Mail & Shipping - Recommendations, Questions, and Answers

Chloe Alvarez said:Do you actually know someone from their area, or vice versa?

I mean, I know some people, but it’s strictly business—we aren't exactly "best friends" where I can just send them running all over Los Angeles to handle my random errands!
The whole thing is because his iPhone is unlocked, and there's a chance it might not play nice with my AT&T SIM card. That's why I wanted to have him ship it to me first—I could pop my SIM in to test it, and if it works, I'll send him my phone which isn't locked and works with any carrier under the sun!
It’s a massive headache and honestly, I really don't feel like dealing with the hassle 186 miles over some phone that might not even work when it finally arrives!
I think I'm just gonna call the whole thing off.

swiftseal97 said:Hey everyone, I’ve got a question for the group!
How on earth do you people actually trade stuff with a complete stranger??
Here’s the deal—we met through an online forum and want to swap phones, but neither of us wants to be the first one to ship our device into the void without any guarantee!
I suggested we swap IDs—you know, send photos of driver's licenses or some other official document—and then just meet up at a Greyhound station to hand off the packages.
Is there any other way to protect yourself??? I’ve already been burned once before, and let's just say it was a disaster... So, how would you handle this situation????

Well, I actually had one of those situations myself (and it turned out to be a surprisingly pleasant experience). We both basically operated on pure faith... This woman from the forum sent me her phone in its original box, and the second I received it, I popped my SIM card in, put my old phone in the box, and shipped it right back to her. 😁The catch was that I only owned that one phone, so we couldn't exactly ship them simultaneously—but she had enough trust in me to go first (thank you, girl! 😍), which allowed me to swap my card immediately. I still have it today, and honestly, I absolutely adore my little pink phone. 😁😍
I really hope you two can work something out! 👍

Hey, listen—I’ve run into a bit of a situation here.

I have two shirts being shipped to me from Memphis, Tennessee, and there's a major catch: the folks at the local post office are claiming the shipping fees should be around $15. For the person sending them—and honestly, for me too—that feels like an absolute rip-off!

Is there any other way to get these sent, or is it actually possible for a shipping fee to be that high?

Ugh, that sounds way too much... I mean, how are they even getting that to you? I tried sending stuff over to Mexico and Canada once, and I don't think I ever got more than $10 back, if I remember correctly... and that was just using standard USPS. What exactly are you shipping?

I mean, why not just have them send it via Greyhound? Has anyone even bothered to look into that possibility?

I’m guessing there isn’t a straight shot from Memphis to Split... right?

Has anyone else had issues with a certified package just vanishing? What’s the protocol if it doesn't show up?

I've been waiting on one since February 14th. It was sent from Chicago and still nothing... I'm positive my girlfriend sent it, so there isn't any confusion on her end.

Amy Booth70 said:Can someone tell me if anyone else has dealt with a certified package just vanishing into thin air? What on earth do you do when a certified shipment fails to arrive!?????

I've been waiting on one since February 14th. It was sent from Chicago and still hasn't shown up... and I am absolutely certain my friend sent it properly, so there's no way it's an issue on her end...

Look, if it’s been more than 15 days since she dropped it off and the package hasn't arrived or been returned, then there is a specific protocol to follow. She needs to take her receipt for the shipment back to the local USPS branch where she sent it and file a formal claim. A clerk there will fill out the paperwork, which then gets routed to your local post office. They check the status, and if they confirm it's lost, she'll be entitled to compensation—usually five times the postage cost. And let me tell you, that reimbursement tends to hit the account pretty quickly.

Beyond that, there isn't much else you can do. 🤷

Angela Flores76 said:If it’s been 15 days since she shipped it and there’s still no sign of the package or a return, she needs to take her proof of mailing down to the local USPS office where she sent it from to file a claim. A clerk will help her fill out the paperwork, and that claim gets routed to your local branch to verify if the item actually arrived. If they confirm it's lost, she’ll be entitled to compensation—usually the shipping cost multiplied by five. That reimbursement tends to process pretty quickly.

Beyond that, there isn't much else that can be done. 🤷

Won't she get the shipping costs times three plus the actual value of the items she listed?

Drew Gonzalez75 said:Won't they be reimbursed for the shipping costs three times over plus the actual value of the items she listed?

From what I can gather, we're talking about a standard certified mail shipment here—there’s absolutely nothing in the paperwork indicating a declared value was even set. In those cases, you typically get the shipping fee multiplied by five. Of course, if a specific value had been declared, the math changes entirely, but I am strictly referring to a basic certified shipment. 🙂

thanks Angela Flores76....everything's already sorted out 😉

How many days does it usually take for a letter to get from, say, Seattle to Portland? I’ve got some urgent paperwork I need to get moving, so I'm wondering if we're looking at a two-day turnaround or if it'll take longer than that? please help🙂

It’ll take maybe two days if you get the order in by 2 PM, I think.

