Mail & Shipping - Recommendations, Questions, and Answers

I get it, I don't exactly want the whole world peeking at my business either... I'm just wondering, does the paper have to be plain white or can I use some other color? And do I seriously need to use staples?

The paper needs to be solid color. It could be pink, I guess, but it has to be one solid shade—usually white or maybe some other colored paper...
As for those little twist ties, sometimes they ask for them and sometimes they don't. One time, they sent me home with three packages that were so hard to carry, I barely made it. Since then, I just make sure to include the twist ties every single time.

haha.. alright, thanks.. 😉

The US Postal Service really outdid themselves today—it’s actually nauseating seeing that yellow uniform now. 🙄

Look, if I ordered a package with shipping already included $100, then I shouldn't be getting hit with extra fees at my door. Why on earth is the post office charging me more $160? Just to be clear, this thing wasn't even cleared through customs yet—if it had been, I would've received a notification before it even reached my house. And even if it *was* subject to customs, that's a 22% tax, which comes out to about $22! But $60? What is this for???
I am honestly fed up. It feels like we're the only country left with this kind of blatant postal robbery going on! ☕👎

Not to mention, my packages have been taking almost a full week to arrive lately, when they used to show up in two or three days, easy. 😕
One package took me nearly ten days to get. Seriously, what is the deal with that?

I never bother putting spaghetti in a bag; I just send it as a standard parcel... the only time the clerk at the UPS Store gives me a weird look is when I ask for packing paper for a box that's smaller than a Chipotle container... honestly, why does she care what I'm shipping?

ironwolf52 said:The US Postal Service managed to delight me once again today—so much that just seeing that yellow color makes me want to gag! 🙄

So, let me get this straight: I ordered a package where shipping was already included $100, yet when it arrives, the post office tries to charge me extra money for what, exactly$160? Just to remind everyone, this wasn't even a customs issue, because if it were, I would have received a notification before the package even hit my doorstep. Even if it *had* been subject to duties, we're looking at 22%, which is roughly $22! But $60? For what???
I am honestly fed up. Are we really the only country left with a postal service that functions like a legalized mugging? ☕👎

And don't even get me started on the delivery times. Lately, my packages have been taking nearly a week to arrive, when they used to show up within two or three days! 😕
One package took about ten days to reach me. Ten days! What kind of operation is this?

What kind of package are we talking about here? Where was it sent from? Who was the sender? Honestly, you can't just claim the post office "delighted" you without providing any actual details. 😁

And if you actually ended up paying something, did you bother to ask WHAT the charge was for, or did you just hand over the cash and now you're complaining? 😕

I haven't dropped any money on this yet—honestly, I’m still debating whether it’s even worth the trip to pick up the package or if I should just let it go!
The package arrived from Canada in a 30x30 box, and they sent it marked as a gift just to try and dodge the customs fees. I'm heading out today to check out the rest of the situation, but I seriously doubt I'll be paying $60 those ridiculous postal fees alone; they're practically equal to the actual value of the item ☕🤷

Honestly, the USPS is driving me absolutely crazy lately, especially since I've had two different packages show up completely wide open, and then there were those other two times where the bubble mailers were all torn up like someone was just snooping through my stuff to see what was inside... plus, my parcels just sit at the local post office for five days before they finally bother sending that yellow slip for a signature, leaving me wondering if I'll even make it over there in time before they send it back to the sender, all while I'm stuck waiting ten to fifteen days for every single delivery... it really gets under my skin sometimes...🙄

ironwolf52 said:I haven't actually paid anything yet; I'm still weighing whether it's even worth heading out to pick up the package or not!
The parcel arrived from overseas in a 30x30 box, marked as a gift so it wouldn't get flagged by Customs. I'm going to check on all the other details today, but honestly, I doubt I'll pull the trigger if I have to pay $60 just for the shipping and handling fees—that alone is almost as much as the item itself! ☕🤷

I’m a little lost here too... Are you talking about $480 or $180? Could you clarify what you mean exactly?
Why would you be paying $160? You can't really do cash-on-delivery for international shipments, right? Can you walk me through how that works?😕

ironwolf52, you probably already covered the customs duties and sales tax 🤷 but that discrepancy? That’s just the shipping fees and the postal handling charge. It couldn't be anything else.

vividgull3 said:I honestly have no clue what you're getting at either. You keep jumping from 480 to 180—what exactly are we talking about here?
Why on earth would I pay $160? You can't exactly do cash on delivery from overseas, so please, enlighten me.😕

Just find and read the original post where the issue was first mentioned... it's really that simple.

ironwolf52, they hit you with customs duties on top of the $100 plus the sales tax.
If the average customs rate sits at 10%,
then you're looking at an extra $10—which means the sales tax on the $110 ends up being $24.
Between the duties and the sales tax, the total $34; even adding in those $100 of yours, it's $134
. They probably just slapped you with a higher tariff—I suppose it depends on what specific category the goods fall under.🤷🤷

Does anyone happen to know how the USPS is performing these days? I’m trying to avoid wandering around the local post office if service is currently a mess.🙂

Can someone please help me out here? I’ve been selling on here for a while now, but for the first time, I’ve got a buyer asking if I can ship everything COD (Cash on Delivery) and just tack the shipping costs onto the item price.
Does anyone actually know how this process works? Is it basically where they pay the mail carrier right when it arrives at their door, and then after a certain number of days—how many, exactly?—does the USPS cut me a check for the funds?

@ granitemaker13,

I suppose the mail carrier will drop that cash right into your hands within a few days; if the recipient refuses to pay upon delivery, the carrier isn't even allowed to hand over the package, they just take it back to the post office, and if it isn't claimed or paid for within five days, it eventually makes its way back to you.

However, it’s probably worth noting that the USPS takes a cut of the total amount, so the buyer ends up paying the original shipping cost plus a COD fee—which, if I recall correctly, is $8.25—along with a service commission that I believe sits somewhere around 10% of the total. So, if the item you're sending is priced at, say, $17, you add the $25 shipping, making it $75, and then the carrier collects an additional $2.50 in fees for the postal service. In my opinion, it's arguably the least efficient way to ship anything, but I guess some people prefer it that way.🤷

Edit: The only exception might be if someone lives in a tiny rural town where your specific bank doesn't have a branch, making a direct deposit impossible; in that case, I suppose they're unfortunately "stuck" using this rather inefficient method.😢

If I'm using one of those yellow bubble mailers... can I just send it via regular mail? Or is that specific type of envelope strictly for certified mail?

No, you can send it via standard mail, certified, or even as a package... does that work for me? 😍

Sandra Brooks91 said:No, you can just send it via standard mail, certified, or even as a package... does that apply to me too? 😍

Yeah, it applies to you. 👍 Thanks for the answer.

Kate Torres55, thanks for such a thorough breakdown.
Sophia Nelson67, I actually sent a t-shirt through the mail recently using a padded envelope—just a standard shipment—and it literally vanished into thin air. It never made it to the destination. I rarely send things that way (I usually stick to much more secure packages), so this was a first for me, but hey... stuff happens. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if there's some light theft happening in the system every now and then.

Maybe we should secure them with some extra duct tape... just in case they suddenly decide they need to be "extra" and start overcomplicating things again. 🙂