I live in the US. If I want to mail someone an item bigger than can be fit in a simple envelope, what is the procedure for determining the proper packaging, postage, etc? Will I have to actually bring the package to the post office to have them determine that? What is the protocol for doing so?
Find an appropriate sized cardboard box. (They have these at the post office, but I often reuse old Amazon boxes and the like.)
Stuff it with the object you wish to ship and any necessary padding materials so that it doesn’t slide around.
If your box has anything potentially confusing on it—inapplicable warning labels, old shipping addresses, etc., -- cover them up or black them out with a marker. (I had to do this when I reused a box that had warnings about liquids).
Find a way to put the destination and return addresses on the box. You can just write on the box with a marker, or you can write on a separate sheet of paper. Address it like you would an envelope (destination in the center, return address in the top left corner).
Tape it up good with packing tape (available at CVS). Tape all the seams. If you wrote the address on a separate sheet of paper, make sure all the edges of the paper are taped to the box.
Take it to your US Post Office, bring the sealed box to the counter and ask for it shipped “parcel post” (unless your box only contains books and CDs, in which case you can ask for “media mail” and it will be slightly cheaper). They will weigh it, print a stamp, stick it onto the box, charge you money, and you’re done.
More notes:
If the object fits inside a Priority Mail flat-rate envelope (even if it is bulging), that might be the best way to ship it, especially because of the convenience (no special materials or tape required). For example, you can reasonably fit about 3 DVDs into the flat-rate envelope.
The Post Office won’t ship liquids. For that you have to go to UPS or FedEx, and even then, some states might have laws against shipping liquids, so you could be out of luck.
An addendum to all the above helpful replies: Be sure to write down the address before heading off to whatever facility will be shipping your package :)
Also, simply taking the box to your local USPS does work for international shipments as well, but you’ll be asked to fill out a customs form declaring what is in the package and how much it’s valued at.
Possibly not necessary, but this seems like a post where little nuances are useful to mention :)
I find it easiest just to bring it at the post office. I’ll put it in a box/wrap it myself, but from what I’ve seen, the (very small) post office near my house also sells packaging materials. I just join the line up, bring the package to the clerk at the front and say “I want to mail this to __” and I received instructions.
(I live in Canada, but I’m assuming the system is similar.)
USPS lets you create shipping labels online. You’ll need to set up an account, but that’s fairly easy. To make a label, you just need an address and you’ll need to know the weight of your package, but they calculate everything from there. Also, you’re going to have to choose a type of shipping, but I don’t think you need to pay for the fastest service, also beware that there are options for using their provided boxes, don’t use those. When you print the label, tape it to the box (or, for advanced users, buy the USPS sticky-back printer-friendly labels). You can just leave the package by your mailbox and the mail carrier will take it with em (to be sure, maybe leave a sign the first couple times you do this) or you can take it to the post office.
just bring what you have to a UPS or fedex shipping center. i can almost guarantee that it will be cheaper than USPS and the staff will be very helpful.
I live in the US. If I want to mail someone an item bigger than can be fit in a simple envelope, what is the procedure for determining the proper packaging, postage, etc? Will I have to actually bring the package to the post office to have them determine that? What is the protocol for doing so?
There’s a flat rate USPS box deal. You’re limited to just a few fixed boxed sizes. It’s cheaper than Fedex or UPS.
My protocol is:
Find an appropriate sized cardboard box. (They have these at the post office, but I often reuse old Amazon boxes and the like.)
Stuff it with the object you wish to ship and any necessary padding materials so that it doesn’t slide around.
If your box has anything potentially confusing on it—inapplicable warning labels, old shipping addresses, etc., -- cover them up or black them out with a marker. (I had to do this when I reused a box that had warnings about liquids).
Find a way to put the destination and return addresses on the box. You can just write on the box with a marker, or you can write on a separate sheet of paper. Address it like you would an envelope (destination in the center, return address in the top left corner).
Tape it up good with packing tape (available at CVS). Tape all the seams. If you wrote the address on a separate sheet of paper, make sure all the edges of the paper are taped to the box.
Take it to your US Post Office, bring the sealed box to the counter and ask for it shipped “parcel post” (unless your box only contains books and CDs, in which case you can ask for “media mail” and it will be slightly cheaper). They will weigh it, print a stamp, stick it onto the box, charge you money, and you’re done.
More notes:
If the object fits inside a Priority Mail flat-rate envelope (even if it is bulging), that might be the best way to ship it, especially because of the convenience (no special materials or tape required). For example, you can reasonably fit about 3 DVDs into the flat-rate envelope.
The Post Office won’t ship liquids. For that you have to go to UPS or FedEx, and even then, some states might have laws against shipping liquids, so you could be out of luck.
An addendum to all the above helpful replies: Be sure to write down the address before heading off to whatever facility will be shipping your package :)
Also, simply taking the box to your local USPS does work for international shipments as well, but you’ll be asked to fill out a customs form declaring what is in the package and how much it’s valued at.
Possibly not necessary, but this seems like a post where little nuances are useful to mention :)
I find it easiest just to bring it at the post office. I’ll put it in a box/wrap it myself, but from what I’ve seen, the (very small) post office near my house also sells packaging materials. I just join the line up, bring the package to the clerk at the front and say “I want to mail this to __” and I received instructions.
(I live in Canada, but I’m assuming the system is similar.)
Place thing on counter. “Hey, suppose I wanted to send this [thing] through the mail. What sort of packaging would I need and how much would it cost?”
USPS lets you create shipping labels online. You’ll need to set up an account, but that’s fairly easy. To make a label, you just need an address and you’ll need to know the weight of your package, but they calculate everything from there. Also, you’re going to have to choose a type of shipping, but I don’t think you need to pay for the fastest service, also beware that there are options for using their provided boxes, don’t use those. When you print the label, tape it to the box (or, for advanced users, buy the USPS sticky-back printer-friendly labels). You can just leave the package by your mailbox and the mail carrier will take it with em (to be sure, maybe leave a sign the first couple times you do this) or you can take it to the post office.
just bring what you have to a UPS or fedex shipping center. i can almost guarantee that it will be cheaper than USPS and the staff will be very helpful.
USPS is cheaper if you send books, DVDs, or other things you are allowed to ship media mail.