If a shipping shop indicates "zones 1-4", that means I can send it to myself from my own zip code, zone 1, right? I feel like I've seen people talking about only being able to ship to themselves if they do it from a distance away, but all the shipping shops I've seen say "zones 1-4." Am I missing something?

The guidelines state in the"Do"s that the recipient zip code must be different.

Edit: I just verified this as I have one that I'm doing the report for now, and it's very clear that it needs to be a different zip code.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/21/2014 04:12PM by Bellusion.

If you ship it to yourself from your own zip code, the receipt will read, "Zone 0." It must be from Zone 1 or higher.

The USPS website has a zone chart, if you think there is any question.

The zone chart only asks for the first 3 digits of the code. So, shipping from 245XX to 245XX would be zone 1, as long as one of the last two digits is different? I usually only shop in town, and there are 5 or 6 zip codes here.

You'd be taking a chance that it would still be Zone 0 within the same town, even if the last numbers are different. I would not advise you doing that. Many times large towns with multiple zips, or those sharing a regional post office, will be zone 0. Just apply to the post offices that are out of your town a few miles to be sure and send to yourself, or send the package to someone out of your town.

If you use your own zone, the offer of priority is a "moot" point, and the shop does not yield the necessary information for the client.

[postcalc.usps.gov]

Open the "Get Zone for Zip Code Pair" Tab

put in your "mailing from" Zip Code. This is considered your Zone 1
put in your "mailing to" Zip Code

It will give you the Zone of your "mailing to" Zip Code

You must send outside of Zone 1 but not higher than Zone 4. You can, but you will only be reimbursed for postage up to Zone 4

I do these all the time list return of address as some business address nearby and put my home address as zip code. Never had a problem always been paid. 14221 to 14226, 14208 to 14226, 14048 to 14226. But there is a mailing buddies post on here somewhere.

I'm confused. Is Zone 1 not allowed? Even though the scenario says zones 1-4? It needs to be 2-4?

Zone 1 is fine. It's Zone "0" that is not allowed. Sometimes within the same town, it will be Zone 0 while the next town over will be Zone 1.

I did one in Los angeles and it looked as though I could mail to one of the other zips than the post office even within my city but just to be safe I mailed to a different city that was further away. Los Angeles has scores of zip codes. The Priority mail not being available is the issue as was mentioned if it is the same sorting post office for send and recieve. My B was sent to a 1* zone and I worried about that but it worked. I would be very careful if mailing to the same city even with a diff zip code. Check out prices and see if they give a price for Priority with your planned post office to home zip codes. If they do not list a Priority price option you are most likely out of luck.

If you need a shipping buddy, hit me up. I could use one, too.

I mail within Zone 1, but always to a different city / town. Even if in Zone 1, if the sorting city is a distacne from you, it takes a day to get there, and then a day to get to the town next to you, so Express Mail should be offered. Sometimes it is. Sometimes not. Go to the UPS site and try calculating the postage. It requires all 5 zip code digits, and see what shipping options are offered to you.

The instructions say that you can not ship to the same zip code. When I travel, I ship packages back to myself. Sometimes I have even used my own return address, although I try to avoid that. I have never had a problem even when using a return address which is the same as the "To:" address as long as I am 100 miles away or so. When I am asked "rarely" I say that I am on vacation. Even better, send a "gift" to your teenager who got left at home. My experience is that they really don't care. Some things which I think must be dead give-aways (like the same food bank identity must get passed around the post office community, and there must be trucks of packages heading there everyday) does not necessarily trigger them to measure the package dimensions. I am continually amazed.

Not guaranteed, but I try to ship a minimum of 25 miles (should be zone 1) and a maximum of 500-600 miles (zone 4).

They'll cover 100% of the postage if you follow this.

I have friends that live in zone 2 and 4, so I ship to them all the time.

If you live in a rural area, zone 0 is pretty large. I can't even ship to my out of city friends/family. I have a few donation centers for a nearby state and I send school supplies. I get paid to donate Win win for everyone!

Zone 0 is the zip code of the post office you are shopping. If you are shopping the post office you get your mail from, do not ship to yourself.

Zone 1 is the next zone out and can be used for the A, B, and D shops.

For Scenario C it must be at least zone 5.

I ship to myself all the time, but if I'm doing my own post office I ship to my sister who is in a different town with a different zip code. But from other post offices I can send things to myself. I reuse the boxes. I don't even remember what's in some of them; I boxed them up two years ago.

I need a shipping buddy in the US Eastern time zone for a zone 1. I live in KY. If anyone is interested, let me know. We can exchange information.

