USPS shop question
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I agree. I'd like to know if the flat rate shop was accepted, I don't think it will be since it says not to shop flat rate.
I have no idea why that comment about express being the same price as priority is there? I can't think of any situation where it would be the same price to ship overnight as it would be to ship priority. So you don't have to worry about outing yourself as a shopper because it would never happen.
I have no idea why that comment about express being the same price as priority is there? I can't think of any situation where it would be the same price to ship overnight as it would be to ship priority. So you don't have to worry about outing yourself as a shopper because it would never happen.
I don't either but it's in the guidelines. Maybe they're trying to cover every contingency?@SoCalMama wrote:
I agree. I'd like to know if the flat rate shop was accepted, I don't think it will be since it says not to shop flat rate.
I have no idea why that comment about express being the same price as priority is there? I can't think of any situation where it would be the same price to ship overnight as it would be to ship priority. So you don't have to worry about outing yourself as a shopper because it would never happen.
What's done is done. An egg cracked cannot be cured.
There are 3 kinds of lies. Lies, Damn lies, and statistics.
There are 3 kinds of lies. Lies, Damn lies, and statistics.
I wonder if they would consider my car being involved in a hit-and-run while performing a shop a catastrophic failure. I sure did. I earned $12; deductible on car was $750.
Shopping up and down the Colorado Rocky Mountain front range.
Ouch sorry to hear about that. Are you okay otherwise?@COMystery wrote:
I wonder if they would consider my car being involved in a hit-and-run while performing a shop a catastrophic failure. I sure did. I earned $12; deductible on car was $750.
What's done is done. An egg cracked cannot be cured.
There are 3 kinds of lies. Lies, Damn lies, and statistics.
There are 3 kinds of lies. Lies, Damn lies, and statistics.
Sorry about your car too. I found it interesting to read about what the post office has deemed a catastrophic failure. My interpretation of that was not about things beyond the control of the post office such as a hold up while I was there but in terms of ALL things they can control being badly handled...cleanliness, service, up to date forms and menu boards available, helpful employees, adequate staffing during a normal everyday rush etc, etc. Personally if I was at a post office that got held up or had a fire not due to papers stacked everywhere and a postal employee smoking or something like that as long as the post office personnel handled the situation with its customers as well as could be expected with their safety in mind I would not consider it a post office catastrophic failure. I guess I have to rethink my answer to that question.
Just don't do them in my area during GS Cookie season...there are reasons that my kid sells as many boxes as she does - shipping for out of town customers is taken care of :-)
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/20/2017 03:50AM by KarenMSW.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/20/2017 03:50AM by KarenMSW.
Heartbreaking about your car, COMystery. I think a few of those catastrophic events mentioned by the MSC were taken from my reports. My latest (not in my report) was trying to get to the job and being caught in the commotion directly after a drive-by shooting a block down from the post office.
@sassymmmm wrote:
I'm going to be doing my first 2 of these this week and I'm confused in regards to packaging. The guidelines say the packaging can't have any marks on it except for to and from addresses. All of the packaging I've seen for sale has a brand name and other words on them. So am I correct in presuming that to use these they would need to be covered up say with plain brown wrapping paper?
NO. I use bubble mailers for these shops and they have the preprinted lines and brand name on them, with no problem. I've read on this forum to not use the Amazon boxes but I've never tried it.
@KarenMSW wrote:
Just don't do them in my area during GS Cookie season...there are reasons that my kid sells as many boxes as she does - shipping for out of town customers is taken care of :-)
Do they weigh one pound? I wouldn't think that they weighed enough.
@margovt wrote:
I've done multiple USPS shops. They are not hard. As always, after the first one you know what to look for pretty quickly.
There is about 20+ pages of instructions. It takes a doing multiple shops to get these down until they are easy. I've done 100, probably, but will still skim through the instructions each month to be sure I catch everything on every visit. You can't just wing it because they go back and check your answers.
@SoCalMama wrote:
I agree. I'd like to know if the flat rate shop was accepted, I don't think it will be since it says not to shop flat rate.
I have no idea why that comment about express being the same price as priority is there? I can't think of any situation where it would be the same price to ship overnight as it would be to ship priority. So you don't have to worry about outing yourself as a shopper because it would never happen.
I think there is a sweet spot where ground transportation turns to air transportation that makes them the same price. I think it's around the 400-600 mile range.
In other words, it would take 2 days via ground, but since it's in the sweet spot, mileage wise, both are shipped by air because it's easier for the post office.
Or conversely, it's so far that all mail is shipped via air.
Not sure if I explained that coherently. And I could be wrong, but I've had the same experience, but not while doing shops. Was going to send something parcel post or something and was told it was the same as first class.
I ship across the country. Ground is almost the same price as the priority...pretty darn expensive to send a few pounds. But priority is by plane and one day slower than express from here (not guarenteed). I think that is one reason so many order online esp with free shipping. I have picked up things on clearance in local stores to send my niece but then find the shipping costs more than the item. So now I only buy her lightweight things or something that can fit in a thin envelope..still less expensive. I loved the dim weight shops and hope they bring them back someday. In the meantime I am collecting flat rate stamps on my Hazmat shops so I can send holiday gifts that weigh more than 1-2 lbs!
@wrosie wrote:
@SoCalMama wrote:
I agree. I'd like to know if the flat rate shop was accepted, I don't think it will be since it says not to shop flat rate.
