Glad I went into the post office - non machinable envelope

Rob85635

Today I Mailed a couple of modern half dollars in 2x2's that I taped to a piece of paper. I went inside knowing I had to pay the next step above one ounce because the envelope weighed about 1.2 ounces or so. The clerk felt the envelope and asked what I was mailing. When I told him he let me know there would be an additional $0.22 cent charge because it was "non machinable". I just found the regulation and here it is copy and pasted for those who might not know. If I had just thrown it in the mail it probably would have come back postage due. The specifics are in section "d". I did affix the coins via tape to the paper inside but I think the "uneven" aspect of the envelope is why I had to pay the extra fee.

Regulation DMM 101.1.2

Nonmachinable Criteria
A letter-size piece is nonmachinable if it has one or more of the following
characteristics (see 601.1.1.2) to determine the length, height, top, and bottom of
a mailpiece:
a. Has an aspect ratio (length divided by height) of less than 1.3 or more than 2.5.
b. Is polybagged, polywrapped, enclosed in any plastic material, or has an
exterior surface made of a material that is not paper. Windows in envelopes
made of paper do not make mailpieces nonmachinable. Attachments
allowable under applicable eligibility standards do not make mailpieces nonmachinable.
c. Has clasps, strings, buttons, or similar closure devices.
d. Contains items such as pens, pencils, keys, or coins that cause the
thickness of the mailpiece to be uneven; or loose keys or coins or similar
objects not affixed to the contents within the mailpiece. Loose items may
cause a letter to be nonmailable when mailed in paper envelopes; (see
601.3.3).
e. Is too rigid (does not bend easily when subjected to a transport belt tension
of 40 pounds around an 11-inch diameter turn).
f. For pieces more than 4-1/4 inches high or 6 inches long, the thickness is
less than 0.009 inch.
g. Has a delivery address parallel to the shorter dimension of the mailpiece.
h. Is a self-mailer that is not prepared according to 201.3.14
i. Is a booklet that is not prepared according to 201.3.16

MWallace

@Rob85635 said:
If I had just thrown it in the mail it probably would have come back postage due.

Not only that but there would be a good chance that it would have been damaged and/or ripped open when going through the letter sorting machine.

1630Boston

Yes, damage would be my concern also

lkeigwin

I would have sprung for a bubble envelope. Safer.
Lance.

bronco2078

staple them in 2x2's fold your ebay packing slip into thirds tape the 2x2's to the center of it , and you don't have to pay the surcharge.

One half will go at the 1 oz. rate

LanceNewmanOCC

.
i have shipped quite a lot of low-dollar items via envelope where paying 2.60 is simply not possible nor would it be for a shipping charge but ship with a thick folded card stock paper along with the packing slip inside a 10x6 and more preferably 3x6 white envelope with the addresses printed by the printer so the addresses are crystal clear.

now for someone to offer 2.60 ships all (aka combined) and have a bunch of low-dollar items would work as long as people bought a few/several items to keep their cost averaging down but would need to sell quite a bit as you'd want a store to get the free listings and fee discount. i've ran the numbers and you gotta sell a lot of sub-$5 going the store route but it is doable with a little calculation and practice. or if you are only selling $50-$150 per month just to move cheap stuff, just opt for no store. the difference in fees is pretty small at that level.

i may go ahead and do another fee/cost analysis to ensure i didn't miss something but i feel pretty confident for now.

.47 works like a charm for under 1oz. for over 1 oz i did pay the .70 recently which i think is a non-machinable charge but i hadn't done one over 1 oz in quite some time and wasn't thinking. i need to verify what 1.00-1.99 oz is that is machinable. uhh, ya thats right, i think.

you can go to a print shop and get some thick stock unless you know the pound thickness already. i've seen several people use that folded adhesive cardboard insert but i really do not like those things, i mean at all. lol

but they do work but also seem expensive, though i've never verified.

it adds work but i also use little pieces of tape on all 4 corners to the envelopes don't snag as easy. but don't put tape over the stamp or you'll run into problems. just tape first, then stamp.

i did NOT intend to type all that. ugh. hope it helps.

edited to add:

if shipping two large coins or really 2 quarter size even, just put some space between them before taping/stapling into the packing slip or whatever before putting into the folded card stock which provides a nice thick barrier.

after i run out of what i have, i may opt for a bit thicker just to be safe. i think mine is 150#? my receipt, which i now see i neglected to include in with my taxes shows 150 Toq. whatever that means.
.

MWallace

@LanceNewmanOCC said:
.
.47 works like a charm for under 1oz.

Postage is .49.