USPS Tracking Separately From The Shipping Charges
I received a package the other day, with a label that read $0.00 together with a lot of stamps. Apparently what happened was that the Tracking Number was purchased separately. This opens up the possibility of shipping items cheaper in some cases. For example. A tracked label might cost $4.50 and a First Class Postage Stamp costs 78¢ which is a lot cheaper. Is it Free if you sign up for USPS Tracking Plus? Apparently there is a onetime fee, however is the Tracking Fee Free or cheaper after you sign up for this service? Are there private online shipping services offering to do it that way? Anybody have any experience with this?
12 comments
bdmh-enterprises
·9 months agoLast time I bought Int Forever stamps from a collectible stamp seller, they came in a large photo mailer with 20+ various stamps from 3c to Int Forevers and a GA barcode.
Good way to get rid of bulk for them. Also since Forever stamps get current value, using older ones can help make up the difference of paying retail rate. Gotta be time consuming to have to come up with the right combination of random stamps to pay for the postage on every package LOL. And for the PO clerk that has to count them all...
12345jamesstamps
·9 months agoUs stamp sellers use real stamps for postage.
We take our packages to the post office with stamps on them.
With the correct postage...the clerk does a 0.00 label which has tracking which is free.
We do not get charged for tracking...when we have the correct postage of stamps on the package to be shipped.
A lot of sellers can get stamps at below face value at auctions on eBay from USA sellers...I do sometimes.
It's sometimes cheaper than using eBay labels or UPS or Fedex.
a_c_green
·9 months agoYes, it's just a different way of buying the shipping at retail (over the counter). The $0.00 label is printed to generate a tracking bar code, as every item constituting a package (regardless of how the postage was purchased) must have a tracking number assigned, and the tracking number is then printed on a $0.00 receipt for you.
pf9000
OP9 months agoThat's a huge discovery. Just put stamps on the package and take it to the Post Office for Free Tracking. I can imagine saving a lot of money this way.
bdmh-enterprises
·9 months agoThe tracking's not free per se. You have to put the $6-8 retail GA rate worth of stamps on the package, it's just that stamp sellers have that laying around in their bulk pile.
tobaccocardyahoo
·9 months agoAnd you have to pay the retail rate, not the discounted commercial rate.
This thread is a rat hole based on multiple misunderstandings.
pf9000
OP9 months agoThe maximum size for a First-Class Mail letter is: Height: 6 -1/8 inches. Length: 11 -1/2 inches. Thickness: 1/4 inch. Now if you calculate $0.78 for the first ounce and $0.29 for each additional ounce, it sometimes comes out a couple of dollars cheaper. Take it to the Post Office and get a Free Tracking Label. Sounds good to me. I’m going to have to try it, to see if it works out that way.
a_c_green
·9 months agoNote that the "free tracking label" will be generated if the mailpiece fits the qualifications to be a package (via dimensions, weight, non-flexibility or whatever). If it doesn't qualify as a package, it doesn't get a tracking label.
If it does qualify as a package, it has to have a tracking label, so if you pre-paid the postage via some method that didn't generate a tracking number at purchase time (such as by sticking enough stamps on it to meet the retail price), then they'll generate a $0.00 transaction that will produce a tracking number for it.
Keep in mind that the stamped package will need to show the retail cost, not the on-line cost, because the postage payment is being made at the retail counter (by cancelling the stamps), so you want to be sure that your cost in stamps (however you got them, such as old cheap stock) will not be higher than what you would have been charged on-line. That difference can be measured in dollars each time.
slippinjimmy
·9 months agoYou actually can get tracking for Letters or Flats, it's called Certified Mail and costs an additional $5.30 for each letter/flat.
lacemaker3
·9 months agoUSPS Tracking Plus does not allow you to get tracking for free, or for less money. Sorry, but you have misunderstood what this means.
USPS Tracking Plus is a service that you can buy for a particular package, which extends the time when the tracking data for that particular package can be accessed online.
https://faq.usps.com/s/article/USPS-Tracking-Plus-The-Basics
You have to pay separately for each package where you want this service, and you can only pay for it once, so you have to make sure that you choose how long you need the tracking data for the first time.
eoma689485
·9 months agoForgot to mention...
Tracking Plus only extends how long USPS keeps your tracking history.
It is not a shipping service.
It does not provide tracking for stamped mail.
It does not reduce postage or tracking fees.
eoma689485
·9 months agoUSPS allows you to buy “USPS Tracking (Standalone)†for certain mail types only at the retail counter. It’s not widely used, but it exists. When you do that, the printed label may show $0.00 because the postage itself is represented by the stamps, not the printed label.
USPS Tracking Plus does NOT give you tracking for free.
It does not reduce the cost of tracking.
It does not allow you to buy tracking separately for cheaper.