ShobhaFigulus

TracyMaynard

RinaldoTweedy

jbohanon

I receive bubble envelopes in the mail sent First Class or Priority all the time and they cost around a dollar. I try to send the same thing using online postage and it ALWAYS comes up almost $5! They sucker me every time because I'm usually in a hurry and after trying multiple combinations it still comes out the same. After spending too much time, I just go ahead and spend the $5. Maybe that's the point???

While I'm bitching, this new "zone" thing sucks! I'm on the west coast and it seems like almost everything ships from the Midwest or East Coast. I pay unreasonable (IMO) shipping compared to something being shipped from a closer destination. I know on the surface it probably makes sense, but with the volume they do, doesn't it balance out? Hot Button!

Softly-with-a-Big-Stick

Same thing here. I received a box (eBay) the idiot sender sent Parcel Post. Took 3 weeks to get here. Priority Box turned inside out and a 30 cent additional charge *I* had to pay! Can't remember whether the box was stamped or how I was told, but I was clearly told this was illegal and Priority USPS boxes are for use to send Priority mail ONLY.

For true recycling believers, why can't we just return the boxes to USPS and they give you a choice of either "new" or "used" boxes for free? If we truly believe in keeping this stuff out of the landfill what's wrong with a used box? (Just make sure to remove any identifiable addresses, etc from the box before returning to USPS.) Probably a liability issue...

Personally, I break them down and save them to reuse (as Priority).

BTW, I just heard the priority tape they used to give out for free is no longer free. Too many people abusing it.

Softly-with-a-Big-Stick

I hate my PO. The people are real bitchy and whine a lot. Problem is there is only about 500 people in our town, so it's not like they are that busy.

Do what I do.... Pick up used boxes at dollar general, buy some sharpies, and since you can't ship anything with writing on it... get high from scratching it all out!

frogman31680

wesrubix

ThoraBunting

packetsniffer

jswilson64

*sigh* The post office gives those boxes out free to be nice to the people using their expensive services. When you abuse it, it's like stealing software, all it does is hurt other consumers.

Meiran

This is very very clearly against their rules, which are really simple to find (I think it's printed on the boxes).

You may not like the rules, but you should still follow them unless you want to face the consequences of breaking them. People like this drive me insane. Stop griping that you got in trouble for breaking the law, please.

@DashTheHand: it is illegal to use priority mail or express mail boxes for ANYTHING other than mailing items Priority or Express. He was turning the boxes inside out and then using them to ship through cheaper channels, this is illegal. Plenty of people do it, but it doesn't change the fact that you're not supposed to.

(For the record, I wouldn't care if he had dumpster dived and used the boxes for moving or for packing up some personal stuff for storage. But using it for cheaper mailing is the bad part).

Meiran

@freejazz38: If you were distributing those fliers into people's mailboxes, you were breaking the law and he was right to yell at you.

Orv

DashTheHand

freejazz38

Use your free USPS boxes for shipping with UPS

Use your free UPS boxes for shipping with Fed Ex

Use your Fed Ex boxes for shipping with USPS.

heheh. So am I going to Postal Hell?

One time a Post Office Nazi told me I couldn't use a 2" x 3" "Priority Mail" label on my (non-USPS) box to write the address on my box. Even if I tore off the blue part so it was just a white rectangular sticker.

West Coast Secessionist

mikelotus

Whenever you receive junk mail that is NOT addressed to you or your address, take it to the Post Office and stuff it in the out going mail slot - if we all did this, it would send quite a message.

wildness

wildness

StevenJohn

LionelEHutz

However, they do make it clear that the cardboard boxes are and remain USPS property, to which I can understand.

If everyone goes and order these boxes for personal use, then as they said, it just increases the prices for everyone.

