Mail & Shipping - Recommendations, Questions, and Answers

Sophia Nelson67 said:My mom always calls this specific number, and then some guy from FedEx shows up right at the door, grabs the package, charges her for shipping or whatever they call it, and heads out...

Can I get that number?

Since I’m new here and haven't actually sent anything through the mail before—I just wanted to ask—do I get the packaging at the post office, or should I go ahead and buy my own supplies somewhere first?

nimblepilot17 said:Since I'm new here and have never actually shipped a package before, I was just wondering—do I get the packaging at the Post Office, or should I buy my own supplies beforehand? And if so, where?

Just grab a shoebox and wrap it in some paper—either plain white or that decorative paper used for notebooks (just flip it to the plain side if you need to)... honestly, I don't think anyone actually buys those official USPS boxes.👍

Sophia Nelson67 said:Just grab an old shoebox and wrap it in some plain white paper—or maybe that decorative paper you find at Target for journals—then just flip it over to the clean side. Honestly, I don't think anyone actually uses those standard gift bags from the Post Office anymore. 👍

Thanks🙂

Oh goodness, let’s dive a little deeper into this whole Cash on Delivery situation, because I must admit, I haven't quite wrapped my head around the specifics yet...
If the total value of the items is, say, $13 well, if I've already covered the shipping costs, how much am I actually handing over to the FedEx driver when they arrive at my door? $8.25, $22 Is it just the item price,
or is there more to it?? I must say, I feel a bit completely lost in the details here...🤷

The last time I ordered, they hit me with nearly $17...$8.25 shipping costs for the buyout plus an extra $6.75 (maybe even a bit more) just for postage, as if I were sending a single small package... if you catch my drift...

Rebecca Reed said:Ugh, can we talk about this whole Cash on Delivery thing for a second? I am completely lost here...
If the item value is, I don't even know, $13 and then I pay for shipping, how much am I actually handing over to the delivery driver at the end of the day? $8.25, $22 or what exactly??
I’ve just totally lost the thread on how this works...🤷

It really depends on what you're sending. I've used COD a few times myself, and the shipping usually ends up being around $6.00, so I would just tack that onto the final total that the recipient hands over to the driver. As for larger packages, I haven't really figured out the specifics yet. 🤷

Well, I was actually looking to purchase something from this one girl, but she insists on only doing cash on delivery... so, I guess it's a no from me. Thanks anyway! 🙂

When you send something via certified mail with COD (cash on delivery)... the shipping usually averages out to about $8.25, depending on how heavy it is and what the package is worth. Plus, the person receiving it is definitely going to be hit with an extra charge of roughly $2.75. I remember once sending off a box of perfumes using that exact method (it was a certified shipment with COD) and there were 12 bottles in there. I listed the value at a little over $150. It weighed in at about 6 or 7 pounds, and the shipping cost me around $20. Honestly, it’s the safest way to ship stuff, but it’s definitely the most expensive option.

So, if I'm understanding this correctly, if someone is sending me something exclusively via Cash on Delivery, I should be paying for the shipping costs $8.25 +$2.75 instead of just having them send it as a standard package $5.75? Did I get that right?

Yeah... a standard package usually runs you about $5.00... though it really depends on what value you declare. For example, if the value is $27, shipping is $14.40. If you're doing a C.O.D. shipment, there’s a minimum charge of $7.25 plus roughly $2.75 for the money transfer, and then it goes up from there depending on how much it's worth and how heavy it is.

I really appreciate you taking the time to explain all of that to me. Honestly, looking at the numbers, I’ve come to the conclusion that it just doesn't make financial sense for me to go through the trouble of picking up the package myself like that.

Ugh, I am totally drowning in all this info!! 😁 Please, can someone help a girl out?🙂 I need to mail some cards via COD (cash on delivery) for about $467, and honestly, I'm a little nervous because it’s such a high value just sitting there on three tiny pieces of paper..

How do you even send something like this (you know, a bit more valuable than a grocery list)? Should I go with a certified letter with COD, or what?? Since it doesn't really have any weight, it's definitely not a package..
And what kind of prices are we looking at here? Like, how much extra am I gonna have to cough up at the post office? 🤷

Thanks in advance!

Just wanted to vent about this super sketchy experience I had 👎
So, I’ve been shipping out packages for a while now because I have tons of clothes to get rid of, so some girls have been ordering from me (shoutout to them, though!) and the shipping is always usually $5.00. I pack everything in envelopes so there’s no way it could weigh more than it does. But I sent a package to this one girl recently and she tells me the shipping was $7.00. Naturally, I asked her how and why, since it’s always been $5.00 until now—like, why is it suddenly 21 bucks? She just told me she had no clue and that's that, wouldn't budge. I don't know if that's even fair or legit, but the whole thing feels incredibly weird and confusing 😕 Is it even possible to pull something like that? Like, is she just pocketing the extra cash for herself or what? 👎

Isn't it strange that she claimed to have no idea? What was the total value of the package? Did you actually fill out the white slip for it? Or did you accidentally use the one meant for shipping insurance?

$7.00 It’s the same if I send it via certified mail; I end up paying extra sometimes too... though honestly, it's just a few bucks more or less
When I drop off a package at my local USPS office, I usually pay around $5.00 😁

So, I’ve got this girl messaging me saying her package hasn't shown up yet—which is weird, because every other girl I sent stuff to that day already has hers in hand. I sent out five packages total that day, and now I'm sitting here wondering if there's even any point in dragging myself down to the FedEx office if I don't have the receipt. I either lost it or just tossed it in the trash without thinking—honestly, who knows! I have no clue what the actual protocol is here since this is the first time I've ever dealt with a shipment that didn't make it to its destination. 🤷😢

@ ironwolf52,

It seems somewhat futile to head out without confirmation; I suppose you can't really accomplish much without it. Even if you did manage to track down a confirmation, a claim probably couldn't be filed until at least 14 days after the mailing date listed on the document anyway.

Karen Cook51 said:Ugh, I am totally overwhelmed right now!! 😁 Can anyone please help?🙂 I need to mail some cards via Cash on Delivery (COD) worth about $467 and I'm honestly a little nervous since it's such a high value just sitting there as three pieces of paper..

How do you even send something like that (you know, a small but valuable piece of paper)? Should I send it as a certified letter with COD, or what?? It doesn't have any weight, so it's definitely not a package..
And what does that cost? How much extra am I looking at paying the post office? 🤷

Thanks in advance!

There's really no reason to be scared. If you're sending cards, for example... you just send them as a certified shipment with COD. All that means is... the person receiving the cards can't actually get their hands on them until they pay for them, and then the mail carrier brings those $467 right to your door. I'm not sure about the exact shipping rate... but I think it's around $10.

I often send out packages with COD... and honestly, I usually end up paying up to $8.25 in shipping. Basically, it’s the package cost $5.00 plus about $2.25 for the COD fee. Some girls tell me they sometimes get charged an extra $1.75, or just that standard $8.50. It’s so inconsistent.

Also, just so you know—I never! charge those $8.25 girls who buy from me. So, it felt a little silly seeing some people on here asking how much it'll cost them, while trying to convince me that they'll have to pay like $20 in shipping and whatever else. I just charge the actual shipping $5.00 and add it on, then let them know immediately. For example, if the pants are $17, I'll tell her it's $65 and that's it. In reality, I'm only charging myself half the shipping cost. And don't even get me started on the ones who buy a lot; I don't charge them anything at all. So... please, just be respectful and ask ME how I handle things, or simply say "no thanks."