Mail & Shipping - Recommendations, Questions, and Answers

Nicole Kern92 said:So she should end up with double the amount... like if I paid $20, then USPS owes her $40... 60 comes back to me, and she keeps 60? How much would she actually get for the goods? I don't think that's how it works🤷

No.
You paid her for the shipping. That money belongs to her. In exchange, she sent you items that never arrived. Therefore, the postal service will refund the declared value to her, which she then passes on to you. She still keeps the original amount you sent her, so technically, nobody loses out.

Nicole Kern92 said:So she’d basically be getting double? Like, if I paid $20, the post office owes her $40... they give me my 60 back, and she keeps 60 as profit for the goods? I don't think that's how it works 🤷

Nope, that's not it. 😁(Question one on the IQ test right there): if you paid 60, they just refund you 60. If she listed the package value at that amount, the USPS just returns the 60 plus the shipping fee. She doesn't get 120—that would be doubling her money. She’s breaking even, actually coming out about 15 bucks ahead.😉

What a total amateur I am 😲
I never bother declaring the value of my shipments. Some lady at the USPS told me that if anything actually happens to my package, I’d end up getting five times the postage back... looking back on it now, I have no idea why I thought that was a good idea 🤔
especially when I was shipping much more expensive stuff.

So, bottom line: always declare the value of the package, right? Is that what the extra fee covers?

With certified mail, you don't list the value on the document—it stays on the package itself. It's usually smarter to ship things as standard parcels, but since parcel rates are going up, we'll stick to certified mail for lighter items. For anything heavy, shipping as a package is still the better way to go.

Hey, quick question—how does COD work? If the item value is $73 and the buyer covers the shipping, is USPS gonna hit me with some random fee or what's the deal? thanks in advance

Did anyone happen to send out a package or some kind of shipment today?
What are the rates looking like lately?
Thanks

So, I dropped off a package today weighing $33 (up to 4.4 lbs) — and the cost was a whopping $6.00 👎

It’s an absolute disgrace. If only the service and the staff's attitude actually matched these ridiculous prices 😳

p.s. At least they had the decency to update the new rate sheet on their official website, so now I can feel the rage over these outrageous fees right from my living room 😠
http://www.usps.com/main.aspx?id=194

Grace Hernandez63 said:Hey, quick question about sending stuff COD via USPS. If the item value is $73 and the buyer covers shipping, will the post office tack on some extra fee or how does that work? Thanks in advance.

If you're the one sending it, the recipient—basically your customer—is going to be hit with a 3.66% fee on top of the package value and shipping costs. Feel free to set me straight if they changed the rules recently and I missed it.🤷

Yeah, I also heard some rumor that if you’re sending stuff as a package, it has to be in an actual box. Apparently, bubble mailers aren't cutting it anymore. 🤷

Olivia Nelson37 said:Hey everyone, did anyone head out to the post office today to drop off a package or maybe some certified mail?
What are the rates looking like lately???
thanks!

I sent out some certified mail earlier today, and honestly, the prices haven't budged at all... everything seems pretty much the same as usual.👍

It strikes me as being the exact same situation here, where they have simply jacked up the prices on standard packages while barely nudging the cost for certified mail, which essentially means we all have the option to send everything via certified mail now 😂

Elizabeth Brown90 said:I sent everything via certified mail, yet the prices haven't budged an inch.👍

Unbelievable. Truly staggering.👍

I sent out some packages today, and even with the price hike, what I ended up with was $6.00 (I used a $27 value shipment) +$1.25 the bubble mailer =$7.25 which is an absolute disgrace
Normally, my cost would have been around $4.25, so there's no doubt the rates have gone up $1.75

It felt ridiculous previously to claim the shipping was $5.00 (considering the envelope alone eats into the margin), but imagine how it feels now when someone asks you about it

....as if saying "yeah, the shirt is $6.75" covers the fact that once you add the shipping, it hits $7.25 🙂🙈

A single shirt fits right in a standard envelope, and sending it via USPS Certified Mail shouldn't cost more than $12$4.25. If there's more stuff involved, we'll have to ship it as a package. Sellers will need to drop their prices slightly or split the shipping costs fifty-fifty with the buyer.

Just finished up at the USPS, figured I’d drop this here in case anyone needs the heads-up
The lady behind the counter basically told me that the price hike is just a reshuffle of those $1.75 fees the recipients used to cover for home delivery—
Basically, before, the sender would pay $13.80 and then the recipient would shell out another $1.75—but now, the sender covers the whole thing. $6.75
There’s a little catch, though—if you’re shipping to some tiny rural town that doesn't offer doorstep delivery (the clerk has the full list), you’re gonna be paying $6.00

If you’re just sending a single T-shirt or some small stuff that fits in a bubble mailer, that’s technically a "certified mail" shipment. You fill out a different little form, and for anything between 101-250g it’s $12.50, while 251-500g runs you $15.20.
The main difference from a standard package is that you don't declare a specific value, but honestly, it’s worth it because you get proof of mailing and those tracking numbers to hunt down the package if it goes missing. Unlike regular mail, where if it disappears, it's just... gone.
Anyway, there you go!

Seriously, massive props on such an exhaustive report 👍

So, I was dropping off a one-pound package yesterday—value was $67 and shipping ran me about $8.00 😲😲—and honestly, those people are completely unhinged. I almost got leveled by some guy in a suit right there in the middle of the lobby 😠

The lady at the USPS office mentioned that everyone can skip the delivery fee from $6.00 if they just pick up their package at the station themselves. For those who prefer home delivery, there will be a charge of $6.75, provided local delivery service is available in their area

Does anyone actually know how this works when you order from someone nearby and have to deal with customs?
Basically, I’m looking at picking up some "goods" from http://www.amazon.com/..

Total cost: $65.00

That's what my total comes to, and shipping is listed as $0.00..

Here is what the fine print says under the order—I selected home delivery via USPS..

USPS Shipping 1
In-store pickup in Canada 2
Canada 2 campsite

1 We will calculate the pre-tax price; once your package arrives, you'll be responsible for paying the 23% American sales tax and any applicable customs duties, per the official regulations of the United States.

2 You pay a 20% Canadian tax upfront. However, based on the provided Global Refund form after exporting from the EU, you can apply for a tax refund.

Anyone have experience with this? Thanks..

So, I’ve got a question here -
if I'm sending out a package and dropping $1.75 bucks on shipping, what happens if the mail carrier shows up at the recipient's place and nobody's home? They just leave one of those little yellow slips and now the person has to trek down to the USPS office to deal with it? Who's actually pocketing that extra $1.75!?!?
I mean, they have working hours just like the rest of us. Most people are stuck at their jobs when the mail arrives—it's not like everyone is just sitting around waiting for a delivery. Only moms, pregnant ladies, or people on maternity leave are hanging out at home all morning waiting for a box! 😍

And honestly, can we even trust these carriers? Like, did they actually try to deliver it, or did they just drop a slip and call it a day? Because that's happened to me way too many times. I'm chilling at home, waiting for my stuff, and then around 2 PM I see a notification saying they tried to find me at 11 AM?!?! It's like they didn't even bother checking if anyone was around. Is this just some scam or straight-up theft $1.75?!? 😂

What does the lady at the post office have to say about all this?