I'm not saying it's a good system. In fact, I think it's somewhat flawed, but it does provide a great amount of convenience and choosing to ship via USPS priority mail is actually something I do quite often: competitive pricing, free shipping material (boxes, tape, labels, etc), and 2-3 day delivery.

krunk4ever

donkeyjote

How exactly does reusing boxes cost the post office a dime? If anything, if the boxes get used for priority mail again, it saves them money. (And considering how they've been bumping up parcel post over the last few years, there really isn't anything under priority in most cases anymore)

How is this any different than reusing any other box? I thought you just had to black out or otherwise cover up any extraneous marks and you're good to go?

TechnoDestructo

In the case of boxes that were received and reused they *were* used for their original purpose.

SuperJdynamite

mikelotus

about reusing postmarked stamps.... I did some experimenting a while back just for fun. I read online that prison inmates would reuse stamps by sticking them on the side of a stick of deoderant overnight to erase the cancellation ink. It works.... kinda ....but it isnt perfect. I found that rubbbing alcohol works much better.
I also did another experiment where I took a large stamp (it was an ironman stamp), ripped off the top part (where the postmark was)& stuck it on an envelope to where it looked like I had put the stamp on wrong with the top sticking way out past the edge of the envelope & that it must've ripped off during post office machine handling (I dropped it off in a street mailbox & mailed it to myself). It went thru just fine.

I like doing odd experiments like that.

forgottenpassword

Wish i had a woodstove.... those burning boxes could keep me warm all winter! (I seem to remember a compacting device shown somewhere on the net that would compact cardboard into extremely compact bricks so they could be used in fireplaces & such)

forgottenpassword

So the misuse of postal supplies is a pet peeve. Shipping supplies cost the post office money. The more it is abused, the higher postal rates rise. I do NOT want to supplement some amateur seller's shipping costs with my postal expenses. If a seller isn't successful enough to afford shipping supplies, they should find another source of income.

I have received many packages in reversed priority boxes. None have been recycled. They are all new. So the whole reusing boxes is a primarily sham. If you must recycle them, find a place that accepts cardboard and recycle it there.

JaneBadall

After that initial order, though, I had no intention on ordering them again as I felt guilty enough with the first batch.

edicius

EndlessMike

I can't believe there's an argument against recycling. Stupid.

KyleOrton

smoothtom

I recieve these boxes a lot when i buy from ebay. I still reuse them. You cant turn them inside out anymore because they print something on the inside. SO what I do is take a paper grocery bag & cut it up & use it as wrapping paper & wrap the box. Works perfect.

forgottenpassword

Buran

Nope, but Fedex does have rules on what you can do with their own materials. For example, you can't use any of the Fedex Express packaging (the boxes, packs, and envelopes) with Fedex Ground.

44 in a Row

johnva

Tank

potohead1

dirk1965

edrebber

edrebber

And to add my $.02 to the actual post, if you receive a package in one of those boxes, the box becomes yours as well. If you want to reuse it for shipping something, just have the decency to wrap it in brown paper first, to avoid confusion.

mtaylor924

Lambasted

MD4Prez2032

USPS isn't supported by the government, it's a separately run organization.

rainmkr

bonafidebob

I wonder how the USPS views creating makeshift housing out of their property?

Secret Agent Man

jjeeff

mikelotus

mikelotus

mikelotus

ncboxer

I understand USPS not wanting people to get a new free box for other kinds of shipping, but if you receive a box that has already been legitimately used, I don't see why someone cannot reuse it for their own purpose rather than throw it away.

To be fair, the USPS cannot discern which boxes are being reused after a legitimately use and which ones have been snaked. So they have to ban all of them. I suppose if I wanted to reuse a Priority box I would just wrap it in brown paper.

Lambasted

And how do they know what kind of box it is while inside out? are there markings on the inside (later to be outside) that are a tell?

Lo-Pan

Actually that pre-sorted junk mail helps subsidize your hard-to-sort handwritten 1st class letter.

esd2020

"Cradle to Cradle Certification is awarded to products that pursue an innovative vision of ecologically-intelligent design that eliminates the concept of waste. This USPS packaging has been certified for its material content recyclability, and manufacturing characteristics.

