USPS - Hazmat or Regular Box Shop

It's been several years since I've done one of these.

If you had a choice, which would you do and why? The pay for both is $12 and I'm trying to get some shops to fill in a route out of town.

Thanks.

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I'd pick the regular shop, because you can ship your package to anywhere outside of the post office's zip code rather than have to ship something to Zone 5 for the hazmat shop.

For sure regular . Hazmat only sometimes gets sent. plus the reimbursement for a small stamp purchase is just $2. years ago, I could still get the actual reimbursement amount of stamps which was cool to get a book of stamps or whatever... I love the regular ones while traveling when I am not going out of my way much. I miss the awesome bonuses I used to get on certain locations.

I'd take either one.

Shopping Arkansas, Louisiana, & Mississippi.

Regular because there is no scenario like thermometer, perfume or what ever the hazardous product is your scenario requires. No explanation to the clerk which may result in your package going a slower method or not at all.

regular

Shopping Eastern Pennsylvania since 2009

If $12 is adequate compensation for you together with one stamp I would say Hazmat as one box may work for several shops so you save time and effort of packing additional boxes, but if you really want to send a box to someone then the reg shops are better a you get a fee and reimbursement for mailing to a friend or family member or for some mailing something they sold online. $12 for a rejected hazmat box, a report,a drive and wait in line is not enough for me even with 3 stamps reimbursed.

I am using regualr to sent packages to my relatives or friends.

Shopping Eastern Pennsylvania since 2009

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/04/2023 01:03PM by gene.

I do the regular type and find them easy and quick. I buy a small 6"x 6"x 6" box at Walmart for .72 cents, that is reimbursed.

I wanted to ask here to be safe.

I picked up two regular shops for next week. It seems last time I did these you had to mail it a certain distance.

Can I mail it from zone 1 to zone 1 if they are different cities and zip codes?

Or does it have to be at least a zone 1 to zone 2 shipment?

The only thing I can find in the guidelines is:

"You must ship to a different zip code and city than the post office you are visiting."

I also noticed they stopped asking about those stupid boards above the counter. It's been several years since I did these shops.

Thanks.

In certain instances, it has become easier. Remember the 1/2 hour rule. And it is 1/2 hour from the time on your receipt.

Do not read so much, look about you and think of what you see there.
Richard Feynman-- letter to Ashok Arora, 4 January 1967, published in Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Track (2005) p. 230

I wanted to ask here to be safe.

I picked up two regular shops for next week. It seems last time I did these you had to mail it a certain distance.

Can I mail it from zone 1 to zone 1 if they are different cities and zip codes?

Or does it have to be at least a zone 1 to zone 2 shipment?

It can be any zip code other than the zip code that the post office that you are visiting services. You can check zone pair information here: [postcalc.usps.com]

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/11/2023 10:22PM by VickyT916.

You have mail to any zip code that is outside the zip code(s) that the post office services. You can check zip code pairs here:

[postcalc.usps.com]

@wrosie wrote:

I wanted to ask here to be safe.

I picked up two regular shops for next week. It seems last time I did these you had to mail it a certain distance.

Can I mail it from zone 1 to zone 1 if they are different cities and zip codes?

Or does it have to be at least a zone 1 to zone 2 shipment?

The only thing I can find in the guidelines is:

"You must ship to a different zip code and city than the post office you are visiting."

I also noticed they stopped asking about those stupid boards above the counter. It's been several years since I did these shops.

Thanks.

It s been a while since I did one of these as they no longer reimburse fully beyond zone 6 but I live in LA and I am 2 blocks from a different city in one direction, 3 miles from another city in another direction and two blocks from unincorporated county in a third direction. They all have different zip codes but they are all the same as far as the post office goes. All the same zone. As I recall you need to send priority mail and you cannot do that if it is just a mile or two.
I do not remember the exact instructions tho.

I mail all the time locally and back to myself. They might offer Ground and Priority or even Express Mail, but you must ship Priority. It can most certainly go Priority if it's only going a few miles. $9.80 is the cost. The price goes up the farther away you go.

ETA: The zone requirement is for the HazMat shops. The package for those has to go to at least a zone 5. (I presume so it will go on a plane) For the regulars, it just needs to be a different zip code. Next town over is good. I refrain from the one near me that uses the same regional office even though it's a different zip. I also try to not do the very nearby towns because it's just stupid to be sending a package 2-3 miles for the price and I think it's a give-a-way to the clerk, but I have done it on occasion. Most of them done care.

*****************************************************************************
The more I learn about people...the more I like my dog..

Mark Twain

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/12/2023 12:41AM by MsJudi.

It depends on how far out of town you are. If you're just in the next state or in the next county you probably want to do a regular box Shop and send your packages home. If you're in zone 5 or further away from home then you could easily do the hazmat shop also.

I prefer regular box shops. But that's just me.

regular box shops always will be shipped. HAZMAT can be rejected due to alleged contents. Ah the thrill of returning home with a rejected package of home baked cookies my son-in-law waits for.

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USPS - Hazmat or Regular Box Shop

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