Community Chat

[circles]

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@Lipstickdiva wrote:

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@circles wrote:

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@Lipstickdiva wrote:

I thought the envelopes and boxes at the Post Office were free?  I've never had to pay for a box, bags, etc.  They are sitting right out for the taking.

In the future, our Dollar Tree also sells padded envelopes of all sizes for mailing things. 

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Seriously.....you  just take a box or a bag from your post office and walk out...without paying....I have always had to pay for any i needed....or were you just kidding with us....I am never sure about peoples sense of humor...

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I'm not kidding.  Our local post office has a mailing station in the lobby for after hours mailing or if you don't want to go inside. 

Next to the scale you weigh your package on, there is a shelving unit that has all the various sizes of boxes and bags for mailing something priorty mail.  They are all free.  There used to be tape there so you could tape up your box if need be but it kept getting stolen so they quit putting it out there. 

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They are sitting all around our post office but i know if i took one and started out the door....they would jump the counter to chase me down..

Your lucky...I usually buy my envelopes and boxes at walmart but there have been occassion when i had to buy them at the post office...

[151949]

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@hckynut wrote:

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@151949 wrote:

I bought a friend a SS cross pendant for her birthday. I went to the Post office the other day and bought a padded envelope to mail it to her - $1.79 just for the bag. Then today I took it back to the PO with the gift in it to mail and it was an additional $2.59 so , all in all, to mail a very small item that essentially weighed nothing cost us $4.38. Sheesh, I should have just stuck the gift in a card.

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I would have reinforced a regular envelope or reuse a small envelope type bag in which we received a small item we ordered. 

We have a micro-shredder and often use the shredded content to fill boxes and bags when we send items. Can't do anything about postage, but can about protecting the item. Remember, I am as frugal as one can be.

hckynut(john)

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John - I agree I should have just placed it in a little plastic jewelry bag and put it inside the card and mailed it. I only paid $10 for the cross and it cost me over 40% of that to mail it.

[proudlyfromNJ]

The flat cardboard envelopes in my PO are free.

[PinkSunset]

A $10 cross must weigh nothing. So you get a paaded envelope for 50 cents at the dollar store and put 2 stamps on it and you're done. The weight probably would be less than 1-2 oz on the scale. Can't imagine paying more than the cost of 2 stamps for that.

Or, put the cross in the card and mail the card, use an extra postage stamp just to be safe. What do they cost these days, like 50 cents? 

[maestra]

envelopes go through a processor that could damage small items in it.

UPS and USPS for packages can be expensive.

[Shorty2U]

I dont think thats much. BUT I would have gotten the envelope elsewhere like at dollar rama for 1 dollar. My husband mails small things (mostly cds) he sells on ebay via the post office and packs them himself (doesnt use their bags or boxes) and so its not much to ship cds.

[chickenbutt]

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maestra wrote:

envelopes go through a processor that could damage small items in it.

UPS and USPS for packages can be expensive.

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Yeah, the only way to send something like that in a paper envelope is to tape it in between two pieces of cardboard, or some sort of card-stock type paper that is resistant to easy tearing or puncturing.

Cut the cardboard pieces to be just the size to fit inside the envelope, or as close as you can.  Just slide it into the envelope and seal it up well.

That would probably, very easily, go for the cost of two stamps.

[SunValley]

Fuel to transport and cost of labor are the same regardless of the item's weight. You pay for a service and to spread out the cost they add $ for weight. 

[GenXmuse]

Maybe you should charge your friend shipping and handling. I would feel bad as your friend if I knew you were grumbling about how much it cost you to send me a birthday present and then talked about how cheap the gift was. I'd prefer you didn't bother. 

[HisElk1]

@151949, you paid $10 for a SS cross?  I'm assuming the "ss" doesn't stand for sterling silver?  Maybe stainless steel?  Still, if that's all you paid, what a deal.