Please recycle"

se7a7n7

@Landru:

You know what I do regarding finding boxes to ship stuff that I sell on eBay? I go and find used boxes (dumpsters in apartment complexes and grocery stores usually have a large supply), let them sit for a few days outside to air out any smell, and then cut the box up and make a "custom" box that fits the item in question, plus a little bit of padding if you want.

There's less risk for the item to get damaged in the mail, and I routinely get comments in feedback and such about how well the item was packaged. So, it works for the customers.

Cheers!

SinisterMatt

Speak for thyself, I don't want to have to drive to town to get my mail.

david_consumerist

I had sent a package to a buyer and he was charged an extra 10 cents by the delivery person because it was a Priority Mail box inside out. So the extra 10 cents was for how much it would have cost via Priority Mail, even though it wasn't sent in that way.

The title of my email/story was "USPS DRMs it's boxes"
Way to go CONGLOMORIST....

se7a7n7

The USPS doesn't get bailed out; it pays its own way. Perhaps you're thinking of Amtrak.

BigElectricCat

I go into my nearby USPS office. I pick up a Priority or Express shipping box. I walk out.

Where in there, precisely, is the *agreement* of which you speak?

BigElectricCat

dkush21

CHEERS.

Two of my favorite Government entities are the USPS and the IRS, the USMC comes in a close third.

There may be surly carriers or counter folk, but its really a bargain for the service they provide.

If time is not a issue and I need to send my mom something. It's there cheaper than the private companies can do.

It's also nice to live in an area where your mailman will stop and chat for a moment about the Cubs. And you see him in the local diners.

Blackneto

They give out their trays and sleves for them for free to mailing houses. If you do enough busness with USPS, they drive semis to your mailing house to give you trays. They don't mind if you use their stuff, as long as you use it for its purpouse.

Hell, I think they even give rubber bands free of charge to mailing houses.

Suttin

How are postal regs the same thing as federal law?

opsomath

I do agree that once the box was shipped it should be allowed to be reused by flipping it inside out.

I've had problems with all shippers. USPS, Fed-Ex, Ups, Air-Borne express. none are prefect. At least for small things USPS is affordable. A missplaced box that cost me 40 dollars to ship, is a bigger pia then a late 10 dollar shipment.

opfreak

This is SO stupid.

Starfury

But I am still unclear what I can do with my used priority mail boxes without landing myself in Gitmo.

bohemian

RINO-Marty

It reminds me of that scene in Office Space. Peter Gibbons tells his girlfriend of his scheme for skimming a few fractions of a cent off of millions of bank transactions. His girlfriend (Jennifer Aniston) says it's theft. No it's not, he says, it's just a few fractions of a cent per transaction.

But they add up to a lot of money, she says.

Yes, he says.

And it's not yours, she says.

Technically, no, he says.

"And how is that not theft."

Not a big deal, but technically, those boxes aren't yours.

RINO-Marty

RINO-Marty

Still, you really should be able to reuse the box if you turn it inside out.

Better yet, turn in the reusable boxes to USPS for a small 'finders fee'. You get a little cash back and the USPS saves money by not having to buy new boxes.
Perhaps you should be able to trade the priority box for a free non-priority box.

taka2k7

They even ship them to you for FREE.

Gokuhouse

I order them online, my latest batch has Priority Mail printed on the inside of the box now. That should keep people from reusing them.

Mantichora

I'll pay attention to your company when they can deliver a first class letter across the country for $.41.

stinerman

Rectilinear Propagation

the way i see it, why pay for a bubble mailer when i can wrap a post office box for a dvd and save myself a buck?

nikkomorocco

That, and I have a PO box from USPS where I can get mail when out of town, for $50/year. The UPS store charges almost that much per month.

