Just wanted everyone to know who orders fabric online, sells it, or even gives it away NOT to use the US Post Office Flat-Rate envelope for mailing ANYTHING but documents.

I do all of the above and am at a loss as to how to properly charge people for the postage. I LOVE FABRIC and want to share it with people, but how the heck can I figure out what a half yard or 3 yards of fabric weighs to set up a system...it will be a guessing game of sorts.

Just needed a place to vent and to let everyone know that you may be responsible for additional postage if you've ordered or sent anything but papers in the flat-rate envelope since the beginning of the year. The PO might be having some grace period, but who knows.

GRRRRRRR! I'm usually a positive person who always makes people laugh (many folks tell me I look and act like Carol Burnett.) This isn't funny or positive news!

Women NEED more fiber (a/k/a fabric) every day; why do we have to pay more for it in postage costs?

I am not sure what you mean?
We all use these for mailing fabric, swap blocks/swap items all of the time, without any issues...
Infact, the workers have seen exactly what is inside the envelope many times, because they give me an extra set of hands to help get it all in and sealed :D:D:D

Have they changed things because I heard the flat rate boxes and envelopes were going to stay the same.

i use flat rate boxes all the time and ship fabric/quilts all over the country and canada...i understand the envelopes being used for documents. i don't understand your issue?... selling-sending just small amounts? you can use tyvek envelopes, that's what i use for all my swaps and smaller than a box full of fabrics. if you pick up a scale (available in office supply places-even walmart carries them) you can weigh your envelope-packaging and print your postage from your computer so it's pretty easy to figure out how much it's going to be. i find the usps web site one of the more user-friendly ones for shipping. :thumbup:

I thought the deal is: "If it fits, you can use it." It doesn't matter how much it weighs. Has there been a change? :?

The boxes are not the problem - they stay the same. The issue is with the envelopes. They fit up to 8 yards of fabric in them and you use to send them anywhere in the country for the same flat rate - NO LONGER. Now it's each package weighed and depending on where in the country or world you're sending them will be the cost.

This is a big deal when you're selling fabric to accurately quote people. I like to give fabric away as well, but this postage thing is a pain.

I shipped some yesterday a lot of them with 6 to 9 yds in each-postmaster said nothing-just the rates went up a few cents.

If there has there is no mention of it on the USPS website.

Here is what it says:
Priority Mail
A simpler way to ship.
Take the guesswork out of shipping with Priority Mail® Flat Rates. Whatever fits in the box or envelope ships for one low rate—anywhere in the United States. There's virtually no weighing or calculating. And your packages reach their destination in 2-3 days.

Restrictions
Contents must reasonably fit within the Priority Mail packaging, and weigh less than 70 pounds

Link: http://www.usps.com/shipping/prioritymail.htm

It sounds to me like the person who waited on you did not give you priority mail flat rate service. They must have rang you up a different way. I have had some postal employees do that for me because it worked out to be less expensive then the flat rate.

We have to make sure we get the envelopes/boxes that have "FLAT RATE" printed on them...they have the same containers that are not flat rate.