Mail & Shipping - Recommendations, Questions, and Answers

Every time I head to the post office, they try to tell me that I can't just send stuff in a padded envelope and call it a package, but I always just tell them, "Look, it works fine for me, I ship things this way all the time and I receive packages the same way, so please just process this as a package"... 😁 So, they basically try to push some more expensive shipping service on me, but I don't have to go along with it since I just prefer to handle things my own way 😛

About a month ago, I was sorting through some paperwork and paid $267 for the whole thing. Now I’m calling them to check on the status, and they're claiming they never received the payment slip, even though I know for a fact I sent it. The rest of my documents arrived just fine, but apparently, that receipt is missing.
I guess I'm wondering if it's worth heading down to the local Post Office to see if they can just issue me a new copy of the slip?

I have a quick question for you all! It’s been quite an interesting day because two different ladies actually reached out to me today asking if I could skip the tracked shipping and just send their items as standard, untracked mail instead... I ended up turning them both down, mostly because I feel like it’s just far too risky to play it that way; I've had instances in the past where a package simply vanishes into thin air, and if that happens, I'm the one left holding the bag, losing both the money and the item itself.
Do you think it's perfectly reasonable to say no to customers who are requesting this kind of shipping method?
Thanks so much!🙂🙂

Nicole Gray82 said:I have a question! I’ve already had two different women reach out to me today asking if I could just send their items as standard mail instead of a tracked package... I turned them down because, frankly, isn't that just asking for trouble? It feels far too risky to ship things that way; I've had shipments vanish into thin air before, and if that happens, I'm the one left holding the bag—losing both the money and the product.
Do you all think it's acceptable to refuse customers who are requesting standard shipping?!
Thanks🙂 🙂

Look, if they are willing to shoulder the risk of the item getting lost—and more importantly, if they accept that you won't be issuing a refund when it does—then fine, go ahead and send it.

Quick question for any girls who've shipped glasses via USPS before,
since I don't have the original case—how do I send them without worrying they'll arrive shattered for the buyer?
Should I just pay extra at the post office for that fragile handling insurance?
How much does that even cost?

Elizabeth Palmer2 said:I have a question for any ladies who have ever mailed glasses via the postal service.
Since I don't have the original case, how can I ship them with the lowest possible risk of them arriving shattered for the new owner?
Should I pay extra at the Post Office for that "fragile" handling fee?
And if so, how much does that actually cost?

That fragile sticker isn't going to save you much; $2.25 if I recall correctly, those labels are more for package sorting than actual protection. 🙂

Look, the real priority here should be finding a way to wrap those glasses properly.

But honestly, why even deal with the mail? Why not just send them via Greyhound? 🙂 Hand them directly to $6.75 the driver and they’ll arrive intact—plus, they'll get there the very same day.😉

Quick question for you guys: if I want to buy something from someone living here in the States and have them ship it via a carrier, is that totally doable? More importantly—how do I protect myself if the item shows up looking nothing like what we agreed on? Like, if it’s all scratched up or clearly more worn than they said? What's the best way to go about demanding a refund in a situation like that?

Also, if anyone has a spare moment, I’d love some clever advice on how to keep shipping costs down. The item is about 350g and roughly 80x30x10cm—any tricks to minimize the price tag on postage?

Thanks so much in advance!

How many days does it usually take for a shipment sent from Chicago to arrive in New York?

What’s the deal when an A4 envelope with a perfectly legit address just... vanishes? Like, everything was spot on, but nothing shows up. Is it actually possible for someone to just swipe it out of the mail stream?

If it didn't come through via the recommended channels—like a standard package or some other official confirmation—then yes, absolutely.

How can I ship boxes without the postage ending up being more expensive than $5.00? Thanks 🙂

Unless you're shipping within the same city, it’s impossible to go lower than $14.40 😁

Elizabeth Palmer2 said:I have a question for any women who have shipped glasses via USPS.
Since I don’t have the original case, how can I ship them with the lowest risk of arriving broken at the new owner's place?
Should I pay extra for fragile handling at the post office?
And if so, how much does that cost?

