Mail & Shipping - Recommendations, Questions, and Answers

I have a question about shipping a package.

I just bought an Xbox, and the seller needs to ship the console along with all its gear via mail. I'm currently looking into which shipping method would be the most cost-effective.

Since this isn't exactly a small parcel, I want to know which carrier offers the best rates. I'm also wondering what the typical shipping cost would be from somewhere like Omaha to New York City.

Thanks everyone for the help 🙂

Man, if I end up having to pay double shipping now... That’s definitely not cheap. Either way, there's no way to lose, right? Or what if the person receives it and just doesn't pay?

redcobra4 said:I've got a quick question about shipping stuff.

So, I just picked up an Xbox, and now the guy needs to ship the console along with all its gear via the mail. I'm currently trying to figure out which service is actually going to be the most budget-friendly.

Since it’s not exactly a tiny little box, I’m wondering who among the big carriers is the cheapest right now. Also, does anyone have any idea roughly how much it would cost to ship something from the Midwest over to New York City?

Thanks in advance for the help 🙂

USPS!
If he drops it off tomorrow by 3:00 PM, you'll probably have it the day after tomorrow!!

Susan Anderson77 said:Ugh, if I end up having to pay double shipping now... man, that's not cheap. I mean, either way, there shouldn't be a way to lose it, right? Or what if the person gets it and just refuses to pay?

Look, you never know what kind of people you're dealing with out there... though I doubt they'll actually charge you double, but you'll definitely be paying something. As for it getting lost, I don't think so. And as for them receiving it without paying, that shouldn't happen if you sent it as COD (Cash on Delivery)...

Susan Anderson77 said:Man, if I have to pay double shipping now... that's not cheap. I guess, either way, you can't really lose, right? Or what if the person gets it and just doesn't pay?

You have the tracking number, don't you? I think you should be able to check the status there, so at least you'll know if it reached the destination or if it was actually delivered: http://www.usps.com/tracking

Is someone actually allowed to open a package if they're there at the FedEx office? Because I'm being told they’ll literally open it just to check if it works before deciding whether to buy it or not. Pretty sure that's against the rules.

Zachary Peterson6 said:FedEx!
If they drop it off by 3:00 PM tomorrow, you'll have it the day after next!!

Basically, FedEx is better because it's cheaper than using something like DHL or UPS. This package is about 15 pounds, so I just want the best deal possible.

Zachary Peterson6 said:Look, you encounter all sorts of people out there... I don't think it's a double scam, but you'll likely have to pay something... It doesn't seem lost, but they won't release anything unless you pay if you sent it as COD...

Linda Chavez14 said:You have a tracking number for the shipment, right? You should be able to check the status online so you at least know if it reached its destination, if it was delivered, and stuff like that: http://www.fedex.com/tracking...transportation

All I got was a confirmation from FedEx with the addresses and info, but no tracking number.
EDIT2: Found it, but it says the package doesn't exist.
EDIT2: Never mind. It says: Jan 31st - Shipment prepared for delivery.
What is that supposed to mean?

It also says they tried delivering on the 30th and 31st, but nobody was home.

Susan Anderson77 said:I only got a confirmation from FedEx with the address and info, but no tracking number.
EDIT: I found it, but it says the package doesn't exist.
EDIT2: Found it. It says: Jan 31st, preparing shipment for delivery.
What does that mean, I guess?

It also says they tried delivering on the 30th and 31st, but nobody was home.

That probably means it wasn't delivered to the recipient and it's just sitting at their local post office waiting to be picked up. If it isn't collected within 5 business days after they leave a notice, it gets sent back to the sender.

SENDING A CERTIFIED MAIL PIECE
If you’re dealing with lighter stuff—just a few ounces here and there—this is a solid option. Shipping should cost you no more than $6.75 (depending on the weight), and the main difference from a standard package is that certified mail gets tossed into the bag with everything else of its kind—usually just envelopes. Plus, you actually get proof of mailing, since you fill out a little slip for the certified service, and if it happens to go missing, you’ll get compensation based on this amount: shipping cost times five (at least that was my experience last time)...

Does anyone know if this works for international shipping too? Like, can I send something weighing maybe 60 grams in a certified envelope??
Basically, I need to send a little package abroad that weighs only about 60 grams, and it could easily fit in a padded envelope—it’s soft and won't break.
Sending it as a full-blown parcel feels insane because they'd absolutely skin me alive for $40...
So, I'm wondering if I can just treat it like a letter and ship it that way.
It's just a couple of lavender sachets I'm sending to a friend in the USA.
Thanks!🙂

wearyangler76 said:Does anyone know if I can send items weighing roughly 60 grams internationally using a standard certified envelope?
Basically, I need to ship a little package overseas that weighs only about 60 grams. It could easily fit inside a thicker envelope since it's soft and won't break.
Sending it as a formal package seems absolutely insane because they would charge me an arm and a leg for $40...
So, I'm wondering if this can just be sent as a letter instead.
It's just a few small bags of lavender I'm sending to a friend in the USA.
Thanks!🙂

