You know you've really lost it when....

You're so paranoid about the making sure your package is "perfect" for the shipping shop that you wrap the box (which has markings on it) in plain paper, and when you see that the paper looks "too wrinkled," you iron it.

I kid you not. I haven't done a shipping shop in about two months, and after reading some of the stories here, I am afraid I'll get my hand slapped by the MSC if my box doesn't look perfect in the photo.

I think I'll take a long break from these.

I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.

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I've done about 40 in the last couple months and I've yet to have a problem. Granted, all but one of the boxes I've bought new from the store, so they were completely blank (except the size and brand markings) to begin with. The last one I shipped to myself so I taped paper over the markings from the PO. I know people have had problems, but I haven't had any. The 13 I've done so far this month have all been reviewed and approved without a single question.

Shopping central Arizona.

Why would one ever wrap a box to be shipped in paper? There is a reason why wrapped boxes are discouraged if not outright banned by USPS and other shipping companies - they are prone to cause problems with sorting machines.

@Rousseau wrote:

Why would one ever wrap a box to be shipped in paper? There is a reason why wrapped boxes are discouraged if not outright banned by USPS and other shipping companies - they are prone to cause problems with sorting machines.

Because the MSC insists on a plain box. Because I didn't have a plain box on hand (I re-use boxes for environmental and economical reasons, and I already have a boatload of them at home). And for $12, I'm not taking time to go to the store to buy a box. The MSC states that it's OK to use a box wrapped in plain paper. I taped it to within an inch of its life so it won't rip during transit. I've wrapped boxes in paper (heavyweight, of course) before, and nothing has ever happened to them. It's not like I'm wrapping them in notebook paper!

I used to use as plain a box as I could find and neatly black out any markings, with permanent marker, any miscellaneous printing, bar codes, etc., which is usually what I do when shipping stuff. But that's not allowable on these shops.

I've been shipping items out on a regular basis for around 17 years, and haven't had a package mangled yet. Of course, I don't usually wrap them in paper, and there's always a first time. But still....

I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/22/2016 11:34AM by BirdyC.

I ship lots of boxed items when I sell on eBay. I always wrap the box in paper. At the expense of shipping, I will not be buying boxes. I use the wrong side of gift wrap paper. I always buy the heavy weight paper anyway and never use all of it. The box is tightly wrapped and all corners and edges of paper are well taped. I have never had a problem in 10 years of doing this. Now the mail carrier may drop the box, or throw it over a fence, but I have never had a problem shipping because of the paper. Now I don't have 60 rolls of xmas paper in the basement anymore, only 20.
I may have to sign up for some of these mailing shops.
(The inside of large paper grocery bags works well in a pinch also.)

It's a simple matter to take the box, and refold it inside out to hide all of the markings.

It is much easy - and better - to simply use Mark Over paint to mask markings rather than go to the time and expense of paper wrapping.

[www.amazon.com]

Once you have the box wrapped once, you just need to peel off the stickers that the employee puts on it and the box is good to be mailed again.... I have five boxes at home that are all ready to be mailed back to myself the next time I leave city and go near one of these places.

Hard work builds character and homework is good for your soul.

@Rousseau wrote:

It is much easy - and better - to simply use Mark Over paint to mask markings rather than go to the time and expense of paper wrapping.

[www.amazon.com]

Are you saying to spray the entire box or just the markings? My understanding of the current shop rules is that you are not to use any type of "cover-up" (tape, white-out, marker, etc.) to cover box markings. If it's allowed to use that and just spray over the box markings, then that would be a good solution.

P.S. It doesn't cost me anything for paper to wrap boxes in; I have a supply of what's called "white paper" for wrapping and packing that's enough to last me about a year! And the box that I used last week arrived safe and unharmed. I tape down all the edges so there's nothing to lift up and get caught in the machines.

I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.

I really doubt their are sorting machines that can accommodate all these package sizes, only flat, standard shaped mail is sorted via machine. That is why the small "parcel" price is more (anything thicker than 3/4 and not regular), it is considered a "non-machinable" item - aka cannot go through a sorter.

I get the smaller boxes from work and rip off all the stickers. I have never had one rejected even though the surface is usually rough where the sticker was ripped off. On another note there seem to be many shoppers annoyed at this company for adding more instructions (the latest being taking the pic and not allowing coverups). I find the shops with the newest msc to be far easier than the one with the previous msc. Not only that but the reimbursement and fee went up slightly for less work so adding in a photo still seems easier for the more money than it used to be. Except for un predictable scheduling of shops which I find very annoying I have had no issues with them.

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