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medontdo

postage on seed bubble envi's the real deal!!!

medontdo
16 years ago

ok, now i've been doing all the different ways. now this is what i do now. i went to the post office and got a COPY of the "shape-based pricing template" and i cut out the places needing to be cut out, and then i glued it to cardboard. now what i do is BEFOR i send my envi's i put it thru the BOTTOM one, and as long as it slips thru there with no problems, then its 1 stamp. if not then it goes by weight. BUT if ya have them bigger envi's then if it goes thru the TOP one, it goes by flat rate, BUT i'm thinking, what if we cut the BIG envi's to the width of the bottom, and then make sure it fits thru there. LOL still one stamp!!! LOL its from the post master. all except the very last part.

Comments (28)

  • scottrell
    16 years ago

    That is true! I received a bubble envie today from medo with only one stamp ont it!

  • medontdo
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    ya know, i've sent out every one of my trades this month and i think last month (which is alot LOL) that way i'd venture to say the month befor, but the one with this last one. it was alot more, i also found out if i had separated it, or i'm gonna ask chris tomarrow if my one idea will work, LOL but it would have been cheaper than flat rate so remember that!! heck, i'm so not embarrased to save my stamps!! LOL thats like regular people saving gas!! LOL (only cuz i dont typically drive) :')) more to come on the last thought!! hey people don't be afraid to qeustion the postal people, more than likely they don't even know the answers, i keep asking till i get a answer i'm happy with that sinks in, but i'm nice about it, LOL i do remember who sends my stuff, after all they could be mean and just misplace it for a few days, if they really wanted to!! LOL

  • medontdo
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    ok no longer than 11 1/2" long to be in the 1 stamp range, and 6 1/8" wide. if its shorter than you have to pay 17 cents more. that's why one lady had to pay more even though she had a VERY thin package!! so don't be afraid to make sure before ya send it off. if ya have any questions i'll ask. i've got a great lady who'll answer anything!! she's the sweetest!! :'))

  • medontdo
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    i have to check something out, but i believe that was supposed to be under 6 1/8" wide. LOL for it to be considered "regular Mail" yep under.
    {{gwi:27384}}
    hopefully this will help you see what i'm talking about. as if anyone cares. but........that's what i use.

  • proudgm_03
    16 years ago

    I use bubble envelopes that are 4" x 7" and the post office charges me $1.13 for 1 pack of seeds or six.

  • medontdo
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    if its not over 1/4" thick they are not suppose to charge you that much. i'd ask them why. then have them slip it thru the shape-based pricing template, if it fits thru there they cannot charge you that. its government, not state by state. that's what chris said. i say please show me! LOL :'))

  • medontdo
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    some envi's are just to thick to begin with. i notice a size 0 hefty is ok. at walmart those white ones, they are perfect!! totally love them!! :')) just haven't bought any yet!! LOL

  • proudgm_03
    16 years ago

    Mine are too thick to begin with. They have measured them before. I buy them at Wal-Mart. I'll have to try the white ones. The ones at Office Max are too expensive.

  • medontdo
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    size 0 by scotch also, 3 m. i got mine at office max. once. and a crap load at sams. but i tell ya if ya kinda bend em around a little. it helps a little. not much. for the ones you already have. cuz i'm stuck with the sams and they are thick. i'm gonna look for the whit ones.!! a boat load of them!! LOL so if you come across them let me know please :'))

  • medontdo
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    i'm wondering if its easier for them to list it as a parcel then to list it as a regular, because they are to ummmm.... lazy or whatever. or maybe they don't know. or maybe this is their way of getting extra money out of people. but it "should" be the same for All people!! All Envi's!! not just unbubbled. just my opionion.

  • agirlsgirl
    16 years ago

    The reason for the 1.13 parcel charge is the uniformity.If the envy is bulging at all they will charge a small parcel fee.I have been taping the seed packets down when taking them to the PO.If they shake them up and they shift toward the center they will charge a small parcel fee.Everything else can comply with the standards, but if there is a bulge,they will charge you for it! I had it out with the PO over this and this is what it came down to.I havent mailed fom the PO since the weather got cooler and have been using 58 cents in stamps to mail the smaller ones and 2 stamps for the larger amounts.Once in awhile I get nervous and throw on another 17 cent stamp to be safe.So far so good,no one has said they have had postage due and none have been returned,and whats even weirder is the fact they seem to be making it to their destinations alot quicker using the mailbox!

  • sguanzon
    16 years ago

    I buy my bubble envelopes at Walgreens when they have their 3 for $1 sale all sizes (watch Sunday's paper for ad/coupon). Then I buy the largest size and cut them in quarters. That way I get 12 for $1.