Those stickers are useless 😠 ,. total waste of money,. they treat those packages just like anything else,. at least in my experience,. my sister sent a package with them and the contents weren't exactly in great shape when it arrived to me,. even though it was covered in those labels, like some kind of glass item, I can't quite remember,. :/ ,.-

This is the first time I’ve dealt with this—my mail carrier didn't even leave a slip before heading back out with my package. How does that even happen? According to the tracking, it was marked as delivered on Monday the 1st, but then I ended up getting slips for two other packages on Tuesday or Wednesday instead... I honestly have no idea why I didn't get the notification to go pick mine up. :confused:
And I really don't understand why they charge those $1.75 fees upon delivery for every single package. One time I actually had to shell out $10 just for one delivery; it drove me absolutely crazy... if I had known he was going to ring the bell, I would have just answered 😁 or gone out to meet him myself... it feels like they're just nickel-and-diming us at every turn 😠

A few times now, people have sent things to me via standard mail, and I don't even realize it until the carrier drops it in my mailbox or leaves a note. In those cases, I don't even have to sign for anything when I go to retrieve them.
To me, that seems so disorganized because things can easily get lost that way. I always prefer shipping items as standard packages, and if I'm in a rush, I'll just send them via certified mail—it's much more reliable, plus the local post office is right around the corner from me.😁

@Kimberly Robinson7/">@@Kimberly Robinson7 $1.75 is what you pay when they deliver via van, but you ended up paying $10 because you had a massive pile of packages 😁. You really should have just told them you weren't taking it right then—why hand over $1.75 when you could just swing by the local Post Office later? 😳
As for that missing slip, why don't you head down to your local branch and see if you can figure out how that even happened? 😠

And honestly, since when does a mail carrier leave a notice for a standard piece of mail? 😕 That’s never happened to me; they just drop it in the mailbox and move on. 😳

I’m dropping my phone off at the UPS store tomorrow morning,
and I have to declare the package value on their paperwork,
but it makes me wonder—once that shipment actually reaches the customer, how exactly am I supposed to get my money?

@Angela Flores76/">@@Angela Flores76
Seriously, what are these extra black $1.75 fees for—and why specifically $1.75 instead of just a flat $6, $7, or $10? Honestly, if someone ships a package and pays the shipping upfront, they should expect it to arrive at their doorstep without being shaken down for more cash. I view those extra $1.75 as pure THEFT being forced by the mail carrier using an APP-style tactic. If those $1.75 were actually legitimate charges, they’d be listed clearly in the USPS price guide (they aren't!) and the carrier would provide a receipt for that $1.75—but they don't; they just pocket the money.

Packages over 2 kg are delivered via van because they're too heavy for a standard mail carrier—and it doesn't cost $1.75 any extra, since the higher shipping rate for heavier items already accounts for the "delivery van" service.

Hmm, I’m not entirely sure what the official policy is regarding this, $1.75 but I always pay per package. Once, a delivery driver showed up with two separate boxes and I had to settle the bill for $3.25 right then and there. To make matters worse, I was completely broke at that moment, so he had to wait while I ran to an ATM at 8:00 AM. On top of that, I actually had to ask him to break some change at local shops and coffee houses because he didn't have any cash on him. It was a total scramble since nobody seemed to have enough change in their registers yet. :/ ,.-

Kimberly Robinson7 said:it's happened to me a few times where girls send stuff via standard mail, and I don't even realize it until the mailman drops it in my box or leaves a note—then when I go to pick it up, there's no signature required
it's stupid because things get lost easily. I always just ship as a package, or if I'm in a rush, I'll do certified mail since the post office is closer to me 😁

I noticed the same thing. Girls sometimes send stuff as regular mail even though I paid $5.00 for shipping or whatever the deal was. Look, nothing's gone missing yet, but let's be clear: if you ship like that, you're doing it on your own risk. If something actually gets lost, I expect a full refund immediately.

Still can't believe this $1.75 payment nonsense. For God's sake, next time ask for a receipt or tell them you're gonna call the USPS during the day or report it to an inspector—tell them your uncle works at the Better Business Bureau or something. 🙂
Please!!!

Honestly, it’s such a headache. It’s always the same guy showing up, and I always end up paying. Now I’m supposed to just suddenly threaten to call the inspectors? :P Damn those $1.75. I really don't have the energy to deal with the drama. :/ ,.-