Mail & Shipping - Recommendations, Questions, and Answers

Elizabeth Palmer2 said:Does anyone know if Time handles outgoing packages? Sunday?

If the kiosk is up and running, then why the hell isn't it working?

Does anyone have advice on the best way to ship a small piece of clothing? Should I send it via certified mail or just as a standard package? Also, if I decide to go that route, would it be better to just buy a box directly from the Post Office? And can a package even be sent as certified mail, or is that unnecessary?

Can I actually toss some clothes into a Time envelope (like the $1.75 kind)? I’m thinking just a basic tee or a skirt—nothing huge... or am I strictly limited to paper products? 🙂

Maria Fowler28 said:Hey guys, what’s the best way to ship a small item like clothing? Should I send it as certified mail or just a regular package? Also, can I just buy a box from them when I get there? And does a package even need to be sent certified, or is that overkill?

If it’s light, certified mail will end up being cheaper for you. Shipping a full package starts at $6.00 a minimum.

I am looking for someone to purchase this via eBay - http://www.ebay.com/itm/Not-All-Thos...item4175b6ef7f

On August 6th, I sent out a certified package with COD fees destined for Miami. When I check the USPS tracking page, it shows that the shipment was received on 6.8., and then on 8.8., it arrived in Miami, where the status says "preparing for delivery"... What exactly does that imply? Does this tracking information give any indication if the recipient fails to pick it up, or if the package ends up being returned to me?

Hey everyone! I could really use some quick advice if anyone has a moment.🙂

I need to ship a baby basin—it’s about 77x53x21 cm and weighs roughly 1.5 kg.

Do you think just wrapping it in paper would work? I guess I'm a little worried the postal workers might accidentally crush it—unless I should definitely put it in a box.
And what’s probably the cheapest way to get this sent? Can I just take something that size to the post office and send it as a standard package, or would I have to use something like FedEx?
Or maybe there's another way altogether...😢
Thanks in advance!

Melissa Parker68 said:Hey everyone! I need some help here as soon as possible.🙂

I've got a baby basin to ship out, dimensions are 77x53x21, weighs about 1.5 kg.

Is wrapping it in just paper enough? I'm worried the mail carriers will just smash it to pieces if I don't use a box.
Also, what's the cheapest way to get this sent? Can I just walk into the Post Office and send it as a package, or does it have to go through FedEx?
Or maybe there's another way...😢
Thanks in advance

You really ought to put that in a large box. You can use the USPS or FedEx, though FedEx is going to cost you more.

What’s the best—and then subsequently the most budget-friendly—way to ship a bike shock (http://www.bike-mailorder.de/out/pic...warz-59617.jpg), weighing about 2.5kg, over to the USA?

Can I mail something inside a small bag if I wrap it in paper and seal it up completely on all sides?

placidgardener51 said:Can I just send something in a bag, wrap it up in paper, and tape the whole thing shut on all sides?

Yeah, you can.

Zachary Peterson6 said:you can

Thanks! 🙂

Do they actually deliver packages on Saturdays? And is it even plausible for mail to travel from the Midwest or Florida to Washington, D.C. in just one day?

Good afternoon, everyone,

I was wondering if anyone here might have some insight regarding the services or the reputation of this particular company:

http://www.eastex.com

Does anyone happen to know them?

Is there any way to receive a package anonymously? I mean, without having to give my home address or anything like that to the sender. I saw they have some kind of PO Boxes, but I don't really get how the process works... I just need this for one single shipment.

William Robinson2 said:Is there any way to receive a package anonymously? Like, without giving the sender my home address and all that? I saw they have PO boxes, but I don't really get how that works... I just need this for one single shipment..

Use General Delivery. You write it like this:
Full Name
General Delivery
Washington, D.C.
Then you show up at the post office with your ID.
But you have to provide your actual name. There's no way around that.

Tyler Vaughn5 said:Do packages arrive on Saturdays? And is it possible for mail to get from the Midwest or Florida to Washington, D.C. in just one day?

No Saturday delivery.
From the Midwest, one day to D.C. is doable. From Florida, it's a stretch... sometimes it took me three days from Miami, but something from Maui arrived express in two.
Too many variables. Three days is the max for transit.

Hey,
So on Wednesday I shipped a phone up to Cleveland to some woman—trying to get a BlackBerry 8520 Curve for my son. I set the COD amount at $100 per our deal and sent it via HP express shipping. It arrived yesterday morning, and she calls me immediately asking what’s wrong with it. Apparently, she can't figure out how to use a BlackBerry, says the startup takes forever (like, a few minutes), and she couldn't even figure out where the SIM card goes?? Then, once she realized the BlackBerry was only in English and didn't have an American language option, she decided she wanted to return it. She already opened everything up, so now I'm sitting here worrying if she actually broke something. This morning the mailman shows up and tells me I have to pay $127 just to get the phone back.
Basically, she gave the mailman those $100, and now she's dumped all the damn shipping costs—$80—on me. I can't even get the phone back until I cough up $127, and I only have five business days to pick it up. When I originally mailed it, the lady at the post office told me I'd get the $100 refund by Monday or Tuesday. I honestly don't get why I'm stuck with all these fees when she's the one who messed up. Now I'm down $27 after paying this, and who knows what kind of condition the phone will be in when it gets back to me.
Is there anything I can actually do about this???
To top it off, she told me yesterday she'd already mailed it, but then an hour later she's insisting her husband—get this—is a "police inspector heading out on duty" and could just drop it off himself. Makes zero sense if she already sent it. Total bottom of the barrel... If you're gonna buy something, maybe spend five minutes on Google to see what a BlackBerry actually is. Those are for business people, not kids.

Yeah, my bad on the last post. Is it gonna be an issue since I don't have the $27 for shipping? If I had it, I wouldn't even be rushing to sell this phone right now, but I'm in a huge bind. It’s gonna head back to her in 5 days if I don't pick it up—which, let's be real, probably won't happen—and then I'll just get those $100 back. Will I run into any trouble because the package wasn't picked up? Honestly, I highly doubt she'll even cover half the shipping costs; I feel like I'm getting totally played here. Plz help... I'm seriously stuck and don't know who else to ask.

Look, I honestly don't know what kind of brilliant advice I can give you, other than this: never, ever ship anything COD. I learned the hard way when someone totally ripped me off over the shipping costs; they refused to pick up the package, it got sent back to me, and I ended up losing the initial shipping fee plus having to pay extra just to get my own stuff back. That's why I stopped doing cash on delivery entirely. If someone isn't willing to just Zelle or wire the money upfront, fine—no big deal, I'll find another buyer. But doing COD? You never know what kind of people you're dealing with.

Yeah... I mean, when she said she was returning it, I just told her "sure, no biggie." But honestly, I didn't see this coming. She had no clue there wasn't an American English version for the BlackBerry, and now she's trying to charge me for all the shipping costs... I texted my wife about it, and look, I'm not about to go out on a limb or scramble to find $29 just to cover shipping just so she can get her $30 back. Now I'm wondering if this is gonna turn into a whole thing. If she decides not to chip in for the postage, I end up stuck with the phone money anyway, and she basically got it for free. From now on, I'm sticking to buying and selling locally... 🙂