Angela Grant22 said:How many days does it actually take for a letter to travel from San Diego to Los Angeles? I need to get some paperwork sent out immediately, and I’m trying to figure out if we're looking at a forty-eight-hour turnaround or if this is going to drag on for even longer. Please, someone, help me out here.🙂

If you manage to get that order in by 2:00 PM, I’m thinking FedEx might actually pull it off and have it at your door by tomorrow—or, if we're being realistic about the current state of logistics, maybe in two days.

Does anyone actually bother to check the fine print? Because, for the record, the turnaround time for USPS Priority Mail is four business days. Just thought I’d clarify that for those of you expecting miracles. 🙂

I’ve honestly never had a situation where a package—for me or anyone I’ve sent stuff to—showed up the very next day. Like, ever. Hmm.

Ugh, now you’ve gone and reminded me that I actually need to go pick up a package that was sent via USPS Priority... if my deadline started counting this past Saturday, and since Sunday is a non-business day, when am I actually supposed to swing by and grab it? 😬

And seriously, why on earth is the main post office so far away from my place? Such a pain. 😁

thanks for the replies 🙂

Drew Gonzalez75 said:Won't they be reimbursed for the shipping costs three times over, plus the actual value of the items she listed?

Could someone verify this for me?
I'm talking about the packages where you write down the declared value on the label.

So, I’ve got a bit of a rhetorical question for you guys—and yeah, I know this is slightly off-topic, so please don't come for me...
...but what on earth am I supposed to do when someone uses an app like eBay to send you total junk? The item I received is completely broken.
The only way to reach them is through email. We had this sort of half-hearted agreement—if you catch my drift—where they said I could just ship the "merchandise" back. Honestly, my gut was screaming that something was fishy right from the start. When they were the ones sending the item, they were all over my emails, super responsive and polite, but the second the tables turned and I needed to send it back, I got this one single, incredibly reluctant email basically saying, "Fine, just send it."
I actually sent a follow-up email where I was being super apologetic about how messy the whole situation became. I told them I really just wanted everything to be fine and for the item to actually work, but since it’s dead on arrival, I’m sending it back... and then? Absolute radio silence. No response at all...
...But, because I'm apparently a bit too trusting, I went ahead and shipped it back anyway. And of course, the "gentleman" in question never even bothered to pick it up! Instead, I ended up getting the package sent right back to me, and to top it all off, FedEx charged me extra for the shipping both ways. $3.25 What a joke.

I'm assuming I can get scammed like this, right? Because honestly, I absolutely hate being played for a fool. It feels so incredibly disrespectful to be treated this way.

Bradley Lopez11 said:So, here's a little rhetorical question for you guys—kind of off-topic, I know, but bear with me...
What are you actually supposed to do when someone sends you broken junk through some random online marketplace? Like, the thing just doesn't work.
The only way to reach them is via email. We sort of reached a "handshake agreement" over the platform (if you catch my drift) that I’d ship the item back. It felt sketchy from the jump, though—when he was selling to me, he was all over the emails, super responsive and helpful, but the second I had to send it back, I got this one reluctant reply basically saying "fine, send it."
I sent another follow-up, basically apologizing for the whole mess and explaining that I really just wanted a working item and wanted everything to be cool, but since it's dead, I'm sending it back... and then, radio silence. Nothing.
....But I went ahead and shipped it anyway, and of course, the "gentleman" never even picked it up. Instead, I ended up getting the package back and—get this—FedEx charged me extra for the return shipping. $3.25Talk about getting played.

I'm assuming I can get them reported, right? Honestly, I just hate being treated like an idiot and getting totally screwed over like this.

In principle, yeah, you can report them, but honestly, there isn't much you can do. These types of sellers rely on verbal agreements, which aren't really backed by much in terms of consumer law here. If you're looking to buy stuff, you're better off hitting up eBay. You have way more options there, and the prices are usually way more reasonable than on those niche marketplaces—which, by the way, are mostly just overpriced sites with totally unrealistic pricing (at least in the coin collecting world, which is what I follow most). But hey, I guess nobody can stop an individual from asking whatever ridiculous price they want...
For example, look at the people trying to sell Nazi Germany coins for $13 $0.00 a pop. If those were actually fair prices, I could probably buy Walmart 🙂
just to add to my collection of Nazi Germany coins. Anyway, getting back to your point—on eBay, the seller is obligated to give you a full refund if the item arrives damaged or if you're unhappy with it, unless it was clearly stated otherwise. Plus, you can actually take legal action because auction-style sales still fall under US consumer protection laws.

...Better luck next time, man. I hope it wasn't a huge amount of money.

I have just one quick question... does anyone happen to know what the shipping costs are if I'm sending a registered letter (just a light little package) from the US over to Canada? I honestly can't even begin to guess at the price, so if anyone here has sent something similar recently, I would be so incredibly grateful if you could let me know what it cost. Thanks a million!