Posts by Nicole Lee4

Melissa Phillips4 said:Could someone please walk me through how to send a C.O.D. shipment?
It isn't a big box; I'm planning on using an envelope.
Basically, I'm selling something, and instead of having them transfer money directly to my checking account, I want them to pay cash upon delivery.
How does that work exactly? Is the postage calculated by weight plus a flat fee $2.50 for the collection service?
And when I fill out the form, do I write down the item value plus the postage plus the COD fee????
Or what?
And when do I actually get that money? Does it happen immediately, or only after the recipient pays?
I've never sent anything this way before, so if anyone has experience, I'd love some insight.
Thanks!

Well, you just pack up the item—doesn't matter if it's in an envelope or a small box—address it, and then at the Post Office, you'll fill out two different forms. One is yellow and it’s called a Money Order (you'll put your own info under "Recipient" because that's where the funds are being sent)
The other one is the white receipt for certified mail.
Once you drop it off, make sure you get that certified receipt back for your records.

The C.O.D. amount is simply what the recipient pays you; whether that includes the shipping cost or not really depends on what you and the buyer agreed upon beforehand.
You can estimate the shipping costs on the USPS website; it should be somewhere around $4 or $5.
So, let's say the item itself is worth $33, making the total C.O.D. amount $15.
They'll also have to pay the post office an extra couple of bucks for the service, so maybe around $17 total.
They won't be allowed to take the package until they pay, and once they do, the money gets processed and sent your way—usually, you'll see it the next day.

P.S. You can always just ask the friendly lady working the counter at the local branch to give you the exact shipping quote.

goldenranger20 said:Just a quick question, though I honestly feel like I already know the answer (you know what they say about people who ask questions 😁):

I sent out a letter to one of my customers via standard USPS mail at her request, and I made sure to mention that there was a real chance she might never even see it.
Well, it actually happened—she ended up receiving an empty envelope that had clearly been opened and then resealed. 🙄.

I know there aren't really any grounds for a lawsuit regarding recommended packages or specific shipping insurance, but is there *any* way to file a complaint or some kind of grievance? Since she received an empty, tampered-with envelope that still had a significant amount of money 😕 written on it, I'd really love to help her out if there's any way at all.
🙂

You can certainly file a claim, but honestly, it’s probably not worth the hassle.
The most you'll get back is five times the postage. If it was just standard mail, you're looking at maybe $15-$6.75.

slyfalcon14 said:I dropped the package off at the post office right by the main station... and since my destination was in Los Angeles, I used the 90001 zip code..😢

Honestly, just give the LA post office a call. Read them the tracking number from your receipt and ask them straight up if the package has even landed on their desk yet.
We've seen plenty of talk on here about how the postal service fails to notify people—lots of folks missing out on notifications for their deliveries entirely.
You know, it’s entirely possible the package actually made it to LA, but the girl just never got the alert.
It wouldn't be the first time that happened.

slyfalcon14 said:So, I have a question, and if anyone knows the answer, it would be a huge help. 🙂
I sent a package from Chicago to Miami last Saturday morning... I dropped it off at the main USPS branch. It was a COD shipment, and the amount due was $50. Well, it’s been over a week now, and the girl hasn't received her package, nor has anyone sent it back to me. If they actually lost it in the mail, am I able to claim my money back—basically the value of the package contents??

What do you mean by saying you left it at the main post office?
For instance,
if the recipient is in a specific neighborhood in Seattle but you just wrote "Seattle" on the label, the package will
1. wander aimlessly between different sorting facilities
2. get sent right back to you marked as "undeliverable"

Right now, it's probably just sitting in some warehouse waiting for five days to pass before they send it back to your doorstep.
If you want to file a formal claim, you'll need your receipt and a photo ID,
but honestly, a better move might be calling the post office directly (try asking the information desk for the specific branch number where you dropped it off) to see if you can track its actual location.
That way, if the recipient is someone you know, they could potentially go pick it up in person.

Jose Ramirez36 said:I have a few questions—I sent some pretty important documents in a large A4 envelope via certified mail. I assumed I’d automatically get some kind of proof that the letter actually reached its destination, but apparently, that costs extra, and I didn't realize that when I was at the counter.

It's been two weeks now. I called the office where the documents were supposed to land, but they're getting slammed with applications right now (it's college admissions season), so they clearly can't check on it for me. I'm wondering, can I find out if the letter arrived just by going to the Post Office? If not, what's even the point of sending something certified versus just regular mail? 😕

Thanks in advance.

