Poor USPS Handling Fragile Items CLEARLY Marked Fragile as Glass

[genesee-valley-vintage]

Helo just Somewhat frustrated Lately Last month Or so Have Had Only Positive experience With Good Comments On My Packing Tec. for Fragile items  but Seems Lately No Matter how much bubble wrap you use Or Paper In Corners Cardboard tops The USPS Finds ways  with Negi ligate Handling  not Sure If Donr Pay attention to LG RED Glass Fragile stickers Or is It They don't Really Care Raise rates Yet handle Your Shipped boxes with Little Care in Shipping USPS Ground  Don't Know if new Workers or Possible illegals? That Cant Read English Or just Poor attitude Employees In USPS Handling Of Boxed Order.. RESPONSE Question Has Other experienced this same seem to Be a non Caring attitude By USPS Handling of Fragile shipped items  Any New Ideas for Safer Shipping?? Or Switch to UPS Any recommendations By Ones Who Used that service? On Arrival safe of shipped order?? Thanks for your time Comments Ideas appreciated Thanks~  

[winterpalace25]

I came here to say that. I sell dishes and double box frequently.  The word has always been on these boards that FRAGILE stickers will get you rough treatment. 

Also, imagine that your package will be dropped 10 feet off a conveyer belt and a 20 lb package will be dropped on top of it

Back in the early days of book selling on Amazon, the boards would periodically post that the USPS had a special team of elephants to stomp Book Rate (Media Mail).  It's a jungle out there.

[stainlessenginecovers]

FRAGILE is Latin for 'throw me'

[tools*]

---

@mam98031 wrote:

---

@tools* wrote:

---

@toomuchstuffagain35 wrote:

On flat items I'll put a Do Not Bend with a smiley face but that's not for the machines. It's hoping the carrier doesn't bend it to get it in the mailbox lol

---

If your flat can be easily bent, it isn't sturdy enough and you should be using a box instead.

---

Using a box for some books is an expense a seller doesn't need to do to keep them safe.  I sell craft books, so they likely average about 48 pages.  Shipping costs would be beyond ridiculous if I added on a box for the too.

---

Then they'll most likely arrive bent, creased, dinged, and possibly folded. I prefer to spend the 25¢ on a box.

[tools*]

---

@stainlessenginecovers wrote:

FRAGILE is Latin for 'throw me'

---

FRAGILE (Pronounced fra jee lee) is Italian for major award. It's stenciled on shipping crates exclusively for lamps of distinction.

[gone.c-33]

---

@stainlessenginecovers wrote:

FRAGILE is Latin for 'throw me'

---

 

[mam98031]

---

@tools* wrote:

---

@mam98031 wrote:

---

@tools* wrote:

---

@toomuchstuffagain35 wrote:

On flat items I'll put a Do Not Bend with a smiley face but that's not for the machines. It's hoping the carrier doesn't bend it to get it in the mailbox lol

---

If your flat can be easily bent, it isn't sturdy enough and you should be using a box instead.

---

Using a box for some books is an expense a seller doesn't need to do to keep them safe.  I sell craft books, so they likely average about 48 pages.  Shipping costs would be beyond ridiculous if I added on a box for the too.

---

Then they'll most likely arrive bent, creased, dinged, and possibly folded. I prefer to spend the 25¢ on a box.

---

Really???  Your assumption is incorrect.  I have less than one book damaged per year.  

You may have missed when I said you can NOT depend on just putting a Do Not Bend sticker on the package.  You need to make sure it is stiff too.  And sure there will be some that will just see it as a challenge.  Stuff happens.  I'm very experienced with shipping these types of books.

[gloryglorygifts]

I RARELY get boxes delivered from UPS that haven't been damaged in some way and one even arrived partially open with half the bags of cookies missing from a case. 

I make out far better with the USPS, but wrap everything very well and do not mark anything on the outside. Never have. I feel like that's just an invitation. 

[gloryglorygifts]

I was waiting for that to show up in the comments....

you did not disappoint. 😂

[inhawaii]

You had something marked "fragile" get damaged in shipping?

Unbelievable.

[marchair]

I've been buying on Ebay for nearly 27 years -- mostly fragile items (glass). During that time I have observed that the packages marked Fragile tended to be the most banged-up ones. 

