Mail & Shipping - Recommendations, Questions, and Answers

Greetings. Does anyone happen to know if our lovely FedEx actually moves things over the weekend? (To be more precise, my package was dispatched on Thursday... is there any realistic chance I might see it by Monday?)

I'm looking to ship this one big item that weighs about 6 or 7 pounds.
The dimensions are roughly 20x12x16.
It’s pretty awkward to handle, too—not exactly a perfect cube.
The thing is, I can't find a decent box anywhere, and since the value is only $13, it honestly feels like a waste of cash to go out and buy a specialized box or pay those ridiculous FedEx rates.
Can I just wrap the thing up myself? Will the USPS actually take it if it's just wrapped like that?

Linda Chavez14 said:That’s possible, provided they have power of attorney.

I was wondering, though—what's the actual process for getting a power of attorney set up?

Quick question!

So, when I order something from some random online shop overseas and it shows up while I'm out, where does the package actually go? Does it just sit at the local post office? Asking for a friend—basically just wondering how all these different shipping methods work.

Also, if there are extra fees, you know, customs or whatever, do I pay the mailman directly? Or what happens if I'm not around to pick it up at the station?

Thanks 🙂

If nobody's home, you just get a yellow slip and the package heads back to the local FedEx facility.
Usually, if there are customs fees or sales tax involved, they’ll call you first to prove what the item is actually worth. Then, about a week later, the package shows up and you pay the driver right there. Unfortunately, if you're hit with sales tax or import duties, the delivery service will also squeeze you for an extra $8.25 just to drop it off.
There's also this "small packet" category some eBay sellers love to use, where the mailman charges you $1.50 just for the delivery—even if it's a tiny 10-gram envelope while a 2kg box gets delivered for free. Your only real move is to have them take it back to the post office so you can pick it up yourself for free, assuming it's even worth the hassle over $1.50 bucks.

Jesse Thompson94 said:Also, there's this thing called "small packet" that some eBay sellers use to ship stuff, and then the mailman charges you $1.50 extra for delivery (even if it’s just a tiny 10-gram thing while a 2kg letter might show up for free).

So you're saying there's a chance the seller sends it, but it doesn't count as a "small packet," meaning the mailman drops it off at my place but I don't end up paying $1.50 anything?

Yeah, if you just send it as a letter, the mailman delivers it to your door for free.
Letters can go up to 2kg.
Though, I’ve ended up paying for small packet shipping once or twice. It’s weird—I got two different packages on the exact same day, one was just a phone case and the other was a 1kg item, yet I still had to pay for the case because it had a small packet label on it.

I sent a package out to Poland on Saturday and it hit Washington, D.C. by Monday. But then—get this—Monday afternoon it gets sent right back to the original post office. It’s been sitting there for two days now with just a "shipment in transit" status. Anyone actually know what the deal is here?

If I’m looking to sell some sneakers on eBay, what’s the best way to handle shipping to the buyer? Should I just drop the package off at the post office and have them cover the shipping costs if that's what we agreed on? I’ve honestly never sent anything through the mail before, so I’m a little lost here 😬 🤦

I could send the shoes as a standard package, or maybe try something like cash on delivery? Hmm...

Hey, I'm looking to ship two vinyl records from the States over to Australia. I've already got my own packaging ready to go, and the whole thing weighs somewhere between 0.2 and 0.5kg.

The part that's tripping me up is figuring out which shipping class this actually falls under. Is it considered a package, a letter, or maybe priority mail? I'm just trying to get an accurate estimate when using the online calculators...

Thanks in advance for any help...

If I'm sending a package to someone in San Francisco, do I actually get a box at the post office, or am I expected to pack everything up myself at home before heading over there?

It’s been two days since I sent my certified mail, and there’s still no sign of it. According to the tracking info, the status hasn't budged from when I first dropped it off at the post office. Is this actually standard procedure, or am I just being ignored?

Does anyone know if international tracking only works until the package leaves the US, or can I follow its progress online once it hits foreign soil? My last update shows Washington, D.C. from two days ago—even though I sent it out this past Monday. Thanks!

Is there any way to switch my delivery zip code?

So, up until lately, all my packages were being sent to the post office over on Kennedy, and before that, they used to go to the one on Branimirov. But now, they’ve gone and dumped my deliveries at this local branch in a neighborhood where trying to park in the afternoon is basically a suicide mission—seriously, you can't even find a spot without getting a ticket. I spent 45 minutes just circling the block today, and when I finally found a space, it was actually closer to the Kennedy location than this new place they assigned me. It's such a headache, right?

Does anyone know if there's some kind of setting or process to actually lock in which post office handles my shipments?

What’s the damage if I send something via COD and the buyer just refuses to pick it up, leaving me to deal with the return shipping?

If I decide to send something via FedEx with a COD (cash on delivery) option, where the recipient covers the shipping costs upon arrival—meaning I don't have to pay a dime upfront during the shipping process—what actually happens if they just refuse to pick it up?*

I need to mail a letter over to the USA, and I was wondering if anyone could clarify something for me. Can I just walk into a local Post Office, hand them the envelope, and have them handle everything at once? Like, can they take care of the postage stamps and all the necessary processing right there on the spot?

I got one of those little yellow slips left on my door because nobody was home, so now I have to trek down to the post office tomorrow to deal with it.

Anyway, the tracking number on it starts with PP XXXXXXXXX US. I'm wondering what that "PP" actually stands for—usually, I see "RB," so I'm starting to worry this might be some kind of fine or citation, which is definitely not how I wanted to spend my week. Does anyone know if they use that specific tracking prefix for penalties?

rowdyhawk14 said:I got one of those yellow slips left on my door because nobody was home, so now I have to head down to the post office tomorrow to deal with it.

Anyway, there’s a tracking number on it formatted like PP XXXXXXXXX US. I’m wondering what that "PP" actually stands for. Usually, I see "RB," so I'm low-key freaking out thinking this might be some kind of fine or citation. Does anyone know if they use that specific tracking prefix for penalties? I'm a little stressed about it.

Just a small package from China...

Zachary Peterson6 said:just a tiny package from China...

Thanks.

Are you absolutely sure about that? Because if they hadn't left that little yellow slip, I would’ve had to show up there and shell out $0.70 just to find out what was going on.

So, does this mean they have a trick where they slap their own PPXXXXXXXXUS number on these tiny packages? I'm actually waiting on a small parcel from China right now that was sent without any tracking, and this number ending in US has me completely thrown off.