I have no idea why that comment about express being the same price as priority is there? I can't think of any situation where it would be the same price to ship overnight as it would be to ship priority. So you don't have to worry about outing yourself as a shopper because it would never happen.
I think there is a sweet spot where ground transportation turns to air transportation that makes them the same price. I think it's around the 400-600 mile range.
In other words, it would take 2 days via ground, but since it's in the sweet spot, mileage wise, both are shipped by air because it's easier for the post office.
Or conversely, it's so far that all mail is shipped via air.
Not sure if I explained that coherently. And I could be wrong, but I've had the same experience, but not while doing shops. Was going to send something parcel post or something and was told it was the same as first class.
Express is always more than Priority Mail. Guidelines say it is ok to ship Express if it is the same or less than Priority. It is not OK to ship Flat Rate, as far as I can tell, under any ciircumstance.
Zones 1-4 within CA, the price is the same for Retail Ground and Priority Mail.
2 boxes weigh over 1 pound...trust me, no one orders less than 2 boxes.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/21/2017 04:18AM by KarenMSW.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/21/2017 04:18AM by KarenMSW.
@LeslieKay111 wrote:
@KarenMSW wrote:
Just don't do them in my area during GS Cookie season...there are reasons that my kid sells as many boxes as she does - shipping for out of town customers is taken care of :-)
Do they weigh one pound? I wouldn't think that they weighed enough.
2 boxes weigh at least 1 pound...trust me, no one orders less than 2 boxes.
@KarenMSW wrote:
@LeslieKay111 wrote:
@KarenMSW wrote:
Just don't do them in my area during GS Cookie season...there are reasons that my kid sells as many boxes as she does - shipping for out of town customers is taken care of :-)
Do they weigh one pound? I wouldn't think that they weighed enough.
2 boxes weigh at least 1 pound...trust me, no one orders less than 2 boxes.
I agree. One year, my daughter sold over 1000 boxes. We try to keep it around 500-750 now.
@SoCalMama wrote:
@KarenMSW wrote:
@LeslieKay111 wrote:
@KarenMSW wrote:
Just don't do them in my area during GS Cookie season...there are reasons that my kid sells as many boxes as she does - shipping for out of town customers is taken care of :-)
Do they weigh one pound? I wouldn't think that they weighed enough.
2 boxes weigh at least 1 pound...trust me, no one orders less than 2 boxes.
I agree. One year, my daughter sold over 1000 boxes. We try to keep it around 500-750 now.
Mine did 814 last year, usually we do the same as you but our booth weather was better. Her numbers have increased each year since middle school since she has the teacher market cornered (everyone seems to ignore MS teachers). As long as she enjoys it I'll keep supporting it, and the incentives are her "work" to pay for part of camp. It's also the way her troop can afford the cost of the large number of badges she earns. And it keeps schedulers happy because I am able to travel to a ton of locations and it's still less expensive than paying it on my own. Here's to your daughter earning her Gold Award!
I hadn't thought about it until today, but there haven't been ANY regular USPS shops on the board for a couple of weeks. The only ones available are Hazmat. Is anyone else seeing this?
Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product. Eleanor Roosevelt
I did regular ones at the beginning of the month.@KathyG wrote:
I hadn't thought about it until today, but there haven't been ANY regular USPS shops on the board for a couple of weeks. The only ones available are Hazmat. Is anyone else seeing this?
Yeah, I did about 12 regular box shops at the beginning of the month.
There are 2 regular box shops on my local board. 1 is an approved shipper shop and 1 is a regular post office shop. Neither is close to me so I won't be doing them.@KathyG wrote:
I hadn't thought about it until today, but there haven't been ANY regular USPS shops on the board for a couple of weeks. The only ones available are Hazmat. Is anyone else seeing this?
What's done is done. An egg cracked cannot be cured.
There are 3 kinds of lies. Lies, Damn lies, and statistics.
There are 3 kinds of lies. Lies, Damn lies, and statistics.
I thought the approved shipper shops were hazmat shops? They are in my area, anyway.
It doesn't actually say "approved shipper" on it but it's a pharmacy so I have to assume they're an approved shipper not a post office. lol@JASFLALMT wrote:
I thought the approved shipper shops were hazmat shops? They are in my area, anyway.
What's done is done. An egg cracked cannot be cured.
There are 3 kinds of lies. Lies, Damn lies, and statistics.
There are 3 kinds of lies. Lies, Damn lies, and statistics.
Yes, LOL. But it's not a hazmat? It's just that I have never seen a regular box shop anywhere else other than the post office for this MSC.
It says regular box shop, so I guess so. Must be pretty rare though.
What's done is done. An egg cracked cannot be cured.
There are 3 kinds of lies. Lies, Damn lies, and statistics.
There are 3 kinds of lies. Lies, Damn lies, and statistics.
If you're interested in seeing it for yourself the zip code is 85018 
What's done is done. An egg cracked cannot be cured.
There are 3 kinds of lies. Lies, Damn lies, and statistics.
There are 3 kinds of lies. Lies, Damn lies, and statistics.
Yeah, their website is weird about putting in other zipcodes and getting results. I don't doubt you.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/24/2017 01:29PM by JASFLALMT.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/24/2017 01:29PM by JASFLALMT.
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