Mail & Shipping - Recommendations, Questions, and Answers

I’m attempting to ship a small parcel internationally via the postal service for the very first time, and frankly, I find the entire process quite baffling. My plan is to send something rather minimal tucked inside a small padded envelope. Am I correct in assuming I can simply pick up such an envelope at a local bookstore or similar shop, pack everything securely, scribble the addresses on the outside, and call it a day? Furthermore, regarding the logistics of address placement—does the specific positioning on the envelope actually matter, or is it irrelevant? Finally, once I physically arrive at the post office to drop it off, what is the standard procedure? Would I be wise to opt for registered mail, or is there a superior method for ensuring it actually reaches its destination?

Sean Kelly10 said:They sent me priority mail from Chicago to San Francisco the day before yesterday, and it still hasn't shown up today. Is priority supposed to arrive the very next day?

No, only UPS actually offers any kind of next-day guarantee. Everyone else? Not so much.

stormyjackal97 said:I'm sending a small package internationally through the mail for the first time. I have no clue how this works. I want to send something tiny in a padded envelope. Can I just buy an envelope at a bookstore or something, pack everything inside, write the addresses on it, and ship it? How exactly should the addresses be written (does placement matter?), and what happens when I take it to the post office? Should I go with registered mail or what?

http://www.usps.com/help/addressing

Registered mail is your best bet if you actually want some control over where your stuff ends up. You can grab an envelope anywhere.

I usually put my return address in the top left corner of the padded envelope.
The recipient's address goes down in the bottom right.

^ Thanks a million for the response.

Does anyone know how much the recipient's address actually matters when shipping through The New York Times? If the recipient is in Canada, I assume their address is there, but the package will be picked up here in the States via The New York Times because they don't handle international pickups directly. Is that going to cause any issues?🤷

So, I was looking to pick up a processor through Craigslist, and I told the guy I wanted to go through FedEx because they have that partnership with the site specifically to prevent all those scams. Now this guy is telling me he saw that the shipping would be $20, which just seems impossible—that's way too expensive. I've had FedEx deliver to me plenty of times before and it’s always been around $12, but that was usually through eBay or Bodybuilding.com, and I'm not sure how it works now when you're dealing with a random individual. Does anyone here know how this works?

Is it this?

https://www.overseas.com/private-pricing-packages

I mean, a processor can fit right inside a standard envelope, so it really should just be sent via registered mail. I have no idea where he gets the idea that it costs $20, because honestly, who would ever bother buying something if the shipping fees were that ridiculous?

Help, please. What am I looking at here?

Date and Time Location Event Description Notes
05/12/2014 18:09:47 10173 Chicago Shipment received
05/13/2014 15:36:11 10200 Chicago Delivery attempt For delivery to the second office in Chicago (10131)
05/13/2014 19:42:08 10131 Chicago Preparing shipment for delivery

I've got a bit of a dilemma here. Let's say I just sold some earrings on eBay for $4,000, and now I actually have to ship them out.

Usually, I just stick to standard mail—international registered shipping with an airmail option. Most of the time things arrive without much fuss, but the tracking is an absolute nightmare unless it's headed straight to the States, in which case it's fine enough.

It wasn't really an issue before because the maximum value of my items was around $1,000, which isn't exactly a high-stakes gamble if something goes sideways. Back then, I’d just use a slightly better level of protection by sending stuff via international UPS.

But with this jewelry, I need to be 100% covered. I need rock-solid tracking and a signature confirmation upon delivery so I have actual proof the package arrived. What is my best move here? I cannot afford to lose a shipment of this value; losing stuff through regular mail has happened to me way too many times, and nobody ever has any clue where it vanished to.😂 🤣

What should I use to send this? What's the most secure way to ship small, lightweight jewelry weighing about 100 grams?

That essentially means you'll need to head down to the USPS to pick up your package.

