The MLP Arena
TCB => Trader & Shipping Support => Topic started by: ClosetAvalanche on February 16, 2013, 01:17:34 PM
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Second time this week I had to pay extra for shipping because my items were sent in priority boxes and wrapped in brown paper and sent first class. Starting to get annoyed.
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HOLY COW!!!! Are you serious!!!! That would also make me mad!! I wonder if that is something that could earn a bad seller rating? What so you think?
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Interesting. I've received items in priority boxes wrapped in paper and have never been asked to pay additional postage. Is the post office removing paper to check what the box is underneath?
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ebay/auction site or here?? I'd definitely be reporting that and leaving appropriate feedback. Are they charging you for the extra then are you getting charged twice? or are they only charging you what they pay then you getting charged extra? Either way, I know I calculate the cost of something by item cost + shipping cost. Having extra thrown on is ridiculous,and if the item is sent back, then it's often deemed YOUR fault, which is also seriously wrong!
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If post office suspects they will open and charge. They used to turn them inside out but that stopped once USPS starting printing priority mail on the insides of the boxes. Definitely toss a fit!
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Please let us know who the seller is, if they are not co-operative about apologizing for thier mistake! :(
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Interesting???
So they were actually packaged up in a Priority box and then wrapped in a brown bag and sent First Class??
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I send Priority boxes wrapped in brown paper all the time, especially my overseas packages. I had no idea the post office would open packages that were shipped in this manner. If anyone has had an issue with the way I shipped, I'd like to know about it so we can make it right.
This is troubling to hear:(
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Its tempting to ship this way because the Flat Rate boxes are free (sorta!) I think it's actually illegal to use these to ship non-Priority; I seem to remember reading some strong legalish words about them.
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As far as I know this is actually a pretty common practice, but this is the first I've heard about the PO opening them up to check. :huh:
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Small sections of the paper got torn, revealing the red/ blue priority box inside. The seller was nice and apologized and refunded what I had to pay, so I'm not going to make a big deal about it, but I liked their note saying 'they've never had that happen before'. I don't understand how people think this is okay to do it over and over- no wonder the po is in such debt.
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Good post.
I have heard many times of people getting charged extra because of this practice. Some people even modify the size of boxes first, so it doesn't look like a typical priority box, and less likely to get caught. :/ It's just not good to do.
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I send Priority boxes wrapped in brown paper all the time, especially my overseas packages.
Oh god, I've done that before too D: Never again!
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As indicated by some of the members here, I doubt it's often an intentional infraction! I really do think that folks just do this not knowing any better. I think reusing boxes for shipping is a pretty common practice, and, well, a box is a box!
... Except for when it's a Priority box, I guess.
I'm glad it worked out for you, ClosestAvalanche. :) Your seller is probably telling the truth; this is probably the first time it's ever happened to them. Hopefully they'll learn from it and not cause anybody else trouble down the line!
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I've had this happen too. I've had people turn the box inside out too. Sometimes I get charged and other times not. >_<
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Ugh, that'd make me mad. Did you send both sellers messages?
I used to see people who would use their tape and put it back on the rack, but my PO cracked down on that.
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Great thread btw, I've haven't used the boxes myself but just got sent a small one wrapped in brown paper, didn't even think about having to cover any extra postage if found out.
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Very interesting. Good to know. I tend to keep a stash of boxes (just random sized ones) so I don't have to use the priority boxes. XD
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I send Priority boxes wrapped in brown paper all the time, especially my overseas packages.
Oh god, I've done that before too D: Never again!
I'll never do it again either! I only ship MIB Monster High dolls out in this size box only because they fit beautifully. Perhaps Cheerios boxes will work better.
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Just want to point out that it's likely no one here is "stealing" the boxes (or attempting to defraud in any way) and using them to ship non-priority. I know I reuse priority boxes just like I reuse every other box I get - I've never taken one from the post office just so I could get a free box.
Probably what happened to the OP's seller...
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Priority boxes are FREE but they are NOT to be re-used... the Post Office has stated this a number of times...
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Priority boxes are FREE but they are NOT to be re-used... the Post Office has stated this a number of times...
Well I don't think the PO can really enforce this, nor have I ever seen them try. I reuse priority boxes all the time (to ship items with priority mail) and no one at any post office has ever said anything about it...
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I think as long as the boxes are being used to ship Priority, there's no issue if they are being used a second time. When you pick up free priority boxes from the post office (or have them delivered to you from their web site), there are signs saying that they are only to be used for the shipping service printed on the box. I'm not sure how people can say they "didn't know you weren't supposed to do that". If tampering with the mail is a federal offense, I'm sure there is some possibility of a fine or something for people caught "stealing" priority boxes.
