Can you reuse Prime envelopes?

[whatnots2like]

Dumb question, but can you reuse those Prime plastic envelopes? Through USPS?

I don't see a warning on them (like Priority mailers)

tia

[sandi7766]

That's so tacky, get a decent mailer, show some pride in what you sell.

[katier19]

That is awful and YES, recycling is more important than logos, agree! I have always been able to reuse them so far and I hope that continues! I have too many now though. I have advertised on FB marketplace for used padded etc. envelopes and got several takers, locally so I guess I'll do that again.

[arthurinseattle]

Yes I agree Katier19.  My mother saved tons of styrofoam peanuts in her basement from all her online purchases. I tried to take them to UPS which used to accept them and they wouldn't take them.  So we kept saving them to eventually use or give away but eventually some mice got in and started eating them and trying to carry them off.  Just made a big mess and eventually they all had to go in the trash.

[wahlstreetmkt]

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@whatnots2like wrote:

Thanks, that's good news, those are great envelopes (but the PRIME and smiley will show through if turned inside out - so I'll leave them right side out).

I got spanked once for using a Priority Box B, with regular Priority postage! The Box B is so special it requires an extra fee (which of course was taken out of my account). Odd because there are regular Priority boxes that are larger, without a surcharge. Who knew? Not me obviously.

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You can resize the Regional A and B boxes if you use it for Priority Mail.

For instance, a Regional B box is - 12.25" x 10.25" x 5.25"

It's OK to cut the height down a bit (height of 4" instead of 5.25") or mess with the width or length. Just make sure to sharpie out the barcode AND I'd recommend taking photos of the finished result with measurements.

Do it all the time for tumblers using cubic shipping. Got charged after the fact a few times, but have won all the appeals since they only have an issue if you try to use the box as is.

[chapabargain]

The Amazon police will come to your house.

@whatnots2like 

[chapabargain]

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@nobody*s_perfect wrote:

Some people think it should be OK to put non-Priority postage on the used Priority Mail  packaging.

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Who said they think its OK?

Maybe they do it either way. 

@nobody*s_perfect 

[chapabargain]

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@onlinecentral wrote:

The box I use the most measures 6x4x2 inches and costs $0.22 each in quantity.

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I'm seeing them for cheaper then that. 

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1311&_nkw=6x4x2+boxes&_sacat=0

@onlinecentral 

[chapabargain]

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@kleiny41 wrote:

Yesterday I tried to ship a book (sold for $2.00) in an Amazon bubble envelope. I purchased the shipping label through eBay and had safely packed the item. I took the package to the USPS counter for dropoff and the postal employee made me buy a cardboard mailer from USPS. She stated that they won't let customers re-use packing with logos from Amazon (she mentioned one other company as well).

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She was just in a bad mood that day. There's no such rule.

This might answer your question. 

@kleiny41 

[chapeau-noir]

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@katier19 wrote:

That is awful and YES, recycling is more important than logos, agree! I have always been able to reuse them so far and I hope that continues! I have too many now though. I have advertised on FB marketplace for used padded etc. envelopes and got several takers, locally so I guess I'll do that again.

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Keep doing that - people like me depend on folks like you who save your clean bubblers, peanuts, air pillows, bubble wrap, etc. and most of us will gladly pick it up.  I have three neighbours and a community college who save all their clean packing material for me.  Those foam peanuts are like GOLD because no one wants to buy them, and no one wants to throw them away - when I was selling a lot of glassware I went through everything people gave me. Same thing with a friend of mine who has a small factory - they're always trying to recycle packing material to ship out their assemblies and go through it like crazy.

So keep doing it!

As for 'have some pride' - my pride is reserved for a rich, healthy environment and not spending money on new packing materials when I don't have to.

[rosachs]

I save my RECEIVED USPS Priority Mail boxes and cut them up for stiffeners when needed.  USPS cannot dictate what you can do with the box AFTER it has gone thru their system.  The can and do control how they are supposed to be used BEFORE they've gone thru the system.

I also hoard packing peanuts, bubble wrap, and some kraft stuffing paper.  If it's clean, I can reuse it.  And there are a few folks in town (mostly older ladies for some reason) who will collect a bunch and then drop it off for me at my day job.  I keep offering to pay them, if only for the gas, but they just laugh and say they'd rather see it recycled than trashed.  Which I understand - I do the same with the PCs I 'decompose'.  One company recycles the stripped frames, another the plastics, and a special company does the circuit boards and dead power supplies.  They do precious metal recovery and also collect the lead and other contaminating metals as they process tons of circuit boards a month.  None of these places pay me for what I drop off - but it's not ending up in a landfill, so I'm good with that.

Hoarding reusable shipping supplies is a time-honored tradition!  🙂

-Bob.

[wastingtime101]

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@katier19 wrote:

I'm trying to find out what to do with my many plastic Amazon mailers and was hoping they would take them back to reuse, but haven't found anything on that yet.

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You can reuse them or give them to somebody else who can reuse them. You can take them to any food store with bins at the door for recycling plastic bags. That's where polymailers and plastic airjackets can be recycled - whether they have the Amazon logo, the eBay logo or whatever.

[nuclearomen]

i reuse them for packaging sometimes, not sending items in but cushioning. If you have a reseal machine then you can reuse Prime padded envelopes - there is no regulation on that like with USPS supplies. 

[katzrul15]

@chapabargain 

OMG - too funny.  (do they come by drone?  LMAO)

[vintage-car-magazines]

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@kleiny41 wrote:

Yesterday I tried to ship a book (sold for $2.00) in an Amazon bubble envelope. I purchased the shipping label through eBay and had safely packed the item. I took the package to the USPS counter for dropoff and the postal employee made me buy a cardboard mailer from USPS. She stated that they won't let customers re-use packing with logos from Amazon (she mentioned one other company as well). She cut off my label and glued it on to the cardboard mailer (I thanked her). I was shocked, though. I haven't looked for this policy yet on the USPS website. Has anyone heard of this? Isn't recycling more important the logos? There was no print on the bubbled envelope I was reusing. 

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That USPS clerk is making stuff up. 

[johnwhiplash]

I wouldn't use the prime envelopes unless the logo was blocked out. Your customer may think you are having the item drop shipped from Amazon.