DIM Weight USPS Shops

Where do shoppers find the specific box sizes required to do this shop?

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I must have gone to 5 or 6 stores looking for one. I'm sure if you do a search you can find the discussion and suggestions others on this site gave me. I finally found a box at a specialty box store. I avoid these shops now (don't like the hassle of finding boxes and putting that much cash up front to ship something I don't need shipped), but if I were to do them again I'd try to find a bigger box from Walmart or staples and cut it down to the size needed.

I always get mine at the Kroger (Smith's, Fry's) grocery stores. They are cheap there too.

Walmart has one of the sizes available. The box cost less than a dollar.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/26/2016 08:10PM by nilennovy.

If you plan to do a lot of the shops and don't have a good local source, consider ordering a lot of 25 from Amazon or eBay. They cost about $1.50 each this way, and you also get a better selection of sizes.

I personally prefer the 14x14x10 size because it costs less to ship than the larger sizes. I used to use the 14x14x14 boxes, but I found some clerks will mismeasure them as a larger size and charge me more postage than the reimbursement covers. I also discovered the hard way that what may be Zone 6 from my home town jumps to Zone 7 when I do the shop at a nearby city, costing me higher postage and eating into my profits. Using the smaller box size ensures I stay under the reimbursement.

Thanks for the quick replies!

I buy the 15x12x10 boxes from Staples in lots of 25 online. Free shipping to the store. They end up costing me less than $1 each. A 12x6x6 in lots of 25 online costs $0.33 each.

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008

You can get them at a UPS store or a FedEx store. I find FedEx to be cheaper and I always do 12 x 12 x 18 as it still falls under reimbursement if it's mis- measured

I've been doing DIM shops for awhile now, but I just found out yesterday that if I switch my 14x14x14 boxes from Walmart to 15x12x10 from Amazon I will be able to ship to zone 8 and still be under total reimbursement. I was paying 50.80( and only getting reimbursed up to 48.00) to ship to zone 8 with the 14x14x14 box and can now pay 38.60 with the 15x12x10 box instead. I'm surprised the MSC doesn't make the smaller sized DIM box mandatory; it would reduce their costs.

Amazon sells boxes? No one has mentioned that before, but why should I be surprised, they sell everything else! My Amazon Prime account is beckoning to me!

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/29/2016 05:20AM by myst4au.

Office Depot sells the 14x14x14 boxes and with the increase in reimbursement those are good for up to zone 7. They do have their name on the box so when I used theirs I had to cover it up. I have a Box City near me and they carry every size imaginable. All that has to happen for me now is to actually see a listing of nearby Dim wt shops. My boxes are getting moldy waiting.

I was told by a scheduler that I could use a 12/12/12 box. Found out she was wrong and it got rejected. I got paid in the end, but still. Oye. They could at least tell us where to find these extremely particular boxes. I went to four stores looking and alas, nothing.

Numerous sources for qualifying boxes have been mentioned in this and other threads. The bottom line is that Dim Wt pricing never applies unless one dimension is at least 14 inches.

@Pilotkelson1056 wrote:

I was told by a scheduler that I could use a 12/12/12 box. Found out she was wrong and it got rejected. I got paid in the end, but still. Oye. They could at least tell us where to find these extremely particular boxes. I went to four stores looking and alas, nothing.

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008

OMG!! The scheduler never read the guidelines.

In my opinion, the guidelines have some flaws, but the box size is clearly stated. If we use a smaller box, the DIM weight shop will be useless.

I am the DIM weight shop expert in my area, around 200 shops! Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

Cheers!

@Pilotkelson1056 wrote:

I was told by a scheduler that I could use a 12/12/12 box. Found out she was wrong and it got rejected. I got paid in the end, but still. Oye. They could at least tell us where to find these extremely particular boxes. I went to four stores looking and alas, nothing.

14X14X14 is the only size box I have been able to find in a store, Walmart, that you can buy individually. Other dimensions are available online from several sources.....and you have to buy in bulk.

@a-scho wrote:

I've been doing DIM shops for awhile now, but I just found out yesterday that if I switch my 14x14x14 boxes from Walmart to 15x12x10 from Amazon I will be able to ship to zone 8 and still be under total reimbursement. I was paying 50.80( and only getting reimbursed up to 48.00) to ship to zone 8 with the 14x14x14 box and can now pay 38.60 with the 15x12x10 box instead. I'm surprised the MSC doesn't make the smaller sized DIM box mandatory; it would reduce their costs.

Thank you! I was also using the 14x14x14 but bought from Office Depot. Thanks for your post. I just bought from Amazon and already did 3 DIM shops today with the postage and box covered under the reimbursement.

Does anyone know if we can buy the boxes from Office Depot as a reimbursed purchase on a Hazmat shop and then use those same boxes and get reimbursed for them on another shop for this client? It seems boxes would fit the reimbursement guidelines since we can buy some sort of mailing items such as envelopes, stamps etc. But would they consider this double dipping?

