Mail & Shipping - Recommendations, Questions, and Answers

electriccrane52 said:I’m pretty new to this whole shipping thing. I’m trying to send out a package, but I’m wondering if the shipping cost jumps up if I use a bigger box just because there isn't a size that fits my stuff perfectly. I get that weight matters, but I noticed they have different categories for small vs. large packages. What's the deal with how they actually categorize them?

"For domestic shipping, the total combined length and girth of the package can't exceed 3000 mm, and no single side can be longer than 1500 mm. On the flip side, you can't go smaller than the minimum requirements for a standard letter, provided the address side is at least 90x140 mm."
basically, if you're shipping huge slabs, expect to pay more since they fall under the oversized category.

velvetwolf82 said:Thanks for getting back to me 🙂

Just one more thing—can I just pick up a shipping box at the Post Office? If not, where else can I find one?

You can grab them at the USPS for a few bucks, depending on how big you need it.
Or, honestly, just hit up a CVS or a grocery store. You'll just have to wrap it in some paper or bubble wrap yourself, unless you want to pay the extra fee at the post office to have them do it.

velvetwolf82 said:Thanks for getting back to me, 🙂

Just one more thing—can I actually pick up one of those boxes at the Post Office, or should I look somewhere else?

Look, just grab a box and some packing tape from a local CVS or Walgreens and wrap it up yourself.
A bigger box at the UPS Store is definitely going to be $3.25.

Melissa Morgan77 said:You can just grab an envelope at the Post Office for a few bucks, depending on what size you need.
Or, if you want to be proactive, buy one at a drugstore and wrap it up yourself with some paper or twine. If not, they'll just charge you for the packaging at the counter.

Olivia Green46 said:Look, just pick up a box and some wrapping paper at a local shop and wrap it yourself.
Because let's be honest, paying for a larger box at the Post Office is definitely going to cost you more.$3.25.

Thanks for the help, ladies! 🙂

Got a question...
About a week ago, this girl asked if I could sell her a bag. We agreed she’d just Venmo me for the bag plus a little extra for shipping, since we weren't doing anything tracked.
I shipped it out the day after the money hit my account, but now a week later, she’s hitting me up saying it hasn't arrived and accusing me of scamming her =/

Has anyone else dealt with this? Is the USPS just being slow or what?
I don't even have a wife to convince that I haven't ever tried to pick anyone up, let alone her.

Emily Rivera83 said:I have a question...
A week ago, a woman asked to buy a bag from me. We agreed she’d send the money for the bag plus a little extra for shipping, since I wasn't going to send it via certified mail.
I shipped it the day after seeing the payment. A week has passed, and now she’s messaging me saying it hasn't arrived, accusing me of scamming her. =/

Has this happened to anyone else? What's the deal—is the USPS just incredibly slow or something?
I don't even have a wife to convince that I haven't spent my life flirting with people, let alone her.

Always use certified mail.
It’s entirely possible she already got it and is just taking advantage of the fact that you didn't use tracking to lie about it.

So, I dropped off a package this past Friday via certified mail, yet it still hasn't reached its destination. To make matters worse, I just went to check my receipt, and for some inexplicable reason, the date printed on it says August 11, 2011.
I find myself wondering, how is that even possible? Is it plausible that someone at the USPS is running some sort of disorganized scheme behind the scenes?

Emily Rivera83 said:Got a question...
About a week ago, my girlfriend asked if I could sell her a bag. We agreed she’d just send the money for the bag plus a little extra for shipping, since we weren't doing anything fancy like USPS Certified Mail.
I sent it out the day after I saw the transfer hit. It's been a full week now and she's messaging me saying it hasn't arrived yet, basically accusing me of scamming her. =/

Has this happened to anyone else? Is someone at the post office playing games or what?
I don't have a wife to convince that I haven't spent my life flirting with people—not even her.

You did exactly what you said you would, so you aren't in the wrong here. It sucks that it hasn't shown up, but there's no way to know if someone's messing around at the mail center or whatever. You can't be blamed for that.

Susan Mitchell20 said:So, I dropped off a package this past Friday via certified mail, but nothing yet. I just checked my receipt and somehow it’s showing a date from August 2011.
Is that even possible? Did someone at the USPS mess up the paperwork or what?

I can't really help you there. Honestly, your best bet is to call the post office or go down there in person. I've never heard of a glitch like that before. Guess we all need to start double-checking our receipts more carefully now.😕

Melissa Morgan77 said:You stuck to the deal, so you aren't the one at fault here. It sucks she didn't get it, obviously, but there's no way to know who's playing games behind the scenes. You can't blame her.

