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USPS flat rate boxes!

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USPS flat rate boxes!

#1

USPS flat rate boxes!

Ernie Miller Topeka

>For all of you e-bayers out there the post office has decided to help you out with them heavy items. they now have flat rate boxes. This will be great for some of us.

Fact Sheet

The new Priority Mail flat-rate box options are Quick, Easy, Convenient:

Available as a part of a 2-year experiment starting November 20, 2004.

No weighing required by the customer.

No zone charts needed or rate calculations to make.

Boxes come in two familiar shapes (both of which have similar cubic inch dimensions):

11-7/8" x 3-3/8" x 13-5/8" ideal for garments, board games, books, and other thin items.

11" x 8-1/2" x 5-1/2" perfect for shoes, model cars, and other taller items.

Both boxes have large red starbursts printed on all sides to identify the Priority Mail flat-rate packaging.

One price fits all:

$7.70, regardless of weight or domestic delivery zone.

Exactly twice the postage of a Priority Mail flat-rate envelope.

Boxes are not prepaid. Each box must bear $7.70 in postage.

For postage, customers can affix any combination of stamps equaling the $7.70 rate (such as two $3.85-rate Jefferson Memorial Priority Mail stamps), they can affix a postage meter strip, or they can use Click-N-Ship� or other PCPostage� options to print their shipping labels and pay for postage using their computers, printers, and the Internet.

Availability:

For customers, boxes will be available at most Post Office facilities. They can also order boxes at http://supplies.usps.gov; under Browse Store and under Shipping Supplies, click on either Business Use or Personal Use, and then click on Priority Mail.

Customers can choose from several mailing methods:

Enter Priority Mail flat-rate boxes at any Post Office.

Hand them to a letter carrier when mail is delivered to a home or office.

Arrange for a next-day pickup at no extra charge using Carrier Pickup (which is available in most locations) using online notification at USPS.com�.

Re: USPS flat rate boxes!

#2

Re: USPS flat rate boxes!

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

>This is great. I've used the flat rate envelopes several times for shipping small tools, at a greatly reduced rate over conventional parcel post (what I used to call "partial post," in honor of Walt Kelly). It presents a real challenge, both figuring out how to cram tools into an envelope designed to take about 50 sheets of typing paper and incorporating some insulation to protect the tools from getting squashed. This presents a whole new challenge area - how much can you stuff into one of those boxes?

Re: USPS flat rate boxes!

#3

Re: USPS flat rate boxes!

steve knight

>cool ateast one of the boxes will work for smoothers. I ordered 200

Re: USPS flat rate boxes!

#4

a USPS e-bay hijack

Mike MacDonald

>I recently won a smoother in an e-bay auction, the first item I've won from an American seller and was wondering how long shipping to Canada usually takes?

It's been two weeks now since he shipped it. How much longer have I to wait? I usually ignore the mail,but he daily trips out to the end of the drive and mail box are starting to get dissapointing.

Re: USPS flat rate boxes!

#5

Re: a USPS e-bay hijack

Ernie Miller Topeka

>Any day now 10 days two weeks it's worse around the hollidays

Re: USPS flat rate boxes!

#6

Re: USPS flat rate boxes!

Ernie Miller Topeka

>Let me help tak a peice of cardboard so when it's folded over just fits in the envelope. now stuff every thing you want into it and tape good. then take your yellow glue and smear it inside the flat rate invelope real good shove your home made packet in side and seal it up. I allways feal sorry for the poor sole opening them but you can ship a dozen chisel with out handles.

Re: USPS flat rate boxes!

#7

Re: a USPS e-bay hijack

Darin in Victoria

>Ernie, do these new boxes affect the international shipping (i.e., to Canada).

Re: USPS flat rate boxes!

#8

Re: a USPS e-bay hijack

Todd Hughes

>Depends on how it was shipped, I have shipped a plane surface to Toronto Can. befor that took an amazing almost 2 months! This coming from the eastern US. Because of this I always try to push using air.Have shipped stuff to Australia surface and had it take less time then this.My post office guy has told me that Can. post office system is known to be pretty bad /slow .....Todd

Re: USPS flat rate boxes!

#9

Re: a USPS e-bay hijack

Ernie Miller Topeka

>Sorry won't help you there. But there is some sort of small packet mail from the UK that is realy cheap air mail It cost me like $12 to get an infill

Re: USPS flat rate boxes!

#10

Re: a USPS e-bay hijack

steve knight

>sometimes a bit over a month. thats airmail.

Re: USPS flat rate boxes!

#11

Re: a USPS e-bay hijack

steve knight

>a money saver if you don't need insurance use global priority it is faster and cost less then ailmail usualy.

Re: USPS flat rate boxes!

#12

Actually.....

Todd Hughes

>for a 4 lb. plane sent to Can. Global Priority will cost $18.00 while airmail Parcil post will only be $11.75. Global Priority taking 4-6 days and Airmail parcil post 4-7.....I do use Global Priority flat rate envolopes often to save some $ but can't fit many things in them Todd

Re: USPS flat rate boxes!

#13

Re: a USPS e-bay hijack

Darin in Victoria

>Cool, but how do you fit a #7 in it? On my wish list, but probably not until after Xmas.

Re: USPS flat rate boxes!

#14

Re: Actually.....

steve knight

>I have only done small things. like a plane blade 8.00 global priority to canada and about 14 or so for airmail. so maybe only light things then or maybe cananda is only cheaper thats the only place I ahve used global.

Re: USPS flat rate boxes!

#15

Re: a USPS e-bay hijack

Dale Stansbery

>Actually, Global Priority Mail includes insurance coverage in the cost. Im not sure how much, probably $100. At least that's what the friendly folks at the PO tell me.

Re: USPS flat rate boxes!

#16

it's Gruesome!

Ernie Miller Topeka

>you really don't want to know.

Re: USPS flat rate boxes!

#17

Re: a USPS e-bay hijack

joel

>Global priority mail has no insurance and you cannot get insurance for it. You are thinking of global Express mail which automatically has $100 in insurance and you can buy more.

Re: USPS flat rate boxes!

#18

Re: a USPS e-bay hijack

Dale Stansbery

>Too many options, guess I got confused!

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