I'm glad that your seller worked things out fairly. Hopefully this thread will be a reminder to people that there are repercussions from doing this, even if it's the buyer who ends up getting the unfair end of the deal. :huh:
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i recycle all boxes and packaging material I get so I know i have done that in the past, I will need to remember not to do that.
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Thank you for making me aware of this. To be honest I never really looked at them close enough to read any of the fine print. Of course, since I'm in Canada there's no warnings about them at the PO. I was saving the priority boxes I've received as packages myself to reuse.... I sent one to Europe. I'll recycle the others now though.
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That's ... kind of sad. :/ I reuse boxes a lot, it's better for the planet, saves trees, etc. etc. - never stopped to think that it might actually cost my shipping buddies money!! :yikes: I hope no one I shipped to got charged!
But as much as I can see the PO wanting to keep those boxes only for certain shipping methods... how many people are going to reuse a priority mail box, if they can just get a new one for free? :/ Seems to encourage waste, and make recycling very unlikely, which is no good for our environment.
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I really hope people aren't doing that deliberately. :huh:
I mean really, how hard is it to get a small cardboard box? I keep having to take mine for recycling because I have so many.
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I did not know this :shocked: A long time ago I took a box to the post office to ship to my friend in England and they told me that I couldn't ship Priority overseas. So I took the package back home and cut the sides, turned it inside out and used it that way (this was before they started printing "Priority" inside the boxes) I just use other boxes that I get in the mail (I got a dog food box one time, lol) and if I have a Priority box then I'll send it Priority. Thanks for letting us know!
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Ah... Crap. I guess I'd better stop doing that, I didn't realize my packages would be opened. >.<
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Thank you! My mother in law works in a post office and says people do this all of the time. it's a horrible practice and dishonest, and I'm sure nobody here meant to defraud so a good education was had.
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Woah... I have a few of these boxes that have come up to me from the US, and I thought it was A-OK to use them again. Good to know before I shipped anything in one!
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Yes this is against po rules. You are not allowed to use their boxes this way.
Post Merge: February 18, 2013, 12:57:28 PM
Priority boxes are FREE but they are NOT to be re-used... the Post Office has stated this a number of times...
Well I don't think the PO can really enforce this, nor have I ever seen them try. I reuse priority boxes all the time (to ship items with priority mail) and no one at any post office has ever said anything about it...
I actually have seen them enforce it at the postal window.
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If you receive a Priority box in the mail and reuse it as a Priority box it is allowed. I have done it many times. They do not care as long as the box is being used for what it was intended for, which is only for Priority mail. It is not against any policy to do so.
What they do not allow in which the OP has stated is that you are not allowed to take a Priority Box and cover it in brown paper/etc. and cover the fact that it is a Priority Box. Then ship it off as First Class or Standard Post.
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Yeah, reusing it for another Priority package is okay, AFAIK. But not trying to "trick" the PO by sending it as first class. :/
The grocery store is a great source of empty cardboard boxes you can use for first class.
Safest to put opaque shipping tape or paper over any kind of logo or writing on them, though.
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The Post office has been enforcing this rule (when they see it) since they first came out with the boxes- they must lose a ton on packaging materials and tape (which they also used to provide for free).
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I learned a long time ago to not use them boxes. Its so easy to find free boxes that will not make the postal office lose money!
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Yes this is against po rules. You are not allowed to use their boxes this way.
Post Merge: February 18, 2013, 12:57:28 PM
Priority boxes are FREE but they are NOT to be re-used... the Post Office has stated this a number of times...
Well I don't think the PO can really enforce this, nor have I ever seen them try. I reuse priority boxes all the time (to ship items with priority mail) and no one at any post office has ever said anything about it...
I actually have seen them enforce it at the postal window.
I am talking about re-using priority boxes to ship priority mail, though. Surely they can't stop you from doing that. LBS seemed to imply that the post office does not want the boxes to be re-used at all, but I've never seen or heard of the post office stopping people from reusing the boxes as long as they were still using priority services.
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You can reuse priority boxes for priority mail. :) re-use, recycle.
In a totally unrelated note, I got a UPS shipment yesterday that used a priority USPS box. I was like "WHAT?!" so confused.
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A very educational post, thank you for posting this thread! :)
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I've just been lucky... The people working at my post office are extremely nice, and they don't enforce it at all. One time, my mom pretty much told them, yes, that's a priority box under the wrapping paper (good going, Mom), and the PO worker's response was "shhhhh" and let me ship it first class. XD To be honest, I never really saw what I was doing as defraud, or even dishonest... I just figured that, since most of my boxes were reused and in bad condition, covering them up in brown paper would be the best, and anyway, first class is a lot less expensive. But if my swap partners are going to have to pay extra for that, then I won't do it anymore.
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Vertafae - The USPS does hire some things out to UPS - I'm sure that's what happened in the case of you getting a Priority box from UPS.
