Mail & Shipping - Recommendations, Questions, and Answers

Every single shipment headed to the USA comes with its own tracking number (though I’m not entirely certain about how it works for other countries), but I suppose the frequency of updates just depends on how much you paid for the service. If you're using FedEx, you'll see constant movement, whereas with a standard shipment, you might only see a few milestones, like when it's received, when it leaves the US, when it arrives in the States, and finally when it hits the local post office. Usually, that's only about three or four status updates in total. With FedEx, though, they tend to log every single time the package is loaded onto a vehicle or plane.
I guess someone might have to correct me if I've got any of this wrong.

Greetings. I am looking for someone located in Des Moines to pick up a package via the postal service—the sender is based here in the US. I am hoping we can coordinate a meeting point afterward for the hand-off. I am more than willing to pay a commission for this service.

I'm trying to figure out the most budget-friendly way to ship a small package from Mexico to the US, and I was wondering if anyone knows roughly what the cost would look like?

I've got a quick question,

I'm expecting a FedEx delivery tomorrow, but I won't be home. Can someone else in my house just pick up the package for me?

Once we finally integrate into the EU, what actually changes regarding shipping procedures? If someone decides to send me a package from France or Germany, will I be stuck dealing with extra postage fees?

It ought to be around $0.80, but I seriously doubt service costs are going down here in the States. Just two months ago, they were hiking prices everywhere else...
we'll see, I guess.

Quick question. I bought some books on eBay, maybe a pound or two total, and opted for COD. Now the books are $33 and I'm being told I have to pay an extra $20 for shipping?! WTF?!😲The guy told me yesterday shipping would be $6.75. To be fair, the package showed up at my door the very next day, so I tried ordering again and asked him to just send it standard, not expedited, since I figured that was why the shipping was $20. Now he’s messaging me back saying the shipping came out to $55 and he'll refund half. What gives? Even the lady at the counter couldn't figure out why I'm paying $20 when I could just pay $6.25.😲

Betty Nelson71 said:Just one question. I bought some books on eBay, maybe half a kilo or a kilo total, and I'm paying cash on delivery. Now the books are $33 and I have to pay an extra $20 for shipping?! WTF?!😲The guy told me the day before that shipping would be $6.75. I should mention the package arrived the very next day, so I'm ordering again and telling him to just send it via standard mail, not expedited or whatever, because I thought that was why the shipping was $20. But now he's messaging me saying the shipping came out to $8 and he'll refund me half of it. What's going on? And the lady at the counter told me she didn't understand why I'd pay shipping $20 when I could just pay $6.25.😲

I guess he sent it via FedEx instead of a regular parcel or a certified shipment.

Hey guys, I’ve got a bit of a situation. A package arrived from the UK—well, I got that notification slip this morning saying I need to pay $53 and all that. The thing is, I’m having surgery tomorrow and I’ll be stuck in bed for at least ten days, so there's no way I can make it down to the post office. I don't have any family living nearby either, so... can I just send my boyfriend with my ID to handle it? The slip mentions something about legal representatives and authorized agents, so I'm a little confused about how it works

I've got a question about shipping heavy gear.

Basically, I need to ship an item to the USA that weighs somewhere between 50-60kg. It’s not massive in size—only about 20 inches high and 16 inches wide/long. I checked the USPS website and they say their standard packages max out at 70lbs. So, I'm looking for info: who handles international shipments over 70lbs, and what kind of rates are we talking about? Thanks.

I was using an online marketplace to sell some old stuff I just didn't need anymore, and with
the buyer, we agreed that they’d pay via cash on delivery. After
a few days, the mailman showed up with the cash, but then he tells me he can't actually
hand over the money because he needs my Social Security number—apparently, it's some new rule...

What's the deal with needing to hand over our SSN for this? And what happens if someone provides the wrong one?

So, here’s the latest headache: apparently, we've been hit with a new directive where we now have to ask for a Social Security number or some kind of taxpayer ID just to process any payouts.

Zachary Peterson6 said:The new policy is that we have to provide a Social Security number or a driver's license number for all payouts.

I’m wondering, what’s the actual point of handing over our SSN now? What happens if someone accidentally enters the wrong info?

Douglas Hughes3 said:What’s even the point of handing over my Social Security number now? What happens if someone messes up and puts in the wrong info?

It's just for identification purposes, I guess. I don't really see why you're making such a big deal out of providing some basic info. At the end of the day, the money is still yours, and you have to show your ID at the bank anyway...

brightangler18 said:Hey guys, I’ve got a bit of a situation. I just got word that a package arrived from the UK—basically, I got one of those notifications this morning saying I need to pay $53 and stuff. The thing is, I'm having surgery tomorrow and I'm going to be stuck in bed for at least ten days, so there's no way I can make it down to the post office. Since my family doesn't live in the same city, I was wondering if I could just send my boyfriend over with my ID? The notice mentions something about legal representatives and proxies, so I’m honestly a little confused about how this works.

Yeah, you should be fine. As long as he explains the situation when he gets there, it shouldn't be an issue.🙂

Zachary Peterson6 said:Look, just for identification purposes—I don't see why you're making such a big deal about sharing some info. It's your money regardless, and you have to show ID at the bank anyway...

I guess I’m just thinking about a situation I actually dealt with recently. I was trying to sell an old laptop for maybe $500 through some kind of buyback service.
My concern is, what happens if the IRS comes knocking? How am I supposed to explain where that $500 suddenly came from...

Douglas Hughes3 said:So, I was thinking about a situation where I might sell a laptop for, say, $5,000 in cash after some buyback deal.
I mean, I'm just wondering if the IRS is going to come knocking on my door asking me to explain where that $5,000 suddenly came from...

The IRS isn't going to bother you.😉

I'm looking over their price list right now...
Where does a bubble mailer with medium-sized bubbles (really stuffed with 😁 ) actually fall?
Is it under standard letter mail?
-up to 100g = $1.50? Is that really all it costs?

Thanks

Grace Adams49 said:I'm looking at this price list of theirs...
Where does a bubble mailer of medium size (totally stuffed with 😁 ) fall?
Is it just standard mail?
-under 100g = $1.50? Is that really it?

Thanks

Well, how much does your stuffed envelope actually weigh?😁

Does anyone know if I have a shot at getting them to resend this shipment for free? It was returned to my address before it even reached the recipient. Someone obviously flipped the envelope upside down during sorting at the USPS facility.