Mail & Shipping - Recommendations, Questions, and Answers

Oh, that’s just fantastic!😉

Hey everyone, does anyone know how much I should charge if I want to send something via Cash on Delivery?
So, here’s the deal: the item is worth about $1 and weighs almost nothing, just a few grams...
Could someone please help me out and give me an idea of what the total cost might look like?

Morgan Hughes81 said:Hey guys, what would it cost me to send this via cash on delivery?
It’s basically worth a buck and weighs less than an ounce.
Can someone help me out and tell me what the total would be?

Based on the USPS calculator $9.75.
A bit steep. I probably didn't input something right, but that seems to be the price.

Taylor Smith3 said:I need to ship two books from Washington, D.C. to Indianapolis. I just picked them up and they don't even weigh a pound. What's the cheapest way to send them? Thanks.

Just send them as a package, right? $6.00 I mean

Morgan Hughes81 said:Hey guys, does anyone know how much it would cost if I send something COD?
Basically, the item is about $0.10 and weighs under 10 grams.
Could someone maybe help me out and tell me what the total would be?

I’m assuming you weighed it along with whatever packaging you plan to use.

The shipping rate for a certified letter up to 50 grams, including COD— $5.50
On the package, you just write: COD = $9.00
That way, the recipient pays the mail carrier an extra $3.00 as a processing fee for handling the cash.
So, the buyer will need to have $12 ready when they pick up the package.

If you can somehow manage to get them to pay upfront via Venmo or Zelle, then the shipping for a standard certified letter is just $9.50.

P.S. @Melissa Phillips4/">@@Melissa Phillips4
She probably doesn't need Registered Mail, since even if it gets lost, she'd likely get 8x more ($28) than what the item is actually worth anyway.

What's the safest way to ship a CD or DVD?

I've mostly just been shipping books via FedEx, where the buyer just pays the COD amount (the value of the books) upon delivery
But this part confused me:

Basically, it weighs about 10 ounces.
Shipping for a certified mail item under 50 grams, with COD - $5.50
On the package, you write: COD = $9.00

When I ship stuff, the COD is just the book value—say, $33 2 books—and the recipient covers the shipping, so I just pay $33. Is that right?! :S (Based on what's quoted here, they'd have to pay $137.80 since the shipping would be $13))

Also, I know it varies by person, but seriously, what's the standard going rate for CDs/DVDs? I don't want to price them too high or too low. I'm looking to sell an entire 11-DVD series, but instead of sending everything at once, I'll send one first as a test. If they like it, then I'll send the rest.

Help 🙂

When you're sending something via FedEx/UPS, there's actually an option to have the recipient cover the shipping costs.

For pretty much everything else—like certified mail, insured items, or standard packages—the sender is usually expected to pick up the tab.
So, if you set it up that way: the total amount due upon delivery equals the item price plus the shipping fee (assuming you both agreed that the buyer would handle the postage).

Alexander Wells82 said:When you ship via FedEx/UPS, there's an option for the recipient to cover the shipping costs.

For any other type—certified/insured/package—the sender usually covers the shipping.
So if you go that route: COD amount = item price + shipping cost (assuming you agreed the buyer pays shipping).

so when they pick it up, the receiver pays everything, but what am I actually paying at the counter?! the shipping or...😕

It would basically look like this:http://forum.us/showthread.php?t=258202

Shipping COD costs $8.25. You need to agree with the recipient beforehand on who's footing the bill. If the recipient is paying, you have to increase the total amount by $8.25 (like in the example above where it's $33, so you'd set it to $42). If you're paying, just stick to $33.

so does that apply to express or certified mail too? now I'm just confused.😢

I'm just trying to send one DVD. So I'll do certified, with the recipient paying shipping... which means they pay the value, say $17 plus shipping $5.50= $22, and that's the total COD I get back... do I write that on the paper myself or does the clerk at the post office handle it?

Alexander Wells82 said:I really hope you weighed the item together with the packaging you plan to use...

The shipping cost for a certified letter up to 50 grams, including COD (Cash on Delivery), is $5.50
. On the package, you’ll need to write: COD amount = $9.00
. This means the recipient will have to pay the mail carrier an extra $3.00 as a service fee for handling the money transfer...
Basically, the buyer needs to have $12 ready in cash when they go to pick up their package.

If you can somehow work out a deal where they pay you upfront via a standard bank transfer, then the shipping for just a regular certified package would be only $9.50.

P.S. @Melissa Phillips4/">@@Melissa Phillips4
She doesn't actually need Registered Mail, because honestly, if the package does happen to get lost, she'd end up getting eight times more $28 than what the item is actually worth anyway...

I usually just send things via standard or certified mail, but this lady was absolutely insisting that I send it COD. Now I'm stuck thinking she'll have to pay $9.00, and I'm genuinely wondering if she'll even show up to grab it. I tried explaining to her that regular shipping is only $3.10 while certified is $9.50, but nooo, she's dead set on the COD option...
And I did mention how expensive it would be for her. I thought maybe she just didn't want to deal with a bank transfer or wouldn't make it to the bank in time, so having it delivered to her door seemed easier, but the item itself is only worth $10, and now she's going to end up paying twice that much...
Man, I swear, those big shipping companies like FedEx must be making a killing on stuff like this!

I must admit, I find myself quite perplexed by all of this 🤷
I am planning to purchase a lamp from a lady online, and for my own peace of mind, I would prefer to have it delivered via COD—cash on delivery. I haven't quite calculated the weight, though I suspect it might be somewhere around 1.5kg or so. My primary concern is simply ensuring the item arrives intact; I am more than willing to pay just to have it delivered directly to my doorstep in one piece. However, I am currently grappling with a bit of a dilemma: am I permitted to open the package in front of the FedEx driver to verify its condition before I hand over the payment?
I am honestly quite unsure how these procedures typically work...

