Does the Post Office ask you?

This is a question for people who send coins in the mail.

Every time I go into the Post Office with my eBay orders, they always ask me what's inside. They tell me they are required to ask. I always tell them it's a small toy. I don't need them to know that I deal in coins.

There is a lady that works there that's pretty chummy with me. The last time she asked me, she leaned forward and whispered to me "You're selling coins aren't you?" I asked how she knew. She says everybody says the same thing when they ask what's inside.

 

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I would probably talk to her boss or something to make sure she's not up to anything. They have never asked me and I don't see why they would be "required" to know. They are gonna send it the same anyways.

 

It's not just her. They all ask. A supervisor told me once if they think you're lying about what's inside, they have a right to open it. My sister works for the PO in Wisconsin and she's never heard that either.

 

They ask me if it's fragile, dangerous, volatile, etc. or something like that.
But never specifically what's in the package.
Apparently they are required to do that.

 

No one ever asks me what's inside. The only question asked is the normal "anything liquid, fragile, or perishable?"

 

The only thing they have asked me if it was any hazardous material, a routine question when mailing a box.

 

Ditto.

 

Here is the question (from the USPS site);

That being said, just how could you mail something with your local postman? You probably don't normally even talk to him or her. I might add that it would behoove you to mail them that way. You could avoid your overly nosy postal workers and save money to boot.

 

That is ALL they are rquired to ask... and "no" is ALL you are required to reply.

 

Most eBay sellers just print their own shipping labels and avoid the entire interfacing thing.

 

In Canada, we have to list the contents of the package. I usually put "metal parts" or "reference material". Originally (before I knew better) I was told to put "coins". But after hearing of all the postal theft, I figured forget that! I never indicate coins.

 

Next time they ask, say "A pint of vodka and some roman candles". :foot-mouth:

 

I'd open that!

 

Reminds me of the time years ago my dad was coming back from the Baja 500, they asked him if he was bringing back anything from Mexico...He said just a bunch of dirt. Needless to say the border agent didn't think it was very funny and he spent several hours at the border while they went over his truck.
Some people just don't have a sense of humor.
Today's postal employee would probably call in the bomb squad if you made that comment.

 

The guy that delivers to my home asked me. I mail most things from home, but apparently, small flat rate boxes that weigh 10 pounds are odd to him. I often sell and trade bulk foreign and you can fit a LOT of them in a single $5 box. Ten pounds feels much heavier when it is a small object. A neat perceptual trick. One time in college, my friend and I took two stuffed dolphins, one big and one small, but the same design. We packed the small one full of weights so that it weighed the same as the big one. When you lift them, the small one feels twice as heavy, despite being the same. Same principle involved and it freaked out the mail guy.

 

Freaked out because of the weight difference or freaked out because you were mailing dolphins?

 

I fill up like 5 small flat rate priority boxes with $50 worth of copper pennies, then put those in a medium priorty box. It costs only $10 to ship $50 in copper pennies that way but the box is super heavy for being so small. The tellers always ask whats in those boxes because its adnormally heavy. I just say its metal.

 

Don't walk up to the counter with a package and go, tic tic tic tic tic.
They don't think its funny, I know

 

There are numerous methods: e.g.

http://www.pb.com/equipment/Postage-Meters-and-Scales/Postal-Kiosks/Postal-Kiosk.shtml

 

My question was if they had to know what was in your package, how could you mail anything outside of the post office itself. Your deliverer takes your mail without question. Your kiosk takes your mail without question. Even the old fashion mail boxes take your mail without question.