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Here’s the latest update: once you receive your package—whether it's delivered right to your doorstep or you pick it up at the local USPS office—you can actually open it right then and there while a USPS employee is present. This lets you verify immediately that what's inside is exactly what you paid for. If the contents aren't what you expected, the USPS will help you file an official report regarding the discrepancy. From there, you’re entitled to an immediate refund of both the item cost and the shipping fees, and the package gets sent straight back to the sender. Pretty straightforward, right?

http://usps.com/-safer-online-shopping

If I get this sent out from Washington, D.C. via USPS today, any chance it hits Indianapolis by Friday? Thanks.

slyrider472 said:If I send something via USPS today from Washington, D.C., is there any chance it actually makes it to Indianapolis by Friday? Thanks.

Yeah, totally!

Quick question for the experts out there! About two months ago, I sent three standard letters through USPS—just my usual routine. Well, all three came right back to me. Two arrived on the same day, and the third popped up a week later, all sporting those yellow stickers that say "RETURN TO SENDER NOT DELIVERABLE AS ADDRESSED UNABLE TO FORWARD."
I actually scanned them over to some folks, and they swear the addresses are 100% correct and accurate. Any idea what's going on? This is happening here in the US, and I've never run into this kind of weirdness when mailing things around the States before.

Greetings,
I had a standard package sent this Thursday from the other side of the country (destined for zip code 10126). Based on typical transit times, I expect it to arrive by Monday. My assumption is that all such shipments are first routed through the main sorting facility on Broadway. Does anyone have any insight into whether it would be possible to pick it up tomorrow if it’s already reached their hub, or is such an idea completely out of the question?

Alright, I’ve got a strange situation on my hands here,

It’s never happened to me before—I’m actually the one being screwed over here, even though I was the sender. The recipient handled everything perfectly on their end.

Basically, I sent a package COD, where the $125 payment is made via a standard slip directly to my account. I ship stuff this way all the time.

The package was delivered on May 30th, and up until today, I hadn't seen a single cent hit my account.

So, here is what I’m wondering: since I’m the one losing out in this scenario, can I actually claim any damages from them?

It wasn't until TODAY that the USPS finally dropped the payment for a shipment delivered back on May 30th.

It should have taken twelve days max to get paid. Their excuse? They claimed they couldn't process it because, starting June 1st, they switched entirely to IBAN transfers. But honestly, I haven't used old-school account numbers in months; ever since the IBAN transition rolled out, that’s all I use anyway.

In the end, they finally sorted it out. They actually called me today to admit the fault lay with the bank—in my case, JP Morgan Chase. The funds finally landed with the description "FROM 30 WITHOUT IBAN." Regardless, I was at the post office yesterday filing a formal investigation, which is what you do when the USPS loses the plot. We'll see how things shake out once they respond.

Since I've never dealt with this before, does anyone know how to get compensation? All their deadlines were blown past.

Does anyone know if I can just slap some stamps on a package when sending it through USPS?

Could someone please help me out? Since this is my first time dealing with this, I'm feeling a bit lost because a registered package seems to have gone missing somewhere within the US.
I don't actually have the receipt from the USPS office on me right now, but I'm assuming it has a tracking number listed that I could probably use to check the status on their website, if I'm understanding that correctly?

Yeah, I've got a tracking number right here.

I could use some advice 🙂 I'm looking to buy an electric kid's car on eBay from the United Kingdom—it weighs up to about 65 pounds—and I've already basically committed to the auction. I'm wondering what the most cost-effective and, obviously, safest way to handle the shipping would be. I spoke with the seller, and naturally, they won't ship it until they see the funds, but I'm just not sure how to manage the logistics 🤷

I think at FedEx, for a package that heavy, they charge $120 based on their own weight calculations

Hey,
What's the cheapest way to ship a car seat around the States? It’s one of those bulky things that won't fit in a standard box. If I just sent it via a Greyhound bus, how much is it normal to tip the driver for handling stuff like that?

I'm looking to ship a wristwatch—roughly 70-80 grams—over to the USA. What’s the most budget-friendly way to get this done while still getting a tracking number? Honestly, all I really need is some sort of proof that the watch actually made it to its destination, and I need to be able to declare a value of $500. I've been browsing the Overseas website, and from what I can tell, $98 seems like a massive overkill for such a tiny item, don't you think?