UPS and USPS were on a Hazmat roll but then I had to say goodbye...

to my trusty box! I had this box for almost 2 months this time. Shop after shop was rejected and I was stocking up on stamps and packing tape again.

Then today, the girl says "so, no idea what's in there? Ah, well, doesn't feel off. Just swipe your card when you're ready."

Nooooooooo, my trusty box. I had five shops for today and away went my little box on my first shop. Bwahaha. But at least a shelter is about to get some canned dog food.

MegglesKat

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I've only had one of those rejected completely so I got my box back. I was actually shocked when it happened.

What's done is done. An egg cracked cannot be cured.
There are 3 kinds of lies. Lies, Damn lies, and statistics.

Thanks for that cute story! The chuckles it brought on were needed but I felt your pain, too!

Every time I ship **perfume it seems to go right on its merry little way, regardless of it being 16 ounces 0_o

MegglesKat

I don't think I have had any rejected but I think I have mailed myself the same box to myself from out of town at least half a dozen times.

MissChele - Shopping KY, IN & OH
Thread Killer

Where is the best place to buy boxes to use in the shops and what size to you find are best? They are $1 at the dollar store.

If you ask, most places will let you have a few boxes. You might have to turn them inside out, but it beats spending $$$ if you don't have to.

MissChele - Shopping KY, IN & OH
Thread Killer

My box gets accepted more than half of the time.

Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product. Eleanor Roosevelt

I ask for small boxes at grocery stores, dollar stores, etc. If you go after they get their trucks and stock the shelves you can get perfect sized boxes. They do have markings but you can turn them inside out. I get packing tape as a purchase on my hazmat shops so it works out fine.

Walmart sells 6"x6" boxes for $0.48 plus tax. At the register, the boxes ring up for $0.58 plus tax. I show the pic I took of the price tag which clearly indicates $0.48 and the cashier always accepts it.

Has anyone had the situation where the employee wants to open the box and look inside? That is my biggest concern about accepting the Hazmat shops - and the low pay.

A postal employee told me that EVERY address in the US is in their computer! I wonder what appears on the screen. Just the address and zip code, or the names of the individuals too.

@Dandydew wrote:

Has anyone had the situation where the employee wants to open the box and look inside? That is my biggest concern about accepting the Hazmat shops - and the low pay.

I've never actually had this happen -- but I tape it many wraps in all directions and I wrap whatever is inside up in a million zip and trash bags. I was shipping food, but I've started shipping animal food to shelters instead that I get on my grocery shops.

MegglesKat

Has anyone used the plain yellow bubble envelopes? It says on the instructions that both padded and bubble mailers are acceptable, but I don't want to get caught by a loophole.

When a clerk suggests opening the package I tell them I'll bring it back another day after I've learned what it contains.

@Dandydew wrote:

Has anyone had the situation where the employee wants to open the box and look inside? That is my biggest concern about accepting the Hazmat shops - and the low pay.

Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product. Eleanor Roosevelt

@Dandydew wrote:

Has anyone had the situation where the employee wants to open the box and look inside? That is my biggest concern about accepting the Hazmat shops - and the low pay.

The only time I had a box rejected it was because I told them I didn't know what was in it. The rest of the time, the employee accepted it one way or another.

What's done is done. An egg cracked cannot be cured.
There are 3 kinds of lies. Lies, Damn lies, and statistics.

@SharPen1 wrote:

Has anyone used the plain yellow bubble envelopes? It says on the instructions that both padded and bubble mailers are acceptable, but I don't want to get caught by a loophole.

I've used both lots of times with no problem.

Hey! I never thought about sending a can of dog food to a shelter. What a wonderful idea! I love it! I've shipped "perfume" and "laptop batteries" and "I don't know what's in the box" from my out of town shops and received plenty. Having it shipped always shocks me and picking it up in my apartment's office gives the office ladies and I a good laugh every time. "Your perfume arrived!" I buy the .48 cent wal-mart boxes also and leave them in the trunk of the car so they heat up and I can peel the tape, label and priority tape off easily and I always have a 1.5 lb box ready to go when they call/text and offer a huge bonus for a flaked shop.