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Nah, we just don't give a crap what box you bring to us at UPS. As long as it has a UPS label on it the box doesn't matter. I've seen cereal boxes, Fedex boxes, USPS boxes. I've even seen people not even box an item but just like... put some tape or bubble wrap on it and slap a sticker on it.
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Vertafae - The USPS does hire some things out to UPS - I'm sure that's what happened in the case of you getting a Priority box from UPS.
I didn't think of that, that makes perfect sense too.
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LOL @ This Thread! I do it all the time. I know it's "frowned on," but hey, I KNOW I have shipped USPS enough times over the years to have paid a few people's salaries, so I don't feel bad about taking some cardboard here and there - ESPECIALLY when it comes to protecting my Customer's items.
I think what you may be suffering from, ClosetAvalanche, is a nosy delivery driver. They get that way when you are ordering a lot of items.
Sorry for your troubles though. I think out of all the times I have ever done that, only one time have I ever had it caught to where the buyer was asked to come up with money, and rather than message me, that buyer refused the package and I had to re-ship it.
It was no biggie to me though, and it really is not going to stop me from doing it in the future. When it happened to me, I was shipping some more delicate accessories, and I could not see charging $6 for Priority on a few items totaling around $7.
As far as I'm concerned, the mass-production and subsequent misuse of a few boxes is NOT what is tanking the United States Postal Service financially. From the conversations I have had with my Route Carrier, there are a lot of budgetary wastes and misuse of funds/time/etc.
And lastly, I don't know how many of you actually go to the Post Office, but the "ReadyPost" supplies they sell (and I ALWAYS see someone with a freshly-bought box whenever I go there) Are the most OVERPRICED boxes - EVER. So, they more than make up for a few hundred misused pieces of cardboard, that cost them a few cents to manufacture.
Not to mention the fact that the only boxes they leave out for customers at the Post Office are Flat-Rate, and most of the time, what is being put in those boxes could ship for less as non-Flat Rate Priority, so the USPS is making even more money there.
Bottom line, as long as your sellers are not sticking you with the additional shipping, I would not worry about their practices. I know it's annoying though.
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The USPS does hire some things out to UPS - I'm sure that's what happened in the case of you getting a Priority box from UPS.
I've gotten AVON orders that were supposed to be shipped by the USPS, delivered by UPS. It was a PITA as the time because I was living inside the grand canyon natinal park. There is a USPS office there but for UPS, I had no physical address. All UPS/FEDEX deliveries went to the company's warehouse and I had to go get them there
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Stormy, you're so awesome! I love your honesty:).
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Stormy, you're so awesome! I love your honesty:).
Thanks! I love being honest. It's funny sometimes and it gets me through the day.
I also wanted to add for the OP:
I think it is hilarious for your Postman to try and charge you the extra money - AFTER the packages went parcel post/first class. It's like, what are you paying for? The item made it to your door via the slower shipping method - it didn't even go Priority, HAHA!
The USPS has me in stitches, LOL!
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sorry, I'm confused with, this problem, can somebody explain it to me? :C
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I've had heaps of priority boxes shipped to me inside out. Not as priority though. I'm a little confused too so these boxes are free from the PO? Then you pay to ship them priority but your not allowed to reuse them even though you pay for them to be shipped by another form & its wrapped...
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I think
I've had heaps of priority boxes shipped to me inside out. Not as priority though. I'm a little confused too so these boxes are free from the PO? Then you pay to ship them priority but your not allowed to reuse them even though you pay for them to be shipped by another form & its wrapped...
I know I think its a little silly too especially when the box is reused! I totally understand thou if the box was new and covered up thats not to fair but to reuse a box then its fair game I say!
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My Post Office lady said to just reuse old boxes and use brown paper to cover them up. I have received many packages in recycled priority boxes and have NEVER had to pay extra. How is it dishonest to reuse an already used box that was paid for? I am confused. So the Post Office is against recycling? Kinda silly to be honest.
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I couldn't care less but (as I've reused priority boxes before, as priority boxes).
I'd an avid recycled.
The issue the post office might have with someone wrapping it in brown paper is that they don't know the history of the box. It could have been used once to ship priority mail but if your shipping it first class they'll assume your doing them wrong.
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sorry, I'm confused with, this problem, can somebody explain it to me? :C
For people outside of the US that are confused: The US post office has a more expensive service (priority) & a cheaper service (first class or parcel post). They give free boxes to be used for the expensive service. People are taking those free boxes with "priority" printed on the box, covering them in paper & using them for the cheaper service.
The problem: the person who started the thread was forced to pay extra to the post office because the person sending the package did this.
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How is it dishonest to reuse an already used box that was paid for? I am confused. So the Post Office is against recycling? Kinda silly to be honest.
