Need urgent help with shipping a rigid item thicker than 1/4 but less than 3/4 inch in a letter

[caracara_curios]

Good evening everyone!

I have many orders of a small rigid item on my other eBay account that is over a 1/4 inch but less than 3/4 inches in thickness and weighs less than 1 OZ and I need urgent help as this is my first time selling these kind of items and they need to be shipped tomorrow. 

What I am doing now is padding the entire letter with bubble wrap to make the thickness uniform  and sticking two Forever stamps on it. I read that large flats must be shipped as parcels if they have a rigid item but it mentions but there is a statement on USPS.com that says "

• A mailpiece must be flat-size or larger, if rigid, or over 3/4" thick to be classified and priced as a package (parcel)."

Based on the above statement, is my current shipping method OK. The last thing I want is for USPS to return all of my orders back to me. Any input is greatly appreciated

[thenobletuckylife]

Evening,

Oh My...these can not go 1st Class letter...they MUST go 1st Class package rate and you are looking at around $3 per package I believe (haven't priced 1 ounce lately)

Mr C

[thenobletuckylife]

Here is the USPS chart, I high lighted the part that applies to you.

Hope this helps...Mr C

USPS Postage Rates

USPS® Rates are determined based on a combination of weight, mail class, and shape. For certain services, discounted pricing is available for customers who purchase from online PC Postage services such as Stamps.com. Below is a summary of the latest USPS prices:

New Rate (effective Sunday, January 22, 2017) Postage Rates

First Class Mail Letter (1 oz.) - Retail/Post Office Rate*	$0.49
First Class Mail Letter (1 oz.) - Metered Mail/Stamps.com Rate	$0.46
First Class Mail Letter - each additional ounce	$0.21
Postcard	$0.34
First Class Mail Flat (1 oz.)	$0.98
First Class Mail Flat - each additional ounce	$0.21
First Class Mail International Letter	$1.15
Priority Mail Express (0.5 lb., zones 1&2)	$21.18 and up
Priority Mail (1 lb., zones 1&2)	$5.95 and up
First Class Package Service (1-6 oz.)	$2.61 and up
Parcel Select Ground (1 lb., zones 1&2)	$5.95 and up
Retail Ground (1 lb., zones 1&2) - Retail/Post Office Rate* Formerly Parcel Post and Standard Post	$6.65 and up
Media Mail (1 lb., zones 1&2)	$2.63
Priority Mail Express International (0.5 lb., zone 1)	$38.90 and up
Priority Mail International (1 lb.) - Canada	$30.16 and up
Priority Mail International (1 lb.) - Other Countries	$36.81 and up
First Class Package International Service (1 oz., Group 1)	$14.73 and up
Retail/Post Office Rate: Prices paid when going to Post Office to purchase postage. Unless indicated, rates listed are discounted rates for online purchase available through Stamps.com.

[slippinjimmy]

It's a package! Online rate is $2.61

You MIGHT get away with but since you are using stamps they could be delivered "postage due", I doubt your buyers would like that and you wouldn't like their reaction.

Physical test for "Flat" compliance can be found here:

https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/201.htm#ep1096362

From your description I doubt they qualify.

[ancientmom]

What are you trying to ship? I have shipped craft paper and small metal charms international by "large envelope" many times and always been successful. The outer 1" around the envelope needs to be flexible enough to be bent back and forth and the middle part should be flexible enough to go through the postal sorting machines, that's where the "rigid" part becomes an issue. Usually I ship items packed between 2 sheets of bubble wrap inserted between cardstock and taped at seams and over label, not on back since USPS doesn't want it taped. Just let us know what you are trying to ship and will try to be of more help 🙂

[ancientmom]

Thanks Jimmy for that USPS info!!

[caracara_curios]

Plastic key chains. I have some orders with 3 units to the same customer and when I plase all 3 in the envelope with the bubble wrap I can bend the envelope so that the right and left edges meet. I would think that is flexible enough although there is some rigidity in the middle part when I place a single unit in the envelope but it is just an inch or two of rigidity, the rest is very flexible obviously as it only has bubble wrap. Please advise

[caracara_curios]

Thanks for the info. 🙂

[caracara_curios]

Thanks, that is really helpful. Please see my response below and let me know what you think. 

[thenobletuckylife]

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@fantastech wrote:

Plastic key chains. I have some orders with 3 units to the same customer and when I plase all 3 in the envelope with the bubble wrap I can bend the envelope so that the right and left edges meet. I would think that is flexible enough although there is some rigidity in the middle part when I place a single unit in the envelope but it is just an inch or two of rigidity, the rest is very flexible obviously as it only has bubble wrap. Please advise

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Hi Fantastech,

All I can say is I have send out probably more than 1000 packages that had garden seeds in them...seldom would they pass as letter or flat...90% plus needed to go out 1st Class Package...and many of those packages were under 3 ounces.

Mr C

[partial*eclipse]

That's a package, not a flat (AKA Large envelope).  

In addition to the criteria about thickness and rigidity, flats must be, well, flat.  They acn't have a "variation in thickness more than 1/4 inch".  See section 4.4:

https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/201.htm#ep1096318

Online postage for a First Class package up to 4 ouncs is currently $2.61.

[caracara_curios]

I can make them uniform by adding bubble wrap or peanuts. Will that do? 

[duchess-at-speakeasy]

No. A First Class flat (aka large envelope) must be FLEXIBLE and of uniform thickness up to 3/4 inch. It can be rolled, creased, bent, folded and otherwise mangled. No rigid objects -- no plastic, metal, cardboard, etc. No insurance. No tracking.

The envelope's width must be at least 6-1/8 inches OR the length must be at least 11.5 inches. No small "letter size" envelopes allowed.

A flat is intended for documents (sheaf of paper) or thin catalogs or magazines. It is not for rigid or lumpy objects.

You need to mail a PACKAGE via First Class Package Service, which includes tracking. The minimum online postage rate is $2.61. If you use stamps, the minimum retail price is $3.00 and you will have to add a Label 400 for tracking. You can use a bubble envelope and stuff it to your heart's content!

~~C~~

[partial*eclipse]

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duchess-at-speakeasy wrote: ... The envelope's width must be at least 6-1/8 inches OR the length must be at least 11.5 inches. No small "letter size" envelopes allowed....

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@duchess-at-speakeasy

According to the DMM, a piece is a flat if ANY of the THREE dimensions, including thickness, make it too big to be a letter.

2.0 Physical Standards for Flats 2.1 General Definition of Flat-Size Mail

Flat-size mail is:

1. More than 11-1/2 inches long, or more than 6-1/8 inches high, or more than 1/4 inch thick, except as allowed for EDDM-Retail flats under 140. For general retail mailability, all pieces 1/4 inch thick or less must be a minimum of 5 inches long and 3-1/2 inches high and 0.007 inch thick.

https://pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/101.htm#ep1002686

[rolenboy01]

What is the problem aren't gonna make a profit at First Class Package rates?