Look, there’s a shipping confirmation, and then there’s the receipt that used to be $3.25 which shows whether the package actually arrived or not. If it didn't, you're entitled to compensation for the full value or up to four times the shipping cost... ☕

Paul Jackson61 said:Look, you get a shipping confirmation, right? And there’s usually some kind of receipt or tracking status sitting $3.25 (well, it was, anyway) that shows whether the package actually made it into their hands or not. If it didn't, you're entitled to claim damages for the stated value, or at least up to four times what you paid for the postage... ☕

Nah. She just sent them via standard ground. It wasn't a certified letter or a tracked parcel...

Thanks for the replies, ladies 😉

It’s my first time dealing with this. I’ve heard stories about people getting their packages opened or having stuff snatched right at the Post Office, but man, it’s still a crappy feeling. Honestly, I can't tell if the USPS is shady or if that clerk was just being sketchy. Ugh...
Thanks again.

It’s pretty straightforward—just stop sending stuff via standard mail because you always end up looking like a fool in the end, and honestly, you're doing them a favor by letting it go through the cheaper route instead.
When you send something as a tracked package or via certified mail, at least you actually have proof that it left your hands, which lets you sleep better at night... 🙂

Has anyone ever dealt with having to pay extra $33 just to pick up a package?😲 Now my girlfriend is telling me she got some yellow notice saying she needs to cough up $33 when she goes to grab it. 🙂 I sent it out via USPS like I always do $6.00 without any extra fees attached. I gave her the tracking number and told her to just head down to the post office. What’s the move here? If this is actually happening, it's 100% a mistake on the post office's end.😳 ...I've seriously never even heard of this happening, let alone experienced it myself...

She just grabbed her package without any issues—no payment required. Clearly some kind of glitch in the system. She apologized, and honestly, I’m apologizing too for making such a pointless inquiry. Thank God that's sorted. 🙂

I wanted to reach out and ask you all something, and I really do apologize for posting this in the off-topic section—I honestly wasn't quite sure where the best place to drop this question would be...
So, I was just thinking about how I really need to get this payment sent over to my daughter... it's been on my mind all morning, and I just want to make sure everything goes through smoothly without any hiccups... $27 So, I’ve been thinking about this situation involving an account over at Chase... I don't actually have any debit cards myself, so I was just wondering how much they're going to charge in service fees at the specific Chase branch where her account is held... thanks!

Morgan Hughes81 said:just wanted to ask—sorry for going off topic, wasn't sure where this belonged.
so, I need to deposit $27 into my girlfriend's Chase account. I don't even have a debit card. Just wondering how much commission they'll hit me with at Chase since her account is there too?! thanks

$0.00. (I'm assuming you're depositing cash in dollars. 😉

I've got a quick question if anyone can point me in the right direction... (sorry if this is off)

I'm planning on mailing out an item, say a watch or something. I was just wondering how the payment part actually works on the buyer's end. Like, does the buyer pay the full price upfront and then I get the cash from the platform later, or how does that whole process go down?🤷

Or would it be smarter to just give them my credit card info so they can wire the money straight to my account before I even head to the post office?

Kimberly Kelly63 said:I have a quick question if anyone can help me out... (sorry if this is off-topic)

I'm planning on mailing an item (like a watch). I'm just wondering how the payment part actually works. Does the buyer pay the previous owner the price of the watch, then I get the money from them, or what's the deal?🤷

Or is it better to just give my credit card info so they can wire it to my account before I head to the post office?

Either way works, really. Just pick whichever sounds easier to you and figure it out with the buyer.
First, there's Cash on Delivery. Personally, I wouldn't touch that unless you actually trust the buyer to show up and take the package. Otherwise, you're just stuck paying the shipping fees yourself when it gets sent back to your house. That's why I usually skip it.🙄
The second option is a direct bank transfer or Zelle. I'd recommend that because it keeps things secure for you. Hopefully, the buyer trusts you enough to do that.😉 If you're using the marketplace here on the forum, check the feedback and rating lists; that should give you some peace of mind too.🙂

I require some assistance: I prefer using online banking because it’s simply more efficient and faster. Now, however, I am attempting to transfer funds into a checking account... specifically, I am struggling with how to input the account number in the designated field. When I attempt to enter the number into the second box, the string is too long and won't fit. Meanwhile, the first box seems to require some sort of routing number instead.

Any help would be appreciated. 🙂