Mail & Shipping - Recommendations, Questions, and Answers

Exactly. You ship it as a package and request a "fragile" sticker. Just list the value $27 and you shouldn't end up paying more than $6.75..

And I could simply place it in any box and wrap it up using that ribbon!

You could always use one of those big bubble mailers, though I’m not sure if you can stick a "fragile" label on those easily.😁

By the way, that package showed up on Friday.

vividgardener19 said:And you can just shove anything into any old box and wrap it up with that tape!!!

Just wrap it securely, provide some protection—use a pile of old newspapers or something similar—tuck it into a box, tie it up with twine, and there you have it. Ship it as a standard package and simply declare whatever value you feel like declaring. 🙂

Thank you all for the assistance. I have decided to proceed with cash on delivery instead. Now I am wondering how that process works—do I cover the shipping costs, or how is it typically handled?

That is easily the worst way to handle this. You end up covering the shipping costs upfront, and then they have to pay fees just to receive the funds being sent back to you. Why bother with all that unnecessary friction? 🙂

I just got an update from FedEx saying my package couldn't be located... Now I have to head down to the local post office to file a claim for compensation... Does anyone here actually know how that process works, or what kind of payout you can expect?

And now I’m dealing with another headache; the girl I sent a parcel to last Wednesday says it still hasn't arrived... I honestly have no idea what is going on with the postal service lately...🤷

Sandra Brooks91 said:That is likely the worst way to handle this. You end up paying the shipping fees, and then they have to pay them again when the returned funds are sent back to you. It just creates unnecessary complications.🙂

Do you actually know how much I would be charged for shipping if I declare the package value at $83? !!

I really need some help here.
Back on July 10th, 2010, I had a package worth about $13 sent over from the USA, and it still hasn't shown up at my door—not to mention I haven't received a single notification saying it's waiting for pickup somewhere.
Usually, my shipments from the USA arrive within 7 to 10 days, so now I’m starting to get seriously worried.
I already went down to my local post office to check, but all they could tell me was that they don't have any packages held under my name.

Can anyone point me in the right direction to track this thing down? Is there a specific place I can physically go, or maybe an email address or phone number I should call? Does the main post office in Branimirov have a specific department that handles undelivered mail?

Since I wasn't the one who sent it—and like I said, I haven't even gotten a notice that it exists—can I actually file a missing package claim? What does that process even look like? What kind of documentation do I need? All I have are two photos of the shipping confirmation from Royal mail (which the seller sent me) showing the date and my info. Will that be enough to help my case?

Please, please help! What should I do?

BTW, the seller didn't even put their return address on the envelope, so there's no way the package can just be sent back to them if it gets lost.

So, I was trying to ship some books worth about $20 via COD—you know, where the buyer covers the shipping costs—and this guy at the post office tells me I absolutely have to use FedEx instead. Then he hits me with a $13 charge just for the shipping. Is that actually legit?

Not at all... I honestly don't get the whole book thing, it seems pretty foolish to me. I'm not even sure how I'd handle shipping anymore... I guess the best way is just to go the traditional route... you know, have someone wire the money to your account or just send cash in a standard envelope. That way, it ends up being about 10-$5.00... everything else feels like a total scam.

John Fowler7 said:The other day I was shipping out some books worth $20 via COD where the buyer covers the shipping costs, and the clerk at the post office tells me I have to use FedEx instead, which ended up costing me $13 in fees. Is that actually how it works?

You really should have specified that the buyer handles everything upfront, otherwise you wouldn't be out of pocket at all; they would just pay for both the books and the shipping. That’s what I did a few months back when I sent a package through FedEx—I only had to shell out about $0.50 for a small processing form I filled out...

But then you have this poor customer paying over $6 just for a single book... which I guess doesn't even make sense for them in the end.

What’s the best way to ship a book or two from Washington, D.C. over to San Francisco?

Just pack them neatly in a large bubble mailer and ship it as a package; pay the $4.50 and you're all set.
If you're only sending one book, certified mail works, but if there are several, it’s not worth it since the postage ends up being way more expensive than just sending a package.

What do you even do when you miss the window to pick up a package? I just got this notice saying a shipment arrived, and apparently, I had five business days to grab it... but I’ve been away from home for a while. It’s probably already been sent back to the sender by now. The weird part is, I’m not even expecting anything right now, so I have zero clue who would’ve sent it. I called the USPS, but they were super blunt with me—basically told me there’s nothing they can do. Is that really it? Am I just supposed to sit here and hope the sender decides to ship it again? Don't they keep records of everything? Tracking numbers, addresses, transaction history... anything at all? 😢

Kenneth Ramos3 said:What's the move when you miss the window to pick up a package? I got this notice saying a shipment arrived and was waiting for me to grab it within five business days... except I've been out of town for a while. It’s almost certainly been sent back to the sender by now. The weird part? I’m not expecting anything right now, so I have zero clue who would have sent me a package. I called the USPS, and they basically brushed me off immediately, telling me there’s nothing they can do. Is that really it? Am I just supposed to take a selfie and call it a day? Just sit here and wait to see if the sender decides to ship it again? Don't they keep records of transactions, tracking numbers, addresses, or anything at all? 😢

Anyway, like the old saying goes, you can't unbake the cookies. They did what they were paid to do, and as far as the USPS is concerned, the job is done.

I’ve been spending quite a bit of time at the local post office lately, mostly because it’s that time of year when everyone is buying and selling textbooks..
I have to admit, I actually look forward to these trips. There’s just something about the inevitable little arguments I get to have with the staff; I guess I just get a quiet sort of satisfaction out of being right...
Usually, it starts when they try to tell me I can't send a textbook using a pre-printed shipping label, even though I'm following every single rule perfectly. We end up going back and forth for maybe ten minutes or so, but in the end, they always end up accepting the package..
Anyway, love you guys! 😍

Back again with my endless postal headaches.😁

So, a woman needs to send me a small package containing a few pairs of pants for my daughter—exactly four pairs—but she claims she went to the post office and the shipping is coming out to about $5.😕 Is it even possible that there isn't a cheaper way? I see girls over here sending packages for closer to $2.$6.75 🤷 Normally, this would be a shipment going from Savannah all the way to San Francisco.

Nonsense. Shipping a package up to 5 kg with a value of $27 costs $4.50. I use this method all the time for books and other items; you receive a confirmation, and if the package gets lost, you get that full value back.