff in a certified envelope. I'm trying to figure out how many days it'll actually take to get to the person receiving it. The USPS website says if you drop things off by a certain time, they ship them out the next day, so I'm wondering when it actually lands on their doorstep? Ugh, thanks, and sorry for being so extra with my questions, I just registered here and I'm still figuring things out.😁 😁🤷

Usually a few days. Honestly, it doesn't matter much which way you send it. I haven't noticed any difference in speed between certified mail and a package. Though, shipping a full package is getting pricey these days, so if it's under half a pound, you're better off just doing certified. A package is $6.00, whereas it used to be $4.25.

redtiger53 said:I saw someone on another forum mention they shipped an order in a poly mailer instead of a box. From what I gathered, it was just clothing wrapped up, sealed tight, and tied off. Has anyone actually tried doing this?

Yeah, you can definitely do that. I’ve been using mailers for most of my recent shipments. The only catch is that sometimes at the local USPS branch, the clerks give me a hard time and insist I send it as certified mail or something similar. When that happens, I just toss everything into a cardboard box and wrap it up in some heavy-duty packing paper to keep it simple.

ironeagle10 said:What’s the going rate for a certified letter according to the new rates? And how much does one of those sturdy yellow envelopes cost—the thicker ones, I can't recall the name? Thanks. 🙂

You can find the price list on the ExxonMobil website, though they really only hiked the prices for shipping packages; everything else stayed about the same.
Honestly, you're better off grabbing bubble mailers at a supermarket or a bookstore. They charge way too much at the post office. Even the smallest one is like $0.20.

Bradley Ramos said:I need to ship a jersey to New York City. Is there a larger bubble mailer available so I can send it certified, or should I just ship it as a package? 🤷

Look, you could just toss it in a box, a bubble mailer, or even wrap it in a few opaque plastic bags—that's what I've been doing lately. It's entirely up to you.
If it weighs less than half a pound, sending it certified is definitely the cheaper way to go.

Angela Grant22 said:I remember sending a package once where I explicitly told them it was fragile, only for it to show up completely shattered. It was supposed to be a gift, too. 😢

Given how things go, would I be better off using a padded mailer for an item or just sticking to a standard shipping box?

Honestly, don't bother telling them it's fragile; it’s like they aren't even listening. In my experience, they just don't care. I always pack my stuff so there's zero wiggle room in the box just to ensure it survives, though I usually avoid shipping anything like ceramics that could actually break. 🙂

crimsonstag17 said:How do I ship ceramics without them shattering during transit? Does the post office handle the packing, or am I on my own here?

Grab a bigger box and wrap every single piece individually—use bubble wrap or plenty of paper—and make sure there’s zero wiggle room inside the box. That empty space is what kills fragile items. I’ve personally watched USPS workers toss packages around like they're nothing, and if you haven't padded everything perfectly, it's going to end up in pieces.

Olivia Nelson37 said:hey girls, I bought something through this forum and the seller sent it exactly a week ago... but it still hasn't shown up???
how long does it usually take for your stuff to arrive?? (for me, it’s usually been 3-4 days max, though most of the time it shows up in 1-2 days unless there's a weekend involved, pretty much 99% of the time)
thanks

Did you check the mailbox to see if there's anything waiting for you? Sometimes they forget to leave a slip. That happened to me once with some small package...

Honestly, nothing surprises me anymore. One time, a package took an entire week just to get here from Washington, D.C. 🙄

Sophia Taylor872 said:I need some help and guidance, please. 🙏
I need to mail off two pairs of jeans, but I’ve never actually sent anything before... so if someone could just walk me through how this works?
As for packaging—like a box or an envelope—do I need to provide my own, or will they pack it for me at the Post Office depending on the size and weight of what I'm sending?
Also, roughly how much is this going to cost? I want to let the recipient know ahead of time.

Stop begging. 🙂 If it’s over half a pound, you're better off sending it as a package; if it's lighter, stick to a padded envelope. You can buy envelopes right there at the USPS, but honestly, it's way cheaper to just wrap it up yourself at home using a box or a bag—I even reuse old shipping envelopes sometimes. That’s my go-to method. I never bother buying packaging from the post office.