P.S. Maybe I'm being a little paranoid, but this is for my college applications (and therefore my future enrollment), so I hope you can understand why I'm stressing. 🙂

Head down to the post office with your ID and file a formal inquiry.
Any branch will do.
Or, you could try calling the main branch in downtown or wherever they have a clerk who can look up the tracking number in their system; sometimes they'll do it as a courtesy.

And for next time:
That extra proof of delivery you're looking for is called a return receipt, and it adds about a couple of bucks to the price of certified mail.

steelfalcon14 said:Quick question—
if someone sent a standard small package and I haven't seen anything for 7 days now, can the sender actually check anything with the USPS?
thanks 😁

With standard letters, there really isn't any way to track or verify them. Honestly, the only hope if it gets lost is that it ends up being returned to the sender, assuming they actually put their own return address on it.
For a basic package (assuming the value is under $333), you could try filing a claim or checking status, but for simple mail, options are limited.

redranger82 said:Hey everyone.

I've got about 100 packages to ship out pretty soon—mostly just small stuff like stickers, some printed papers, and bits like that—so I’m trying to figure out the absolute cheapest way to get them sent.

My first thought was to just pop them in those blue envelopes and drop them straight into a USPS blue collection box... that way, I'd basically only be paying for the envelope itself. 🤣 🤷

If I use anything else through the Post Office, I don't want to get hit with a massive minimum shipping fee. Come on, give me some ideas! $1.75 😁 👍

If you drop a letter in the mailbox without a stamp, the recipient ends up footing the bill, and they'll charge them the rate for certified mail.
The most budget-friendly option is a standard letter, which should run you about $0.68, provided it stays under an ounce.

Not possible.
The only way for the recipient to cover the shipping costs is through the FedEx Express service.
As for the pricing details, you can find the link on the previous page.

analogranger63 said:I have a quick question,
can you actually buy specific cardboard mailers or boxes designed specifically for shipping vinyl records at the post office? (whenever I order records from overseas, they always arrive in these specialized mailers built just for this purpose...)

or maybe something similar at least...?

No, you won't find them there—you'll probably have to get creative with what you have, because honestly, I haven't even seen them stocked at local office supply stores.

Carol Barrett29 said:Aha, so they were upfront about it? Okay, fair enough. 🙂

And that weight is just being stubborn, right? Like, an extra 3 lbs or something small like that, lol.

P.S. Thanks!

No worries at all.
It’s definitely better if they’re transparent, because honestly, every country has its own little list of banned items.
For instance, I personally couldn't ship a herbal tincture to the States once, and a friend of mine ran into issues trying to send antibiotics over to Ireland. Apparently, some antibiotics contain bovine gelatin, which gets flagged because of those Mad Cow Disease concerns.
But honestly, I really don't think you'll run into any trouble with what you're sending.

Maybe this might be useful too

http://www.usps.com/main.aspx?id=194#

Carol Barrett29 said:I'm looking for some advice.
It’s my first time shipping a package, so I’m a bit out of my element here 😁

The box will contain Christmas gifts—a toy, some clothes, and some chocolates. The total value is roughly $167, and I need to send it over to England.

What steps should I take to make sure everything goes smoothly and nothing gets lost in transit? Also, does anyone know about typical shipping costs for something like this? I assume they charge by weight, but I haven't actually weighed the whole thing yet.

Well, it really depends on how heavy it ends up being. If it stays under four or five pounds, you might be able to send it as a parcel via USPS, but if it's heavier, you'll definitely be looking at standard package rates.
Make sure to check the current rates online, and just a heads-up: don't pack it completely sealed before you get there. Whether you choose registered mail or a standard package, the postal worker is going to want to inspect the contents anyway.

Kate Foster13 said:The last package I sent out was just wrapped in basic brown kraft paper—you know, the kind they use at the UPS Store—sealed up with some heavy-duty brown duct tape and tied off with standard twine from the counter. And yet, this woman still had the nerve to charge her an extra $1.75 just for "packaging." My mom went to the post office herself, so she didn't even realize what was happening at the moment, but honestly, I nearly lost it when I saw the receipt... absolute scammers!!!