  • thorndncr
    16 years ago

    Hm... now I'm confused. I just assumed that all envelopes are charged by weight. In my last trade, I "made" envelopes using paper bags and scraps of leftover bubble wrap -- reuse before recycling! ;) They were a bit larger than the standard, smaller envelopes, but heavier, so they got three stamps. Should I be having these weighed or just assign a particular number of stamps?

  • medontdo
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    they are "supposed" to be charged by the thing up there, if they go over the 6 1/8" wide and 11 1/2" long and 1/4" thick , if they are 1/4" thick but over the width then the 17 cents get added. BUT if they are OVER 1/4" thick then they are "supposed" to go by weight. its a very easy process. but i think they are just to lazy to do it. especially in bigger city's. so their thing is to say "AHHH PARCEL ONLY" and make up some stupid excuse!! but i will ask chris about that bending thing! i read.
    i'd measure!! try to get a template like mine up there! that'll help you. i got one from the post office, she is a great lady, she just did a photo copy for me. :')) hope this helps some!!

  • proudgm_03
    16 years ago

    My postmaster also told me that bubble envelopes are not considered letters.

  • vbuff
    16 years ago

    I went to the USPS website to find the template. It said to go to the Post Office and ask for Notice 3-S. I called up my PO. They didn't know what I was talking about, but after looking around they found it. They gave me the laminated template along with the pricing.

    Now I know that my envie is a large envelope (not a package) and thanks to agirlsgirl I taped my seed packets down so there will be no bulge to bump me up to the package status.

    The only thing I worry about is the person sending back to me. Even though I am sending the right amount in stamps I don't want to short anyone if their PO decides to charge differently.

    Thanks everyone for a great topic!

    vbuff

  • proudgm_03
    16 years ago

    The only thing that you can do is ask for the amount of postage that your PO charges you to mail a bubble envelope. For instance if your PO charges 80 cents to mail and mine charges $1.13 to mail I'm not going to make up the 33 cents in postage. After all you are being generous enough to offer a SASBE. If the other person isn't willing to send the right amount of postage then they lose out on the seeds you were offering.

  • proudgm_03
    16 years ago

    For what it's worth I just spent 30 minutes talking to the postmaster at my PO. He agreed that it is not particularly fair for some of us to pay $1.13 while others pay 82 cents but he says that the post offices that are not sending the bubble envelopes as parcels are wrong and the PO workers can be fired for sending mail using the wrong postage. Bubble envelopes are NOT letters regardless of the size (thickness). They are non-machinable. They cannot be run through the letter machines. Anything that cannot be run through the letter machines is a parcel regardless of the thickness. He said the template does not apply because it is a bubble envelope.

    Enjoy the lower rates while you can. He sais that anything that comes through our post office and is caught will be returned to sender for additional postage.

  • medontdo
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    so far some people have been doing things to get around that, like the bubble inside the regular envi. it hasn't smashed any seeds yet. but yes, things are starting to change even here. its been 41 plus the 17. but i've been to tired to deal with all the other stuff of making them flat either. i like a challenge!!! LOL :')) and NOT ruin my seeds!!! :'))

  • intheforest
    16 years ago

    I finally found this page after lots of searches at usps.
    To my interpretation of what it says, bubble mailers do count as letters/flats if thin enough and are only subject to the .17 non-machinable rate (why else would they need the .17 cents still if all non-machinables were all parcels). This quote sounds like an exact description of a bubble mailer to me..."Items mailed in large envelopes cannot cause more than a 1/4-inch variance in thickness, to within 1 inch of the edges of the envelope. The outer edges of the mailpiece (up to 1 inch) are not considered when measuring variance in thickness."

    Here are a few more excerpts and link(note last one about securing small things like she mentioned earlier...)

    "Are items sent at First-Class Mail flats rates (large envelopes) required to be flexible and "uniformly thick"?
    --Yes. Large envelopes must be flexible (cannot be rigid) and uniformly thick. Items mailed in large envelopes cannot cause more than a 1/4-inch variance in thickness, to within 1 inch of the edges of the envelope. The outer edges of the mailpiece (up to 1 inch) are not considered when measuring variance in thickness. Also, envelopes must be rectangular-in-shape and the maximum thickness (at the thickest point) is 3/4-inch. A large envelope that exceeds any maximum physical dimension (length, height, or thickness) is classified and priced as a package (parcel). Bulky items placed in padded mailing bags generally will not qualify as a large envelope."

    "Is there still a nonmachinable surcharge for First-Class Mail?
    Yes. The nonmachinable surcharge applies to all First-Class Mail single-piece and presort-rate letters (up to the 3.5 ounce maximum weight), and is 17 cents."

    "Are large envelopes (flats) subject to a nonmachinable surcharge?
    No, since large envelopes now have their own price structure (flats prices); the nonmachinable surcharge will not apply."