I think that you answered your own question. If you are reimbursed for the boxes when you buy them, you can't be paid for them a second time by the same MSC. A word of caution - there has been some ambiguity around whether you can buy anything but stamps at one of the Big Box Stationary stores. I was told no. some have reported that they have been told yes. On a practical basis, you are supposed to buy "something" as soon as the HazMat shipment is refused and at the same counter. Are you planning to have boxes with you "just in case" the shipment is refused? And if they ship it, they will want to ring up the boxes as well, which is not allowed.

@sandyf wrote:

Does anyone know if we can buy the boxes from [one of the Big Box Stationary stores] as a reimbursed purchase on a Hazmat shop and then use those same boxes and get reimbursed for them on another shop for this client? It seems boxes would fit the reimbursement guidelines since we can buy some sort of mailing items such as envelopes, stamps etc. But would they consider this double dipping?

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008

@myst4au wrote:

I think that you answered your own question. If you are reimbursed for the boxes when you buy them, you can't be paid for them a second time by the same MSC. A word of caution - there has been some ambiguity around whether you can buy anything but stamps at one of the Big Box Stationary stores.

My Hazmat's were never refused at the big box stores (I only did a few and have not seen any new jobs for months here where I live). But I did ask what else they had to purchase at the counter since I could not see the item we were supposed to check for. In both cases (two different chains) they said I had to purchase stamps from the front store register as they did not sell anything at the shipping counter.
My instructions for Hazmat at a non USPS place were the same as at a USPS office which mentioned you could buy something like stamps, mailing items like envelopes so I would think mailing boxes would be okay, however If I cannot use them on a future mailing shop and get reimbursed I have no need for them. So I will double check if they ever have any of these shops around here again. I am hoping to see some the beginning of April.

New question:

There is a question on the survey regarding whether or not the dimensions are written on the bottom of the box.
Has anyone answered "Yes" and had no issues? I don't want to cross-off the numbers if I don't have to do it.
My scheduler was unsure. Just curious if anyone has had any shops declined?

I have answered yes, and have never had a problem. Dimensions are written on many boxes, as well as burst strengths, and sometimes other information as well. In most cases, the clerk never even turns the box upside down. If they decide to measure it, they can measure all three sides without turning it upside down. When they do not turn it upside down, I add that as a note. I believe that I had one case where they did turn it upside down, and I noted that. [Edited to add:} Every box I have ever purchases at Staples has the dimensions printed on the bottom, regardless of whether it is a size stocked in the store or whether I order it in bulk online.

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/08/2016 12:11AM by myst4au.

My boxes usually have the dimensions on the bottom and they are generally not measured. I have noted in many reports that the clerk did not measure the box but turned it over and saw the dimensions on the bottom. Always got paid.

Thanks. That's exactly what I needed to know.

If possible, I fold the box tabs so that the dimensions do not show. Also, I will put my label on the bottom rather than the top to conceal the dimensions.

I did one today. The clerk measured the box. I watched her measure the box, But either measured it wrong or used the computer program incorrectly because I was not charged for Dim Wt. The dimensions were on the bottom of the box, and clerk had turned the box so that the bottom was facing me. The clerk never looked at the printed dimensions.,

I had thought that it was possible that they actually want the dimensions on the box so that the shopper is sure of what they are using. Or maybe they capture an image of the box as it traverses the postal system (they have the tracking number and my understanding is that "random" boxes and envelopes are x-rayed) so that they can retrain the postal worker. Given that we report the transaction number, they can find the tracking number and they know exactly where the box is. It wouldn't be hard to intercept it.

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008

They have never asked for boxes with dimensions on them. I have had a few pass through at the regular weight when the clerk has failed to measure. I even had one measure the box but must have gotten distracted and that clerk still charged me the non dim weight price. I was under the impression that they take our word plus the receipt we submit for the box as proof of the size box we used. But, who knows?

So if the dimensions, manufacturer, etc are on the bottom of the box I don't need to cover it up? Can the DIM Weight shops be paid for by credit card? Can you get address labels at the post office or do you just write the address on the box? Doing my first one this week and don't want my report to be rejected. I've emailed the scheduler but haven't heard back.

1) I never cover up the dimensions or manufacturer of the box.
2) With the current MSC, you can pay for any of the shops (eg, Reg, Dim Wt, etc.) by credit card. There are two Contract locations which I visit which will not accept credit cards.
3) The only labels I have ever seen at the post office include the name of the mailing class on them. You CAN NOT use those. Write the address on the box, or print it out in big type face on a sheet of paper and tape the piece of paper to the box. Don't print in 12 point type, or use an address label meant for an envelope.

Shopping Southeast Pennsylvania, Delaware above the canal, and South Jersey since 2008

Thanks myst4au !!!

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