Quick question about mail

[PeterB]

Newt, I just checked... Fedex is lower than UPS, but not by much, but won't do pickup; DHL charges for pickup which would bring it close to UPS's price...

[NewtonMP2100]

doesn't UPS charge for pickup too? I haven't used them for a long time but they used to charge $1 for home pickup and they would only take cash or personal check (I think they no longer take personal checks. . .)


I'm lucky. . .I'm near a post office, near FedEx/Kinko's office, near UPS store. . .so not a big deal for me.

Note: . . comparing packages, especially heavier ones, FedEx ground/Home is always the cheapest but as I said don't use them for stuff like computers. . .

[bazookaman]

I got behind a woman in line at the PO who was trying to mail something by media mail. The attendent made her UNWRAP the entire package right there. And she had wrapped the hell out of it too. But she said they (that office at least) would not accept sealed media mail. You had to bring it unsealed so they could see it first.

Like i said, this may have just been that particular PO.

[PeterB]

Newt, nope, UPS does free pickup if you have a label...

Edit: at least, I think they do. All things considered, I think I may end up just going brown, and seeing if they'll do the pickup. The Media Mail seems a bit too risky of them opening it up; and the other options are all in the same ballpark price-wise once you factor in pickup.

[RAMd®d]

I bet it's *not* a national requirement to bring a Media Mail package unsealed.

All mail except First Class, Priority, and Express Overnight Mail, are subject to routine postal inspection at any time. This means anytime an employee is suspicious or if there is a routine, random inspection.

So the odds are that you can lie about the contents (tacit or overtly) and you probably won't get caught. Interesting that you don't mind a little fraud, as long as you won't get caught.

The other problem is that if somebody at the post office at the delivery end decides to check the contents and finds that you lied about the contents, the addressee will be assessed additional postage. Should he/she refuse to pay the Postage Due, the package would come back to you with not only the additional postage due, but the return postage as well.

It seems a lot of people have the same idea as you, cheating the post office to save money. Because of that, a lot of attention seems to be paid to Media Mail packages.

I've mailed two MM packages a while back. The clerks ask me (and others, I've noticed) what's in the box. If you answer incorrectly, they either use a different rate (Parcel Post) or have you open the package.

If you choose not to tell them (I heard a woman tell the clerk "I don't think that's any of your damn business." She was wrong, apparently.) you get a PP or Priority rate, your choice.

I suppose some clerks don't care and don't ask. If it was me, I'd watch the pupils-- if they contract, and the crook sticks to their story, the box would be inspected.

I'd check the usps.com site for a better definition of what is eligible for Media Mail, because "paper" in and of itself, does not qualify.

[PeterB]

[quote RAMd®d]I bet it's *not* a national requirement to bring a Media Mail package unsealed.

All mail except First Class, Priority, and Express Overnight Mail, are subject to routine postal inspection at any time. This means anytime an employee is suspicious or if there is a routine, random inspection.

So the odds are that you can lie about the contents (tacit or overtly) and you probably won't get caught. Interesting that you don't mind a little fraud, as long as you won't get caught.

The other problem is that if somebody at the post office at the delivery end decides to check the contents and finds that you lied about the contents, the addressee will be assessed additional postage. Should he/she refuse to pay the Postage Due, the package would come back to you with not only the additional postage due, but the return postage as well.

It seems a lot of people have the same idea as you, cheating the post office to save money. Because of that, a lot of attention seems to be paid to Media Mail packages.

I've mailed two MM packages a while back. The clerks ask me (and others, I've noticed) what's in the box. If you answer incorrectly, they either use a different rate (Parcel Post) or have you open the package.

If you choose not to tell them (I heard a woman tell the clerk "I don't think that's any of your damn business." She was wrong, apparently.) you get a PP or Priority rate, your choice.

I suppose some clerks don't care and don't ask. If it was me, I'd watch the pupils-- if they contract, and the crook sticks to their story, the box would be inspected.

I'd check the usps.com site for a better definition of what is eligible for Media Mail, because "paper" in and of itself, does not qualify.
Interesting that you assumed based on my posting that I don't mind a little fraud. There was nothing in my post to suggest that that was the case; my post was more for the purpose of asking: "For what is Media Mail postage to be used? Can it only be used for media, or can it be used for other stuff too?" ... if the answer was, "no, Media Mail is really only for media" -- then I wouldn't want to take the risk of sending it that way, EVEN if I were to be unethical and go ahead and send it that way (which I wouldn't have done, anyhow). Meaning, for example, it could have been that Media Mail is strictly for media, but that you run the risk of their opening it up, seeing it isn't media, and then pulling it from the mail stream... for that reason alone, I wouldn't choose to send it that way, independent on the ethical issues.

Stop making assumptions, RAMd®d; you know what happens when people "assume"...