How can this seller sale and ship for this amount?

[deserdog]

Large shippers usually schedule pickups. And the shipment is supposed to be spot checked. But regardless, using PM cubic labels on packages that bigger by far is no accident.

 

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[Xraywolf]

You have a valid point, bubble guy is apparently taking advantage of the PO in some fashion and using it to his financial advantage.

Don't think it would bother most, may bother some - I say more power to him, if they are not checking properly then they aren't doing their jobs, are incompetent and opening themselves up to abuse. You could teach an orangutan to measure and weigh a parcel, really not much technical finesse involved in any of this.

 

[Old Bookaroo]

jeff of pa:

Because one of our two major political parties wants to put the USPS out of business, it must pre-fund retiree health benefits. Unlike any other quasi-government or government agency. So it runs at a loss. Every time the Service tries to close a small, very expensive post office that does little business, it is almost always prevented from doing so by Congress.

Good luck to all,

The Old Bookaroo, CM

 

[CladSpends2]

Can't this thread please just die?

 

[deserdog]

I guess it is okay if a shipper defrauds the post office out of 1000s of dollars.

 

[oredigger62]

I wasn't going to reply to this month old thread but changed my mind after the mail ran today. I blame the Post Office for most , but not all , of the issues with those listed in this thread. First , all of our packages sent from my area as media mail go to Pa and are inspected before being sent on their way. No worries as i don't abuse the system anyway.

But , i had ordered a lot of 200 11x17 poly mailers off ebay for $11.85 with free shipping. Was supposed to take a week from New York . I just received them today , the second day. They were 2 bundles of 100 and were all folded in half and crammed into a priority mail flat rate envelope that was shaped like a football... You can only blame the teller at the post office for accepting it that way. Certainly the seller was abusing the flat rate system but only because he was allowed to get by with it from the folks in the post office.

I tried to use a priority mail flat rate box one time that the item was a half inch too long and made the end stick out and they made me repack it in a larger box. They claimed that the box could not be deformed or would not be accepted. BLAME THE POST OFFICE FIRST !!!!

As for the 44147 post office , that is one i have used hundreds of times ... Broadview Heights Ohio. As a general rule their tellers are like the gestapo about the rules. So this must have been shipped by the seller as a postal service scheduled pickup. Those guys just pick up items and load them into their trucks after checking for postage labels. Many times they get back late in the day ( so they don't have to sort mail ) and the items are quickly shuffled through to get them loaded onto the outbound trucks. The larger the item the quicker it needs to get loaded ... so typically a quick scan of the label and on the truck it goes. No time to verify that it gets the proper postage.

 

[deserdog]

A note: I called the post office in Broadview Heights, saying: I want to report a shipper ripping of the post office. A guy, I think his name was Dan, said the shoppers name and said we are aware of the situation.

 

[trdhrdr007]

But , i had ordered a lot of 200 11x17 poly mailers off ebay for $11.85 with free shipping. Was supposed to take a week from New York . I just received them today , the second day. They were 2 bundles of 100 and were all folded in half and crammed into a priority mail flat rate envelope that was shaped like a football... You can only blame the teller at the post office for accepting it that way. Certainly the seller was abusing the flat rate system but only because he was allowed to get by with it from the folks in the post office.

I tried to use a priority mail flat rate box one time that the item was a half inch too long and made the end stick out and they made me repack it in a larger box. They claimed that the box could not be deformed or would not be accepted. BLAME THE POST OFFICE FIRST !!!!

Under postal regulations if it fits it ships. You can cram as much as you want into a flat rate padded envelope as long as it can be sealed as designed.

 

[Geobound]

I'm curious to know.......did they ship the bubble wrap in bubble wrap to make sure it didn't get damaged?

This thread has also provided people with some great ways to scam Cliff Clavin and crew, awesome! LOL.......

 

[cyberdan]

Under postal regulations if it fits it ships. You can cram as much as you want into a flat rate padded envelope as long as it can be sealed as designed.

those eps are great. cost about a nickel more than the small box to ship but could probably hold 4 times what that box holds.

two post offices told me on the larger priority mail boxes you can stuff them and deform them to a degree with product and no problem.

 

[1320]

Sorry to resurrect this thread...lol. Some insider information.

First of all, the Post Office receives no tax payer dollars, she is completely funded by product sales (stamps, postage, supplies) and as mentioned in an earlier post, the USPS is a 1 Billion dollar+ company without the retirement prefund mandate.

Sounds like the seller/shipper of this roll of wrap used the wrong label (cubic pricing) but likely paid the correct amount based on weight and distance. It's an easy mistake to make if you sell a lot of cubic pricing packages. Without knowing the weight of the roll, one can only guess but it seems about right.

The USPS has arrangements with many high volume shippers. One example: The USPS allows a well known large company to ship thousands of packages at the Parcel Select Light Weight Tier (13 ounces and under). In order to curb processing time, the USPS allows them to ship up to 5 pounds at this very low rate BUT, every single one of those over 13 ounces goes to the Postage Due unit at the Processing Plants and the difference gets charged back. It's a completely automated system. The seller in question may have this arrangement. That may be why the Postal Clerk told you that he was aware of it.

The USPS has a Drop Ship program, it's very complicated to explain in detail but this is another way shippers can save. This program involves UPS, FedEx, DHL and others. Wait for it....we carry each others mail! It's not uncommon to select UPS as your shipper only to have it delivered by the USPS and vice versa.