You can always file a complaint; there are numbers posted right there in the post office specifically for reporting stuff like this.
At every single service counter.
This is honestly bottom-of-the-barrel behavior.

Ashley Perez50 said:I’ve been doing some reading, and it's definitely not true that the Post Office can't set conditions on how you ship things.
If you show up with something poorly packaged, they won't accept it, and you could end up in a real mess (sorry, language!)
Boxes have to be wrapped in solid-colored paper and tied with twine; you can't have items sliding around and banging into each other inside the box.
And if you're sending a registered envelope, you aren't allowed to seal it with scotch tape.
When you're shipping internationally, you actually have to show the postal clerk exactly what's inside the package.
Anyway, those are just the rules as I understand them.🙂

Of course the USPS can mandate packaging requirements, especially for registered mail.
My previous point was specifically about Molanie's situation—where the lady at the post office told her she *had* to buy one of those bubble mailers for the package. You don't have to buy anything from the post office if you don't want to, provided whatever you already have meets their standards. I made that distinction clear.
As for registered international mail, it's true: no scotch tape allowed, and you have to present the contents open for inspection.
Those regulations have been in place since the Anthrax scares, so they've been around for years now.
And here's the latest headache that Americans have been dealing with: nothing is more difficult than trying to ship something under 450 grams to the US.

brisksurfer said:I was wondering if it's actually possible to send a registered package with Cash on Delivery to Canada, and how much more expensive that would be compared to just sending something within the US?

It isn't an option.
The only way you can go is sending a standard registered letter without any COD service included—then you'd have to send the money separately, maybe through Western Union or some other cheaper method like a money order.

Douglas Wells78 said:I think I misspoke earlier. I actually need to RECEIVE the book, not send it. It's an antique, so it isn't available here in the States. It should cost about $10.
So, are we talking Western Union? Or could I just do a standard wire transfer directly to a checking account through my bank?

I'm not entirely sure, but I'd assume that's an option.
If Western Union is on the table, then banks definitely handle transfers too.

Douglas Wells78 said:I have a quick question.

I've been digging through this thread, but honestly, there's so much info here it would take me a week just to catch up on everything.
Basically, I'm wondering what the commission looks like for sending money over to Mexico or Canada? Also, if anyone happens to know, what are the typical shipping costs from those places for something light, like a book?
Thanks!😬

Regarding sending cash, you can always go with Western Union. For countries near the US border or within North America, the rates tend to be a bit more reasonable than sending it halfway across the globe. Just keep in mind, you’re probably looking at starting from $50.00 and up.
As for the books, you can just ship them as media mail. If you scroll back a few posts, someone laid out exactly how that needs to be handled. I'd suggest weighing it first and then checking the official USPS website for the exact pricing. It usually starts around $3.00.

Besides an envelope, you could honestly use any kind of box, as long as it isn’t covered in loud, flashy patterns. If you do go with something colorful, just make sure to wrap it up first.
The only thing that really matters is making sure the contents don't rattle around inside the box.

Look, a clerk at the Post Office isn't going to dictate exactly what kind of envelope you use. Just take it as a helpful suggestion.

hiddenbadger81 said:I had a package sent out from Washington, D.C. this past Friday, and since I’m also right here in Washington, D.C., I can't help but wonder why it hasn't shown up yet. Why on earth is it taking this long?

Something definitely feels off. You should double-check the shipping address to make sure everything was entered correctly.
If you feel like it, maybe give the carrier a call—the one who sent it—just to verify if things are actually moving along as they should be.
You'll obviously need the tracking number for that.

You could also just check with your local post office; honestly, calling them is probably your best bet to see if there's a package waiting for you there.
A few people mentioned earlier that they've run into issues where they aren't getting those delivery notifications right away.

Carol Rivera40 said:If I drop off a package tomorrow morning heading from a small town in Florida over to Orlando, will it actually make it there by Thursday??

I’ve noticed that whenever I send stuff, it takes two days for some people and just one for others... but how can I be absolutely certain it arrives the very next day? Is there anything specific I should do to guarantee that? It's getting a little urgent.

Carol Rivera40 said:So, when I pay for shipping, $4.25 does it automatically go through HP express? Once I fill out those shipping forms and everything...

Well, if you're staying within the same state, it's usually a one-day turnaround. If you're shipping out of state, expect two.
For $13.08, you get a standard package up to 5 lbs.
But honestly, if you want that HP express service, the price is easily three times higher!