Our postal system at work

jrdolan

Does USPS employ gorillas with sledgehammers on the loading docks? How does this happen? I've been assured that bubble envelopes don't go through the same roller-machinery as regular letters.

Lodi

I'm a city carrier. That had to happen on whatever sorting machine is used. Probably went through the flat (magazine) sorting machine. Maybe it fell on the ground and was run over? Not really sure, but I know your carrier wouldn't have done that! But the clerks on the other hand have no face to face accountability and tend to treat the packages like hot potatos.

jrdolan

I guess if a forklift ran over it, that would explain it.

I'm seriously thinking of sending any card(s) worth more than $25 in a Priority box ($4.30 with confirmation) and charging a bit more for shipping.

Southerncards

I have watched the counter people take my package marked "fragile" and toss it a few feet into a bucket. I can only imagine what it goes through when it leaves my hands.

justanoldtimer

I always use the Priority Box's with the card in a bubble mailer inside.. I request these from sellers also on the higher dollar cards Most all have No Problem with it..

Griffins

I always use the priority boxes with bubble wrap. 4.50 for shipping doesn't seem extreme, the cost of insurance seems to have really gone up the last couple of years. For cards over 200. I've been charged and charge others 6.50 and have never had a complaint- and it works out to be pretty much straight cost.

edited to add- I've never had a card mashed like that, although I've seen a couple. When you consider the sheer volume of mail in the system and how quickly and accurately they get stuff done you have to have a lot of respect for the USPS. Wish I could say the same for the morons at FedEx.

easttexascardsandgames

Wish I could say the same for the morons at FedEx

Amen I hate FedEx..

You do realize that priority though is(or used to be) subcontracted to FedEx for transportation.

bowdowntome

I've had even priority boxes mashed, and it looked like someone drove it into the ground lengthwise (Like a piledriver), luckily the object inside wasn't that fragile and didn't suffer.

I've never understood the bubble mailer fascination. The real protection in most cards being shipped in bubble mailers (ungraded) is the cardboard that usually surrounds them. The bubble mailer itself offers about as much protection as a regular envelope. An alternative is those really stiff, fold up, cardboard, CD mailers you can get. I've sent a couple cards out like that as an experiment and the customers loved it.

In short, there isn't an enbvelope or box in the world that can't be destroyed, if the postal workers try hard enough.

jrdolan

I think bubble mailers do absorb quite a bit more bumps and dings than a regular envelope. Some cardboard stiffener adds considerable protection (though my Ozzie had that). But if Wile E. Coyote is going to drop a 2-ton Acme anvil from the top of a cliff directly onto your shipment -- as apparently happened in this case -- nothing is gonna do any good.

Priority box seems the best solution, except I think bidders will be turned off by $4.50 shipping on cards less than $50. Where do you get those stiff CD mailers?

bowdowntome

Last time I got them, they had them at Wal-Mart. But if you need quantity, I'd check one of the big office or shipping supply websites (such as Viking or similar). Maybe even post a request on the music board of ebay to see where the CD sellers get theirs.

BTW, these would only be useful for 1 or 2 card shipments. I'd say 1 if graded.

CDsNuts

This thread reminds me of the opening scene of Ace Ventura: Pet Detective where Jim Carey is dressed like a UPS guy and kicking his delivery package down the hall like a soccer ball. He also lets the elevator doors repeatedly smash the box. I don't think it's far off what actually happens at the post office.

Lee

ydsotter

I like to complain about this issue :-)

Seriously. I have no idea why sellers won't charge $3.85 - $4.50 and pack a card in a FREE priority mail box-video sized. All you do is log on www.usps.com and the PO will deliver boxes in 25 count lots... up to 500! They provide labels and tape to you for FREE. What is an extra buck or two when someone is buying a $50+ card?

Apologies if this offends anyone... but... I think sending relatively valuable graded cards in a bubble mailer is totally irresponsible. That Ozzie is a great example. In 6 years... It's happend to me with a PSA 9 1972 Artis gilmore rc. A psa 9 1982 Topps Ripken. A BGS 9 1996 topps chrome kobe bryant and a psa 9 1981 Magic Johnson. Sure, the insurance covered it, but what a tremendous pain in the neck to wait for reimbursement and follow through. I would never want to put a buyer through that.

