Wow - an eBay first (rant)

[thecatspajamas]

Originally Posted by Buythatcard

As a seller, this happened to me about 3 years ago where the buyer received a postage due on one of my envelopes. It turned out that the envelope was less than 3/4 inches thick and some postal employee decided to convert it to a Priority mail package.

I always insert 1 styrofoam peanut in every bubble envelope that I ship out. This guarantees that it passes the 3/4 inch test. I never had an issue since then and I mail out several thousand packages a year.

I use photo mailers for all flat items that I send out. The same rule that has the 3/4" thick disclaimer also allows for packages that are packed in a "rigid" manner to be sent with tracking. I have mailed thousands of photos and cards in these things and only once encountered a postal worker who still balked at them being sent 1st Class. They did it consistently, so the buyer in that town simply reminded me whenever he bought something, and I made sure to bulk up the package.

I think it's a ridiculous rule too. I get that they don't want you slapping tracking on something like a letter. That's fine. But if I were a postal employee and had to choose between handling 100 flats that would stack or nest flat against each other vs. 100 bubble mailers puffed up with peanuts in every one, I know which I would choose!

[novakjr]

yeah. I've been getting a lot of postage due lately. As others have stated. The postage is good enough at the point of mailing, but somewhere along the line someone decided it wasn't. Generally because the mailer isn't thick enough.. Also as others have stated, a simple packing peanut usually solves things.

If anything, just let the seller know. See if they'll offer the postage due in refund. And make sure they know that they can solve the issue in the future by using a peanut or two...

[Gradedcardman]

I had that happen a few weeks ago. I took a quick picture of the Postage Due stamp, emailed it to the seller and had a paypal refund immediately. The only time that has happened to this point.

[steve B]

Originally Posted by thecatspajamas

I use photo mailers for all flat items that I send out. The same rule that has the 3/4" thick disclaimer also allows for packages that are packed in a "rigid" manner to be sent with tracking. I have mailed thousands of photos and cards in these things and only once encountered a postal worker who still balked at them being sent 1st Class. They did it consistently, so the buyer in that town simply reminded me whenever he bought something, and I made sure to bulk up the package.

I think it's a ridiculous rule too. I get that they don't want you slapping tracking on something like a letter. That's fine. But if I were a postal employee and had to choose between handling 100 flats that would stack or nest flat against each other vs. 100 bubble mailers puffed up with peanuts in every one, I know which I would choose!

According to my local PO, the two issues are unrelated. Ridgid or 1/4 thick and up is a package, (or a flat if it's only sort of ridgid like most photo mailers) And tracking starts at 3/4 thickness for stuff that's not priority or express mail. Fortunately the one package I had sent back for postage due was going to a government official and he was very understanding of the extra day to repack it in a thicker package.

And the supervisor was interested in figuring out who had written up the rejection, because they wanted extra postage based on a rate that was nearly a year obsolete!

Steve B

[D. Bergin]

Originally Posted by steve B

According to my local PO, the two issues are unrelated. Ridgid or 1/4 thick and up is a package, (or a flat if it's only sort of ridgid like most photo mailers) And tracking starts at 3/4 thickness for stuff that's not priority or express mail. Fortunately the one package I had sent back for postage due was going to a government official and he was very understanding of the extra day to repack it in a thicker package.

And the supervisor was interested in figuring out who had written up the rejection, because they wanted extra postage based on a rate that was nearly a year obsolete!

Steve B

Yup. The packing peanut should be unnecessary as long as the flat is rigid.

[Runscott]

I have found that each post office has its own 'flavor'. Best to make friends with each of the workers at your favorite post office - shoot the crap about nothing in particular. If they are still anal about ridiculous things, use a different post office.

I used to go to the lower Queen Anne post office in Seattle, and I'm happy to state publicly on this forum that they were the most ridiculous USPS employees to deal with ever: I had a package get bumped out of a service class for 1/2 inch of extra girth. A different worker would not insure a package I was trying to ship in a recycled USPS triangular box, because it had a couple of bent places on it. But I kept returning until the general rudeness overwhelmed me. Everyone there acted like they hated their jobs.