Comments on: Post Office Tips and Tricks

By: mark

mark — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 01:15:13 +0000

this information is old, deliveru confirmation 45 cent? Its 80 now. THey do cehck media mail. You cannot reuse free priority boxes, if you do and get caught, jail time. Besides it ruins if for the rest of us if you abuse they system. What kind of advice are you giving here. screw the system? It people like you that get innocent newbies into trouble. Shut up an keep your wrong information to your self.

By: jim

jim — Sun, 16 Oct 2005 17:20:46 +0000

I agree with denon as well and I don’t agree with the practice but it doesn’t bother me – unless the shipper charges me an exhorbitant amount for shipping and handling. I know for a fact that it’s not permitted and it’s dishonest but as for the legal ramifications, I don’t think it would reach that (they’d probably just refuse to ship it but I don’t know).

By: My Boaz's Ruth

My Boaz's Ruth — Thu, 13 Oct 2005 17:13:14 +0000

I agree with denon.
And I AM a customer who is going to think badly of someone inside out boxes. The fact that you turned them inside out tells me that you know you are using them improperly. (Ie using free supplies for other than their intended purpose.)

By: denon

denon — Wed, 12 Oct 2005 03:23:23 +0000

It’s not “complaints”, it’s customer perception. It’s a very important part of any mail-order (or Internet) marketing strategy.

More important, however, is that it’s not legal. In fact, as it’s the US Postal Service, it’s a federal offense. I would think this alone would deter people from doing it. I mean, you wouldn’t walk out of Wal-Mart with padded enveloped stuffed under your jacket, why do you have a different mentality when the USPS sends you supplies on the honor system?

By: Keto

Keto — Tue, 11 Oct 2005 17:46:28 +0000

Well unless were overly stuck up and obnoxious we dont really care in what type of packing material was used as long as our products are safe and intact. So how bad could it hurt to have 1 in 1000 people claim that the packing material wasn’t good enough. Or would you rather save your cents and accumulate??

By: denon

denon — Mon, 10 Oct 2005 10:07:09 +0000

Not to be overly critical, but nothing new here to a frequent shipper. Would be nice to see a bit more research done though, as we’re always looking for new ideas. Sidenote, they no longer offer the branded packing tape.

Also, it’s best not to encourage people to use the supplies (such as envelopes and packages turned inside out) for other purposes. Aside from being illegal, it’s really in poor taste, and is going to give your business a very unprofessional appearance to your client. For the few cents you’ve saved on shipping, you’ve just given your client a horrible first impression. The last thing you want, is for a mail-order client to be given the impression they *may* be dealing with someone less than honest the very moment they open their package.

By: pfadvice

pfadvice — Sun, 09 Oct 2005 13:00:50 +0000

Interesting and useful information I’ll use when I return back to the States. Thanks.

By: UncommonWay

UncommonWay — Sun, 09 Oct 2005 09:56:56 +0000

As another former eBay seller, I knew some of this stuff, but the rest of it was kind of an “Aha!” realization that I know will come in handy someday. Here’s another thing that I discovered: anything over about 1 pound that won’t fit in a flat rate box/envelope is probably cheaper to ship via FedEx than UPS or USPS. It’s typically a difference of a few dollars to several dollars, depending on the actual weight.

By: Yan

Yan — Sun, 09 Oct 2005 04:30:59 +0000

Try to use media mail when u mail out books and Cds…

By: Jonathan@MyMoneyBlog

Jonathan@MyMoneyBlog — Sat, 08 Oct 2005 18:34:51 +0000

Good stuff. I didn’t know the 1 lb. rule was not applicable to online postage. To think, all that time wasted in line!

By: Caitlin

Caitlin — Sat, 08 Oct 2005 16:43:16 +0000

Great summary of tips…I dont think I realized that insured mail had to be dropped off even though it does make sense.

Another tip about USPS providing free priority (and express) boxes and envelopes…you can order them online and they will deliver them (and priority branded packing tape) right to your door…free of charge