lakebreeze

I mail about 15 - 30 dimes to buyers per week, one dime in identical bubble mailers. awhile ago my little local post office upped the price to mail from $0.52 to $1.13 per envelope. One day I happened to go to a post office in another town and they charged $0.80 for the same identical item. Why the lack of consistency I wondered, so I did a little test, I took 4 identical envelopes all contained 1 thin dime and mailed each from a different post office. Guess what!!!! I was charged 4 different prices for identical items $0.41-0.52-0.80 and 1.13. So I continued this test and found that different clerks in the same post office all charged a different amount. This really ticks me off!! Typical government operation, screwed up!!! When you add up the difference between the hi and the lo you get $0.72 times 15-30 envelopes a week over time this really adds up.Any other mailers noticed this in your area??????????????

johndo

Sounds like the postal employees might be pocketing some of that extra change. Whatever you do DO NOT POINT IT OUT, they'll go postal on you.......so bad

John

__________________
Waking up is the hard part, the rest is trivial

lakebreeze

I also get shredded mail once in a while mostly annual reports, magazines ect. They always put the shreds in a plastic wrap which says " because we care". The last piece of shredded mail happened to be ANA magazine. I opened their " because we care" wrap and in it was the ANA cover containing a 4 wheeler magazine, Yah they care alright but they cant tell the difference between a mag cover with coins on it and another with 4 wheelers.

vipergts2

sounds like some scales are off or lack of knowledge. i use paypal shipping for probably 95% of my shipping and the charges are very consistant. it sounds to me if you ship that much you might want to invest in a postal scale and print you're own postage.

I have two ways to weigh my postage, at home i use an antique candy scale (it can get me to the next ounce so its good enough) and at work I use our digital paint scale ( then I just have to google to convert from grams to ounces).

lakebreeze

Yah! I almost went postal on THEM one day when I questioned their difference in rates and the lady got very rude and said this is your first postal class 101, had the clerk been a man I would have invited him outside right now! I have a system now, I go to an office in another town 12 mi. away because one of the clerks there always charges $0.41 and when its my turn to go to the counter and he is busy I just tell whoever is behind me to step ahead. I think I'll ask him to email me his hours as the others all charge different rates. I see they have tried to make the process idiot proof by providing the clerks with a board with a rectangular hole in it, some clerks shove the bubble wrap thru and others think if the wrap even touches its a higher rate.

lakebreeze

Lack of knowledge? yes probably from a lack of instruction. At my local post office which I can no longer use because they just dont get it, they said the rate is now $1.13 because bubble wraps get caught in the conveyors. Well designing, building installing and trouble shooting conveyor systems was a big part of my life for manys years and I know that there is no way this should be a problem unless they are of bad design or poorly maintained. I will look into the home postal system.

vipergts2

I was told by our postmaster that the bubble mailer have to be over a certain thickness. I even had to add some paper as filler once so it was thick enough.

lakebreeze

Want a laugh? ...... Before I take off for my mailing I stand on the bubble mailers in my stocking feet to flatten them out. After doing this many times I found that my rates are lower because the mailer then fits thru their board gauge. By the way the socks are always clean..Ha!

Pocket Change

There are standards, but you've got a lot of people who don't really know the rules that are taking your packages.

I got a USPS "sub-station" that is 2 blocks from where I live. If I go there, I usually get better rates. If I go to the real Post Office about five blocks away, it costs more.

Especially with a few coins - there is a "letter" rate, a "flat" rate and a "parcel" rate. If you use a small bubble envelope. The final price depends whether it fits through a slot they've set up on a piece of cardboard.

If it's just a few coins, NEVER put them in a tube. Try to get some cardboard and line them up flat and then put another piece of cardboard over them. Then tape or staple.

This will save you anywhere from 50 cents to 2 dollars when sending small quantities of coins.

__________________
------------------------------------------------------------------
I don't know what I want, but I know how to get it

Aberlight

I have had the same problem with local PO's. I work next to a main office that is so easy to get in and out at 7:00 in the morning and all three clerks charge differently. There is one that charges the most that I always seem to end up with and her explanation of the situation is that they are responsible for under postage. Sounds fishy. To make things even more interesting, the PO now has a automated machine to weigh and print postage with the swipe of a credit card which has a even different price than the clerks.

Go figure.

Arizona Jack

The new rate increases and size formats have not standardized yet. That just means everybody has yet to understand the rules, and being government employees, most aren't that bright. *** If any of you postal employees are members here, I meant your co-workers, NOT you !! ***

The slot size is 3/4" and is the minimum for a 1st class/parcel thingy. I have found ( I only use #000 bubble mailers ) that 2-3 packing peanuts is enough to get the 3/4" minimum for 1stclass parcel rates. Regular envelope with the folding sticky cardboard safetymailers, max thickness is 1/4" ( I am told ) and 1 ounce for the 41 cent rate.

When using paypal, choose 1stclass parcel rate and use the peanuts, because IF they are picky, they can kick back or even worse, deliver it postage due ( which always helps the feedback and buyers additude).

I use a digital postal scale PO approved and never have any issues.

__________________
W.I.N.S / ANA / SLCC / Mesa Coin Club
I am a poker player ..."thats beyond trailer trash"
Joan Rivers on Celebrity Apprentice, 4/09
Hot Sauce Fanatic !!!

Treashunt

Nothing like standardization.
The USPS is supposed to be the same regardless where you go.
I'd speak to the postmaster.

__________________
The Other Frank
"Buy The Book Before The Coin!"
Buy The Book before the Book:
http://www.whitmanbooks.com/Default....tID=079482580X

vipergts2

Sounds like you need an old clothes ringer to run your bubble mailers through to pop all the bubbles!!
either that or tell the postal workers to stop trying to feed bobble mailer through the post card conveyer.

lakebreeze

I have and talking to her is like....well... talking to a radio. All talk and no real answers. I like the idea of the automated mailing but something like that will probably never show up in my town...... not enough population base.

gatzdon

OP, you are better off using a standard size 10 envelope with 2 pieces of sturdy cardboard 1/8" thick (so the total thickness is 1/4"). You want the cardboard to be the exact size as the envelope so they don't move. Put the dime in a cardboard flip and secure the dime to one of the pieces of cardboard with tape.

This should keep your weight under 1oz, satisfy the requirements for the 1oz rate, and keep your dime safe. The rate for this should be 41¢.

If you do keep using the bubble mailer, you should be getting charged the 2oz rate due to the envelope being considered oversized (based on the thickness).