As others have said, the priority boxes are free. You haven't paid for them at all. The post office doesn't want people going to a post office, grabbing a ton of free boxes, and then shipping them with cheaper shipping.
The point is that the cost to make and distribute these free boxes is factored into the cost of priority shipping. If you're not shipping priority, you're pretty much stealing those boxes without paying for them.
Of course if you're reusing a box that was already used to ship something priority than yes, the box was paid for, but there's no way for the post office to know this. It's kinda an all-or-nothing deal. Either they have to crack down on all priority boxes being used in non-priority manners, or let them all go through.
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I understand how frustrating this can be for buyers. I do not do this particular practice - I have a couple times in the past but most of my items are too fragile to go in those big boxes.
But I do wrap my parcels in brown paper when I need to - I am a big recycler of boxes and I hope just because mine are wrapped in brown paper doesn't mean they will start feeling the need to open them too.
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But I do wrap my parcels in brown paper when I need to - I am a big recycler of boxes and I hope just because mine are wrapped in brown paper doesn't mean they will start feeling the need to open them too.
I think most priority boxes have specific sizes, and that's what they look for. (That's why some people cut the boxes to make them a different size... which is of course wrong).
:) I reuse boxes too. I have not paid for a box in a looong time.
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I've wrapped priority boxes when I can't find a box for international shipping, or even cut down and made my own box. I never once thought I was doing something wrong. It can be hard to find a good box because most stores around here flatten and bale theirs. :( I'm big on recycling boxes and shipping supplies, so the small closet in our office is devoted to boxes, tape, bubble wrap, and other shipping stuff.
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i've had this happen too, cept they wrap the toy in newspaper adds and now the toy is covered in print. so stupid. i complained and they said i can get a discount on my next purchase with them... yeah right.
i like to give the buyer a choice to either get a recycled box or for me to buy a new one, but the cost of the box does get added to the shipping and handling charge.
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i've had this happen too, cept they wrap the toy in newspaper adds and now the toy is covered in print. so stupid. i complained and they said i can get a discount on my next purchase with them... yeah right.
i like to give the buyer a choice to either get a recycled box or for me to buy a new one, but the cost of the box does get added to the shipping and handling charge.
I factor the cost of my boxes into the rest of my expenses. If by some chance I don't have enough boxes to ship out my commissions or have something slightly bigger than the usual $0.40 boxes I buy, I recycle a couple from work, which is why some folks have probably received boxes from me that say "URGENT! DELIVER TO PHARMACY!"
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It does sound a bit extreme doesnt it? I often recycle boxes and rarely buy the from the PO these days. I've also made my own boxes and cut boxes down to make the right size. And I almost always cover the box in brown paper and then tape it all up as well to make it more postie-proof . We dont have this issue in the Uk about the type of box we use thankfully. :awake:
I recycle a couple from work, which is why some folks have probably received boxes from me that say "URGENT! DELIVER TO PHARMACY!"
*giggles* :lol:
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yeah, i know in japan i've seen them mail the most ridiculous things... very odd
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I've done this, because I thought it was good to reuse a box! Like someone sends me a priority box....so I save it, then when I ship something to someone and that specific box holds it so perfectly, then I use that box...I didn't take it from the PO, and someone already paid for it being priority box prior to my using it....is that really that wrong? I guess there is no recycling when it comes to Priority boxes huh? sorry but that just kinda seems dumb!
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i thought you could recycle a priority box if its still being shipped priority.
the problem is people are disguising priority boxes (reused or not) as regular first class or parcel box, so they don't have to pay for a box and they don't have to pay for the extra shipping for priority. so they are essentially stealing the post office's boxes.
so then the person who receives the package has to pay the difference. that's what i understood anyway.
you can't even use the post office shipping labels unless you plan on shipping it priority. with how in debt the p.o is, it's important that no one tries to cheat them, or we may lose the service entirely.
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Well, if I get things in a Priority box and need to ship things out Parcel and only have Priority boxes, I'm going cover them and recycle them for sure. I paid to have that box shipped to me in the first place, so I don't think reusing them is an issue.
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Have to admit I have done it too. But for the purpose of recycling. I was in no way trying to "cheat" anyone.
It is not actually ripping off the post office, as they are delivering within the time frame for first class and they were paid for first class. Sounds like they are looking for excuses to charge more. They have already raised all shipping prices. International shipping has been raised quite a good amount...
I just don't like throwing out boxes that are reusable, I have all sorts of boxes from buying foods in bulk that are usable as post boxes. Just trying to spare the planet of more unnecessary waste.
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i think its more the problem of people picking up the new flat rate shipping boxes at the post office
and using them in the wrong way. making it bad for everyone else.
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It's funny this was posted actually. I just got a pony in the mail which was in repackaged into a small flat rate box and shipped as first class mail. The poor boy was crammed it to this small box. I'm just glad nothing happened to it. :/