Swaps/postage
 

How are you mailing and what are the costs?


Yesterday I went to us mail a table runner which weighted a pound, the clerk said it had to be in a bigger mailer and it would be $11.95. I thought, okay she's had a bad day I'll come back tomorrow. Sure enough, different clerk and can use the same mailer and 1/3 the cost. It's wasn't busy so I asked her a few questions about cost. She said a box is more expense than a mailer same weight. Since the runner wasn't glass, leak or explode it could go in a mailer. It didn't have to go in a box.

Yesterday to mail 1 block, it was $2.25 to mail in a mailer, but the clerk told me today if in a business size envelope it would have been about $1.00.

I know cost are determined by how far you are sending, but I think how perhaps is a bigger factor. So how are you shipping? Please share. Thanks!

I have been a couple of swaps, and I have gotten different prices on mailing the same package at different post offices. The different prices had to do with the thickness of the envelope. I had ordered the flat rate tyevek envelopes from the post office website, and stuffed it full of 2.5" squares and it cost $6.00 to go from NY to Tx... I'm talking about the envelope looked like it was going to explode. The clerk taped it.. I also pack my swaps in a ziplock bag, and put my address on it. If the bag eplodes, or gets ripped apart, the chances are that it will get back to me.. the thought of spending time on making the project, and it getting lost will upset me big time..

I stuff an evelope with 2 1/2 pieces and cost me two stamps. there are lots of cheap ways to send pieces. may times it is cheaper to send not using the flat rate if it does not weigh alot. I go went its not busy so I can ask and have them check different options for me.

For anything that will fit in a letter size envelope, in it goes. I also use 9x12" manilla envelopes for larger items. Very seldom do I have to use anything larger. That is why I don't understand those who sell fabric here and charge $5.00 plus to mail a yard or two of fabric. I do not purchase the post office envelopes or boxes, way too expensive.

I had made two fleece blankets, (the ones you tie together with strips all around). I put it in the smallest box I could fit them into and took it to the PO. It was almost $20. Took it home. Called the main PO and asked how come so much, as they were light. He said it was the size of the box. So I got the vacuum bags and made them fit into the medium $12something box. Had to sit on the bag to get it to squeeze out as much space/air as I could, undo and shift the contents, etc. Finally made it fit!

Postage - as far as I can tell - is determined by weight, size of package, and destination.

13 ounces is the cut-off weight from first class mail to package options.

You see the only way to use the confirmation slip that tracks the mailing, is to use those mailers. That covers you to know for sure it got there. I had a person say they didn't get something and had to give her money back. (It never returned to me, so ???) So, it is important to a seller and the buyer can check on line to know when it will arrive and where it is. So it is a win win.

The only way that I could get a confirmation was when something was mailed as a package (had to be at least 1/4 inch thick) - I was able to use manila envelopes -

If I send packages using postage purchased through PayPal, I get confirmation delivery included in the cost.

Go to: paypal.com/shipnow if you need to provide the address.

Hey there bearisgray, thanks for that information.

All the information is at www.usps.com
You can check out the sizes and things available and all their policies. You should be able to know before you go to the post office what it is going to cost you and it shouldn't matter which clerk is handling you, assuming all things are equal.

There is NO flat rate Tyvek envelope from the PO. Oh, how I wish there was!! There is a Flat rate cardboard mailer and a Flat Rate padded envelope. If you use the Priority Mail Tyvek envelope they will charge you by weight and distance.

I don't do swaps but I ship a lot and do most of it online through Paypal. It is well worth it to get a PP account if you ship a lot of things, you save on postage and get Delivery Confirmation free or at a reduced rate.

And PLEASE be an informed consumer. Don't wander into the PO with an item to ship and throw yourself on the mercy of the clerk - they are trained to "upsell" - get you to buy the higher priced postage when you don't need it. Know how much it will cost and what service you want before you get there. It isn't that hard (although the consumer confusion dept of the PO works overtime to make it that way).

I think a lot of people think that the Priority Mail Tyvek envelope is also a flat rate item.
You are correct that it is NOT - but it's worthwhile using it at times. Sometimes it's a much better 'deal' than the medium flat rate boxes.

My many trips to the local PO got the lady interested in my work... She wants to join our local quilt guild.In 2 years she will retire and can quilt to her hearts content . Hugs

I mail from the PayPal website. Saves a few cents and label is printed and if you have a simple cooking or postal can weigh your own and figure out the least expensive way to mail. Also saves a trip to the post office. Those padded fate rate mailer envelopes you get from the post office web site hold a lot of fabric! Help in how to fold it can be found on this board.

There is a flat rate tyevek envelope, but you have to order them from the post office online.. They are great!!! you pay $6, and can stuff as much as you can get in the, They are extremely strong.. and they are a FLAT RATE!!!!. You have to be careful when you order them, as there are other tyevek envelopes that look like them, but are not flat rate. Please check the website. I have used them for a while, and others have used them from the board in the swaps that we are doing..

Will you post a link to where you found them?

On this website:

https://store.usps.com/store/browse/...tegoryProducts

I found a Priority Mail Tyvek Envelope 11=5/8 x 15-1/8 - but I must have missed the Flat Rate ones.

I just looked at that site again - and I still don't find it. (Doesn't necessarily mean it isn't there - I'm just not spotting it - and I've looked three times now)

I think if there was one, it would appear in the list of options when you get a price quote on the USPS website. they list every other kind of PM option.

I like using white Tyvek envelopes. they don't tear in the Post Office machines.