Rebecca Reed said:Honestly, I'm just totally lost now...🤷
I was thinking about buying this lamp from a lady online and having it delivered via FedEx—mostly because, you know, safety first. I’m not sure how much it would weigh, maybe around 3 or 4 pounds? Anyway, I’m perfectly willing to pay just to have the whole thing delivered straight to my door in one piece, but here’s my dilemma: am I actually allowed to open the package right there in front of the delivery driver to make sure everything is okay before I hand over the cash?
I just don't know how the process works...

You can't.
You pay first, then you check the goods.
And honestly, it's happened before where people get sent a literal piece of wood instead of a laptop, or things like that.
But look, if you aren't comfortable taking that risk, your best bet is to just head down to a local store and buy a lamp there, or maybe go pick it up from the seller in person.
Unfortunately, there really isn't a third option right now.

Well, I see. So there's no option to inspect the item before finalizing the payment. Understood. In that case, what would be the most secure way for me to have this lamp delivered via USPS? Perhaps sending it as an insured package might be the best course of action?

I just saw a deposit hit my checking account from the Post Office today—any idea if that’s actually going to show up as available funds tomorrow, or am I just waiting around for nothing?
It went through around 2:00 PM.

If you’re making a payment online or walking straight into a branch—say, Chase, for instance—it usually shows up on your account immediately. However, if you’re transferring funds from a different institution, like Bank of America, you might be looking at a delay of a day or maybe even two. As for using the post office, I really can't say for sure regarding their processing times.

Rebecca Reed said:Alright, so I don't get to inspect everything before I pay. Got it. In that case, what's the absolute safest way to have this lamp shipped via USPS? Like, how do I ensure it arrives as an insured package?

Exactly—send it as a package, and definitely opt for that "fragile" handling service (you know, the one with the little glass icon).
I’d also suggest asking the sender to wrap it heavily in bubble wrap or pack it tight with plenty of foam peanuts.

Tyler Morgan4 said:I made a payment at the post office today directly into my checking account; will that show up on my balance tomorrow, or...?
It was processed around 2:00 PM.

Usually, yeah. Sometimes it even hits the account the same day.

Rebecca Reed said:Alright, so there's no inspecting the item before paying. Got it. In that case, what’s the absolute safest way for me to get this lamp via the mail? Like, sending it as a package with some kind of insurance?...

Since you can't check things out before you pay, relying on the standard mail isn't exactly the most secure route... there's always a bit of a gamble involved when you don't personally know the person on the other end. I wouldn't personally recommend just sending it regular mail because the post office makes their money regardless of whether things arrive safely. If I were in your shoes, I’d definitely ask them to send it via certified mail or as a formal package. A package under 2 kg $6.00, if I recall correctly, is about the same as certified mail. If the item is fragile, you really need to tell the clerk at the post office so they can slap a "fragile" sticker on the box, though that usually costs a few extra bucks... I'm not entirely sure of the exact price, so you'll have to check with the local branch. Or, better yet, make sure she packs that lamp incredibly well and wraps it tight. I've sent fragile items via certified mail before without even marking them as fragile, simply because I wrapped my perfumes and glass bottles so thoroughly... I used bubble wrap, layered it with wool, taped it up, then added crumpled paper and layers of newspaper until the whole thing was twice as thick as the actual object! And honestly, everything has arrived perfectly intact every single time...
Whenever I'm shipping something out, I make it a habit to take photos of everything—the envelope, the package itself, every little detail of how I wrapped the contents, and even a shot of the final product once it's all taped up and handed over at the counter. I either send those photos to the recipient or just keep them tucked away as proof in case anything goes sideways... plus, I usually have someone tag along with me to the post office just to be safe, especially if it's a standard shipment. Anyway, I hope that helps a bit! If you have any more questions, just let me know and I'll try to figure it out for you if I can!...🙂

Hey everyone. I have a quick question for you all, and I’m really hoping to get some feedback as soon as possible because things are a bit urgent on my end...
So, here is the situation. I don't actually have a bank account anywhere—literally nothing set up right now—but there is this one specific book I am dying to buy, and they would be shipping it over to me from the States.
The total comes out to about $28, so I am just trying to figure out where and how I can make that payment most efficiently, what documentation might be needed, and honestly, what the cheapest way to handle it is...
Do I need to pay in U.S. dollars or will it convert to my local currency?
If anyone has dealt with something similar before, please let me know as soon as you can...
Thanks so much!

Morgan Hughes81, what I mean is you just need to make a payment to someone, and then they ship the items directly to your house.
It honestly doesn't matter if you don't have your own bank account. If you need to pay via PayPal or some other method, I’m fairly certain there are plenty of people on these forums who would be happy to handle the transfer for you in exchange for a small fee. I believe Girl Power is one of those folks... you might want to try reaching out to her via private message.

So, I'm trying to figure out how to pay someone over in the States so they can mail a book to my address... the thing is, I don't have a PayPal account or anything like that set up yet. I’d really love to be able to handle this on my own if there's any way at all, just so I don't have to go bothering anyone else for help. If I can't find a way to do it myself, I guess I'll just ask this girl if she wouldn't mind helping me sort it out...
Does that mean I can't just use a standard money order or a check like we normally do here in the US?
Thanks!

If you're in a massive rush, this is definitely your quickest bet