In my opinion, there’s really no reason to send it via certified mail, especially when it's that light. Otherwise, here you can calculate the cost—just go to international shipping and select the certified option from the left. For what you're looking at, the price would come out to $10. 🙂

Angela Flores76 said:I don't see much point in sending it via certified mail—especially since it's so light. You can check the rates online by going to the international shipping section and selecting the registered option from the dropdown. For what you're looking at, it would cost about $10. 🙂

Thanks for the help, Angela Flores76!
I checked out that calculator, I just wanted to see if anyone actually sends items that light via certified mail. From what I gathered reading through their site, "certified" seems to imply a letter... and I wasn't entirely sure if they allow anything that isn't just paper 🙂
I tried emailing them too, but no luck. I even called their customer service line, but the guy on the other end couldn't quite grasp what I was asking... looks like I might just have to head down to the local USPS office after all.
Thanks!

wearyangler76 said:Thanks for the reply, Angela Flores76!
I checked out that calculator site, I just wanted to see if anyone else was actually sending such light items via certified mail. Because from what I can gather by reading through these posts, a certified shipment is basically treated like a letter—and am I right in thinking that USPS isn't supposed to accept anything that isn't paper? 🙂
I sent them an email and haven't heard a peep back. I even tried calling their info line, but the guy on the other end couldn't make heads or tails of what I was asking... looks like I'll just have to drag myself down to the local post office after all.
Thanks!

Well, you can ship whatever you want, however you want. The only thing that changes is the price tag, obviously. 🙂

I'm trying to send some extra food to a family, packed up in two boxes weighing about 10 pounds total. What's the cheapest way to ship this from Miami to New York City? Thanks!

Karen Carter80 said:I'm trying to send some extra food to a family—it's about two boxes weighing roughly 10lbs each. What's the cheapest way to ship this? Maybe from Miami to New York City? Thanks!

Just ship it as a package through FedEx, I guess.$8.25

So, I need a little help here since this is my first time actually mailing a package through the mail service.
It’s just a book packed in a big yellow envelope, and we agreed that the recipient handles all the shipping costs.
My question is, what am I supposed to tell the clerk at the FedEx counter?
Do I tell them it’s a shipment with COD, where the recipient pays everything upon delivery?
The book itself is priced at $17. Also, do I have to pay anything upfront at the counter if the receiver is covering the postage? I'll probably have to fill out some paperwork there too... so what amount should I list, the $50 plus $6.75 for shipping? 🤷

cosmiclynx12 said:So, here's the deal—I could really use a little bit of help here because this is actually my first time ever sending a package through the mail.
So, here’s the deal: I’ve got this book all packed up in a big yellow envelope, and we agreed that the recipient is going to cover the FedEx shipping costs.
So, now I'm sitting here wondering... what am I even supposed to say in this post? I guess I'm just looking for some direction, maybe.
So, just to be clear here—are we talking about a shipment that requires COD (cash on delivery), where the recipient is basically footing the bill for every single charge upfront upon arrival?
So, I was looking at the price for that book, and honestly? It's a bit much. I mean, I guess it depends on how much you value it, but man, that tag is definitely a little steep for what it actually is. Maybe I'm just being picky, but it feels like they're trying to squeeze every last cent out of us. $17So, if that's how it works, what am I actually supposed to pay at the FedEx office? Since the recipient is covering the shipping costs, I'm guessing I'll have to fill out some paperwork once I get there. I'm just wondering what specific amount I should put down on the forms... maybe something like 50 bucks plus tax? I don't want to mess this up and cause a headache. $6.75 Shipping fees? Seriously? Is anyone else seeing these ridiculous rates lately? I feel like every time I try to order something online, the delivery cost alone is enough to make me want to throw my laptop out the window. It’s getting out of hand. 🤷

So you end up paying the shipping upfront, only to get hit with some ridiculous $70 COD charge later—like, where did that extra fifty plus twenty even come from? I guess it’s just one of those things, isn't it?

Thanks, any idea what shipping might run me? Sending it out to the Midwest, package is about 200g... Since it’s COD, when I'm filling out the form at the post office under "sender," do I put my info or the person I'm sending it to? They're sending me the cash, so technically I'm the recipient, right?

So, I guess what I’m getting at is $6.75, when you're filling out the shipping info, you just list the actual sender and receiver like any normal person would, but then on the money order, you basically list the recipient as the one sending the funds...

Zachary Peterson6 said:I mean, regarding $6.75, you just write the sender and receiver normally on the package, but the only weird part is on when you use a money order, you put the recipient's info where the sender should be...

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Thanks! 🙂