So because of that I do not mark my packages "Fragile." I mostly sell glass, plus a few other things. I wrap the glass in bubble-wrap until I cannot feel a hard edge anywhere. Then I center it in a good box so that there's at least 2 inches of space between the item and all the walls of the box, and fill that with packing peanuts. I may add pieces of Styrofoam or 3-6 thin shopping bags with a couple handfuls of packing peanuts inside each, tied with a loose knot, packed around the item to keep it from shifting and moving toward the sides of the box. I am not a high volume seller, but have sold online for 26 years and have never had a fragile item break.

Sometimes I recycle foam (such as eggcrate mattress, etc.), when I have it, especially for large heavy glass items. Items that are more fragile than usual get double-boxed, with the inner box being about 4 inches smaller, all around, than the outer box. That allows about 2 inches around it, to be filled with wadded paper or packing peanuts. I always use packing peanuts immediately around the item, as it offers more cushioning than anything else besides foam.

Air pillows are not safe for glass because they usually deflate when the airplane reaches a higher altitude, and then sometimes do not reinflate when back to land. I had one terribly disappointing disaster when a UK seller packed the (rare) glass tray very well in air pillows, but they all deflated during shipping and the tray arrived shattered. Another time someone used air pillows and some newspaper. The air pillows deflated, but extremely luckily, the glass did not break. Only use air pillows for non-breakable items.

[cottagehillvanilla]

Good afternoon,

While most of my items (Plates, Mugs) are Ceramic, I know that once the Customer's item leaves my care, custody, & control, and yes each Box has 'fragile' stickers on the Box. I have to ensure on my end I have done my part to perhaps pack well, by using a sturdy well-fitting box, tape it well, for the item I sold to prevent damage. So far I have had -0- damage. I use a number of materials, including, cardboard box flaps, breaking down the boxes, custom cutting the flaps to each plate, top & bottom, as well as reams of paper to individually wrap each plate.  I purchase the paper from U-Haul, and Bubble Wrap each Plate individually, then each item is Taped.  When placed in the Box, there is -0- movement, No air in the box, with popcorn, & paper. I ship USPS Advantage or Priority and have had no issues to date.  I ship all flatware in Corrugated Boxes as well to ensure the item is not compromised during transit. All the best to you. 

[chariot_badges]

I worked one Xmas break during college years for the post office in the Bulk Mail Center in Richmond, California.  

I can tell you from personal experience that packages are not handled gently,  ESPECIALLY if it says "Fragile, handle with care" or anything like that on it. 

In fact, it was taken as a challenge.

Kind of like when you see one of those  speed-check signs, the electronic ones that tell you how fast you're going.  It's a challenge.  I would double the speed you should be going.  It's like a dare.

Me and a couple other drones had a basketball game of sorts with "fragile" packages and #3 mail bags in frames.

Back then, zip codes were fairly new and about 10% of the mail was given to us without.  If the local didn't figure it out ... I would send everything to either Nome, Alaska or Maui, HI.  

"Keep it moving" was the motto.   

It's one of my Top Ten worst jobs of all time.  

When the job was over I turned in stuff and one of them was my hard hat.  My manager said, "Oh no, you keep that.  You'll need it when we call you back."   I said, "No, you take it.  I won't ever need it here again.  Don't call me."

And they never did.

Awful place to work.  I makes "going postal" understandable.

[gurlcat]

---

@chariot_badges wrote:

Me and a couple other drones had a basketball game of sorts with "fragile" packages and #3 mail bags in frames.

Back then, zip codes were fairly new and about 10% of the mail was given to us without.  If the local didn't figure it out ... I would send everything to either Nome, Alaska or Maui, HI.  

---

So you just publicly admit to being ..... like that.  Wow.  

[wri-8727]

gurlcat, it sounds like chariot badges and friends was the jocks and the PO was the nerds.

Reminds me of my poor nerdy brother-in-law in HS when car-bashs were a thing at county fairs and some jocks he was hanging around with (probably drinking) decided to bash his cherry late model LDT nerd car.  

Anyroad, I doubt chariot badges story is as bad as it sounds.

[gurlcat]

Well he wasn't victimizing the post office, more like old ladies sending birthday presents to their grandkids or whatever.   I'm not sure why you doubt it was as bad as it sounds, all I know is it sounds like he's still not ashamed of it, all these decades later.