Mail & Shipping - Recommendations, Questions, and Answers

Hello. My shipment arrives tomorrow, but I am currently on vacation. I will not return to Washington, D.C. until Sunday.
Is it possible to call the local Post Office and request that they hold my package until Monday?

Greetings,

I occasionally find myself needing to ship as many as ten packages in a single day, and I am desperately searching for the most streamlined way to handle this workload...
Using the USPS is becoming an absolute nightmare for me because it takes forever; I have to manually fill out all those tedious little forms, drive down to the local post office, wait in those endless lines, and then just stand there while the clerk types everything in by hand...
Does anyone know if there is another carrier out there that offers a much faster process while keeping the costs roughly in the same ballpark? Because if I'm sending items with a COD value of around 22-$10 it ends up being quite...

If they’re just small parcels coming from Amazon $10 using their own boxes and shipping labels—you won't have to deal with any extra customs fees or import duties.

And what if I decide not to list it on Craigslist?

Craigslist doesn't ask questions, and shipping options are totally up to you

The only thing they really can't be trusted with is:

So, what you're actually asking for is a flawless, white-glove courier service that handles everything—labeling, pickup, all that jazz—and somehow stays under $3.25 per package?
That's just not how the real world works.

neonbear7 said:So, what you're actually describing is this dream scenario where you find a flawless postal or courier service that basically shows up at your doorstep to handle all the labeling and pickups for you, all while keeping the cost around $3.25 per package, right?
Well, that simply doesn't exist.

No, that isn't it at all—I just want to be certain they can actually deliver the packages safely! :-) And clearly, Amazon isn't quite up to the task here. It’s such a shame, really... because I was actually quite fond of the pricing.

So, I rolled in today after three rounds of shots. Honestly, the Uber ride was smooth sailing—no issues there. Just give it a shot yourself and see what you think.

Hey everyone, I was wondering if anyone here has actually had a good experience with FedEx? I’ve been seeing a ton of negative reviews lately, so I’m starting to worry if their delivery service is really that bad. My phone was shipped from Miami yesterday via FedEx, and honestly, all those comments have me a little nervous. From what I can gather, some people were even being charged extra fees for weekend deliveries. I'm just hoping my phone arrives tomorrow—if they're actually capable of getting something sent at 7 AM one day and delivered by 8 PM the next. Thanks in advance for any input! 🙂

Hey everyone, I was wondering if anyone here has actually had a good experience using FedEx? I’ve been seeing a ton of negative reviews lately, so I’m starting to wonder if their shipping really is that bad. I just had a phone sent out from Miami via FedEx yesterday, and honestly, all those comments have me a little nervous about whether it'll show up okay. 🤦 From what I can tell, some people were even getting charged extra fees over the weekend, which seems crazy. I’m just hoping my phone arrives tomorrow—if they're actually capable of moving one small item from 7 AM one day to 8 PM the next. Thanks in advance for any input 🙂

Since that’s probably the biggest courier service in the States, including the one I use

How much time typically elapses between the moment a COD shipment is collected and when the funds actually settle into the sender's bank account? If a package is picked up at a FedEx facility, do they initiate the payment transfer immediately, or is there a processing delay? Furthermore, would the funds arrive more quickly if the transaction is handled via direct deposit rather than having a mail carrier deliver the cash in person?

Michelle Lee66 said:Hey everyone, I was wondering if anyone here actually has a good experience using FedEx? I've been seeing a massive amount of negative reviews and horror stories online, so now I'm starting to wonder if their shipping is really as terrible as people say... Yesterday, they shipped out a phone from Miami via FedEx and I'm just praying everything goes smoothly, because all those comments have me totally freaked out. 🤦 From what I can gather, some people were even being charged extra for weekend deliveries or storage fees, which is ridiculous, so I'm just hoping my phone shows up tomorrow if they're actually capable of moving one tiny little thing from 7 AM one day to 8 PM the next. Thanks in advance for any help 🙂

So, how did it turn out?

Jonathan Cox20 said:How long does it actually take for cash on delivery funds to hit the sender's account? If someone picks up the package at the FedEx office, do they trigger an immediate payout, or what? Also, is there a faster way—direct deposit versus waiting for the mailman to drop off the cash?

Once it hits the account, give it a business day or two.

I’m looking at picking up a computer through Craigslist, and the seller is planning to ship it to me—I'll be paying upon delivery. Since I won't be there in person to test the machine the moment the package arrives, I'm wondering: is there any kind of window where I can freeze the payment if the device turns out to be defective? It isn't a particularly expensive setup, so it doesn't really make sense to go through an expensive service like Amazon just to get their two-day payment protection window.

Nah, you only really need to worry about it during pickup if something looks blatantly off. Besides the whole thing regarding seals and security, you actually need to read this:
https://www.fedex.com/FraudInstructions
"The goal here is to stop unidentified people from running off with money gained through identity fraud. If the sender provides all the data required by this protocol, FedEx will assume the sender isn't trying to pull an identity scam (or flee with the cash), and once they've been verified, the collected COD funds will be transferred directly to their bank account."

I mean, seriously, what on earth is going on over there?! Every single one of my packages has been sitting in limbo for over a week now... and don't even get me started on trying to actually reach someone. You can't even call them up to verify a tracking code anymore because the second you dial, you're hit with an automated message saying their lines are completely slammed and to just try back later... It’s painfully obvious that they are in a state of absolute chaos right now...

The post office is moving, so everything's a complete mess right now.

Oh, right, I actually heard about that, though apparently they’ve gone ahead and shut down the info phone line now...