I was on the website, and the page that listed above was not the correct page. Go into FLATE RATE.. You will see the padded envelope. That is the one.. It is FREE.. I ordered a set of ten.. It works!!!

Compare before you go!

https://www.usps.com/ship/service-chart.htm

I am at the post office every Tuesday, the flat rate envelope is only 5.65, regardless of the weight or distance (unless it is going to Canada or out of country). If your post office is charging you more someone is making a profit besides the post office, that is the rate established by the US post office. If someone is charging you more, report them.
Also the flat rate envelopes & boxes are free, there are also flat rate boxes, the ones I use are $12.35, regardless of weight. I have packed in as much as 20lbs. in the box.

If you look at some of the on line fabric shops, they will often tell you how much they can squeeze into a mailing for a certain price. Thousands of Bolts springs to mind. I've ordered from them any number of times and when it comes to check out, there will be a pop up that says they can get 'x' number of yards into the mailer for the same price. So while I may have been ready to order 4 yards of something, I will often go back and add another 4 or 5 yards to my order for the sake of the shipping charges. Also, I just got an order from Marmalade Fabrics that had 6 yards of fabric. The shipping was $5. The fabric came in one of those cardboard postal mailers and let me tell you, that thing was bursting.

yes the padded FR envelopes are easier to stuff than the cardboard mailers. Now they are making them in poly instead of paper they are even better. They are still not as big as the Tyvek ones though. I just stuffed one of those with 4 small to medium quilt tops. Printing the postage online it was cheaper than Parcel Post.

If you print postage online from the USPS website, you get a small discount in postage on any Priority Mail.

As if the PO was not confusing enough, there are THREE possible rates for any PM package

Highest - over the counter
Next lower - online postage through website or Paypal
Lowest of all - Ebay shipping, if you are Top Rated Seller. Only good for ebay transaction though.

I always put it in a zip lock bag to insure no water damage and then I squeeze the air out of the bag. I wrap it in brown paper and put the postage on through Paypal. I do have a great scale so I know the weight is accurate. I have had really wrong information at the post office so I try and avoid them.

Thank you so much for this information!

The package may have been stolen from your customer's mailbox/porch. wherever. Especially if it was anytime after Thanksgiving and before Christmas. Just sayin'.

USPS claims on ads for flat rate mailers (box or envelope), "if it fits, it ships." I have sent some large items overseas to our son when he was in the service. Supposed limit is 70 pounds.

Not to confuse the issue, but there is a flat rate military box also.

Back to the main subject -- You can use usps.com to pay for postage and print labels for Priority Mail shipping. I am not familiar with the Paypal rates, but using usps.com is a nice discount over the post office prices. You may also request free pick-up from the postal carrier, and depending on how far it is to your post office, this lack of driving may represent the biggest savings of all. Delivery confirmation is free on all Priority Mail packages where postage is paid for via usps.com. That is another savings.

You can get legal size flat rate Priority Mail cardboard envelopes. The postage is slightly higher than the regular size envelopes, but the space is quite a lot bigger. I have found it to work great for fabric.

I think the most frustrating thing is that postal clerks don't offer consistent information. The biggest problem seems to be in first class envelope postage. It is extra for oversize (I think 6 x 10 is about the limit), extra if it is stiff (a subjective judgment), and extra if it doesn't fit through the slot (1/4" I think). I have had clerks tell me that a clasp on a manila envelop jumps it up to another level. Other clerks have said if you tape over the clasp, it doesn't count as higher postage. A homemade fabric postcard also has a great variation in clerk opinion, and I have found that if it is put in a sealed envelope it goes the cheapest.

I have done Ebay for over 10 years and mailed out a lot of stuff. The flat rate post office boxes are great if the item is heavy, but relatively small. Once you get over 5 pounds or so, and the item is too big for the flat rate boxes, then I have found other carriers such as FedEx or UPS to be the best value. With them insurance is drovides up to about $100. Post office insurance is ridiculously expensive.

Concerning first class (13 ounces and under), distance doesn't matter in cost within the U.S. One yard of cotton quilting fabric can usually be sent for $2.25 - $2.75 in a manila envelope depending on fabric weight and also envelope weight. Two yards costs about $3.00-3.50. If I mail out a presser foot in a padded envelope, the least I will pay is $2.07 -- it is categorized as a "package" even if it is in an envelope, I guess because it won't fit in the 1/4" slot.

Media mail is another ball game altogether. The thing to remember about it is that you cannot include any correspondence, and the item cannot have advertising. Therefore quilting magazines don't qualify for Media Rate. I once was told by a clerk that I could not use newspaper even in shreds as packing material when sending a book, because the newspaper has ads on it.

I tell the postal clerks the same thing I tell the Joann's clerks -- I am happy to play by the rules if I know what they are that day.

Dayle

I was once sending some local newspapers to someone. The seasoned postal clerk explained to me that Media Mail is only for books and DVDs. Magazines and newspapers were not included because Media Mail if for educational items only. Now maybe ads are the reason magazines and newspapers weren't included but it wasn't the reason he gave.

I search all of USPS website and the tyvek were only for priority not flat rate. there are padded flat rate envelopes but they are not tyvek.

media mail is for books and other items, not necessarily educational!! You can even send a cheapo romance book by Media Mail.
It is the ads that disqualifies magazines for MM. Doesn't matter how old the ads are either.

I agree, PO clerks love to make up their own rules!! One of the perks of the job, I guess.