    "What is the definition of "uniform thickness" for flats? If a flat is not uniformly thick, would it have to be mailed as a parcel, or NFM?
    All flats must be uniformly thick so that any bumps, protrusions, or other irregularities do not cause more than 1/4-inch variance in thickness. The outer edges of the mailpiece (up to 1 inch) would not be considered when measuring variance in thickness. Also, if the contents are significantly smaller than the envelope, wrapper, or sleeve, they must be secured to prevent shifting of more than 2 inches within the mailpiece. Flat-size pieces not meeting the uniform thickness standard must be mailed as either Not Flat-Machinable pieces or as parcels."

    What do ya think???
    This quote is the hard one..."Bulky items placed in padded mailing bags generally will not qualify as a large envelope."
    I think the key is "Generally will not" not "WILL not"

    Here is a link that might be useful: usps ratecase faqs

  • medontdo
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    so its kinda like "if we feel like it, or like becky said, up to the individual post office?" ours is very lax on some things. thank you so much for taking the time to look! :'))

  • Chemocurl zn5b/6a Indiana
    16 years ago

    proudgm03

    Would you mind providing me with the address and city of the postal worker who said that? Also, please email me the name of the worker. I would like to report what he said either via the email link or the 800#, or maybe both and see just what they have to say.

    Hopefully they will set him straight. I think he is clueless. The local folks a my POs would also.

    I hurriedly mailed a small bubble envy yesterday, along with another box and big envy that went 'large envelope. When I got home I noticed they had charged just the 41 cents plus 17 cents on the small one.

    Sue

    I'd be interested in asking him just what a large flat is? Can it be in a bubble envelope...like a magazine or something flexible. If a mag can go as a large flat, why couldn't seeds.

  • Chemocurl zn5b/6a Indiana
    16 years ago

    proud,

    I just emailed the USPS a copy of what you said above Wed, Feb 6, 08 at 14:14

    I also stated I have in my possession a small unopened bubble envy weighing less than 1/2 ounce with 82 cents postage attached, and that some postal worker somewhere took it upon him/her self to scribble in ink on it POSTAGE DUE! It wasn't officially stamped, with the amount that was due, and my carrier did not provide an envy to collect what was due.

    I said lots of things...I do hope to hear back with something more than a form letter. That (I think) is what they sent me for a reply last time...explaining to me that mail now goes not just by weight, but by size. Sheesh...they weren't telling me anything I (and all of you) don't already know. Now they just need to get the word out to all of the PO workers out there. I really think that the only way they are going to get it right is to REPORT each and every employee each time they overcharge, and say stupid crap. They will then maybe be forced to straighten up or be fired!

    And yes...I am upset over all the stupid PO workers ripping off America because they are too stupid or lazy to learn the policies. It is just NOT that complicated. Because of what they have done, we are left wondering just what they will charge...right or wrong.

  • Chemocurl zn5b/6a Indiana
    16 years ago

    Well, I just contacted CBS News via email asking that Andy Rooney do an expose on the plight of Americans at the mercy of the USPS....(not those words though).

    Hopefully someone from CBS can take the ball and run with it since it is a problem across the entire country.

  • medontdo
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    way to go sue!!! i'd be pissed too!! hopefully they will straighten it out. i've gotten a few that have had change due, but then she won't charge me for it cuz its not the right thing. someone else somewhere else put it there.

  • Chemocurl zn5b/6a Indiana
    16 years ago

    here is a part of it.

    I am sending this information to the Consumer Affairs Office in charge of your Post Office for immediate attention. You should receive a call by the end of the next business day.

    So, we shall see what becomes of that. I just wrote back to her (Anna) and informed her that it was not my PO who had made that statement. I wonder if they are now gonna cause trouble at MY PO, assuming they are the ones who made the statement that I quoted from member proud above. Well, if they assumed that, they assumed wrong and made a you know what of themselves as a result. Guess maybe I had best call my postmaster to ward off any trouble for him.

  • Chemocurl zn5b/6a Indiana
    16 years ago

    This is just for the record here.

    proudgm03 said above:
    For what it's worth I just spent 30 minutes talking to the postmaster at my PO. He agreed that it is not particularly fair for some of us to pay $1.13 while others pay 82 cents but he says that the post offices that are not sending the bubble envelopes as parcels are wrong and the PO workers can be fired for sending mail using the wrong postage. Bubble envelopes are NOT letters regardless of the size (thickness). They are non-machinable. They cannot be run through the letter machines. Anything that cannot be run through the letter machines is a parcel regardless of the thickness. He said the template does not apply because it is a bubble envelope.

    Enjoy the lower rates while you can. He sais that anything that comes through our post office and is caught will be returned to sender for additional postage.

    She later emailed me and told me the PO that had told her that is in Park Hills, MO 63601

  • agirlsgirl
    15 years ago

    Bump! This situation needs resolution!

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