The USPS also is a place I can go to get things notarized, get money orders, and renew my passport.

That, and they are not taxpayer funded - they're fully independent (and profitable) as a loosely connected arm of the government.

They deliver mail and packages where private companies won't, and they deliver on saturday for no extra charge.

Priority Mail gets stuff in 2 days for about 1/5th the cost of Fedex, and even overnight express mail is a heck of a lot cheaper than Fedex overnight.

The USPS is hardly outmoded or obsolete. This is not an ad, just an endorsement from someone who ships/sends a lot of crap.

tcp100

Nobody's talking about murder here, just boxes.

You might want to look up your definition of treason, too.

tcp100

Many times I have received eBay purchases where people had turned the boxes inside out, though not lately, because I hardly ever buy stuff on eBay anymore.

Landru

Seriously though, what do they expect people to do? Return them to USPS? I am not going to throw away a perfectly good box just because the USPS thinks it owns the box wherever it is in the world.

ShadowFalls

Not just rural areas, but remote areas, as well. It's true that private companies have been able to compete on parcel and express delivery, but delivering a letter from New York to California for 41 cents wouldn't be sustainable as a profit-making business model. Private companies can compete on certain profitable segments of the postal market, and total privatization might be more "economically efficient" in the technical sense, but wouldn't be so good for the country as a whole. The fact that it costs the same amount of money to send a letter, no matter where in the country you're sending it, is a pretty big deal.

44 in a Row

3drage

xamarshahx

The cost of 100 boxes plus delivery would be very high, yet it's free, since the cost is built into the priority mail shipping cost.

I completely understand where the USPS is coming from.

Phildawg

ianmac47

Doesn't sound like a good business model. Perhaps they should include the cost of the box in what they charge for priority mail service?

sleze69

Angryrider

MyPetFly

I found this site [postalinspectors.uspis.gov] but I don't hold out much hope that it will work.

kallawm

@Erwos: Agreed. If a box has been used before and paid for its original purpose, then I don't really see the harm in being able to reuse the box for a different purpose.

azntg

RandomHookup

If I remember correctly, you have to PAY for these boxes, which makes them the property of the sender, and when it gets sent, that ownership transfers to the recipient. So in my completely non-professional (law-wise) mind, that makes the box the property of whomever is in possession of it!

unklegwar

As far as clerks go, the ones here are fantastic but that's because I'm in a rather small city. My experience is when you get into larger cities, USPS service is generally surly or arrogant. I don't care though, as my mailing requirements never change and as long as the stuff gets on its way I don't really care.

timmus

Oh and the Constiution (Art 1, Sect 8) gives the legislature the power to provide the postal system. It's not clear if its mandatory or permissive.

ARP

Steaming Pile

In other points, I've always wondered why FedEx and the USPS give away their shipping boxes. Why not just charge 10 cents (or whatever they cost) for the boxes and reduce the shipping fee by 10 cents? That way, they wouldn't have to make silly rules like this, and people would only take what they needed to send shipments ... or they'd just buy boxes for their own purposes without the USPS taking a loss.

courtarro

satoru

flamincheney

The cost of the box/envelope is included in the delivery charge.

So the USPS can't tell if you are recycling like Gary, or stealing like others are surely doing.

Murph1908

I hate to be that guy who calls the guy out, but it would take a postal clerk a far amount of excess work to get attention paid to the situation. And I can't imagine this happening because a guy tried to use one Priority box like this.

That or he ordered a ton of them from the website and turned all of them inside out.

flamincheney

USPS is such an outdated worthless "business".

OnceWasCool

GreatCaesarsGhost

and stop running over my freaking flowers which is surrounded by stone!!

USPS sucks and so is all the physical spam you shove in my damn mailbox!

MrGutts

GreatCaesarsGhost

Of course rather than criminalizing the innovative reusers, they could just come up with a better solution!

Troy F.

Erwos

radio1

APFPilot

rainmkr