The pet food cans are perfect

You can usually ship out a large can of 13 oz dog food and box for right over a lb. Or I can grab up 2-4 cans of kitty food. It doesn't usually matter too much if I ship to zone 5 if there are 2 cans or 6 in there with the weight. Kroger will put some brands on sale as low as $0.25 a can at times and I'll stock up.

I'm a little more selective about what my fur kiddos eat, but I know shelter kitties and puppers often get the lowest of the low food or whatever is donated. I try to pick out the meaty ones versus the patte. Seems like my animals love the chunky food versus the "mash."

MegglesKat

I did 3 this week. Disclosed it was perfume, laptop battery & perfume. Away went my little boxes for $10.55 each.

I have never had a Hazmat box ever get shipped, it has always been rejected. I guess that should make me feel good that my USPS locations are doing the right thing but it bothers me that other locations allow these shipments. As someone who gets on a plane, I don't want that stuff in the cargo hold.

@MountainCacher88 wrote:

The pet food cans are perfect You can usually ship out a large can of 13 oz dog food and box for right over a lb. Or I can grab up 2-4 cans of kitty food. It doesn't usually matter too much if I ship to zone 5 if there are 2 cans or 6 in there with the weight. Kroger will put some brands on sale as low as $0.25 a can at times and I'll stock up.

I do this too! I send food to the animal rescue we got our dog from on the regular box shops. Most weeks they get 3 or 4 boxes from me. I feel like this is a great way to give back. The shelters are very happy to get donations too.

Doesn't the post office use FedEx planes to ship stuff?

@siamese5555 wrote:

I have never had a Hazmat box ever get shipped, it has always been rejected. I guess that should make me feel good that my USPS locations are doing the right thing but it bothers me that other locations allow these shipments. As someone who gets on a plane, I don't want that stuff in the cargo hold.

Kim

yes i use the bubble mailers sometimes!!! just depending on who i am sending something to and where it is going!!! i love these shops b/c i can bless friends from out of state etc etc. !!

@SharPen1 wrote:

Has anyone used the plain yellow bubble envelopes? It says on the instructions that both padded and bubble mailers are acceptable, but I don't want to get caught by a loophole.

Yes, I use them almost exclusively for both regular box and hazmat. I get them at Dollar Tree, 2/$1.

Happily shopping the Pacific Northwest. Shopping since 2013

Kim,

The post office uses commercial (passenger) flights and rents space on many of the other freight/shipping company planes as needed and available. It benefits both parties to utilize the available space on an airplane going from point A to point B. It really is impressive the amount of packages the USPS moves without operating a single aircraft. The logistics and connections they have and use is quite amazing.

@kimmiemae wrote:

Doesn't the post office use FedEx planes to ship stuff?

@siamese5555 wrote:

I have never had a Hazmat box ever get shipped, it has always been rejected. I guess that should make me feel good that my USPS locations are doing the right thing but it bothers me that other locations allow these shipments. As someone who gets on a plane, I don't want that stuff in the cargo hold.

"We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl -- year after year..."

About 5 years ago when I used to check in packages at the condominum high rise I worked at, either FedEx or UPS worked with the USPS delivering packages.

I can't remember which one and whether it was USPS using them or them using USPS for the final delivery. Not sure how it was actually shipped.

This was funny to me because I'm doing my first regular box shop tomorrow. I'm sending something I no longer need to an online friend several states away who's having a rough holiday season. She offered to pay postage, but I said it wasn't necessary.

If the shop goes well, I may become a regular PO shopper because there are a ton of them around here.

There always seems to be a ton around here too. But when I sign up for them, they just sit in my in box until they disappear. I've tried emailing the scheduler but to no avail. The first time I applied for one, I got it but since then it's been a struggle.

What's done is done. An egg cracked cannot be cured.
There are 3 kinds of lies. Lies, Damn lies, and statistics.

There's only an 18 day rotation and they only need to be done, what, once a month or quarter so the scheduler probably has their favorites that do them each and every time. That's why when she requests me to do them I request a bonus. I don't take sloppy seconds unless I get 2x-20x the pay!

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UPS and USPS were on a Hazmat roll but then I had to say goodbye...

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