I could use a shipping buddy as well (I only have one right now and don't want to overwhelm them with mail!). First 3 digits of my zip code are 245 if you want to check the zone.

Just to try to clarify. It does not matter at all what your return address is. What matters is where you are actually standing when you are shipping from and where you are shipping to. So if you have chosen a job that is not in your home zone (0) you can ship to your home address. I can go to a post office in my city that is not in my zone and ship to myself but I cannot ship to myself from a post office in my same zone. The best way to clarify is to use the advice elsewhere on this thread. Go to the usps site and look for the link to calculate postage. Put in the zip of the post office you are shopping as the from, choose the type of package or letter you are sending with weight etc Put the zip of your home if that is where you want to send it as the "to" address. Then you will get a page telling you how much it will cost to send it under different types of mailing. If Priority is listed with a price attached it will work because then the clerk will ask you if you want to send Priority. If all you get is the price to ship standard, the clerk will not mention priority. They want you to ship priority so it must be an option. When you look at calculate price results you will also see what the price will be so you can decide if it is within the budget allowed. Even if you are shipping to another zone it could be a price that is higher than the reimbursement allowed and you will be out of pocket so it is a good idea to check it before you get to the post office so there are no suprises for you on price.

@jnshockley wrote:

If you live in a rural area, zone 0 is pretty large. I can't even ship to my out of city friends/family. I have a few donation centers for a nearby state and I send school supplies. I get paid to donate Win win for everyone!

I've thought about mailing food to a pantry halfway across my state, but the might think it's weird to only get a can or two at a time. Schools supplies sounds like a much better idea! Did you contact them in advance to let them know packages would be coming?

@sandyf wrote:

Put the zip of your home if that is where you want to send it as the "to" address. Then you will get a page telling you how much it will cost to send it under different types of mailing. If Priority is listed with a price attached it will work because then the clerk will ask you if you want to send Priority.

I just tried this on USPS.com, and the results are confusing. I put in to and from the same zip code (there are 6 in my small/medium city), and it still gave me Priority and Priority Express pricing.

IIRC, the directions specifically state to not ship to the same Zip Code as that would be Zone 0. You can go to the USPS website and find the Zones for your area.

I am not sure why this would happen. When I do this where I live Priority does not show up as a choice if within the same post office zone. Sorry if my idea was incorrect. I think it is important to check the zone thing as well. I have no idea why they would have priority listed in the same zip as they promise 2 day shipping and if you are in the same zone the shipping would not usually take 2 days anyway so who would pay that extra money? Supposedly it is based on distance and whether the zip you are sending from uses the same sorting post office as the one you are sending to. I would think in a small town they would not have two sorting places for the same zip.

@MPorter3112 wrote:

@sandyf wrote:

Put the zip of your home if that is where you want to send it as the "to" address. Then you will get a page telling you how much it will cost to send it under different types of mailing. If Priority is listed with a price attached it will work because then the clerk will ask you if you want to send Priority.

I just tried this on USPS.com, and the results are confusing. I put in to and from the same zip code (there are 6 in my small/medium city), and it still gave me Priority and Priority Express pricing.

Remember also, we are not just testing for an offer of Priority. If the package only goes to one sorting center and back out again, they are not expected to ask the Hazmat questions either. At least they weren’t two years ago when I made that mistake.

I wouldn't really try to ship to myself from the same zip code. I was just checking as a baseline, trying to figure out if it's feasible to ship to myself from another zip in the same city. It's a moot point really, since I'm trying now to get a few shipping buddies. Hit me up if you need one too!

Just to clarify, I did not send from my same zip code. It was from 22 miles away. I just didn’t realize how many zip codes around me were going to the same sorting center. I found that out on my first assignment with this MSC. I was lucky to have the report accepted.

There also seems to be mention of zip codes as the key information. That’s understandable since the guidelines only warn against sending to the same zip code. But, it’s really the zones, which can include an awful lot of zip codes.

Anyone new to these jobs should go straight to their zone chart to see where they can send their packages. Save yourself the worry of a rejected shop.

And thanks, MPorter3112. I do need another shipping buddy. But, I’m on the West Coast. I’m Zone 8 for you and that’s too expensive for these jobs.

Random question, when it says Zones 1-4, does that mean I have to send the package one, two, three, or four zones away from the originating location?

OK, I figured out my previous question. Should have read the entire thread first. Another question, if I want to mail something general delivery, can I with this shop? My brother is a park ranger and all packages get sent to the national park as general delivery.

I don't see why you couldn't send the package to General Delivery, but I would check with the scheduler to be sure...and make sure to explain why.