JR... if it's a card under $50, why not just split the cost of the $4.50 shipping? Personally, I do not think a shipping charge of $4.50 would turn off buyers. RATHER, I think a shipping charge of $4.50 for a first class bubble mailer would turn them off more. As long as you are using the money towards the shipping and not nickel and diming the buyer, I doubt they will mind.

I just paid $107 for a graded card that is relatvely scarce. Even if it was insured... I highly doubt I'd be able to acquire another at that price.
The card arrived fine.. however... a small bubble mailer was not appropriate.

The seller spent $3.13 on shipping and insurance.
Now, this seller just demonstrated what an incredible cheapa** he is...
He used the extra $4+ to cover his fees instead of demonstrating that it was important to him that I receive my card fast and safe.
He saved $4... but probably lost hundreds of dollars more of my business...
Well, he also never responded to my emails - too busy for customer servce I guess. I actually offered to give more $ to have it boxed etc...

Anyways, I felt nickled and dimed... and the issue was never the cost of shipping. I would have paid $15 to makesure it arrived safely.


Jr.... Sorry about the Ozzie.

justanoldtimer

I keep mine at $4.00 thats only 15 cents over shipping and the Bubble mailer ( last time I bought them ) is around 7 cents.. The 8 cents wouldn't cover the FAV if the person bought a card for 1 cent and paind the $4 for s/h..
Personally I just want the card to make it to the buyer in the same condition that the bought it in.. But I doubt any packing would have saved this Ozzie, Its an OUTRIGHT Shame and I'm sure JR would like to do the Kill Bill thing at his post office right now lol.. Its like winning the Lottery no one wants to win

bowdowntome

If you're going to want to use flat rate Priority boxes and mailers, you might want to stock up on them now. I recently got a package in a priority envelope with a pre-printed stamp on it. This means that priority envelopes, that use to be free, now will cost the price of the stamp. I don't know if it's just an experiment or not, but I wouldn't be surprised to see them do the same thing with certain priority boxes. I would assume the reason they do this is because too many people get their free boxes and cut them up to use as stiffeners and such.

So, don't be surprised if the days of free priority boxes comes to an end.

jrdolan

<< <i>RATHER, I think a shipping charge of $4.50 for a first class bubble mailer would turn them off more. >>



I agree. Nothing ticks me off more than someone who charges me $4.50 for shipping and it arrives in an 83-cent bubble mailer -- or a toploader in a 37-cent envelope!

On cheap cards I offer my buyers the option of paying for more expensive shipping. On cards like that Ozzie, they usually choose the less expensive method. But I think I need to withdraw the option. Above a certain level, say $50, they automatically get the Priority box and the $4.50 shipping fee. They can factor that into their bidding.

Below $50, they get the bubble mailer with cardboard reinforcement and if it arrives damaged, well it's uncommon and I guess I have to eat those every once in awhile. The cost of doing business.

Insurance I think is pretty useless unless you're talking about cards in the hundreds and thousands of dollars, and in that case you can just go with registered boxed mail. It's the delivery confirmation that is vital to protect yourself as a buyer. There are people out there whose scam is to keep cycling through cards, always using PayPal, until they get one that cost a bundle BUT HAD NO CONFIRMATION. They get their money back and then later on sell the card.

ydsotter

JR... what's your ebay id?
I am knickstars and sugarrayotis
geez, that would be a good thread, we haven't had a what's your eBay ID thread in a while.

ajmoeller81

On the bright side, now that the case is smashed you can cross over the card to PRO.

dtkk49a

Thanks ydsotter, I just placed a order on the USPS website for some boxes and assorted forms.

TimeMachine

Hey sugarrayotis, thanks for the Palmer RC once again... EBAY ID=slaps94 here... still waiting for the '70 topps tallboys (Frazier, Reed, Wilt) BGS 8,8,8.5 respectively (not BVG) from the dude from Hawaii before I send off my next shipment to PSA for grading.

hope all is well, see ya around the forum I suppose...
ciao

gregm13

It reminds me of the opening scene of Ace Venture - when Jim Carray is kicking the box down the hallway....

Regards,

Greg M.

easttexascardsandgames

They provide labels and tape to you for FREE

They do give out the tape anymore.. :-(

Tabe

<< <i>Does USPS employ gorillas with sledgehammers on the loading docks? How does this happen? I've been assured that bubble envelopes don't go through the same roller-machinery as regular letters. >>


You were assured wrong. They only don't go through the sorting machine IF they're more than 3/4" thick. If it's just a PSA slab in a thin bubble-mailer, it very well could go through the sorting machine.

Tabe