Mail & Shipping - Recommendations, Questions, and Answers

I was wondering how many business days it usually takes for a shipment to arrive from NYC to Boulder? Maybe one, two, or three?

It depends on when they sent it... but I don't think it should take more than two days.

So, about a week ago, I sent off a package weighing roughly 11 or 12 pounds via COD, and the total amount including shipping came out to $75.
The thing is, the recipient still hasn't received it, even though I'm absolutely certain I wrote down the correct address.

Does anyone have any idea what might be causing this delay? Has anyone else dealt with something similar lately? I'm honestly at a bit of a loss here—what should my next move be? 😢

Thanks so much.

Maybe check with the local post office. It's possible they have it and the notification just got lost in the shuffle.

Thanks so much, I actually just suggested that exact idea to him. Now we'll just have to wait and see how it all plays out... 😢

Maybe they didn't leave a slip behind? It might be worth heading down to the local Post Office first just to ask. Sometimes those things sit there indefinitely for no reason. If there isn't one, just take the notice you received when you dropped it off at your mailbox and have them track down where the holdup is.

Thanks, I think I'll give that a shot too.

Walter James said:So, exactly seven days ago, I sent out a package weighing about 11 pounds via COD, and the total including shipping was $75.
The thing is, it hasn't reached the recipient yet, and I'm positive the address was written correctly.

Does anyone know what might be causing this? Anyone had similar experiences? What should I do??? 😢

Thanks.

Try filing a missing mail search with the USPS, but I think you have to wait at least 14 days.
Where were you sending it? Sometimes if it's going to a remote island or somewhere rural, it takes forever to arrive...

I mean, it doesn't seem that far from me at all. I'm living in NYC while he's out in Columbus, and he's mentioning Novo Brdo.

Can someone explain how COD works? Let's say I'm sending an item where I would normally pay for shipping myself $5.00 and I charge the buyer that amount for postage, while the item price is $10. If I list that the buyer owes $15 upon delivery, do I still have to pay any shipping fees at the post office upfront, or is it covered? I know the buyer doesn't pay the $15 fee, just the 53, but I want to know if I owe anything at the counter and how much

Chloe Moore65 said:Can someone explain how this works when I ship something COD? For example, if I'd normally pay for shipping via UPS $5.00 and I charge the buyer that much for postage, but the item itself is priced at $10, if I list it as "buyer pays $15 upon delivery," do I still have to pay the postage out of pocket at the post office? I know the buyer doesn't pay the standard $15 rate, but rather $53, but I'm wondering if there's an upfront fee I need to cover and how much that would be.

You have to pay the shipping.
It’ll be either $21.60 or maybe even less since it's a low value (I think around $5.25). Either way, you can't really ship it without covering the postage yourself first...

Michelle Fisher98 said:Just cover the shipping cost.
It’ll be $21.60, or honestly, since it's such a small amount, maybe even less (I'm guessing somewhere around $5.25). Either way, I have no clue if there's any way to send stuff without you having to shell out for the postage yourself...

The only real way to ship something through the mail—whether you're doing COD or not—without paying anything upfront is to use FedEx. If you set it up that way, the recipient covers everything upon delivery. As for the cash-on-delivery fees, the receiver pays whatever amount you put on the form plus an extra 3.66%, though the minimum is $3.00 and the cap is 80.

William Jones30, I don't just get why that minimum is set at $3.00?

Michelle Fisher98 said:William Jones30, I honestly don't get why there's such a difference in that minimum $3.00?

It’s basically because when you use a standard USPS money order $3.00 versus a bank transfer, the fee hits differently—like 5% on one and maybe 1.83% on the other. Plus, the postage on a money order is about $3.66, while the bank thing is much lower. Honestly, the whole reason for the gap is just convenience. With a bank transfer, the money just lands in your account digitally, but with a money order, the mail carrier is literally bringing the cash right to your doorstep. That extra cost is essentially for the home delivery service. I know most small business owners and freelancers around here prefer it that way; they'd much rather have the mailman drop the cash off at their door than deal with tracking digital transfers all day. 😉

Chloe Moore65 said:Can someone explain how COD (cash on delivery) works? Let's say I'm sending something where I'd usually pay for shipping myself $5.00. If I charge the buyer for postage and the item price is $10, and I specify that the buyer pays $15 upon delivery—do I actually have to pay anything for shipping at the post office, or no? I know the buyer doesn't pay the usual $15, but rather $53, but I'm wondering if there's an upfront cost for me and how much it would be.

I sent out a COD package today valued at $33.
The buyer requested to cover the shipping costs, so that's what we did.
The lady at the post office processed it through EMS, and I didn't have to pay anything besides
the yellow envelope itself, so about $1.25.
She just slapped on a sticker saying "Postage paid by recipient" in the amount of ___.
In the end, it turns out the guy ends up paying $51 all together.🤷
That seems insanely expensive to me... but hey... he asked for it, so that's how it goes.😍

Anonymous said:So I sent out a package today worth about $33.
The guy specifically asked me to set it up so he pays the shipping (COD style).
The lady at the post office processed it through some kind of EMS service, and I didn't pay a dime besides
those yellow envelopes, so maybe $1.25.
She just slapped a sticker on the envelope saying "Receiver pays postage in the amount of ___."
And now it turns out this guy is going to end up paying $51 all in one go 🤷
It seems insanely expensive to me... but hey... he's the one who wanted it that way 😍

That’s actually called EMS HP Express. Standard EMS is usually what you use for international shipping. He’ll be paying $33 you, plus $3.00 the standard USPS rates along with a delivery fee that depends on how fast he wants it and how heavy the box is. Probably an extra $18 on top of that too.

Does anyone know if you actually have to pay for a package when you pick it up at the UPS Store? I just got into this huge argument with my older uncle because I didn't want to hand over $3.25 for two different packages, and he was insisting that I have to pay $1.00 per item at the counter. I honestly don't know if he's right or not, but he got so worked up about it... I feel terrible, I really shouldn't have let things get so heated with an older gentleman like him🙂

Nah... they don't charge anything in this post.

At least they never have for me.
And honestly, this is the first I've even heard about that.

I was wondering if anyone could point me in the right direction here. I just sold an elliptical trainer to a buyer, but I’m totally stuck on the logistics. Does anyone know which shipping service actually handles oversized items like this? It’s heavy—probably somewhere in the 60 to 110 pound range, though I don't have the exact weight yet. I'm shipping it quite a distance, from Savannah all the way up to Boulder. Any advice would be great!

Chloe Garcia18 said:I was wondering if anyone could help me out. I sold an elliptical machine to a buyer, but I'm not sure which shipping service to use. Does anyone know which carrier handles large items weighing between 30-50kg? I don't have the exact weight, but I'd estimate it's up to 50kg. It's a long trip, shipping from Savannah to Newport.

Your best bet is FedEx. They should accept it, and the price is based on weight. Check their website; they might have a pricing guide listed there.