Here's another interesting bit of info: The USPS uses large containers at the Processing Facilities to ship Priority Mail. If a container isn't full and there's no more Priority Mail available to top it off, lower classes of mail will be "upgraded" and sent with the Priority. This explains some examples of receiving packages earlier than expected.

The "if it fits, it ships" doesn't apply to Priority Flat Rate envelopes. It's expected that these should seal properly, usually 1/4" thickness max. The USPS is very lax on this one, rarely enforcing the requirement, matter of fact, I don't think most Window Clerks even know. This is where "beating the system" bites back. Those envelopes over 1/4 thick are very susceptible to being opened accidentally in the processing phase. Edges and corners of other packages will "grab" that open space at the seal.

Sure, the Post Office gets beat out of revenue honestly and dishonestly but here's something to ponder. The USPS makes millions of dollars on shippers that overpay for services and they sure as hell won't let you know about it nor issue refunds! Most commonly seen, two or more stamps on a first class letter, that's a real money maker. Another example is paying the Parcel Post rate (third class) when 99.9 percent of the time Priority Mail is cheaper (and faster).

As a Postal Employee (I'm non-scheduled today by the way...lol), I appreciate the OP's care and concern. As a group, we are diligent in protecting revenue, most offices have an internal, non-official contest to see who can catch the most. For those that think this post is much to do about nothing....would you hire the OP if you owned a business or have employees under you in charge of financial matters? I would!

 

[trdhrdr007]

The "if it fits, it ships" doesn't apply to Priority Flat Rate envelopes. It's expected that these should seal properly, usually 1/4" thickness max. The USPS is very lax on this one, rarely enforcing the requirement, matter of fact, I don't think most Window Clerks even know. This is where "beating the system" bites back. Those envelopes over 1/4 thick are very susceptible to being opened accidentally in the processing phase. Edges and corners of other packages will "grab" that open space at the seal.

According to USPS Regulations:

DMM Notice: Proper Use of Flat Rate Containers

Employees are reminded of the proper use of Priority Mail Express[SUP]®[/SUP] and Priority Mail[SUP]®[/SUP] Flat Rate envelopes and boxes (containers).According to Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM[SUP]®[/SUP]), when sealing a Flat Rate Envelope (FRE) or Flat Rate Box (FRB), the container flaps must be able to close within the normal folds. Tape may be applied to the flaps and seams to reinforce the container, provided the design of the container is not enlarged by opening the sides and the container is not reconstructed in any way. The weight restriction for domestic Flat Rate Envelopes and Boxes is 70 lbs.If an FRE or FRB is presented at the office of mailing and the customer has manipulated or reconstructed it, the container is accepted using weight and zone — not the Flat Rate price. A customer is not required to repackage an item unless the contents are fragile and would be at risk of damage during processing and transit.Below are a few typical questions and answers:Q. Is tape allowed?
A. Yes, tape is allowed on the seams and flaps of an FRE or FRB. Tape is allowed to reinforce the flaps of an FRE within its normal folds and of course to properly close a FRB.
Q. How much tape is acceptable?
A. Tape is permissible as reinforcement on the seams and flaps of a FRE or FRB to make sure the container does not break open during processing and transit. However, tape should not “encase” the FRE or FRB. Note that if a customer is using a printed Click-N-Ship[SUP]®[/SUP] label or PC Postage Vendor label, extra tape is allowed to properly attach it to the envelope or box.
Q. What about bulges?
A. As long as the FRE or FRB can close “within the normal folds,” bulges are not a problem. “Flat” refers to the price, not to the shape.
Q. What if the FRE is too thick?
A. There is currently no maximum thickness for a FRE. “Flat” refers to the price, not to the shape.
Q. What if the FRE is stuffed so full that it’s shaped like a cylinder?
A. As long as the FRE can close within its normal folds, and as long as the sides of the FRE haven’t been reconstructed, for example by being slit and having a gusset inserted, it is fine. “Flat” refers to the price, not to the shape.
Q. What if a skillet is packed in an FRB and the handle sticks out?
A. A small bump-out of the box is okay, but if the handle actually sticks out of the box or the box is reconfigured to accommodate the skillet, it cannot be considered as a FRB.

 

[AlienLifeForm]

Q. What if a skillet is packed in an FRB and the handle sticks out?

LMAO! It wouldn't be on there if somebody didn't do it.

 

[1320]

LMAO! It wouldn't be on there if somebody didn't do it.

I was thinking the same damn thing!

 

[cyberdan]

The USPS has a Drop Ship program, it's very complicated to explain in detail but this is another way shippers can save. This program involves UPS, FedEx, DHL and others. Wait for it....we carry each others mail! It's not uncommon to select UPS as your shipper only to have it delivered by the USPS and vice versa.

When I was walking up to my post office last year I saw a fed-x truck back up to the front door. Thought that was funny, he wheeled out some large cartons.

 

[huntsman53]

The Bubble Wrap was probably made in China and more than likely glows in the dark! The Chinese have long been trying to kill us, so they probably picked up the tab for the shipping.


Frank

 

[deserdog]

Well, I finally used all the bubble wrap. So I ordered more. Said free shipping, smart post. Ok. It arives at my house in CA from OH in 2 days, once again with a .2 Cubic label.